Ron Santo Is FINALLY in the Hall of Fame.

Ron Santo's Hall of Fame Plaque installed July 22, 2012. From the Chicago Tribune.

It's about damn time.

I won't go into all the reasons why it's such a shame #10 didn't receive this honor while he was alive. We'll just stipulate that it's a crime and it's finally been rectified. If you really want to know the backstory, use the Googles.

Yesterday was Ron's day in Cooperstown. With all the fanfare he deserved, he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame and joined his teammates Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams, and Ernie Banks with the best of the best.

Ron's widow Vicki delivered his posthumous acceptance speech. And as she said, this is not a day to be sad. It is a day of happiness for true Cubs fans everywhere.

You can (and should) watch Vicki Santo's inspirational speech here.

Congratulations Ron!

RIP Ron Santo 1940-2010

The first piece of news I heard this morning after waking up was about the death of Ron Santo, Cubs legendary 3rd baseman and broadcaster. Honestly, I didn't believe it. But then I flipped on WGN Morning News and learned the sad news was fact.

Knowing he probably hadn't heard, I grabbed my phone and called my dad. A lifelong Cubs and Ron Santo fan, I think my dad felt like a family member had just died. That's how I felt.

Ron Santo (photogallery) was an inspiration, not only in how he played, but in how he lived. His diabetes never slowed him down and we never heard him complain about it. Watching how he went through his later years without his legs always reminded me of my Gardner Grandfather, who although he didn't have diabetes, suffered from a blood disorder that resulted in him having both of his legs amputated later in life. Like Santo, Grandpa never complained (unlike Santo, Grandpa was only a White Sox fan). He just kept going, living his life with vigor and integrity.

It's a shame that Ron Santo was never elected into the Hall of Fame, but he held his head high and showed incredible class each time he was turned away. Hopefully now he'll get the respect and recognition he deserves. His stats say he belongs there and his sportsmanship is what all players and aspiring plays should emulate.

RIP Ron Santo. Listening to the Cubs will never be the same.

A couple of years ago, I gave my dad This Old Cub for Christmas. It's a wonderful documentary that all Cubs fans should watch over and over again.



NPR Story.

Thank You National League!

Tonight may have been the 30th anniversary of the start of my annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game bet with my grandpa. I say may have been because I don't remember the exact year the bet started, but I was about 9 and I'm 28 39 now, so that would make it 30 years.

Since Grandpa died in 1995, my National League has been on a serious losing streak, having last won in 1996. Grandpa was a die-hard White Sox fan, so he always got the AL in the bet and I always took the NL. Since Grandpa's death, my dad and I continued the bet, and, due to this losing streak, I've gone into serious debt (well, okay, we only bet $1 each year, but you get my point). I've had a sneaking suspicion that Grandpa has been tampering with the game each year from up above, but I don't have any proof, so I've kept this theory to myself.

Yesterday, Dad sent me a text asking if we were still on for our bet. I said yes, but we needed to up the ante again (we did this in 2007 as well) and increase the bet from $1 to a beer at Dinghy's next month when we're at Watervale. So in reality, that means we've only raised the stakes about 50 cents, but that's not the point.

When I awoke this morning to the sad news about George Steinbrenner, I knew the NL was going to win tonight. The AL would be far too upset to play a good game. I called Dad and he laughed at me. He assured me that the NL was going down . . . again.

Guess who's laughing now!

That's right. Thanks to Brian McCann's 3-run hit and Marlon Byrd, the National League won 3-1.

That's gonna be one sweet beer at Dinghy's next month.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame . . . And Leave Me There

A friend of mine posted an article on Facebook this morning titled "Cubs-Inspired Cemetery Opens Wednesday." It's about Dennis Mascari, who while visiting his late father at the cemetery a couple of years ago, came up with an the idea to create a cemetery modeled after the center field wall at Wrigley Field. I love it! Beyond the Vines will open on April 22nd and for a fraction of the cost of a traditional burial, your ashes can be interred in one of the "Eternal Skyboxes" in Bohemian National Cemetery on Chicago's North side. Eventually, there will be ivy on the walls, a stained glass scoreboard, turf and bricks from Wrigley Field, and actual Cubs box seats.

My friend thought this was a bit creepy, but I actually think it's a great idea, if only as a consolation prize to what I'd truly like in the afterlife.

I'd much rather have my ashes scattered at the actual Wrigley Field like Steve Goodman's. The only problem is that the Cubs don't officially allow it. According to Eric Zorn, the only way to do it is to "find a guy who knows some guys who know a guy who know a guy."

Don't misunderstand me, I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon. That and I've aleady planned to have my ashes scattered at Watervale. But given the opportunity, I'd really love to have half my ashes scattered at Wrigley Field and half scattered at Watervale.

