Let’s be clear. I’m a true blue Los Angeles Dodgers fan. However, I’m rooting for the Chicago Cubs to win their first World Series title since 1908, even though they handedly beat the Dodgers to get there.Yes, I’m facing wrath and ridicule from Jeffrey Compton and I’ll need to guard from unwanted email spam via Cory Roberts – both Cleveland Indians loyalists. Nevertheless, I accept the risk. It’s personal.My Grandfather, Hyman Greenspon, will be in my thoughts when the Cubs play the Indians.
Grandpa Hy and me, 1973
Grandpa Hy was an avid sports fan. As a child, I fondly remember snuggling up next to him on the sofa to watch whatever sporting event was on television in the 1960s.He loved boxing. Our cousin, Barney Ross, was a world boxing champion in three different weight classes in the 1930s. Grandpa was a partner in a Chicago saloon during those days and the bar became a celebration spot after Barney’s fights.But first and foremost, Grandpa was a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan.Born in 1900 and raised in Chicago, Grandpa would tell me stories of watching the Cubs play in Wrigley Field. As a child, he saw the famous double play combo of Tinkers, Evers and Chance. He witnessed the 1932 World Series, when Babe Ruth of the New Yankees famously “called” his home run shot into Wrigley’s centerfield bleachers.When Grandpa, Grandma Blanche, and my mother Lois moved west in the 1950s, Grandpa followed the Cubs from afar.He loved to talk about Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Billy Williams, Don Kessinger and other Cubs’ stars from the 1960s. His favorite player at the time was Ken Holtzman, who pitched for the Cubs in the 1960s and 1970s.Why? My Jewish grandfather explained that Holtzman “was a nice Jewish boy.” Holtzman went on to win three World Series titles with the Oakland A’s in the 1970s.I gave Grandpa a Ken Holtzman Chicago Cubs baseball card that he put in his wallet. When Grandpa passed away in 1974, Grandma gave me his black leather wallet. Still tucked inside was the Ken Holtzman baseball card.The Cubs last played in the World Series in 1945, so I never got to enjoy watching the Cubs in the Fall Classic with my Grandpa.I grew up a Dodgers fan. One of my earliest baseball memories was seeing Sandy Koufax pitch in Dodger Stadium in the 1960s. Grandpa rooted for the Cubs, but he enjoyed watching me cheer on and follow my favorite Dodgers at the time, including Wes Parker, Maury Wills, Willie Davis and Jim Lefebvre (who actually managed the Cubs in 1992 and 1993).Coincidently, I’ll be in Chicago this week when the Cubs are hosting World Series games three and four. I’ll be reunited with the team of former Las Vegas Review-Journal journalists when we’re honored at Northwestern University and accept the James
Foley Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism. The event was scheduled in the Spring.I’d love to get near Wrigley Field just to see the ballpark. Scoring a ticket for one of the games is highly unlikely. However, if Jeffrey Compton wants to pay a small fortune to get me a seat at Wrigley, I’d happily accept.If the Cubs win the World Series, I plan to place a small memento of the title on my Grandpa’s gravesite later this year.Yes, I’m rooting against my two favorite Clevelanders and long-suffering Indians fans whose franchise hasn’t won the World Series since 1948.It’s personal. I know my Grandpa Hy will be smiling from the heavens.
Howard Stutz is the Vice President of Corporate Communications for Golden Entertainment Inc. and is (still!) a member of the CDC Gaming Advisory Board
