My story isn't particularly special. Sometime around 1988 or '89, my mother took me and my sister out of school on a Friday afternoon to go to a Cubs game. My parents were never big sports fans -- still aren't -- but someone gave my mom tickets, so she thought she would treat us to a ballgame. It was the only Cubs game I went to as a kid.
I never shared Cracker Jacks with a grandparent or learned how to keep score from my dad. There are no photos of me in a high chair decked out head-to-toe in Cubs gear. That spring day, I didn't know the players' names or even all the rules, but from then on I was a Cubs fan, and Wrigley Field would forever be the standard by which I'd judge all baseball stadiums. (If you're wondering how the rest are faring -- they've all paled in comparison.)
My fandom grew organically, without the urging of family or friends, until I was officially hooked. I discovered that sports were as fun to watch as they were to play, and that loyalty to a team was a powerful feeling. Now, here I am, living and dying with every pitch, traveling across time zones to watch my team make history.
There are thousands of others with stories far better than mine. Many people shared photos and memories on social media this weekend after the Cubs clinched the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. I reached out to a few to ask about their stories.
There's 41-year-old Michelle Vitellaro, who learned to love the game through her grandfather, Ted Zielen. He was one of the famed Andy Frain ushers who patrolled the aisles of Wrigley in their signature blue and gold uniforms. Vitellaro spent the summers of 1982 and '83 hanging out with her grandpa and sitting on the dugout, where she developed her first crush, on power hitter Dave Kingman. Years after Zielen's death in 1983, she followed in his footsteps, taking a job at Wrigley Field, where she'd eventually meet her husband. On Friday, she placed a "W" flag at Zielen's grave in anticipation of Saturday's big game.
Katie Day, 31, also fell in love with the Cubs while watching with her grandfather. Dan Schlesinger attended the team's most recent World Series, in 1945, and passed away with a Cubs hat on his head in 2010. Day's brother wore that hat when the Cubs clinched the series against the Dodgers. The next morning, Day went to her grandfather's grave to share flowers, a National League championship flag and the news of their win. Here's what she posted:
Sunday also found Maria Vala, 52, visiting the resting place of a loved one. She brought Old Style beers to share with her father, Giannino Vala, who passed in 1998. She reminisced about summer days when he'd come home from work midday, taking extra-long lunch breaks so they could watch Cubs games together.
Illinois State Representative Sara Feigenholtz, 59, brought an old black-and-white photo of her father, Bernard "Pep" Feigenholtz, to Wrigley Field on Sunday morning. The man responsible for her love of the Cubs died in 1965, but she wanted to take him on a victory lap of the Friendly Confines so he could "witness the magic."
All of us Cubs fans witnessing the magic of the team's first World Series appearance in 71 years know how lucky we are. When we settle in to watch Game 1 on Tuesday night, we know we'll also be watching on behalf of all the players and fans who have come and gone before us.
Cubs play-by-play man Len Kasper joined my podcast this week and talked about how being a fan of the Cubs feels different than any other fandom because of the through line that connects us.
"The great thing for [Cubs fans] is that it does mean more than just watching your team play," said Kasper. "It means your great-grandparents, your grandparents, your kids -- everything that is involved. It just touches every part of your life."
The only connection today's Cubs players have to the players of the past is the "Chicago" on their chests, but the fans who have experienced a century-plus of disappointment are one and the same. When the team finally wins it all, Northsiders will celebrate not just for themselves, but for anyone who has ever loved the Cubs.
