Written November 3, 2016, Originally Published on Personal Facebook Page
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Last night, I along with millions of others across the world, remained glued to our television sets until the early morning hours as we watched the Chicago Cubs’ historical World Series win. We all have our own stories, but this one is mine…
My mom’s ring tone has been “Go Cubs Go” for years, her car is identifiable by the raggedy Cubs flag waving from her rear antenna, our dog is named Wrigley. The Chicago Cubs have always been a vital part of my life.
Some of my earliest memories involve them. My mom and grandma were lifelong, die-hard fans. From the time that Spring Training began to the time in the fall that most years ended prior to the post-season, our days were planned around their games. My mom would save her ironing for the afternoon games and many a summer day, I remember the warm breeze blowing through the open windows, the ironing board positioned in front of the big screen television and the voice of Harry Caray drifting through the house. On days the games were not on TV, she had a trusty AM/FM transistor radio with a dial stuck on AM 720, the station that broadcast the games. My grandma and grandpa would do the same, but my grandpa was a St. Louis Cardinals fan first and only tolerated the Cubs for his wife and daughter’s sake. Which made the Cubs vs. Cardinals series all the more contentious. My mom and he had a standing bet – whoever’s team won the series got a free dinner at Between the Buns from the loser. That was a standing bet until the August he passed.
I spent more than a few days of my youth in the hallowed grounds of Wrigley Field, attending a game usually at least once a year. When I reached middle school, my best friend circle was created by our mutual love and obsession with the Chicago Cubs. And our mutual infatuation with my first love – first basemen and #17, Mark Grace.
In eighth grade, my mom and my friend Kristee’s mom, along with myself, Kristee and two other friends and fellow fans, Katie and Brenda, made plans to attend the 9th Annual Cubs Convention at the Chicago Hilton. It’s a weekend full of autograph sessions, photo opportunities, and seminars. It was one of the best and most memorable times of my life. We mingled with Harry Caray, Ryne Sandberg, my beloved Mark Grace, Sammy Sosa, Rick Wilkins, Steve Trachsel, Randy Hundley and so many more. We have so many wonderful pictures, autographs, and memories from here. But nothing as special as meeting the new General Manager, Tom Trebelhorn, in the elevator on the way to one of the evening celebrations. I believe he was captivated with these four, young female fan’s game knowledge, enthusiasm, and genuine love of baseball. We told him that he shouldn’t be walking around by himself with all these crazed fans and officially designated ourselves as his personal bodyguards for the night. He entertained us and our crazy ideals for the rest of the night, leaving us with a phone number to get in touch with him and offering the use of his friends and family tickets anytime we wanted to come up that season. He also sent each of us an autographed photo with “Bodyguard Trebelhorn” written on the envelope. We made it up there for several games that season and he always had the requested ticket amount at the “Will Call” window with $0 on the stub. We cheered from some of the best seats in the house. Afterwards, he would meet us at the fire station to say hello. Alas, our good fortune was short-lived as that was the year of the strike and Mr. Trebelhorn was let go shortly after, but our memories of that season and unbelievable experience will live on forever.
That year, we also attended the preseason tours of Wrigley, viewing the press box, locker rooms, and getting access to the field. It’s possible that someone that day swiped a few pieces of ivy, still pressed under “ivy” in an old dictionary, and dirt from the first base mound that her future husband stood on.
