Neither rain nor curse nor the absence of the Cubs could keep hundreds of fans from a downtown rally honoring the team this afternoon, as hundreds of flag-waving and umbrella-toting die-hards packed Daley Plaza to celebrate the Cubs’ entry into the first round of the National League playoffs Wednesday in Arizona.
Some lined up more than two hours before the main event, jockeying for a prized space in front of the stage where Mayor Daley, Gov. Blagojevich and several former players called for victory.
Office workers surrounding the plaza could be seen in their windows, some showing support away from the elements.
As a highlight reel played on a large screen and the speakers took the stage, the drizzling subsided.
For superstitious fans, it was a good omen.
“It’s a bright sign,” said a cautiously optimistic Todd Goduto of Aurora, who quickly scarfed his lunch at his desk so he could attend the rally. “But we’re not in the clear yet.”
Mail carrier David Amesquita of Rolling Meadows agreed.
“I’m not going to utter the words ‘World championship’ yet,” said Amesquita, who “didn’t make it to work” Monday. “But I’m hopeful.”
So were the fans who donned blue wigs, waved “W” flags for a win and carried signs that read “How do you spell belief? CUBS!”
“Our job as Cubs fans is to believe,” said Max Martinez, 22. “If you don’t got that, you got nothing.”
Although Amesquita wouldn’t say it, 76-year-old Rosemary Libby was shouting it.
Libby, wearing a Cubs T-shirt, hat and pinstriped pants, carried a sign saying: “Fan Since 1933.” She said that was the year she turned 3 and first remembered her allegiance to the Cubs. On the back of the sign was a picture of a goat with a slash through it, representing the “Curse of the Billy Goat.”
“He’s history,” said Libby of Barrington. “This is our year.”
