It might sound cheesy, but I honestly still choke up a little when I read this again. Regardless of the losses, the craziness of rebuilding the team and Wrigley, the arguments over the team's direction, THIS is what it's all about to me. I watched the Cubs with my dad and grandpap; we listened to them on the radio and watched them on TV, went to games when we could. And now I have the opportunity to share those experiences with my children. I would love a winner on the North Side, but the Cubs are far more than just a team to me. The Cubs are a birthright. Here is a excerpt from the story (which is copyrighted, so don't get any ideas):
Addison’s Day at Wrigley
Evan Altman
(1)
The little girl’s daddy came tucked her into bed and kissed her on the forehead, saying “Good night, Addison Grace. I love you.”
“I love you too, Daddy,”
“Now you get some sleep, because tomorrow is a big day.”
“Okay,” said Addi.
(2)
Her daddy left the room and Addi snuggled into her sheet with her blankie in her hands, but she couldn’t fall asleep. She and her daddy were making a trip tomorrow, just the two of them, and Addi was very excited. Addison had wanted to take the trip for a long time, but her mommy had said that she was too young. Now that she was 5, she was old enough. Tomorrow was the last day of the baseball season and she was going to Wrigley Field to see her first Cubs game.
(3)
Ever since she could remember, which was not very far back, Addison’s daddy had told her about the Chicago Cubs. He had told her about players and games he remembered from when he was a little boy. He even told her about players from when her Grandpops was a little boy, which was a long, long time ago.
(4)
During baseball season, Addison would sit in her daddy’s lap and they would watch the Cubbies on WGN. She even had a picture from the day after she was born: her daddy was holding her in the hospital and they were watching the game. Well, her daddy was watching the game anyway. Addison was asleep in the picture, but her daddy told her that she was still cheering.
(5)
After what Addison thought must have been a very long time (it was really only a few minutes), she fell asleep. When she woke up, the sun was just beginning to peek into her bedroom window. She smelled her daddy’s coffee and heard him singing as he came up the stairs.
(6)
“You ready to go, Addison Grace?” her daddy asked.
“No, Daddy, I just got up!”
“Well, let’s get you changed and get some breakfast in you, alright All-Star?”
“Okay!”
Addison had already laid out her favorite blue jeans, along with her pink Cubs jersey and her pink Cubs Princess hat. She liked the hat because it had a hole in the back for her to put her ponytail through. Also, it had pink ribbons that danced and twirled behind her when she ran.
(7)
After Addi was in her booster seat and all buckled in, they left for the game. It took a while to get to Chicago , but Addison and her dad had plenty to talk about. Almost before she knew it, she saw the road get very busy and then saw big buildings outside the car windows. As they came around a bend, Addison saw a big glass bubble of a building and said: “What’s that, daddy?”
“That’s Soldier Field, Munchkin. That’s where the Bears play. And look, up ahead is Lake Michigan .”
(8)
Addison was sure that she had never seen anything so big in all her life. The lake looked like it went on forever, and it kept going right along with them as they drove. She saw people at the beach and people riding bikes and walking dogs. They looked like they were having a good time, but she knew she was going to have a better time.
(9)
“We’re getting close now, kiddo” said her daddy from the front seat.
Addison saw that the buildings were a little smaller, and very close together. She saw train tracks above them and also a cemetery as they drove down narrow streets. Soon, they turned into a lot and a man waved them into a parking spot. Addison’s daddy gave the man a lot of money and then took her hand and began to walk. She could see now that other people were all walking in the same direction and that all of them were wearing Cubs shirts.
(10)
“How many people other people are going to the game, Daddy?” Addison asked.
“Right around forty thousand”
“Wow!”
Forty thousand was a very big number to such a little girl. She didn’t think she could count to it even if she tried. How could so many people all fit into one place? Addison didn’t even realize there were that many other people who like the Cubs.
(11)
After walking for a short time, they came to a street corner and then they could see it:
“Is that it, Daddy? Is that Wrigley?”
“Yes, baby girl, it is. Wrigley Field.”
They crossed the street at the crosswalk and Addison could see the green street sign that read “Waveland.”
“This is where they hit the home runs, right?”
“That’s right. And pretty soon, we’re going to see an even better sign.”
(12)
Addison and her dad walked to the front of the stadium, where a giant red sign said: “Welcome to Wrigley Field, Home of Chicago Cubs.” That was not the sign her dad was talking about though; he was talking about the sign with her name on it. Addison had heard about it before, she had even seen it in a couple of pictures, but she saw it in person for the first time when her daddy picked her up and said:
“Look up there, just to the right.”
The sign read: “ADDISON .”
