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There was a time when all that mattered to a 13-year-old boy was watching the Chicago Cubs play baseball on television...

One Last Chance for Chicago Cubs

by J. Michael Morris (Columnist)

36

839 reads

Opinion

October 02, 2008


There was a time when all that mattered to a 13-year-old boy was watching the Chicago Cubs play baseball on television.

Although he couldn’t have even found Illinois with a yet-to-be invented GPS navigational device, he scheduled each of his lonely summer days, after moving to a new town, around WGN’s home-game coverage.

The kid grew up playing several sports with his father and siblings, but they were all suddenly too busy to bother.

Anyone who has spent a summer in the oven of Phoenix or Las Vegas understands that you don’t just go outside during the day. Television programming in the afternoon was primarily soap operas and infomercials.

Before there were professional teams in the desert, the MLB Season Packages on satellite, or 64 ESPN channels, there was WGN.

Even though there were much closer professional baseball teams; Padres, Angels, and Dodgers broadcasts were only available on AM radio at night. Sports websites and text-message updates from ESPN mobile were just a degenerate gambler’s science-fiction dream.

I don’t know which marketing genius inside the Wrigley Gum Network decided to broadcast a local Chicago station with regional professional sports coverage to every basic cable system of the barely inhabited desert southwest, but it worked.

Andre Dawson dingers (as we used to say) over the ivy had this boy jumping off the couch, arms in the air, mimicking the umpire’s round trip signal. Dunston-to-Sandberg-to-Grace double plays inspired a few holes in his bedroom wall when he attempted to “turn two” to an imaginary first baseman.

It even had him learning baseball history and sports writing through comparisons to Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance double plays.

He bought a goofy, red, white, and blue baseball cap with a cartoon bear on it at the mall and wore it everywhere, except to church on Sunday.

He gave each weeks’ allowance to the Fleer, Donruss, Upper Deck, and Tops Corporations. But to him, all the cards were “commons” unless the player was wearing a Cubs uniform.

Sports fandom knows of no more faithful a soldier than a junior-high boy.

Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card?

He’d trade it for a Greg Maddux or Vance Law just to complete a team set.

It was good times for Chicago Cubs fans. Players like “wild thing” Mitch Williams, who once took a line drive off his temple, made headlines and racked up wins. Jerome Walton won Rookie of the Year by stealing bases and pushing up the Jerome-O-Meter.

What he hadn’t heard about, or more probably ignored, was the reputation Chicago had of being “lovable losers” or a silly superstitious curse. There was hope that each game and postseason would be the one where they finally lived up to their potential.

He eventually made some friends when school started, and the next five summers were spent skateboarding and swimming at the lake instead of listening to Harry Carey slobber through the seventh-inning stretch.

As years went on and as the Baby Bears baseball team continuously stumbled each September and October, so did their self-declared biggest fan’s interest.

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36 comments Last one added 3 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Dorothy Willis 9 months ago

    A wonderful article that reminds me of how easily a "former" Cubs fan can get sucked back in with the hope that "this time it will be different." It never is though. One can only hope. ***** & POTD

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  2. Mark Bender 9 months ago

    Very well written!
    Now it's almost time to see if the Cubs can break tradition and beat the Dodgers in game #2. I'll be rooting for the Dodgers, but won't complain if the Cubs win, since I said before the series started that "I'd be happy to win 1 game in Wrigley"!

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  3. Rory Davis 9 months ago

    Nice article Michael..Check the second paragraph theres some repetition

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  4. J.C. Ayvazi 9 months ago

    Finestkind JM - thoroughly enjoyable read.

    The problem with these addictions is they rear up their ugly head without warning 8^D

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  5. matthew adreasen 9 months ago

    I think I am on step two of recovery with the Giants. I got rid of my shoe box full of cards Will Clark USA card only survivor.

    Fantastic read.

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  6. Nino Colla 9 months ago

    I don't give out five stars and picks of the day a lot.. not many are worth it.

    This one was totally worth both.. Great job

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  7. L.J. Burgess 9 months ago

    Re-consider your apathy J.Michael. Baseball is an excellent reason to connect with the kids...until school kicks in. The game is leisurely, it leaves time to talk and listen, it heralds spring and since pitchers and catchers report on Valentines Day...you'll never forget the wife.

    The word 'Chef' is always capitalized...just like 'God'. Don't make me edit you.

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  8. Alex Lapenia 9 months ago

    Excellent article!! Your personal touch is what makes it so special. I enjoyed reading this very much and have shared it with a few friends!! Keep up the good work, and I'm a Wrigley Faithful unfortunately as well!! Let's hope the Cubs can capture your kids as well as it did you.

    Cheers!!!
    -Alex

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    • J. Michael Morris 9 months ago

      Thanks Alex, though I'm not sure I want to expose them to so much pain and heartache.

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    • Alex Lapenia 9 months ago

      Ahhh, good point. It's always tough to fall in love with the Cubs, they'll break your heart over and over again. But don't lose faith my friend!! We're not done just yet!!

