It might have taken them 95 years to do it, but the Chicago Cubs finally gave
their rabid fans a postseason series victory Sunday night.
And Wrigleyville Cubs fans, who had hung on every pitch and swing throughout
the weekend, showed their appreciation as they instinctively flocked below the
fluorescent glow of Wrigley Field's entrance sign, which proclaimed, simply:
"Cubs win!"
There is joy in Wrigleyville.
Although, victory wasn't certain at the beginning of the weekend, the Cubs
— and their fans — regrouped after losing Game 2 in Atlanta.
Enjoying home-field advantage Friday night, Cubs fans responded with endless
support for their team from within and without the stadium.
Outside Bernie's Sports Bar, Tim Stachula, watched the final inning of Friday's
game through a window on the street while his brother watched the game from
a seat in the stands.
As Prior closed out the game his cheers melded with those of the Bernie's patrons
inside, with some high-fiving him through the window.
In front of Wrigley, Ward Tannhauser, seven-feet tall and clad in ivy, posed
for pictures with fans. "I've been waiting 95 years for this," he said, though
he wasn't that old.
"This is special because the Cubs made it," he said of his costume. "I think
I brought luck."
Fred and Barb Spitzzeri, who attended Friday's game, said they were ready to
head to Atlanta for Game 5 if it happened.
"I want to drive," Fred said with a chuckle. "My wife wants to fly."
Paul Dzien, a 3rd-generation Cubs fan who was able to attend Friday's game,
said he only wished his uncle could have seen the Cubs advance.
Dzien said his uncle loved the Cubs so much that when he died two years ago
they wiped a Cubs emblem on his head with the ashes.
"You live and die with these guys," he said.
John Nord and Bob Costa, Raiders fans in town for Sunday's Bears game, were
able to sneak into Wrigley for the final inning and stopped to take a picture
of Wrigley after the game.
"What amazes me is the passion of these fans," Nord said.
As their team positioned themselves to clinch the series at home on Saturday,
several Cubs fans did what they could to shape the outcome to their liking.
Before Saturday's game, Mary Anne Tyler of Chicago was working to exorcise the
Cubs curse even though she wasn't able to cheer on the team from inside Wrigley.
"I'm just doing my part outside," Tyler said as she handed out one of more
than 3,500 placards of a goat face her cousin had printed with the words, "We
forgive you. Go Cubs!" written on it.
The stellar pitching of Mark Prior during Friday's contest inspired Paul McNally
and Brad Livengood to stay up until 1 a.m. Saturday to make costumes for that
day's game — McNally as Wrigley's centerfield wall and scoreboard and Livengood
with a baseball for a head.
Some former University students were also on hand to cheer on the Cubs.
Alum Bob Oliver, wearing a "4D Cubs" Ohio license plate around his neck, said
he was in Chicago when Ernie Banks hit his 500th home run and got up at six
in the morning to make it to Saturday's game.
"It's Wrigley in October," Oliver said. "That's why I'm here."
Also Saturday, Peter Pantojas of Chicago held an effigy of an Atlanta Braves
fan he said he made to show Atlanta fans they weren't welcome in Wrigleyville.
Pantojas was in Atlanta for Wednesday's game and said they lacked the stereotypical
Southern hospitality, so he wanted to return the favor by dangling a dummy,
which he had dressed in an Atlanta sweatshirt he had bought because it was cold
there, by a noose.
"We got rope for more Atlanta fans," said his friend, Ricky Waller, also of
Chicago.
While Braves fans — at least ones willing to admit it — were scant
during and after the Wrigley Cubs games, Katie Williams and Brad Bachman of
Atlanta took in the final innings of their team's Saturday victory at The Cubby
Bear, a bar directly across the street from Wrigley's entrance.
After watching the Braves win at Turner Field Wednesday in Atlanta, they decided
to fly out to Chicago for Game 4.
"We got caught up in the moment," Williams said.