This year on May 6th, we purchased game tickets for my mom for Mother’s Day and for my sister Jacki’s birthday that day. My mom fell ill that week and the morning of the game, I got the call at 6 a.m. that I would have to go as her replacement. Torn between happiness at my good fortune and guilt at going to the game my mother should be at, I decided that I would spend the day collecting memories and memorabilia for my mom to make her feel a part of it. We arrived and stopped at a gift shop on Addison. There we found a Jake Arrieta doll, complete with a full beard that we decided she had to have. We proceeded outside the stadium to get the requisite photos and happened upon a booth that was passing out Fannie May candies and can koozies. This seemed to be made for my mom, as we had recently learned that my grandpa had picked “Fannie Mae” as her name before my grandma gently steered him otherwise! Entering the gates early in hopes of snagging some autographs during batting practice, we made our way down the third base line. To our dismay, not one player ventured over for an autograph and shortly after, we were booted by an usher in that section. We went in search of our seats behind home plate. But I quickly noticed that fans were returning to the area and, so I snuck back down as well, choosing a section a little farther down this time. I ended up between a girl in her early 20’s and two boys about the age of 10, one on crutches to boot. I figured he might get the attention of somebody! Any time someone would come anywhere near our vicinity, even a staff member, I tried to give the sob story of my sick mother. Not too long after, David Ross made his way out with John Lackey and Chris Bosio for pitching warmups. The boys yelled to them and Ross kindly told them that it was almost game time and they had to prepare so we could watch a win today. Disappointing, but we understood. Again, an usher came down and said we could only remain there if our tickets were in this section. The boys immediately moved out and as I went to follow, the girl to my left immediately pulled out tickets, letting me have some borrowed time on her extra one! The camaraderie of fellow Cubs fans is just incredible! And lo and behold shortly after, here came Chris Bosio to grab a handful of extra balls on the wall just below us. I again quickly try to start with my story, grasping for one of my last chances to obtain an autograph of some kind! He kind of smirked at my non-stop chatter as he gathered them up, handed me a ball without saying a word, and trotted back to the outfield. I stood there in shock holding the revered leather in my hand as the fans around me cheered at his act! I quickly ran up to show my sister! With exhilaration and a few minutes still left before the game, we headed off to Guest Services to ask for advice for any other way to get an autograph, especially now that we had a Cubbies ball! The two lovely ladies graciously listened to my ramblings and said to try the exit gate after the game, but that was our only real hope. They then presented my sister with a Cubs birthday sticker and took our seat numbers down, just in case they thought of something else. We finally sat to cheer them on. At the end of the second inning, a staff member came looking for us. They presented us with a gift bag from Guest Services with a few promotional items those lovely ladies had pulled for my mom! To add to her Arrieta doll, Fannie May haul, and practice ball, she now had a Jon Lester bobble head, Ernie Banks pin, and Cubs sticker! With our excitement growing and the Cubs winning, we tweeted a selfie from the stands. Not too long after, the Cubs twitter account tweeted back with a “Happy Birthday” message for Jacki! We spent most of the rest of the game on our feet, happily singing “Go Cubs Go” when they triumphed 8-6 over the Washington Nationals. At this point we didn’t think our day could get any better. But the magic of Wrigley was still in play… We decided to walk to that back gate, just to check it out as we were leaving. A crowd had already gathered, but we managed to make our way up to the fence. We pulled out a Sharpie and the ball from Bosio and waited, eager as the little children that surrounded us! Players soon started to make their way out, but kept walking by, most acknowledging the screaming fans but not stopping. Finally, long-time announcer Chris Hughes, came over. He graciously went along and signed every single person that asked, even making sure no one was missed before leaving. Several minutes later, a recent call up from the minor leagues also stopped and signed. Many more made their way through, but no others came over. Figuring it was over, we were about to leave when an injured Kyle Schwarber made his way to the fence. My sister’s favorite player, she was beside herself! Leaning on crutches, he only signed for little kids. As a last resort, she shouted to him that it was her birthday and he was her favorite and they were both fellow IU graduates. With a big smile, he took our ball and signed before hobbling off! At that, our day was complete! We rushed back home to present our mom with our day’s work. She laughed and cried through our adventures, especially after being forced to raise her right hand to solemnly swear to leave the Kyle Schwarber ball to Jacki in her will!
We came back from Chicago that day to also share our story with my grandmother, who at the age of 92, had recently lost the ability to walk and was bedridden in a rehabilitation center. She delighted in our tale! My mom, who visited on most days, would always make sure the channel the game would be on was set before she left for the day. Even if it was hours before the start, Grandma would leave it on, so she didn’t forget, then would turn up the volume so loud that staff members would come by and nonchalantly close her door.
This past Saturday, my sweet grandma’s heart of gold beat for the last time. While she unfortunately missed seeing this to the end by just a few days, I fully believe that she and God sat side-by-side last night, watching from above with a smile.
In the recent weeks, I’ve heard countless stories of memories involving the Cubs. Gathering around the radio with family listening intently to the broadcast on a lazy afternoon, tuning in to WGN to watch the game with loved ones, carrying your well-worn and well-loved mitt to a game in hopes of catching that wayward foul ball or perhaps being one of the lucky few to snag a home run ball.….
We all have these stories. This is why this win is so special to so many people. Whether you watched every game faithfully or just tuned in for the first time last night, you can understand and feel the sheer joy of this momentous win. We Cubs fans are eternal optimists. For 108 years, we have lived the mantra “There’s always next year”. So today, take the time to revel in the excitement with your friends, family, co-workers, and passerby’s. For today, we are all Cubs fans.
Mom, Grandma, Harry…they did it.
Holy cow.
This is My Life. 