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Arlington Heights sports bar owners eager for Cubs game Wednesday

George Callas was 15 years old when he moved from Greece to Chicago, and he was instantly drawn into the Chicago Cubs fan base.

Living and working in the city back then, Callas would buy cheap bleacher tickets to games at Wrigley Field as often as he could. He, along with friends and family, would otherwise watch from a local tavern.

Now, at 73, Callas watches the Cubs game Sunday afternoon from a seat in Gatsby's Sports Pub, the Arlington Heights restaurant he has owned for 26 years, and doesn't bother to conceal his excitement for the team's recent success.

He wants the Cubs to keep winning. More than that, he believes the Cubs can win the World Series.

"We have been waiting for so many years," Callas said. "The city would be thrilled. It'd be wonderful, just wonderful."

It doesn't hurt that the Cubs' success this season bodes well for business, as does the success of any Chicago team, Callas said. He expects hundreds of people - some new faces and many regular customers - at his sports bar Wednesday night to watch the Cubs face the Pittsburgh Pirates in a wild-card game that will determine which team advances in the playoffs.

And if the Cubs do advance, Callas said, he expects Gatsby's to be packed every game night after.

"It brings people together," he said.

Glendale Heights resident Troy Trice, however, won't be there, despite making Gatsby's a regular spot to watch sporting events. If the Cubs beat the Pirates - and he's confident they will - he already has a room reserved in St. Louis for the first two games against the Cardinals.

"It's really exciting to watch this young team," Trice said. "If someone would've asked me in March if we would've won this many games by the end of the regular season, I would've said, 'no way.'"

Brothers Jim Thompson, of Arlington Heights, and Peter Thompson, of Barrington, watched the Cubs game Sunday at Gatsby's with a group of their friends.

"All Cubs fans are extremely excited. It's been a while since they've had relevant games this late in the season," Peter Thompson said. "There would be a lot of prestige if they played at Wrigley Field (on Wednesday), but we'll take a win either way."

"I want them to win it all," Jim Thompson added.

It's that kind of passion and camaraderie among his customers that makes John Katsiambis, Callas' business partner and nephew, excited for the playoffs.

"I grew up around people who love the Cubs, and I don't think there's another team that has as much love as the Cubs," Katsiambis said.

If not for the customers, Katsiambis hopes the Cubs win the World Series for his uncle.

"He's a die-hard Cubs fan," he said. "He just wants to be alive for when the Cubs win a World Series. It would be an amazing feeling."

  Fans watch their favorite sports teams on Gatsby's Sports Pub more than 80 televisions Sunday. The sports bar in Arlington Heights is expecting hundreds of people at Wednesday's Chicago Cubs game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lauren Rohr/lrohr@dailyherald.com
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