My father is bringing my...

...birthday present here to me! He’s bringing me just what I wanted, tickets to a Cubs game next week. I always try to see them play when they come here. They used to come twice a year but since inter-league play has started, they only seem to come once a year. They’ll be here for 4 games, but only for one stand.

Oh well, at least I’ll get to go see a game this year. I was lucky enough to be there on the Sunday night that the Cubs eliminated the Braves during Black October.

I’ve loved baseball since I was a kid and when I was about 10, I discovered that if I went to Wrigley Field and waited long enough, I could sneak in the service entrances along side a truck. When the security guy flipped the switch and the gates started to open, I would get along the opposite side of the truck and sneak my little self in. If I made it to the dug outs, I was home free. Nobody bothered a little girl sitting on the dug outs, they assumed that I must be with one of the players. I met so many Cubs back then, Bill Madlock, Don Kessinger, Ron Santo, Ernie Banks...I could go on and on. I told them that my Dad was a peanut man and they never bothered me at all. To the contrary, they were all very nice. I never did get to meet my first baseball crush, Cubs first baseman, Pete LaCock, son of Hollywood Squares announcer, Peter Marshall.

It never occurred to me until it happened, but one day I found out that the visiting team sometimes practices at Wrigley Field, too. I went down to the first base dug out and spoke to Tug McGraw, Ollie Brown and Larry Bowa. They gave me a ball and they all signed it and had some other Phillie’s sign it as well. That was so cool. I went to the game the next day.

The Cubs blew a 14-2 lead and lost the game 15-16. It was a-fricking-mazing. I went to Wrigley last year when I visited my daughter in June. I’d love to see them at home...although there certainly are more than a few Cubs fans here in Atlanta. I’ve seen the Cubs play all over the country but I’ve never seen so many Cub fans outside of Wrigley Field as they have here in Atlanta.

I try not to get too bold in my cheering efforts here...it can come back to bite you. The Cubs can come from behind like nobody I’ve ever seen but they are better at blowing massive leads and leaving men on base than any team in baseball history.

Oh, tomorrow will mark the 100th year since Dr. Archibald “Moonlight” Graham was left on deck as the 3rd out of the inning ended the game. That was as close as he ever got to the major leagues. When told that “to get so close to your dreams and not be able to touch them" was a tragedy, he really did respond:

Son, if I'd only gotten to be a doctor for five minutes... now that would have been a tragedy.

Of course he was right. And...he was real. Like I said, tomorrow marks the 100th anniversary of the day that Moonlight was left on deck. That’s the kind of luck I would have...I keep telling my kids to put all their money on the Cubs the October following my death because THAT would surely be the year that the Cubs would win the Series. And when you’re diagnosed with cancer in the spring, it sort of gives you hope for the following October!

So, I’ll be going to see the Cubs next week. Life is sweet.

See ya,

Meg

PS...Thank you, guests from Cruel.com..you may wonder why I have been dropping by so much lately. It's because the creator of that site has been so kind as to create many other web sites in my honor...just google my name to see his handi-work!