Thousands cheer for 100-year dream at Cubs rally

A crowd of more than 10,000 fans gathered in Daley Plaza dressed in red and blue, raised signs and waved flags to celebrate the Cubs playoff hopes with actor Jim Belushi.

by Susan Dosemagen | MEDILL NEWS SERVICE
Published October 1, 2008 - 10:14 AM

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The Dodgers might not want to come to Chicago if it means facing the Cubs, or rather the thousands of dedicated Cubs fans.

“Come on, baby don't you want to go, to the same old place, sweet home Chicago …”

A crowd of more than 10,000 fans dressed in red and blue, raised signs and waved flags as actor Jim Belushi sang a hometown favorite.

“Six and two is eight, eight and two is 10, the Cubs did it before and they can do it again!”

Then those 10,000 fans at the DaleyPlaza really started cheering.

“It’s crazy, it’s so packed,” said 20-year Cubs fan Nikita Patel. “They’ve got a lot of fans here.”

They also had a lot of Cubs players, past and present, showing their fan appreciation, including pitcher Sean Marshall, infielders Derrek Lee and Micah Hoffpauir and retired players Ron Santo, Billy Williams and “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks.

“Thank you for having our back and showing your support for the last six months,” Lee said. “We need you guys for one more month.”

The crowd cheered. They weren’t going to give up the World Series dream either. The Cubs first playoff game against the Los Angeles Dodgers is 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Wrigley Field.

“I think they have a better chance than they did last year,” fan Louis Matias said. “They’re a little bit more patient than they were last year.”

Mayor Daley, a self-proclaimed die-hard White Sox fan, said he has so much confidence in the Cubs beating the Dodgers in the first playoff series he made a “Take me out to the ballgame” wager with Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The wager includes many baseball favorites: 200 hot dogs from Vienna Beef; chips from C.J. Vitner Company; lemonheads from Ferrara Pan Candy; 26 cases of Pepsi; and peanuts, sunflower seeds and trail mix from Fisher Nuts. The wager also includes about $15,000 of equipment donated by Wilson Sporting Goods.

It is a high-stakes wager for a highly anticipated series. The Cubs have not won a NL pennant since 1945, or the World Series since 1908.

But just like a true Cubs fan, Tiffany France said this is the year.

“This year is just different because we’ve got the management, we’ve got the players, we’ve got the fans and everything is coming together,” France said. “That’s why this is our year, we’ve got all the ingredients in the mix.”

Belushi ended the rally the same way he started it, with a twist on a Chicago favorite: “Hey Chicago what do you say, the Cubs are gonna go ALL THE WAY!”