OCT 26 HANDICAPPING THE WORLD SERIES INTANGIBLES

OCT 26 HANDICAPPING THE WORLD SERIES INTANGIBLES

It's time for the World Series...the longest-running sports championship in the world. And this years' match-up in particularly intriguing. Both teams have been absent from the Fall Classic for a LONG TIME. It's a combined 176 years since either the Chicago Cubs or Cleveland Indians have won a World Series. While other sites and blogs have boring head-to-head predictions, we here at the DUNER BLOG are handicapping the intangibles.

LONGEST WAIT: It's Cleveland's sixth World Series appearance. While that sounds impressive, remember: This is the Indian's 114th season. Ouch! The Tribe did appear somewhat recently in 1997, when they lost to Florida. Prior to that, their last World Series was in 1948, when they bested the Boston Braves. Likewise, the Cubs have been chasing the elusive crown for an eternity. Every Cubs fan knows the year: 1908. That's when they beat the Detroit Tigers. Since then, they have lost eight times, with their last appearance coming in 1945. Advantage: Chicago

TEAM COLORS: The most popular colors for teams in Major League Baseball are Red, White & Blue. Even the one team outside of the USA (the Toronto Blue Jays) wears these colors. So it comes as no surprise that the Cubs and the Indians both don Blue, White and Red. However, Chicago's shade of blue is a bit too much like Powder-Buff Blue for the DUNER BLOG. We prefer the Indian's more distinguished Navy Blue. Advantage: Cleveland.

NICKNAME: Originally called the Lakeshores, they switched in 1903 to the Naps. This was a nod to Napoleon Lajoie, a former 2nd baseman and popular manager. When Nap unceremoniously jumped to the Philadelphia A's for a $10,000 raise, it was clear the nickname had to change. Newspapermen voted on the Indians. They were inspired by Louis Socklexis, the left-fielder who was of the Perobscot Tribe. However, everyone forgets this today and plays the damning 'Racist' card. Meanwhile, in 1903 the Chicago White Stockings re-branded and played it safe by choosing a cuddly Cub. Advantage: Chicago.

TEAM MASCOT: What would Major League Baseball be without a zany mascot? (Who doesn't laugh at the Philadelphia Phanatic?) Things weren't always so silly. Joa, the original Cubs mascot, was an actual bear from the zoo. These days, it's Clark. He's a super-cute, always-smiling bear cub with a cap. In Cleveland, Chief Wahoo rallies the crowds with cries of "Charge!" at Progressive Field. As with other mascots with Native American heritage, Chief Wahoo has been targeted by protesters. These days, he shares the stage with Slider, some kind of over-sized parrot. Advantage: Chicago. NOTE: The three MLB teams without mascots: Angels, Dodgers, Yankees.

Well, by a margin of 3-1 the DUNER BLOG officially endorses the CUBS to win the 2016 World Series. Best of luck to both squads!