Cubszone.com | Chicago Cubs News, cubs Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div>Though it still doesn't roll off the tongue - the Super Bowl-bound Arizona Cardinals on Sunday will compete for the NFL title for the first time since 1948. More than 60 years and two cities later, their appearance against Pittsburgh ends the second-longest championship round drought in sports. The Cardinals last won the title in 1947. </div>So, what's a good masochistic fan to do now? Well, there's always the Cubs. And the Lions, Kings and Maple Leafs, too. If you are a woebegone Cowboys fan (who will "suffer" through a 13th anniversary since the last Super Bowl appearance this week) or a Rangers fan (37 years in Texas; 48 if you count the time they spent as the Washington Senators), well, you might want to read what follows; it's a sport-by-sport primer on the longest droughts in pro sports. MLB: Chicago Cubs Last title appearance 1945 About the drought The Cubs' drought involves a goat, a foul stench and the undying curse placed on one of America's most lovable sports franchises. In 1945, the Cubs - having last won the championship in 1908 - advanced to the World Series to face Detroit. When Chicago tavern keeper Sam Sianis showed up at Wrigley Field with his pet goat, he was asked to leave because the goat, well, smelled bad. Sianis reportedly said: "Them Cubs, they aren't going to win no more." And that was that. Forget winning. The Cubs haven't been back to the World Series since. The Cubs lost that series in seven games. They didn't make the playoffs again until 1984. Closest call Undoubtedly, it was 2003. And it involved a Walkman-wearing fan named Steve Bartman, a foul ball and a lifetime of agony. The Cubs, who had not won a postseason series since 1908, beat Atlanta in five games. They won three of the first four games against Florida and took a 3-0 lead to the eighth inning of Game 6. With one out, Luis Castillo hit a foul pop along the left-field line. Moises Alou gave chase and was in position to catch it, if it didn't land in the stands. Bartman, sitting in the first row, reached up for the souvenir, thinking it was drifting into the stands. Alou thought Bartman interfered with the ball. However, it was ruled a foul ball, giving Castillo new life. The Marlins responded with eight runs in the inning to win the game. Florida overcame an early 5-3 deficit in Game 7 to win the series, adding another chapter to the Cubs' amazing drought. Other arid spots Cleveland hasn't won a World Series since 1948 but has been three times. The New York-San Francisco Giants haven't won since 1954, when they beat the Indians. But for pure futility, nothing matches the Washington Senators- Texas Rangers . Born in 1961, the franchise is still seeking its first postseason series win. NFL: Detroit Lions Last title appearance 1957 About the drought Long before the Dallas Cowboys, there was Highland Park's dynamic duo of quarterback Bobby Layne and halfback Doak Walker. They were reunited - Layne by trade and Walker via the draft - for the 1950 season, and it didn't take long for the Lions to become the most feared predator in the early NFL jungle. In the first 20 years of the NFL title game, the Lions went once (1935). They returned in 1952, starting a string of three straight appearances. Walker, however, retired after the 1955 season. In 1957, with Rice's Tobin Rote filling in for the injured Layne, Detroit swamped Cleveland, 59-14, in the NFL championship game. Fearing Layne would never fully recover from his broken leg, the Lions dealt him to Pittsburgh early in the 1958 season. On his way out of town, Layne, according to Detroit legend, said the Lions wouldn't win "for 50 years." Oy, what a half-century it's been. This season, the 50th of the "Curse of Bobby Layne," the Lions became the first team in NFL history to go 0-16. They rank 20th of 21 teams (with at least 700 games) in win percentage over the last 50 years, ahead of only the Cardinals. They are 1-9 in the playoffs since the trade - the lone win being a 38-6 dismantling of the Cowboys at the end of the 1991 season. And now, with the Cardinals' ascent to the Super Bowl, they inherit the longest championship game drought in the NFL. Closest call There haven't been any. After beating the Cowboys in 1991, the Lions were routed by the Washington Redskins. It's been downhill since. Other arid spots Cleveland has