5 Guys And A Goat Aim To Break Cubs Curse, Raise Cancer Research Money

Five guys and a goat.

It sounds like the name of a TV sitcom. But it’s actually a group of committed Chicago Cubs fans hiking nearly 2,000 miles across the country for two causes: To raise money for cancer research and to break the Cubs’ Curse of the Billy Goat.

Legend has it that Billy Sianis, the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, placed a curse on the Cubs when he was kicked out of a World Series game at Wrigley Field in 1945 because fans complained he smelled like a goat. The curse states the Cubs would never win another World Series.

The journey of the five men began 27 days ago in Mesa, Ariz. where the Cubs have been participating in spring training. On Wednesday, the group walked along Highway 70 in Las Cruces, N.M. with the final destination still a long way off in Chicago.

?We?re basically homeless,? Blake Ferrell said. ?I?ve never had that feeling.?

They are living out of their backpacks.

Joining the five men is Wrigley, a baby goat they bought on Craigslist. Wrigley has a bit sheepish at first.

?He?s warmed up to us now,? Ferrell said. ?We can?t leave his side or else he freaks out.?

Wrigley walks part of the way but also is carried in a cart too because of his small size and the long walk.

Aside from breaking the curse, the group also is raising money for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

?I had four family members recently affected by cancer in the last three or four years,? Ferrell said. ?The more money we raise, the more people we’re gonna touch.?

With the help of Wrigley and the sales of merchandise on their website, www.crackthecurse.com, they?ve raised more than $2,000 for cancer research.

?It’s just something that kind of was put in my heart I just got set on doing and it’ll come full circle once we get to Chicago,? Ferrell said.

The final stop on their journey will be Wrigley Field in the hopes of bringing their team enough luck to take them to the World Series.

The championship would be nice, but the guys are feeling pretty good raising money for a good cause and creating priceless memories of their journey.

?It’s definitely something to look forward to, you know in 20 or 30 years, when we’re at age where we can’t do something like this,? Ferrell said.

They have a long road ahead of them, but each step they take brings them that much closer to breaking that Cubs curse and more importantly raising money for cancer research.