In light of how loyal baseball fans are and how much Cubs fans have suffered for our team over the last 100 years, Eric Zorn is right and the Cubs should allow fans to have their ashes scattered along the warning track. I guess, in the meantime, Beyond the Vines is a suitable substitute.

Next Year Is Here!

The eternal optimist who bleeds Cubbie Blue, I'm legally required to believe that the start of each new baseball season is the beginning of our World Series winning season. This is the year we'll break our 100 year drought and win it all.

Baseball season officially begins today with the Cubs playing at Houston at 6:05pm CT. Zambrano is pitching and I'll be glued to my television like every true blue Cubs fan. So don't call me tonight. I won't be able to talk. Opening Day at Wrigley Field is next Monday with Colorado our first victim of the season at 1:20.

In honor of our winning season and 2009 being the year we take it all the way, enjoy these videos by some other great Cubs fans.

"Someday We'll Go All The Way" by Eddie Vedder


"Go Cubs Go" (2009 Edition) by Steve Goodman


"A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request" by Steve Goodman


In the interest of full disclosure, like me, the late Steve Goodman is a Lake Forest College Class of 1970 alum.

UPDATE: Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Final score: Cubs 4, Houston Astros 2. Zambrano got his 1st victory on Opening Day! Cubs are in 1st place! Only 161 more games plus playoffs & World Series to go and then the curse will be over!

I Miss My Grandpa

I just read the following story about a grandfather and his grandson planning to attend the Cubs-Yankees exhibition games this weekend in New York. Not only did it put a smile on my face (how can you not love such an all-American story?), but it also made my eyes well up just a little thinking about how much I wish I could go to a baseball game with my grandpa.

Grandpa was a diehard White Sox fan and I bleed Cubbie blue. We always enjoyed our annual bets on the All-Star Game and World Series (the bets were for $1 and he always had the American League and I always had the National League), but I don't think we ever went to a game together. By the time I was old enough to attend a baseball game, my grandparents had already moved to Florida. We almost saw a White Sox spring training game together when I visited my grandparents during spring break my sophomore year of college, but Grandpa wasn't strong enough.

Grandpa passed away 14 years ago and I still miss him, especially as baseball season kicks off this weekend.

Suburban man on hospice care making pilgrimage with grandson
By Kimberly Pohl, Daily Herald, April 3, 2009

The results won't make a bit of difference in the standings, but Saturday's Cubs-Yankees exhibition game means the world to one Mount Prospect man.

John Cannistra, whose lung cancer has advanced to the point he needs hospice care, will be in the stands at the new Yankee Stadium with his grandson, Billy DeSario.

The Cubs fans, who left for New York Thursday, have never been to a game together.

"I think this is a beautiful thing," Cannistra, 75, said. "Hopefully, it's not our last game."

Cannistra says he can't complain. After all, doctors gave him a few months to live - six at the most - when they diagnosed him with cancer. That was nearly nine years ago.

The Chicago native lived most of his life in Niles, where he and his late wife, Gloria, had four children. He worked as a road construction foreman, retiring in 1999. Now he lives with his son, Mike, a Sox fan.

"When I hear him hollering at the TV, I just say good because I figure (the Sox are) losing," Cannistra said, laughing.

DeSario, 24, grew up two doors down from his grandpa. He said their tightknit Italian clan thrives on storytelling and food. Most of the family flew in for Cannistra's birthday in February.

"I haven't seen him that happy in a long time," DeSario said, adding it's been tough for Cannistra since his wife died last year.

Cannistra has a soft spot for the Bronx Bombers. He became a fan when his son, Johnny, lived in New York. But his allegiance remains clear.

"My Cubbies will win, no question," he said.

A lot of planning went into the trip given Cannistra's illness. Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care in Park Ridge arranged for a partner to provide temporary care in New York. An oxygen tank was also delivered to the apartment they're staying at in New York.

Aside from some coughing and shortness of breath, Cannistra said he's feeling good. He skipped his regular coffee meeting with friends on Tuesday to save his strength.

Cannistra is confident the Cubs will break their three-and-out curse come October.

"Hopefully," he said, "me and Billy can be there when they do."

UPDATE: The Cubs lost last night 7-4. Hopefully, the result will be different today. John Cannistra and Billy DeSario deserve to see the win. Actually, every grandfather and grandson (or granddaughter) ought to be able share the experience of seeing their favorite team win live at the ballpark.

UPDATE #2: The Cubs lost again. This time, 10-1. I'm bummed they lost, but more than that, I'm sorry for Mr. Cannistra and his grandson.

Go Cubs Go!

The National League Playoffs start today and in honor of the Cubs, here's some motivational music . . .



