My brother recently said it best: “It’s not just sports…
it’s family.” And for the Anderson
family, no truer words have been spoken.
Those who know me well know that I am a Cub fan. Those who know me really well know that I’ve been a Cub fan for all of my life.
Anyone who is even a part-time, fair-weather baseball fan
knows at least a little about the long-suffering plight of the Chicago Cub
fan. And I’m not talking about the
Bartman incident. Or even about the Curse
of the Billy Goat. I’m talking about 108
years of disappointment and “wait ‘til next year.” Getting really close, or getting
nowhere near. Being excited about the
prospect of a new season each year, only to be disappointed and know that it’s
over by the All-Star Break. Say what you will about Cub fans, but we are
loyal to our team through it all. What’s
not to love about that?!?
How did this all begin? With my father. And his father before him. And a letter that my father helped me write to
Harry Caray (Holy Cow!), followed by the autographed picture he sent me that I still treasure to this day. And now, a new
fourth generation of Cub fans in the Anderson family (my and my brother’s
children) have an opportunity to witness something that our previous three
generations, including my 90-year-old grandfather, have been waiting our entire
lives to see: The potential for a World Series victory. (I hate to even write those words. You see, being a Cub fan has helped shape me
into the eternal pessimist that I tend to be.
Nevertheless, this year, it is an ever-present possibility!)
I tend to follow many sports, some closely and some from a
distance, including our Bears football team (speaking of eternal pessimism…), but
my favorite sport to follow has always been Cubs baseball. Why?? Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a
spring/summer sport. (We all know how
this girl despises cold weather.) Nope,
that’s not quite it. Maybe it’s the 162+
chances to watch our team play a game every season. (Seriously.
Who wants to play that many games??) Nope, that’s not it either.
Why Cubs baseball?
That’s easy – it’s the memories.
Ask any Cubs fan. They’ll be able
to tell you all about their first Cubs game: Where they sat. Who they were with. What the weather was
like. Whether they won or lost. And I guarantee they recall those times to
you with a smile on their face, and maybe even a tear in their eye.
My memories are simple. My first game was in 2008. I was 29 years
old. I remember exactly where our seats
were. I remember the three-piece brass
band that stopped to play right in front of us between innings. I remember arranging to have the Anderson
name displayed on the scoreboard in the fifth inning. And I remember the Singing Beer Man. But most of all, I remember who I was with:
My father, my brother, and my then 82-year-old grandfather who had flown in
from Colorado. Three generations of Cub
fans who met from different ends of the country to watch a game in the Friendly
Confines together. Words can’t describe
how fun that was, and how wonderful of a memory it is to this day. Since that time, I’ve had the opportunity to
attend at least one game every year, each with very important people in my
life, and each with a brand new set of happy memories. After all, isn’t that what life is all
about??
But what do I love
most about Cubs baseball? Without a doubt, it has to be this moment. A moment that in my, my brother’s, and my
father’s lifetime, we have never seen. THE CUBS ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES. (Somebody pinch me because I must be dreaming...) And the potential of a moment 108 years in
the making, a moment that my grandfather has waited his whole life to see
(that’s 90 years, folks!), is something that I truly never believed would
happen.
So, on the eve of the day that this next chapter in Cubs
history begins, I look back at the memories that being a Cub fan has given me,
and I smile. I know that through it all,
I could never follow any other baseball team. And I revel in the moments that
are yet to come… win or lose. I will be
watching these games along with some of the most important men in my life. In
more than one way, Harry will be watching with me as well … Eamus Catuli!! Go Cubs Go!!
