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4.17.2008

Yes, Jessica, they still play the Blues in Chicago


My brother's child Jessica went to her first Cub's game recently.

When Jessica was a little younger it was discovered that she thought that Santa Claus spent HIS off season calling the Cubs games. She also thought that Santa's first name was Ron. (what smart reader can explain in the comments why this makes perfect sense?)
So recently the family got offerred a couple of early season tickets. My brother had to work so Jessica and her mother took the '"L" up to the park and took in the game. This, I imagine was rather hard on my brother - but don't worry Pete, you can still take her to her first game where the Cubs Win... maybe... sometime... before you... die.
It was reported that it was very cold, but Jess liked the peanuts. That's it baby - find something secure to enjoy, Someday you will get a beer.
So here for Pete and Jess, and all the babies being infected with this tragic and chronic infection, here's the late great Steve Goodman .
Na na na na, hey hey hey, Goodbye!






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Comments:
I googled "Ron Santo" -- and bingo!
All-star 3rd baseman for the Cubs in 1960s and 1970s, now a broadcaster for Cubs games.

Vail
 
More -- thinking back -- I was student at U. of Chicago Divinity School 1961 to 1965 -- no wonder the name sounded familiar!

Vail
 
Ah, and so quick!

What worried me about this is Jessica thinking that Santa had a temperament like Ron Santo. For very good resaons Ron is a serious depressive. The Cubs can be up by five runs and somebody drops a ball and Ron immediately goes negative. as in..

"Ah, Jeez! Here we go! I knew it couldn't last. Oh, Man, here comes the choke!"

Santa Claus should be a little more optimistic.

So the game the other day gave Jess a chance to see the broadcasters and connect the dots to all that late night, sad, sad radio!
 
UC is as you know of the far south side. Should have been Sox territory. But Divinity students - who can say?

The "L" gors right from the school through the loop and up to Ashland.

In the 60's the neighborhood around UC was pretty dicey. My dad used to take us down to the Oriental Institute for Sunday School lessons, but it always worried my mother.

A debate as long standing as the Cubs/Sox thing is southside vs Northside Blues. I have never been in the southside blues clubs that Johan M would drool over, but my Brother Pete played Bass in a blues band that has played many venues around Wrigley.
I like his style of blues just fine.

Pete lived briefly in one of those apratments accross Waveland Avenue, that now have bleachers on their roofs. It was more informal then. I will forever envy him that time.
 
Thinking too fast -- actually I was there 1957 to 1961 -- but Santo was playing by then. Not being a native born Chicagoan, the Cubs-Sox rivalry wasn't so critical -- for me, Chicago was Chicago -- "Second City" and all that. and the sirens did go off when the White Sox clinched the AL pennant one year!

And South Side was getting "rough" -- we were one of only two Divinity School families who were willing to send our kids to Woodlawn public school -- most students insisted on enough financial help that they could send their children to the U. of C. Lab School

Vail
 
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