Davich: How the death of Bill Buckner, my Cubs hero, reminded me of my fandom
From Jerry Davich at the Chicago Tribune on June 19, 2019:
The news alert about Bill Buckner’s death popped up on my iPhone at an eerie time, when I was reading the book, “The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse.”
I had just read about his storied days sporting Cubbie blue, from 1977 to 1984, back when I was a rabid Cubs fan. A 1978 photo of Buckner, my favorite Cubs player from that era, shows him with the book’s author, Rich Cohen, when he was a young boy.
After I got that news alert, I stared again at that old photo. Buckner, who played 22 seasons, flashed his trademark smile underneath a thick mustache and big dark eyebrows. He batted lefty and fielded left-handed, just like me. He played first base, as I did in countless sandlot games. And he gutted out hundreds of games on one bad leg.
I closed the book and, at that moment, realized I’m still a forever Cubs fan. This despite many years of being merely a casual fan who didn’t live and die with each game, or with every season. Still, the young kid in me felt a sense of loss, as if I had lost a favorite uncle or a former coach.
Read the full article here: https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/opinion/ct-ptb-davich-chicago-cubs-fans-for-life-st-0619-20190618-pm3v6qbzmrhyvdoh7fo6jusx2a-story.html
Originally published: June 20, 2019. Last Updated: June 20, 2019.