:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51503549/503184088.0.jpg)
At Bill Snyder’s weekly press conference Monday morning, the topic of conversation shifted from stopping Iowa State’s high octane offense to Major League Baseball. Many Cubs fans worldwide have never seen their team play in the World Series, let alone actually win it. Bill Snyder is one of the fortunate ones that has seen both, and he just might be lucky enough to see them win it all again. In fact, if the Cubs win it all in the next week and a half, he would become the first person to be alive for all three World Series championships.
“In all reality, this would be the first World Series championship that I’ve witnessed,” said Snyder, a lifelong Cubs fan who was born just weeks before Chicago’s first World Series championship in 1907.
A lot has changed since the first two championships Bill Snyder was alive for.
“Back then, who would have thought we’d be using electronic mail?” asked Snyder (who still opts to write all communication using ink).
The truth is that a lot of time has passed since the Cubs last won the World Series, but in Snyder’s eyes most of it has gone pretty fast. The media took some time to listen to some things that have changed in the last 108 years.
“I’m not one to use cliches, but time really does move pretty fast. Except for those three years Ron Prince spent trying to burn my program to the ground. If there has ever been grounds for a public flogging,, that would be it,” Snyder told reporters Monday.
Growing up during the Great Depression, Snyder has always been thrifty even with his hefty coaching contract. It is a large reason why he continuously wore recycled bowl game windbreakers for so long.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7339833/2012-September-8-13-24-0.jpg)
When the Big 12 told the coach he could no longer wear his 1993 Copper Bowl jacket, the football coach knew times had really changed. Big into philanthropy, Snyder gave all of his old windbreakers and sweatshirts to Goodwill — a decision he is now regretting.
“If I couldn’t wear them, they were no good to me, although I do regret giving away my 1908 World Champions onesie,” the former Big 12 coach of the year said.
Snyder said he should be able to find time this week to watch the games, as he has delegated almost all of his actual coaching duties to his assistants this season.
If the Cubs fall short of winning it all for the 108th straight year, you can rest assured that Coach Snyder will pen Joe Maddon a kindly worded letter anyway.