The end of the world is nigh [1,2]

This essay was posted in the bottom of the fourth of game 2 of the 2016 World Series.

As my readers may know, I lived in Chicago for about a dozen years. I’m not much of a baseball fan, but it’s hard to live in Chicago and not think about the Cubs (and the White Sox) [5]. Living in Chicago brings with it lots of Cubs stories, or Wrigley field stories, such as the legendary Disco record inferno [6].

Anyway, I’m not sure when or how I came to believe this, but at some point I became convinced that the world would end when the Cubs win the World Series. (I don’t think I’m alone in believing this; it’s probably a belief that someone shared with me. I just don’t remember who.)

It’s not a belief that guides my life in any way. But, I’ll admit, there have been times that I appreciated the many curses that seem to have been laid on the Cubbies [9].

But now the Cubs are in the World Series. And yes, I’m rooting for them [10]. Will they win it all? I hope so. Will the world end? Maybe, but it will be worth it.

Of course, I also believed that the world would end when the Sox [11] won the World Series, and I was wrong about that.

Am I deterred by the Cubs loss in game 1? Nah.

Do I believe that a real baseball fan, like Erik Simpson, would write a much better essay? Certainly.

[1] I mean nigh and not night. It means near, but sounds cooler.

[2] I seem to have answered the question: Can you rationally have a reference to an endnote [3] before the first paragraph? It appears the answer is Yes. Our next question is: Can you rationally have a reference to an endnote before the first word in an essay? We will explore that question in a future essay.

[3] I originally wrote Can you rationally [4] have an endnote before the first paragraph? However, that’s not a good question, since the endnote appears at the end. a reference to an endnote is more precise.

[4] Actually, I originally wrote Can you have an endnote before the first paragraph? However, the answer to that is obviously Yes, although it may not make any sense.

[5] The Sox, with no modifier, can only refer to the Red Sox.

[6] I’m told that I am wrong, and it happened at Comiskey Park [7]. I’m leaving my incorrect statement in the essay, and this correction here.

[7] Comiskey Park (or perhaps some monstrosity built in the same location) is now known as U.S. Cellular Field.

[8] No, not really. I generally prefer to see the Cubs win [9].

[9] Or, more precisely, to hear that the Cubs won.

[10] While I like the concept of a small-town team like Cleveland winning, their logo is unbearable.

[11] Red [12].

[12] And yes, I know that the non-Red Sox also won a World Series this millenium.

Version 1.1.0 of 2016-10-26.