A closer look at baseball's 'World Series'

  • 27/10/2016
A closer look at baseball's 'World Series'

By Logan Swinkels

Baseball's 'World Series' is underway between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians.

The World Series, where only two countries compete but really it's all USA.

How'd that happen?

In 1886, the Spalding Baseball Guide coined the phrase "World's Championship Series", eventually just called the "World Series."

Yes, that's the same Spalding known for making basketballs.

Spalding envisioned a championship where, one day, other countries would join in and compete.

In 1890, Spalding stated that "The baseball championship of the United States necessarily includes that of the entire world, though the time will come when Australia will step in as a rival, and after that country will come Great Britain; but all that is for the future."

Despite countries like Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela and even Japan each having their own top-notch, professional baseball leagues...that hasn't happened yet. 130 years later.

So will 2016's "World Series" winner be Cleveland or Chicago?

Some think this is Cleveland's big year, after it celebrated a comeback win in the NBA finals.

The NFL's Cleveland Browns? They've lost all seven of their games this year so far, so, it's up the Indians to keep the party going.

Or, will Chicago's curse finally end? They haven't won a World Series since 1908.

108 years is a long time to wait and a lot has happened since then: Two World Wars, invention of the TV, Beatlemania, and the creation of the Internet.

Chicago's-most-hated-man, Steve Bartman would love to forget the infamous 2003 incident where the baseball fan's attempt to catch the ball.. eventually helped knock the Cubs out of the running.

They haven't come close again, until now.

Newshub.