Chicago

Bill Murray Crashes White House Press Briefing to Talk Up the Cubs

Murray is one of a large contingent of celebrity Cubs fans

Bill Murray stood behind the podium at the White House press room Friday and gave a solemn announcement: He's confident his beloved Chicago Cubs are going to the World Series.

"Clayton Kershaw is a great, great pitcher, but we got too many sticks," said the comedian, who was sporting a Cubs sweater and his familiar deadpan delivery. ("Sticks" refers to the team's potent offense.)

The Cubs are just one game away from a return to the World Series, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2. Game 6 is Saturday in Chicago at 7 p.m CT.

Framed by the seal of the White House, Murray expanded on the advantages the Cubs take into the game.

"And at home, our crowd, the weather. You get a little bit of autumn in Chicago. You don't get that in Los Angeles. Trees just die, you know what I'm saying. In Illinois, they flourish," he said. 

A White House official told NBC News that President Barack Obama briefly met with Murray Friday to congratulate him on receiving the 2016 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which he will accept Sunday at the Kennedy Center. Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Tina Fey and 15 other renowned comedians have received the award. 

The winner in the Chicago-LA series will take on the Cleveland Indians, with a championship — and a trip to the White House — on the line.

Murray is, of course, one of a large contingent of celebrity Cubs fans. Broadcasts have shown him, delirious with joy, in the middle of a throng of fans that included John Cusack, an actor who has long rooted for the Cubs, and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, who turned his love for the Cubs into a song, "Someday We'll Go All The Way."

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