Wait Until Next Year, 2003 Edition

By Jerry Pritikin

A not so funny thing happened to Cubs fans on the way to the 2003 World Series... I am beginning to believe that there should be one more thing to add to the old adage that there are two sure things in life besides death and taxes, and it's that the Cubs will not be in the World Series, this or any year!

Of course there were many new fans jumping on the Cubs ( and Red Sox ) band wagon in 2003, but I was not one of them. I guess you can say I jumped on their band wagon when they were winners a few years ago in 1945. I was only 8 years old that year. To mark the end of WWII my dad gave me a crash course in baseball 101 and Cubs History that summer and took me to my first game at beautiful Wrigley Field. That sight is etched in my mind like a timeless time capsule. A few weeks later when the Cubs clinched the National League pennant, I asked my dad to take me to the World Series. He said I was too young but made me a PROMISE... He would the next time! So every year since I have been looking for the promise to be fulfilled but be that as it may...

I have been replaced in the mirror by my father when I shave, for many, many years I always felt young whenever I visited the Friendly Confines. But since the Tribune Company bought the team in the early 80's that has changed. They had a slogan "BUILDING A NEW TRADITION back then, but it came at the expense of so many great old traditions... there is a line in the Play "BLEACHER BUM'S" - NO ONE EVER GETS RICH BETTING ON THE CUBS AFTER JULY 4TH! With a few exceptions that saying never got old, but I did. I was there in 1984 and thought... This was the year! But it wasn't in the script. They teased us a few times but somehow a few expansion teams got in the way (starting in 1969 with the Mets) and all the way up to the last game of the 2003 playoffs with the Marlins this season.

I use to be a fixture at the Wrigley, but the cost of going to a game meant you had to stop at a ATM machine inside or outside the ballpark. I only went to 2 games this years during the regular season.The opener and on a senior's $10. ticket in July. The cheap (bleacher) seats were priced @ $24 and 30 bucks, but you had to buy them in February to get them at those prices. During the season finding a ticket on the day of the game at the price printed on it was like finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq!

So when October came in and the Cubs were still there, I boarded the Cubs 2003 bandwagon , considering the milage of past seasons and once being tabbed by Harry Caray as the team's number one fan , I didn't think I was going to be called a Johnny come lately... nor did I feel guilty,I made arrangements with a BIG company to wear their T-shirt in exchange for World Series Tickets . I showed up at the ballpark with some recycled signs and a few new ones. I was interviewed by the press and my photo made several of the wire services and The Promise story was featured by many of the TV and print media crews surrounding the park. The Cubs were up 3 games to 1 and all they had to do was win one more game. I was looking forward to a Red Sox/Cubs series because I had hoped to teach Red Sox fans baseball etiquette . I recalled many years ago that I was watching a game from Fenway, Roger Clemens was pitching a no-hitter into the 6th inning and there in the background, they were doing the WAVE and my 8th fanmandment is THOU SHALL NOT START OR PARTICIPATE IN THE WAVE in this or any ballpark or you will be EX-FANMUNICATED!

So when that fan got in the way of Alou on the foul line with 5 outs to go in game five, it was beginning to look like De ja Cub. I called the Big company and told them maybe they should get me a playoff ticket for game 7, I took my life size voodoo doll out of retirement and dressed him in a Marlin uniform and marched around Wrigley prior to game 7. I thought of my dad and the Promise and carried several signs into the park, and wore the BIG ASS FAN CO. T-shirt. My signs said 'HOW DO YOU SPELL BELIEF? CUBS! and OUR LONG NATIONAL LEAGUE NIGHTMARE IS OVER plus 2 more signs that was planned depending on the out come of the game. I did not get to use the sign had they won and the one that was used said...NO VIRGINIA, THERE IS NO SANTA CLAUS!

So far I haven't put my Cubs memorabilia up on eBay and think back to 1946 when I heard the expression WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR for the first time. I wonder if I'll have to wait till I'm up in the Heavenly Confines to watch the Cubs in a World Series along with my Dad, Jack Brickhouse, Vince Lloyd and Harry Caray!

Jerry and Harry