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| saturday april 11 | sunday april 12 2015
the north shore weekend
FIRST WORD
A comedy of errors R
arely before has hype reached such heights. Some reports had the Chicago Cubs — they of the 107-year championship drought — dropping to 6-1 odds to win the World Series. Wrigley Field was poised to look like a 21stcentury stadium with tens of millions of dollars in upgrades. An Opening Night against archrival and perennial contender St. Louis Cardinals to show off the left arm of new ace Jon Lester, the savvy of new manager Joe Maddon … it seemed to be scripted by Hollywood. But the franchise acted more like the Bad News Bears than anything else. No runs scored that night. No bleachers to sit in. A massive Jumbotron (complete with Kiss Cam) that hovered out of place over the small park. Neighborhood complaints about excessive
David Sweet
noise from a new loudspeaker system. Toilets that didn’t flush. Yes, same old Cubs. Or maybe even worse, considering the guy who led the team in spring training home runs, Kris Bryant, remains in the minors. Of course, it has to get better. Due to deadlines, by the time you read this, they may even be atop the National League Central Division with only 158 games to go. Few had more to say about the Cubs and their endless foibles than former North Shore resident and Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko, who passed away nearly 20 years ago (and whose memorial was held at Wrigley Field). Based on the column excerpt below, it seems he may have watched the last five seasons from his perch above: “It’s hard to describe how bad those last-place teams were,” he
Presents�
Later LifeĐ
“Sitting in the stands, you always knew the best athletes on the field were the other team. And the nextbest athletes were in the ground crew.”
wrote. “Sitting in the stands, you always knew the best athletes on the field were the other team. And the next-best athletes were in the ground crew.” One year, Cubs’ outfielder Jose Cardenal couldn’t play in spring training because of a sticky eyelid. Explained Royko, “People were careful not to approach him from his blind side, for fear of being bitten … the fans were delighted with his recovery, and after watching the Cubs for a few games, their eyelids dropped shut.” Treating the Cubs as comic relief is often the only way for a fan to stay sane. Enjoy the weekend.
David Sweet
Editor in Chief david@northshoreweekend.com Twitter: @northshorewknd
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