She said while they were in the stadium Cubs fans hurled peanuts and insults
at them which was annoying, but when they went to leave before it was over some
in the stands wanted to throw punches.
"Cubs fans weren't nice to us at all," she said.
Still, the blue and red-clad overwhelming majority of people spending the weekend
in Wrigleyville were fairly nice to each other, with high fives and hugs – and
sometimes even passionate kisses – between strangers abounding at local sports
bars.
On Waveland Avenue in the 8th, fans clustered around those with mini-TVs showing
the game. One man dressed as a Santa Claus was leading cheers during commercial
breaks. Just in case things got out of hand though, police officers positioned
themselves outside the stadium to contain any chaos that would ensue from a
Cubs victory.
But none did when the Cubs failed in their late-inning comeback attempts and
Sammy Sosa flew out to end Game 4.
But Sunday brought new optimism to fans who had to settle for watching the
game on TV with the contest in Atlanta - many taking it in at Wrigleyville bars
or at house parties.
At The Cubby Bear, the more alcohol-inspired cheering and tubs of beer from
Saturday were replaced with a less rowdy crowd that was intent on seeing the
Cubs win. Tracy Hogan, who came to The Cubby Bear three hours early with Thaddeus
Brooks, said before the game she was confident the Cubs would win.
"I have to believe that," she said. "That's why I'm here."
For the many other fans expressing confidence before the game, much of their
faith was placed on the arm of Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood as he took the mound.
Brooks said he felt the Cubs would pull through because of their exceptional
pitching this year and after Kenny Lofton scored in the 1st inning, Brooks was
even more confident about the Cubs. "Wood only needs one run to hold them,"
he said. "If Wood goes eight innings I think we should be fine."
Cub fans got even more boisterously confident after Aramis Ramirez's home run
in the 6th, but had nothing but jeers for a questionable call later that inning
where a Kenny Lofton fielding play was credited as a hit but fans wanted it
ruled a catch.
That didn't stop Cubs fans from belting out "Take Me Out To the Ballgame" during
the 7th inning stretch over the bar's PA system.
At the same time, a mounting police force surrounded Wrigley's entrance to
prepare for the crowd's reaction to the game.
In between innings, Terry Kobel took a picture of the police buildup on his
cell phone.
Though Kobel is from Wisconsin and grew up a Brewers fan, he said now that
he lives in Chicago he roots for the Cubs.
"It was easy to convert," he said. As the Cubs held 3-run lead into the 9th,
a jittery Brooks pushed his hands on the stool in front of him as he bounced
up and down.
And though he was a little nervous when the Cubs sent in a pinch hitter for
Wood in the top of 9th, after that resulted in the Cubs going up 5-1, Brooks
said he was more confident than ever that the Cubs would finally prevail.
And with Joe Borowski's strikeout, they did.
As the Cubby Bear erupted with cheers, thousands of Cub fans began pouring
into the streets to congregate at the intersection of Addison and Clark from
every direction – some holding signs, others holding champagne glasses and even
a few men holding women on their shoulders.
As fans still filled the streets of Wrigleyville on foot and in ever-honking
horns, Victor Warner contributed to the noise by playing "Charge" on his trumpet
out the window of his 3rd floor apartment on Addison.
His wife, Patricia, conducted him holding a Harry Caray mask up to her face
and waving around a flashlight.
The festivities were less exciting behind Wrigley, where the only sounds came
from a humming helicopter overhead and distant car horns and cheers.
Philip Frances, who was in town from New York for the weekend visiting his
sister, and was out getting dinner when the Cubs won said even though he was
a Yankees fan he was happy that the Cubs finally had some postseason success.
But he said if it comes down to a Cubs-Yankees World Series, "I will stay a
die-hard Yankees fan."
Keith Ortleib, who was watching the game from his apartment a few blocks away
from Wrigley, marched down Addison carrying a Kerry Wood bobblehead doll and
screaming "Wood equals win."
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