As a kind of cool aside, Steve Goodman who wrote Go Cubs Go, went to Lake Forest College, my alma mater, as I've previously written about.

Next Year Is Here!

You may recall the long-term on-and-off love affair I just haven't been able to wiggle my way out of. Despite my lifetime of monogamy to this relationship, my heart has been stomped on repeatedly. Yet each time he says "next year is here," I pick up the pieces of my shattered hopes, dreams, and love, and come crawling back. This man simply has a strong hold on my heart and no matter what he does or how much he hurts me, I just keep coming back. You may say it's unhealthy to be so entwined, especially after all the heartache I've endured over the years, and I would agree. I wish I knew how to quit him, but the fact is, he completes me.

But the thing is, after all the times he's thoroughly let me down and crushed all my dreams, I think, no, I really believe that this time he's not just jerking me around. This is it. No heartbreak in 2008.

I believe that after all the years as the "lovable losers" and the near misses in 1945, 1969, 1984, 1989, 1998, 2003, and 2007, THIS is the year. The Cubs really are going all the way. This year, they'll end that 100 year old drought and win the World Series.



Updated: The Magic Number is ZERO! For the first time in a century, the Cubs have back-to-back playoff trips and are the NL Central Champs!

Breaking News: Zambrano Threw A No-Hitter!

OMG! OMG!

Carlos Zambrano just pitched a no-hitter!

The Cubs haven't had a no-hitter since 1972!!!!!! 1972!!!

Here's the Tribune story.

I can't yet talk about that "other thing" that hasn't happened in a VERY LONG TIME, because I am highly superstitiuos.

But for tonight I'm doing the Happy Dance!

Here's a scene I could get used to:

20 Years Ago: The Night the Lights Went On at Wrigley

It's not often that Dave and I are present for truly historical moments, but we were there the night the lights went on at Wrigley.

Joan Green, a lifelong Cubs fan, took us, along with her son, Bill, to the game on August 9th, 1988, which thanks to Mother Nature, was the first official night game at Wrigley Field. I don't remember exactly where we sat, although my gut says it was the Bleachers. We always sat in the Bleachers.

As everyone knows, Wrigley Field did not have lights, which meant that all their games were played during the day. This made Wrigley unique among Major League parks, as they had all installed lights many years earlier. But Wrigley was the sole hold-out because the area residents, and Wrigley is set in the heart of the residential Lakeview neighborhood, and the City of Chicago would not allow them.

Because of the daytime only games, the Cubs couldn't host the All-Star Game, which they wanted to do.

After many protests and negotiations, the Chicago City Council finally allowed a very limited number of night games and lights were installed and some believe defiled the beauty of Wrigley.


The first night game was set for August 8th, but Mother Nature had other plans and the game was rained out after 3 1/2 innings and the Cubs leading the Phillies 3-1. So the August 9th game against the Mets became the official first game and we just happened to be there (and the Cubs won 6-4!).

Thanks Joan! We love you and still miss you everyday, but cherish all the wonderful memories you gave us.

Here's a cool retrospective video.

Enjoy.

Who Would Have Thought?

Lou Pinella, the Cubs manager, is famous for his temper. He has no problem telling umps EXACTLY what he thinks and seems to not have the benefit of the filter that most people have that keep their inappropriate thoughts inside their heads.

Frequently, this gets Lou kicked out of baseball games.

But tonight, against the White Sox, in the second half of the Crosstown Classic, Lou blew his top in bottom of the second inning. Not convinced of a call on Joe Crede, Lou rushed out of the dugout and got in the face of home plate ump Rob Drake. Drake, appropriately, tossed Pinella out. Lou knows you can't argue balls and strikes.

I share this with you because this is the first game all season Lou has been thrown out. And I think that may be a record.

So congratulations Lou on holding your temper in for almost 3 months! But just cuz you're annoyed that the Cubs have gone 0-2 in this half of the Crosstown Classic, after sweeping the Sox last weekend, doesn't mean you get to act like a 2-year-old. My apologies to 2-year-olds.

UPDATE: The Cubs lost last night. They were swept this weekend by the Sox, after sweeping the Sox last weekend. So for this year, the Crosstown Classic ends in a tie. But it's ok because this is only the second time in 44 years the White Sox have swept the Cubs. But I think to decide the winner of the 2008 Crosstown Classic, we might have to play maybe another 7 games in late October. What do you think?

This loss represents the Cubs 6th straight loss while playing on the road (yes, playing at the Cell counts as on the road). Clearly the Cubs are unstoppable at home, but to hold onto their 1st place status, they must improve on the road. It also puts added pressure on the All-Star Game, which decides home-field advantage for the World Series.