The last time the Cubs played in a World Series was 1945, 71 years ago.
Not many people can say they remember being at Wrigley Field, but a local Valley man and his brother can.
They were 11 and 14 at the time.
"Dad said, 'Hey, I'm going to try and get tickets for the seventh game of the World Series, and you guys can come with me," recalls Phil Nienstedt.
Phil and his brother Frank watched as their cubbies lost to the Detroit Tigers, but they were hooked and remained Cubs fans.
His son-in-law says he's like a team ambassador.
"Always [wearing] his Cubs hat. It's amazing the reactions he gets internationally and around the Valley. Cub fans literally are everywhere in the world and he's one of the guys that tells them stories. And his story about being in the 1945 World Series always happens to come up and is always a big hit," said his son-in-law.
So when Nienstedt watched the Cubs clinch a spot in the World Series this year, it's safe to say he was excited.
"There was a little bottle of champagne. Just like the ball players, we cracked a bottle right there," said Nienstedt.
Niensteadt was happy enough to know he'd get to watch the game on TV, but his family had a better idea: They surprised him with tickets.
"We kept thinking, can we do this? Can we make this work? And everything came together perfectly," said Kari Nienstedt, Phil's daughter.
The entire family, cousins included, pooled money to have both brother's watch the game at Wrigley Field.
Phil and his brother are leaving Thursday morning and will watch game three.
"It means that finally, after all these years, we got the chance to have some real excitement and some real thrill. It's something I'm really going to relish the rest of my life, I'm sure," said Nienstedt.
