I postponed open-heart surgery for the Cubs

By clinching the National League East in 1984, the Cubs made their first postseason appearance in 39 years. It would be another 32 years before they could celebrate a World Series title.When I was 8 years old in the fall of 1984, my father purchased a bottle of cheap champagne that said "Chicago Cubs 1984 NL East Champions." He promised we would pop open the bottle and spray it all over each other when the Cubs won the World Series. But then a ball rolled through Leon Durham's legs. Steve Garvey pumped his fist. And the bottle never got opened.

When my parents moved, the bottle went with them. Another shelf. Another layer of dust.

It went through Will Clark in '89. The high of Game 163 in…