Looks like the Indians are going to win the World Series

Dan Bernstein

Looks like the Indians are going to win the World Series image

As all-time great memes making fun of cursed sports franchises continue to expire, the Indians seem bound to win the World Series in 2019 and extinguish memories of their own failures.

Forget that Cleveland is just 35-33 this year, unwilling to commit financially to its team and chasing the red-hot Twins. Forget that Cleveland baseball is seen by many as synonymous with wasted talent, unable to capture a championship despite the presence of Hall of Famers from Gaylord Perry to Roberto Alomar to Jim Thome.

Forget those things because Virginia men's basketball for a whole year dealt with the aftermath of becoming the first team to lose to a 16-seed, then fell behind 30-16 in the first half against No. 16-seed Gardner-Webb this past March. The Cavaliers went on to win the national championship, quieting their online detractors.

Virginia-choke-meme-061419

Forget Cleveland’s demons because the St. Louis Blues, who in their 51-year history had never won a single Stanley Cup Final game, dominated Game 7 in Boston last week to claim the NHL title. In the process, they shed their status as perhaps the biggest perennial disappointment in hockey.

Forget Indians heartbreaks like the Willie Mays catch, the strike in 1994, Jose Mesa and Game 4 of the 2001 ALDS. If Raptors guard Kyle Lowry could overcome this video, anything is possible:

Yes, Cleveland blew 3-1 leads in the 2007 ALCS and 2016 World Series, the latter meltdown allowing the Cubs to end their own championship drought. And sure, it might seem a once-dominant squad with a core of Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor is about to miss its window.

MORE: Watch 'ChangeUp,' a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZN

But this is their year. It has to be.

BENDER: Raptors, Blues leave 41 franchises still seeking first title 

Seventy-one years has already been too long of a wait.

Dan Bernstein