The Martins from Chicago; Cubs fans for 77 and 54 years
YOTG: What do you think about the Curse of the Billy Goat? Mr. Martin: We've been subject to a number of curses, but whether that specific one is valid or not, I don't know.
YOTG: Is it possible for a goat to curse a baseball team?
Mr. Martin: The Cubs? Yes. [laughter]
Mrs. Martin: [Laughing] It is not. We shoot ourselves in the foot very nicely without the help of a goat.
Sarah from Tempe (sitting next to them): My sister keeps goats. Goats are very nice.
YOTG: Are you a Cubs fan?
Sarah: I'm a Capricorn.
YOTG: You're a Cubs fan and you like goats?
Sarah: Absolutely.
Phil Booker, Wisconsin; Cubs Fan for 70-some years
YOTG: What do you think about the Curse of the Billy Goat? Phil: It's a joke.
YOTG: You don't believe it's true?
Phil: No.
YOTG: What do you think about goats?
Phil: They stink. They all smell.
David Pitstick, Fowler, Indiana
Don Pitstick, Fowler, Indiana
Paul Jackson, Fowler, Indiana
Cubs fans: As long as they can remember
YOTG: What do you think of the Curse of the Billy Goat?Don Pitstick, Fowler, Indiana
Paul Jackson, Fowler, Indiana
Cubs fans: As long as they can remember
David: Oh, I don't know... it's part of the Cubs lore, but I don't put any belief into it.
Don: There are a lot of teams that haven't won in a long time... they just didn't have an animal in their ballpark. If they had someone who had brought in a snake, there would have been the curse of the snake for that team, but that hasn't happened.
YOTG: Have you ever met a goat?
Paul: I used to own one.
YOTG: What kind of goat was it?
Paul: I guess you call it a billy goat... I don't know. My wife had a horse, and the horse needed a companion, so we bought a goat.
YOTG: Did you feel any conflict of interest being a Cubs fan and owning a goat?
Paul: No, not at all. There's no curse.
Chuck, from outside of Chicago; Cubs fan for 20 years
YOTG: What do you think of the Curse of the Billy Goat?Chuck: I don't put a lot of stock into those kinds of curses. It depends on the players themselves, and how much they want to win. I think that's what really determines that.
YOTG: Have you ever met a real goat?
Chuck: Met a real goat? [Laughing] I have.
YOTG: What do you think of goats?
Chuck: They're ok. I have nothing against goats.
Greg, Lorraine, and Dylan, 4 years, from Chicago; "big time" Cubs fans
YOTG: What do you think about the Curse of the Billy Goat?Lorraine: [Laughing] It's over. It ended last year. They won the first round of the playoffs so it's over now.
Greg: Especially with the blowing up of the ball. It's gotta be over.
YOTG: Have you ever met a goat?
Dylan: [eats popcorn]
Greg: We're getting tired of hearing about it.
Lorraine: It should just be about the missed play at second and not the Curse of the Billy Goat or some guy in the stands.
Greg: Plus I'm getting tired of seeing that greek guy on TV [Laughing].
Ian, Colin, and Devon Lebeau, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; have always been Cubs fans because their dad was born in Chicago
YOTG: What do you think about the Curse of the Billy Goat?Ian: I don't really know much about it.
YOTG: What do you think about goats?
Colin: They're pretty cool.
Ian & Devon: Yeah.
Ian: They're mean.
Colin: They'll eat anything.
John, Washington, Iowa
YOTG: Are you a Cubs Fan? John: Big Time... ever since I can remember... my grandfather used to sit on the porch swing when he was blind and we said we don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs.
YOTG: What do you think about the Curse of the Billy Goat?
John: I don't pay any attention to that. [Laughing] Not at all.
YOTG: Have you ever met a goat in person?
John: Well, sure, we've got lots of goats in Iowa. [Laughing]
YOTG: What do you think about goats?
John: Goats are fine, but I don't drink the milk and I don't eat the meat.
YOTG: But you don't hold any grudges against goats?
John: No. [Laughing] It's not the goat's fault. We'll win it this year. This is the year we break it. Go Cubs!
Dom Sr. and Dom Jr. from Chicago
YOTG: How long have you been Cubs Fans? Dom, Sr.:It's part of our family tradition so I've been one since I was about 4-5 years old.
YOTG: What do you think of the Curse of the Billy Goat?
[Both laughing]
Dom, Jr.: Arrr, the curse!
Dom, Sr.: I don't believe in it that much. I think the Cubs have had some bad luck over the years, but I don't think it's the Curse of the Billy Goat that does it.
Dom, Jr.: I think it's typical of a Cubs fan to find some other excuse... you need to come up with some reason why your team hasn't won a World Series since 1908. [Laughter]
YOTG: But you don't think it's the goat's fault?
Dom, Sr.: No, it's not the goat's fault, and I think that the original goat is probably dead now anyway so if there was a curse, it probably died with that goat.
YOTG: Have you ever met a goat in person?
Dom, Jr.: I have met a goat... they're very nice. They're good people.
Dom, Sr.: One of the ones I met had a Cubs jersey on. As long as they're Cubs fans then they're ok.