It's Officially Spring...In My World

Today is the day that officially marks the spring season for me. On the corner of Clark & Addison stands the mecca of many dreams and nightmares...joys and sorrows...melancholy wonderment and drunken buffoonery.

"Scorecard! Get your scorecard!" is heard from the moment you walk in. Vendors barking out which items they're selling today. Fans scrambling about to get to their seats. The color blue is everywhere. Banners of former Cub players hang from the rafters: old and new...great players and great characters. Walk up the ramp and get that first glimpse of the green green grass, the ivy on the wall, the jumbo scoreboard in centerfield, I'm always in a sense of awe...from kid to now.

Not many places can give you an instant flashback to your childhood. To me this is the place. I have been a Cubs fan forever...literally. One of my first childhood memories is actually from Wrigley Field. It was the summer of '67. I was 4 years old and went to the game with my dad. It was the Cubs vs. the Cardinals (I didn't catch on to the rivalry until the early 70's). We got there early to see batting practice. This was a common thing when we were kids. Run down to the edge of the stands and see if you can get an autograph of your favorite player or maybe even a picture. Of course this was when players actually communicated with the fans, especially the kids. The 'Andy Frain' ushers weren't an issue. No security issues. An innocent time.

So as I came down towards the Cardinals dugout (our seats were on that side of the field) and was able, with the help of my dad, to get to the dugout unscathed. I was a pretty shy kid and I was a bit overwhelmed with the larger than life scenario. I remember a few Cardinal players around. Of course, only being 4 years old, I didn't really know who was who. However, I definitely knew my Cub players at 4: Banks (my favorite), Santo, Williams, Kessinger, Beckert, Jenkins. But as for the Cardinals, not so much. But the key memory here is I remember locking eyes with one player and he smiled and said hi then walked in the dugout. I was grinning from ear to ear. I asked my dad who that was and he said Orlando Cepeda (one of the best players of that time and now in the Hall of Fame). A couple seconds later he came back out of the dugout. He turned toward me and rolled a baseball across the dugout. WOW! Christmas in the summertime.

It's amazing the things we remember. And in all honesty, I can't remember anything that crystal clear prior to that glorious childhood moment. So I guess that's a pretty good starting point for the memory scrapbook.

Of course after many games from the ages of 4 to 43, I have numerous memories at Wrigley. More ups than downs, although the seasons had more downs than ups. I think I have sat in every area. From 3 rows behind home plate to the bleachers (left, center & right). From the upper grandstand to across the street on a rooftop and everywhere in between.

With that being said, I hereby christen in the spring season. Of course being a Cubs fan, one is always optimistic to a fault, but I think this is our year!

"Scorecard!! Get your scorecard!!"