CHICAGO — In a way, Corey Fineran believes he has the key to an alternate universe.
The longtime Cubs fan owns a T-shirt that shouldn't exist: One that reads "World Series 2003 Champions" with a Cubs logo.
Fineran found the shirt at a Goodwill store in Fountain Valley, Calif., in 2009. He paid $3 for the blue shirt.
Of course the Cubs did not make the World Series that year: They were five outs away against the Florida Marlins before collapsing in Game 6, then lost the decisive Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. The Marlins went on to win the World Series that season.
"It's such a bizarre thing," said Fineran, of Galesburg, Ill. "In my mind, it's allowed me to daydream and imagine an alternate universe where this thing is valid, where it stands for something."
Championship T-shirts are usually produced before the championship events like the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Finals or Stanley Cup Final. Typically the losing team's T-shirts get shipped to faraway lands like Africa or other developing nations, according to The New York Times.
When Fineran saw the blue T-shirt for the first time, he thought it would be something about the Los Angeles Dodgers, who also sport a blue color. When he saw the Cubs' logo and World Series lettering, Fineran said he knew he had something special.
"Then I had a death grip on it," he said. "I had to do a double-take."
Fineran doesn't believe in curses, but he's never worn the T-shirt, he said.
"That's not to say I would be brave enough to wear it for a World Series game," he said.
The Cubs face the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night in their first World Series since 1945, looking for their first title since 1908.
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