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Constable: Cubs fans really have something to be thankful for

A symbol of Thanksgiving emblematic of an abundance of good fortune, the traditional cornucopia consists of a curved goat's horn overflowing with fruits and gourds. For us Cubs fans, today marks the first Thanksgiving when the mere mention of a goat doesn't spark memories of a baseball season that came up short and extended our team's reputation as "lovable losers."

"It does seem kind of fitting," Cubs season-ticket holder John Pellettiere, 66, of Long Grove says about a goat playing a role in this year's Thanksgiving. After lifetimes of griping about a goat curse, Cubs fans today can give thanks for the end of those superstitions, the team's first World Series championship since 1908, and the start of what we anticipate will be a Cubs dynasty.

"We always go around the table and say what we're thankful for," longtime Cubs fan Debby Hruby of Wheaton says in describing her family's Thanksgiving tradition. "The first time around can be family. But the second time around is something different. This year, it will be the same for all of us."

Giving thanks that the Cubs are champions certainly will make the list for Hruby, her husband, Mike, their son, Sean of Geneva, and their grandson, Calvin, who all are die-hard fans.

"I have no problem with that. It has just brought so much joy to so many people," Debby Hruby says of the Cubs' abundance of good fortune.

A tour guide at Wrigley Field, Hruby says her Facebook posts, often centered around her grandkids, included so many entries about the Cubs that they engendered supportive comments from new friends, old friends and a few people she had lost touch with during the years.

"People told me they were so happy for us," Hruby says. "So how can that not be a good thing?"

The Cubs' championship "is going to make it much easier to get through the winter with Sean," Hruby says, noting her son hasn't handled losing all that well after every other season.

She also can't wait to get back to work at Wrigley Field.

"I'm already looking forward to my first tour in the spring," Hruby says, explaining that she'll need to rework her script to add a World Series championship to her usual comments about the ivy and the scoreboard.

"It's usually about Wrigley, but I'll have to work on that."

The Cubs buzz may extend into the next big holiday for the Hruby family, as evident by Debby Hruby's Christmas wish list.

"I'm asking for a Blu-ray player," she says. "And then the World Series Blu-ray DVD."

That good feeling Cubs fans enjoyed throughout the playoffs fits well at a Thanksgiving table.

"I'd love to extend the Cubs feelings into it," says 74-year-old Don Miller Sr. of Palatine, who became a minor celebrity after vowing in the spring to shave only half his face until the Cubs won a World Series.

After the Daily Herald told his story, the "half-beard" Cubs fan did numerous interviews and even got shaved live on morning television after the Cubs won.

"It's been quite a trip this season. I'm still overwhelmed by this whole thing. We have so much to be thankful for besides the regular stuff because the Cubs won after 108 years," Miller says. "And I'm so thankful I don't have to go another year with my beard."

  Lifelong Cubs fan Don Miller Sr. of Palatine will give thanks today that his vow to not shave the other half of his face until the Cubs won the World Series lasted just one year instead of 108. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  As will many Cubs fans today, three generations of the Pellettiere family (from left, Joe, John, Dan and John) will give thanks that the Cubs finally won the World Series. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
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