A 1993 yearbook quote has surfaced in the wake of the Chicago Cubs’ World Series run. Is this former student a genius or just lucky?
You know those tacky and cheesy yearbook quotes that you see every year from high school seniors? Usually, they quote a movie, make fun of a friend, or just elect not to put one. But there is the rare chance that someone makes a bold prediction.
That’s exactly what Michael Lee of Mission Viejo, California did back in 1993. The bold prediction? “Chicago Cubs. 2016 World Series Champions. You heard it here first.” That was the quote that Lee left under his senior year photo in the high school’s yearbook.
23 years later, Lee has the chance to become famous. If the Cubs can pull off four wins, Lee will be transcended into Chicago sports legend. It would be one of the greatest guesses that any man has ever made in the history of sports considering it is the Chicago Cubs.
Yes, there is a chance that it’s fake. However, SB Nation does a good job breaking down the evidence. In short, numerous people have come forward and taken photos of the yearbook, showing different accounts of the same evidence and eliminating the “work of Photoshop” conspiracy. The second big piece is a video from Marcos Meza, the man who found the photo, opening the yearbook and turning to the page.
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If it’s fake, you Internet users suck. But if it’s real…this could be one of the coolest stories ever. It seems that nobody has tracked down Michael Lee yet, but if the Cubs win, I’m sure he will be out of hiding quickly to have his one-week of fame.
Back to the Future 2 is the only other notable prediction that I can think of with the Cubs and the World Series. The movie, released in 1989, depicts a scene where Marty McFly travels to 2015 and sees a hologram congratulating the Cubbies on winning the World Series. It seemed like there was a good chance of the prediction being correct until the Cubs were swept by the New York Mets in the NLCS.
For a high school senior to predict this sort of thing is pretty odd, especially in 1993. Consider the fact that this student went to high school in California. What was the rooting interest? Why 2016? Why the Cubs?
At the time, the Cubs were coming off a 78-84 losing season in 1992 and finished fourth in the NL East. They had 13 losing seasons from 1978 to 1992 when the quote was most likely written to be published in a 1993 yearbook. I ask myself, why this prediction? Did he know it was going to take 20-plus years for the Cubs to be good?
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Am I looking way too into this? Yes. But I mean, we could be talking about the smartest and most intelligent human being to ever walk the face of the earth. So maybe I’m not.
Michael Lee, if you’re reading this, please comment in the section below. Please fly to my city, and I’ll buy you a drink and we can chat. If the Cubs pull this off, Michael Lee may become the anti-Bartman, and I’d like to be the guy sitting on the Today Show with him.