not appeared in a championship game since 1964. The Browns and Lions are among five clubs to never make the Super Bowl. The others: New Orleans, Jacksonville and the Houston Texans. NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs Last title appearance 1967 About the drought GM/coach/dictator Punch Imlach built hockey's most dominant team in the final years of the Original Six. Imlach, who arrived in 1958, lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to arch-rival Montreal in each of his first two seasons. After a one-year absence, the Leafs began a string of four Cup championships in six years. The last of those was the 1966-67 season. In an attempt to keep the dynasty alive, Imlach traded away younger players for veterans. The Maple Leafs, with an average age of 31, beat Montreal in six games in the finals, becoming the oldest roster to ever win a Cup. The NHL doubled its size the next season, leaving the Original Six in one division and creating a second division with six expansion teams. It added rounds to the playoffs and set in motion constantly changing divisional alignments. Toronto played in both, having to contend with the Canadiens in the East and then Detroit in the West. After Imlach's trades and the first round of expansion, the Leafs went 10 full seasons before they won a round of the playoffs. They didn't reach the league's semifinals until 1993. Closest call In 1993, the Leafs had a 3-2 lead on the LA Kings in the Western Conference finals. They trailed, 4-1, in Game 6, but scored three goals and sent it to overtime. After a controversial no-call that could have sent Wayne Gretzky to the penalty box for high-sticking, the Great One scored the game winner. In Game 7, Gretzky recorded a hat-trick to put the Leafs away. Toronto has since reached the conference finals three times, never to advance. Other arid spots St. Louis and the LA Kings, both added in the 1967 expansion, have never won a Cup. St. Louis reached the finals in its first three seasons. But since 1970, St. Louis definitely has the Blues. NBA: Sacramento Kings Last title appearance 1951 About the drought No team has been kicked to the curb by as many cities as the Kings. The franchise that began as the Rochester Royals in 1945 has continually marched westward since winning the NBA title in 1951. In 1957, poor attendance pushed them to Cincinnati. In 1972, they started dividing their time between Kansas City and Omaha. The team also upped its royalty status by going from the generic Royals to the more regal Kings. In 1975, they settled in Kansas City for a decade. In 1985, they packed up all their essentials and Reggie Theus and moved to Sacramento. No matter where they've roamed, one thing has remained constant: no trips to the NBA Finals. After the Maloof brothers bought the club in 2000, the Kings won first-round matchups in four consecutive seasons and advanced to the Western Conference finals in 2002, losing a classic series to the Lakers. Closest call The playoff series against the LA Lakers in 2002 is perhaps one of the best in NBA history. Or it might have been fixed. The final four games were decided by a total of 12 points. Those games included two game-winning shots and overtime in Game 7. In Game 6, the Lakers shot 18 more fourth-quarter free throws in a 106-102 win. According to documents filed in his point-shaving scandal, disgraced referee Tim Donaghy alleged other officials wanted to extend the series to a Game 7, which was won by the Lakers in OT. Other arid spots St. Louis reached the NBA Finals in 1961, then skipped to Atlanta for the 1968-69 season. Wherever the Hawks have nested, they have had trouble winning consistently. Same goes for the franchise born as the Buffalo Braves in 1970. Now the LA Clippers, the franchise hasn't even been to the conference finals. The longest current droughts for appearing in a title game: Last Years Last Team League appearance passed title Chicago Cubs MLB 1945 63 1908 Sacramento Kings NBA 1951 57 1951* Detroit Lions NFL 1957 51 1957 Texas Rangers MLB Never 48 Never Atlanta Hawks NBA 1961 47 1958* * The Kings won title while playing in Rochester, N.Y. The Hawks won title playing in St. Louis SUPER BOWL XLIII Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 5 p.m. Sunday, Tampa, Fla. (Ch. 5) Super Bowl XLIII Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1 (Ch. 5) Previous title appearance 1948