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  9. Kevin McGuire 9 months ago

    Tough break for those Cubs fans. "It's Gonna Happen!" Yep. Another disappointment is definitel gonna happen. Sure I feel for the Cubs fans, but a part of me is full of joy in seeing one great baseball tradition live on.

    Having said that, this series is far from over. Win game three and you can be on a roll!

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  10. Andrew Kneeland 9 months ago

    Excellent article. I apologize, though, because I predicted these Cubbies to go quite far this year. My bad...

    Very nice work. Five stars and POTD from me.

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  11. Andrew Shaffer 9 months ago

    LOL. That picture says everything...

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  12. Ron Glover 9 months ago

    I can't believe the Cubs are going out like this.

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  13. Michoel Botwinick 9 months ago

    The Cubbies will fight. I hope.

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  14. Bob Warja 9 months ago

    Well said, J.Michael. Way to spill your heart out onto the page. Nicely done!

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  15. Nate Double 9 months ago

    5 stars, POTD, awesome article.

    I'm still behind the Cubs to get it done. Here's hoping.

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  1. RedSox Maniac 9 months ago

    The Dodgers didn't win that game. The Cubs lost that game. I believe the Cubs have the upper hand in the series only because the Dodgers lack Penny, and Billingsley and Lowe aren't money starters ( money = ie: Just racks up wins in a streak ). Billingsley has control problems, and Lowe tends to meltdown as much as Zambrano.

    Given that analysis, if the Cubs can't hold the Dodgers to 5 runs, they will go home. But the pitching is good for the Cubs, and hopefully the defense will be there behind them.

    I'm rooting for both teams, since my heart is with the Red Sox retirement home and the Cubs have such a great success and can quell the drought for good.

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    • Andrew Eisenberger 9 months ago

      Excuse me sir, whos the one with control problems and prone to meltdowns? Seems like those honors go to Dempster and Zambrano. The Dodgers may not have been a great regular season team but you can't take away from them the fact that they are playing very patiently at the plate and hitting in key times. They're also making no errors.

      The Dodgers are playing like a great team. Don't tell me the cubs "lost it." They're getting outplayed ridiculously.

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  2. GeorgiaDawg 9 months ago

    5 Stars and POTD JMM.

    Brings back memories for me. Listening to Skip and Pete on the radio calling the Braves games... and then WTBS and a full slate of Braves games.... Thankfully, the Braves got some things right in the 90's and went on an incredible run.

    Those days are long gone. I miss the good old days!!!

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    • J. Michael Morris 9 months ago

      Thanks, I guess TBS probably covered much of the rural southeast and that's where all the braves fans came from. We can share Greg Maddux's career!

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    • GeorgiaDawg 9 months ago

      One of the greatest ever!!!

      TBS actually went nationwide at some point... maybe not all markets....

      But I remember it being WGN, WTBS and WOR (I think, out of NYC).

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  3. Kyle Jensen 9 months ago

    Wonderful article, and I can relate to almost every part of it. I had a conversation with one of my friends last night, during the game of course, and decided that if we did not have cable growing up, or something of the like, I would not have been a Cubs fan. I am one of those fans that have not quit his "addcition" to the Cubs. So every year, I do think things will be different, but of course, as history has proven, things are not different. One more chance, for this season that is!! Again, great article.

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  4. Lisa Horne 9 months ago

    POTD.....gosh I hope the Cubbies do well. I remember WGN at my Grandma's house! Nothing better than watching the Cubs. Good luck!

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  5. Andrew Eisenberger 9 months ago

    The Cubs legacy isn't the problem. Their problem is they have players that can't perform in the clutch. They remind me of the 01 Mariners. Great team, no confidence when it matters.

    The Dodgers are just out playing them. End of story

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  6. Anthony Elias 9 months ago

    Strong article. I loved reading it. There are articles on here that you might just skim. But this one really, really, really caught my attention. Especially after J-Roll's front runner comments, any time something like this comes up I read into it. Great article!

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  7. BabyTate 9 months ago

    The Cubs are up against the wall. The ChiSox are up against the wall.
    Your picture of the Chicago fire may be appropriate.

    I like all of your articles. You have a nice touch.

    Thanks for the heads-up.

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  8. Joe Burgett 9 months ago

    Can we not count on anyone in Chicago, not DA BEAR! DA BULLS!, or DA CUBIES, the Cubs need to win before everyone in Chicago has a heartatack from eating at Ditka's! the Cubs have to win or it will be an even 100 years, and they can't have that on their resume, I mena my grandparents were not even born when the cubies had their las title, thats pretty sad, but my grandpa dided never to see the cubies win it all

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  9. Anthony Elias 9 months ago

    haha Jimmy Rollins starting SS for the phillies.

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  10. Hao Meng 3 months ago

    Wow, great story J! I remember the good ole days of WGN before MLB TV, when it didn't matter that soap operas were on during the afternoon b/c WGN was on!

    Terrifically told story, man. 5 stars and POTD!

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