Featured on a sign that sits perched atop the Lakeview Baseball Club—the first of the rooftop establishments overlooking the ballpark[1]—it has not only become something of a rallying cry amongst Cubs fans, but has also served to mark the team's historic futility.
posted in large, white capital letters on a blue background (the words stacked one over the other), is on the left side of the upper facade of the Lakeview Baseball Club building, 3633 N. Sheffield Avenue, just beyond the ballpark's right field bleachers.
"[4] Without a direct Latin equivalent for "Cubs," its originator settled on the word for "whelp," which is defined as "the young offspring of certain animals, such as dogs, wolves or bears.
That finally happened early in the morning on November 3, 2016, when the Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
[8] Visible from the stands in Wrigley Field, they were the brainchild of Bob Racky, owner of the building and managing director of the club at the time.
Though he offered monthly clues to contestants, it wasn't until the end of that year that someone correctly guessed the meaning of the "Eamus Catuli!"
At the time, however, its owner also debated publicly whether to put the “Anno Catulorum” sign back up, since some felt it was a negative reminder of the team's record of futility.
For Carlos Peña, Cubs first baseman for the 2011 season, the sign appeared to be a source of frustration when he called for a change in the team's losing ways mid-season.
[19] In each case, it has certainly come to be equated with futility, its numbers keeping track and serving as a reminder of the team's seasons, and possibly culture, of losing.