Though it still doesn't roll off the tongue - the Super Bowl-bound Arizona Cardinals on Sunday will compete for the NFL title for the first time since 1948. More than 60 years and two cities later, their appearance against Pittsburgh ends the second-longest championship round drought in sports. The Cardinals last won the title in 1947.

So, what's a good masochistic fan to do now? Well, there's always the Cubs. And the Lions, Kings and Maple Leafs, too.

If you are a woebegone Cowboys fan (who will "suffer" through a 13th anniversary since the last Super Bowl appearance this week) or a Rangers fan (37 years in Texas; 48 if you count the time they spent as the Washington Senators), well, you might want to read what follows; it's a sport-by-sport primer on the longest droughts in pro sports.

MLB: Chicago Cubs

Last title appearance 1945

About the drought

The Cubs' drought involves a goat, a foul stench and the undying curse placed on one of America's most lovable sports franchises.

In 1945, the Cubs - having last won the championship in 1908 - advanced to the World Series to face Detroit.

When Chicago tavern keeper Sam Sianis showed up at Wrigley Field with his pet goat, he was asked to leave because the goat, well, smelled bad. Sianis reportedly said: "Them Cubs, they aren't going to win no more."

And that was that. Forget winning. The Cubs haven't been back to the World Series since. The Cubs lost that series in seven games. They didn't make the playoffs again until 1984.

Closest call

Undoubtedly, it was 2003. And it involved a Walkman-wearing fan named Steve Bartman, a foul ball and a lifetime of agony.

The Cubs, who had not won a postseason series since 1908, beat Atlanta in five games. They won three of the first four games against Florida and took a 3-0 lead to the eighth inning of Game 6.

With one out, Luis Castillo hit a foul pop along the left-field line. Moises Alou gave chase and was in position to catch it, if it didn't land in the stands. Bartman, sitting in the first row, reached up for the souvenir, thinking it was drifting into the stands. Alou thought Bartman interfered with the ball. However, it was ruled a foul ball, giving Castillo new life.

The Marlins responded with eight runs in the inning to win the game. Florida overcame an early 5-3 deficit in Game 7 to win the series, adding another chapter to the Cubs' amazing drought.

Other arid spots

Cleveland hasn't won a World Series since 1948 but has been three times. The New York-San Francisco Giants haven't won since 1954, when they beat the Indians. But for pure futility, nothing matches the Washington Senators- Texas Rangers . Born in 1961, the franchise is still seeking its first postseason series win.

NFL: Detroit Lions

Last title appearance 1957

About the drought

Long before the Dallas Cowboys, there was Highland Park's dynamic duo of quarterback Bobby Layne and halfback Doak Walker.

They were reunited - Layne by trade and Walker via the draft - for the 1950 season, and it didn't take long for the Lions to become the most feared predator in the early NFL jungle.

In the first 20 years of the NFL title game, the Lions went once (1935). They returned in 1952, starting a string of three straight appearances. Walker, however, retired after the 1955 season.

In 1957, with Rice's Tobin Rote filling in for the injured Layne, Detroit swamped Cleveland, 59-14, in the NFL championship game.

Fearing Layne would never fully recover from his broken leg, the Lions dealt him to Pittsburgh early in the 1958 season. On his way out of town, Layne, according to Detroit legend, said the Lions wouldn't win "for 50 years."

Oy, what a half-century it's been. This season, the 50th of the "Curse of Bobby Layne," the Lions became the first team in NFL history to go 0-16. They rank 20th of 21 teams (with at least 700 games) in win percentage over the last 50 years, ahead of only the Cardinals.

They are 1-9 in the playoffs since the trade - the lone win being a 38-6 dismantling of the Cowboys at the end of the 1991 season. And now, with the Cardinals' ascent to the Super Bowl, they inherit the longest championship game drought in the NFL.

Closest call

There haven't been any. After beating the Cowboys in 1991, the Lions were routed by the Washington Redskins. It's been downhill since.

