MORGAN PARK — For years, McNally's tavern basked in trolling the Cubs, using its marquee to poke fun at the team with sayings including "Go Sox & Whoever Plays The Cubs" and "Cubs Bandwagon Doesn't Stop Here."
The sign during last year's World Series read simply "Fun Starts Now. Go Indians."
But on Thursday, as the Cubs were in Washington preparing to play the Nationals in Game 5 of the National League Division Series at 7:08 p.m., the sign congratulated a neighborhood couple on their first child and paid tribute to a retired Chicago Police captain who died recently.
What gives?
Has McNally’s gone soft? Has it changed its tune and is it actually hoping the North Siders pull it out tonight? Or did the Cubs’s 2016 World Series championship simply take the fun out of messing with them for the bar?
The bar's owner could not be reached for comment, but a bartender Thursday said there are no immediate plans to taunt the Cubbies — though a continued playoff run could bring about a change of heart.
"This year we are not doing anything," she said, adding that the Cubs' "L" flag was taken down from behind the bar after the North Side team took home the 2016 crown.
Shortly after the World Series, the owner of the tavern at at 11136 S. Western Ave. seemed disappointed that the teasing would come to an end. He responded to the Cubs' championship with a pair of snarky signs, as one might expect.
Drivers headed southbound on Western Avenue the morning after the final game were greeted with a sign that read "It Was A Lot Of Fun For A Lot Of Years." Northbound traffic was treated to the message "All Good Things Come To An End."
