Chicago Cubs Baseball In The House
ChiTown, how are you feeling today? And no, I am not talking about the White Sox. I am talking about the Northsiders of the Windy City who occupy 1060 West Addison St. You know, the team that plays in the most iconic cathedral in Major League Baseball; the holy grail of sports stadiums; the only diamond your wife or girlfriend wishes she could put on her finger. Yes, I am talking about the historic Wrigley Field and our beloved Chicago Cubs. It is time for Cubs Chat my friends.
How I Became a Die Hard Chicago Fan
I am excited to be a contributing beat writer for www.topfanrivalry.com representing Chicago Cubs baseball. For introductions, I thought I would indulge you in a brief history as to how I became a diehard Cubs fan and why this franchise has been a very important part of my life for the past 36 years. If you have seen the movie “Fever Pitch” with Jimmy Fallon, his character is me to the core except as a Cubs fanatic of course. It’s a miracle my wife is still with me!
Unlike many Cubs fans, I was not born into its fandom. It was not passed down to me by my father or my grandfather. I am a first generational “Loveable Loser.” It was the summer of 1984. I was a 9-year-old boy growing up in the potato fields of Rexburg, Idaho. My interest at the time was simple… G.I. Joe cartoons! Aww, G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero! Who didn’t love G.I. Joe as a youngster? As fate would have it, Chicago’s very own WGN television station played host to this cartoon made up of fictional characters named Duke, Snake Eyes, Dusty, and Cobra. We watched WGN religiously for G.I. Joe cartoons. But then I remember something catching our eye after an episode… it was the song “Jump” by Van Halen playing as the introduction to the 1984 Chicago Cubs. We were glued from the start as we began developing a love for some other Real American Heroes like Jody “Jo-Dee” Davis at catcher, Leon “Bull” Durham at 1st base, Ryne “Ryno” Sandberg at 2nd base, Ron “The Penguin” Cey at 3rd base, Larry “Captain” Bowa at shortstop, Gary “Sarge” Matthews in left, Bobby “Deer” Dernier in center, Keith “Zonk” Moreland in right, and the big Red Baron Rick Sutcliffe on the bump. We would watch these guys play on WGN and then gather up our neighborhood friends to play in our own sandlot behind our house that we named “Wrigley Field Jr.” It was a magical summer that made a lasting imprint on our young minds.
The Cubs literally became our heroes overnight. It was an organic love born by accident. Or perhaps it was destiny. Either way, I did not have an uncanny knack of foreseeing what kind of an impact being a diehard Cubs fan would have on my life. We were living a spiritual high during that summer. We were then baptized in the water of disappointment that fall after getting our first taste of Chicago Cubs heartbreak. The 1984 Chicago Cubs had an amazing team. We won the Eastern Division (back then there were only two divisions in both leagues: Eastern Division and Western Division). We played the surging San Diego Padres in the best-of-5 National League Championship Series. We won the first two games at Wrigley only to lose the next 3 in San Diego. A World Series date with the Detroit Tigers was not in the cards that year. We realized all to soon that being a diehard Cubs fan was not the easiest thing to be year after year after year.
Until 2016… we all know what happened then.
That’s my story in a nutshell. Who can relate to me? I’d love to hear your stories of how you became a diehard Cubs fan and what impact it has made on your life!
Anyway, 2020 has already been a wild ride so far. The 2020 Chicago Cubs will make it that much wilder!
So adjust your cup, pop in some seeds, and dig in at home plate. We’re going to be swinging for the fences with Cubs Chat!
Go Cubs Go!
Article contributed by Rob Peterson