Other arid spots

Cleveland has not appeared in a championship game since 1964. The Browns and Lions are among five clubs to never make the Super Bowl. The others: New Orleans, Jacksonville and the Houston Texans.

NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs

Last title appearance 1967

About the drought

GM/coach/dictator Punch Imlach built hockey's most dominant team in the final years of the Original Six. Imlach, who arrived in 1958, lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to arch-rival Montreal in each of his first two seasons.

After a one-year absence, the Leafs began a string of four Cup championships in six years. The last of those was the 1966-67 season.

In an attempt to keep the dynasty alive, Imlach traded away younger players for veterans. The Maple Leafs, with an average age of 31, beat Montreal in six games in the finals, becoming the oldest roster to ever win a Cup.

The NHL doubled its size the next season, leaving the Original Six in one division and creating a second division with six expansion teams. It added rounds to the playoffs and set in motion constantly changing divisional alignments. Toronto played in both, having to contend with the Canadiens in the East and then Detroit in the West.

After Imlach's trades and the first round of expansion, the Leafs went 10 full seasons before they won a round of the playoffs. They didn't reach the league's semifinals until 1993.

Closest call

In 1993, the Leafs had a 3-2 lead on the LA Kings in the Western Conference finals. They trailed, 4-1, in Game 6, but scored three goals and sent it to overtime. After a controversial no-call that could have sent Wayne Gretzky to the penalty box for high-sticking, the Great One scored the game winner. In Game 7, Gretzky recorded a hat-trick to put the Leafs away. Toronto has since reached the conference finals three times, never to advance.

Other arid spots

St. Louis and the LA Kings, both added in the 1967 expansion, have never won a Cup. St. Louis reached the finals in its first three seasons. But since 1970, St. Louis definitely has the Blues.

NBA: Sacramento Kings

Last title appearance 1951

About the drought

No team has been kicked to the curb by as many cities as the Kings. The franchise that began as the Rochester Royals in 1945 has continually marched westward since winning the NBA title in 1951.

In 1957, poor attendance pushed them to Cincinnati. In 1972, they started dividing their time between Kansas City and Omaha. The team also upped its royalty status by going from the generic Royals to the more regal Kings. In 1975, they settled in Kansas City for a decade. In 1985, they packed up all their essentials and Reggie Theus and moved to Sacramento.

No matter where they've roamed, one thing has remained constant: no trips to the NBA Finals.

After the Maloof brothers bought the club in 2000, the Kings won first-round matchups in four consecutive seasons and advanced to the Western Conference finals in 2002, losing a classic series to the Lakers.

Closest call

The playoff series against the LA Lakers in 2002 is perhaps one of the best in NBA history. Or it might have been fixed. The final four games were decided by a total of 12 points. Those games included two game-winning shots and overtime in Game 7. In Game 6, the Lakers shot 18 more fourth-quarter free throws in a 106-102 win. According to documents filed in his point-shaving scandal, disgraced referee Tim Donaghy alleged other officials wanted to extend the series to a Game 7, which was won by the Lakers in OT.

Other arid spots

St. Louis reached the NBA Finals in 1961, then skipped to Atlanta for the 1968-69 season. Wherever the Hawks have nested, they have had trouble winning consistently. Same goes for the franchise born as the Buffalo Braves in 1970. Now the LA Clippers, the franchise hasn't even been to the conference finals.

The longest current droughts for appearing in a title game:

Last Years Last

Team League appearance passed title

Chicago Cubs MLB 1945 63 1908

Sacramento Kings NBA 1951 57 1951*

Detroit Lions NFL 1957 51 1957

Texas Rangers MLB Never 48 Never

Atlanta Hawks NBA 1961 47 1958*

* The Kings won title while playing in Rochester, N.Y. The Hawks won title playing in St. Louis

SUPER BOWL XLIII Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 5 p.m. Sunday, Tampa, Fla. (Ch. 5)

Super Bowl XLIII

Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1 (Ch. 5)

Previous title

appearance 1948