97-Year-Old Cubs Fan Has Dream Come True After 71 Years

108 years. 

A lot has happened in the past 108 years. Not a Cubs World Series win, though. Despite this, the Windy City is still a baseball city. They still cross themselves with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit whenever someone mutters the name Steve Bartman (they might not do that, but I like to imagine they do).

This year is the first year since 1945 that the Cubs have been in the World Series. A chance to break the most cursed of curses is upon us. 

In their way is an almost equally as disappointing franchise, the Cleveland Indians. The last time the Tribe won a championship, World War II had only been over for less than three years. It was 1948. 68 years ago.

One Cubs fan — one of the few people still alive who got to see their last World Series berth — is getting the literal chance of a lifetime to see sport's worst losing streak come to an end. This is his story.

The 1908 World Series.

The Chicago Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers. Two of baseball's most historic, oldest franchises going head-to-head. Tickets were between a nickel and 15 cents. The series was won by the Cubs in five games.


Chicago 10:6 Detroit
Chicago 6:1 Detroit
Chicago 3:8 Detroit
Chicago 3:0 Detroit
Chicago 2:0 Detroit

And from the first game of the 1909 season onwards, the Cubs' World Series losing streak began.

It's safe to say a lot has happened since 1908.

-> WWI & II
-> The first Super Bowl
-> 19 different American Presidents
-> Humans went into space
-> THE INTERNET!
-> The birth of Jim Schlegel

Wait. Who is Jim Schlegel?

Schlegel is 97. Schlegel is a veteran of Pearl Harbor. Schlegel is a diehard Chicago Cubs fan. Schlegel was, amazingly, at the Cubs' last World Series in 1945, the year WWII ended.


Those tickets he holds? From game six and seven of that 1945 World Series loss to the Detroit Tigers.

Needless to say, when the Cubs made it to the World Series this year, Jim wanted to be there.

Imagine having to wait 71 years between opportunities to see your team potentially win a championship? And then imagine being 97! Let's be frank here. Jim doesn't have too many more of these left in him. This Cubs championship parade is destiny as far as I'm concerned.

So his granddaughter, Helen, set out to make sure he could attend.

She set up a GoFundMe with a goal of $10,000. The money would make sure her grandpa could pay the astronomical prices to see his Cubbies (ideally) beat the Indians in Game 3 of the World Series.

And they did it! But there's a twist.

All the money is getting donated to Purple Heart Foundation, a foundation with a simple mission: help servicemen and women make a smooth transition from the battlefield to the home front.

It gets even better, though. Jim is still going to the game.

Enter Marcus Lemonis

After the first night of fundraising, $800 was collected. It was about this time when Marcus Lemonis, host of CNBC's The Profit, got wind of the initiative and decided to leave his mark on this story by getting Jim his tickets.

Lemonis had two front-row tickets to Game 3 and found the perfect fan to go with.

"This man is so deserving. We've connected and he's going with my two tix first row Friday. Enjoy Jim, bring us a win!!!" tweeted Lemonis.

"Oh yeah, I'm excited!" — Jim Schlegel

"He's overwhelmed right now. He can't believe it and he's totally grateful that this happened and he's able to do it," Jim's daughter Beverly told Mashable over the phone. 

(Pictured below: Jim Schlegel circa 1945)

Jim can still rattle off the Cubs' starting lineup in '45.

"Phil Cavaretta was on first, Don Johnson was on second, Lem Murilla was short, Stan Hack was at third," he said. That's an amazing recall for something that happened 71 years ago.

He also remembers getting into the game for free.

"I got there seven o'clock in the morning, I went on Waveland Avenue, there was a short line already, so I just stood there in line, a policeman come by, and he says, soldier, what the hell are you doing here, and I said, I want to get in the game, he says, come here, you don't have to pay for a game, you're a soldier," Schlegel said.

"I hope we bring in a winner," said Jim.

Helen took a video of her grandfather thanking Lemonis for his generosity. He said he is going to take his son, Bill, with him and he predicts the Cubs will win the World Series in seven games...or less.

Baseball is a beautiful game. Truly. And it has a beautiful pastime that its current fans do such a great job of carrying on from generation to generation. Jim Schlegel's story is evidence of that.

Have a blast, Jim!