Michael J. Fox on 'Back to the Future' Cubs prediction: 'Only off by a year, not bad'
The Chicago Cubs' World Series drought was "only" 81 years long in 1989 when "Back to the Future Part II" hit movie theaters with another installment of Doc Brown's and Marty McFly's time-traveling adventures and visions of the future.
One such prediction for the year 2015 (watch above) included a Chicago Cubs World Series victory over the Miami Gators baseball team (in a sweep). The film was right about Miami getting a baseball team and pretty darn close on the Cubs curse. Said Michael J. Fox:
But here's an explanation for the one-year delay:
Of course, bettors didn't get anywhere near those 100-1 odds on Chicago this year; the Cubs were more like 4-1 favorites before the season started.
Last year, "Back to the Future" writer Bob Gale told Sports Illustrated what prompted him to use the Cubs as a plot point:
“We didn't know. Of course we didn't know" he said. "I’m a big baseball fan. You grow up in St. Louis, you automatically become a Cardinals fan. And of course I always followed the Cubs because how could you not? With the Cubs folklore of being the lovable losers that never get there, it was just a natural joke to say, ‘What is the most absurd thing that you could come up with?’"
Go, Cubs, Go! The World Series parade will take place in Chicago on Friday.
Only off by a year, not bad. Congrats @Cubs. This is so heavy. #FlyTheW
— Michael J. Fox (@realmikefox) November 3, 2016
The space-time continuum was disrupted by the 1994 baseball strike, causing this alternate reality where the @Cubs win in 2016, not 2015. pic.twitter.com/cvlftTtWfT
— Back to the Future™ (@BacktotheFuture) November 3, 2016