Your elected officials are big Cubs fans, too

Suburban mayors and other elected officials are caught up in Cubs mania just like the rest of us. We asked some prominent local politicians about their love for the North Siders:

<h3 class="leadin">Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson

Q. How did you become a Cubs fan?

A. "I was born, bred and raised as nothing else but a Cubs fan. From Jack Brickhouse on."

Q. Do you have any favorite Cubs memories?

A. Johnson remembers one of the first games he attended was at age 9 with his Cub Scout pack from Elk Grove. They had standing-room-only tickets to see Ken Holtzman's no-hitter.

Q. How did you celebrate when the Cubs clinched Tuesday?

A. Johnson and his staff were watching the last inning on a TV in the village hall offices, delaying the start of their regularly scheduled village board meeting by 10 minutes. Throughout the meeting, the mayor took friendly jabs at Cardinals fans, including Deputy Village Manager Matt Roan. Roan said he's seen his team win three World Series in his lifetime. Johnson said Roan is "living in the past."

<h3 class="leadin">Elgin Mayor David Kaptain

Q. How did you become a Cubs fan?

A. "I've had a 'Die Hard Cub Fan Club' certificate since 1956 signed by Ernie Banks. It's somewhere in my house. I was about 10. Back then, they'd send us out to play baseball and I'd walk to the field not far from my house. It's just what we did."

Q. Why are you a Cubs fan?

A. "Because of the history that goes with it. And maybe I just cheer for the underdogs. My father was a White Sox fan, so maybe that's part of the reason!"

Q. How did you celebrate?

A. "I was by myself at home watching TV. All I did was yell and clap. Normally I quit watching by the 9th inning. That allows me to have a good night's sleep, and I can find out the next day if it's good news or bad news. But I've been watching the games until the end lately."

<h3 class="leadin">Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico

Q. How did you become a Cubs fan?

A. "I became a Cubs fan in the 1980's while working installing tile I would listen to the games on the radio."

Q. Why are you a Cubs fan?

A. "I love the Cubs because the history of the ball club and the park. I enjoy Wrigleyville and I love the fans."

Q. How did you celebrate?

A. "I watched the Cubs clinch their division at Bar Louie's in Naperville. There were a lot of fans there enjoying the game. It's very exciting having the Cubs in the playoffs. You never know!"

<h3 class="leadin">Wheaton Mayor Mike Gresk

Q. Why are you a Cubs fan?

A. "Hereditary. My dad was a fan. I first attended a game at Wrigley in late 1950s, always enjoyed the experience, the entire atmosphere. And now the Cubs have added 'winning' to their appeal. Yes, it took over 100 years to shake the 'lovable losers' image, but, hey, any team could have a bad century! Let's remember that the Cubs still need 8 more wins. It ain't over till it's over."

<h3 class="leadin">Arlington Heights Village President Thomas Hayes

Q. How long have you been a Cubs fan?

A. "I'm a soon-to-be-no-longer, long-suffering, life-long Cubs fan! I played third base in Little League and high school because my favorite player was Ron Santo."

Q. Do you have any favorite Cubs memories?

A. "Memories are too many to list, but start with keeping score of Cubs games on WGN-TV on homemade scorecards in the 1960s (a tradition which my son, Tim, picked up himself in the 1980s, and which I suspect his son, Jacob, will pick up now). I still keep score every time I go to Wrigley Field. I am sometimes considered loyal to a fault and I guess that's why I have remained and will remain a Cubs fan forever. It's great to see that loyalty finally pay off! The celebration of a win over the Cards will be subdued in order to save it all for winning the World Series!"

<h3 class="leadin">Rolling Meadows Mayor Tom Rooney

Q. When did you become a Cubs fan?

A. "My mom has been a Cub fan since she was little, so I was destined to be a Cub fan. I remember hearing her tell us on the way to Wrigley about how she and her friends would bring picnic lunches down to ladies' days."

Q. Why do you love the Cubs?

A. "I love the team so much because it's a family thing for us. I remember my parents taking us to games; I remember doing outside chores with my dad while listening to the Cubs; I remember watching the Cubs on the old TV at my grampa's house. I remember taking my kids when they were growing up, often with my mom and my sister.

Q. Do you have any favorite Cubs memories?

A. "Learning how to keep score from my dad ... and then learning how keep score the real way from our parish priest when the altar boys all got to go to a game. I still keep score. Taking the 'L' down to Cubs games by ourselves in junior high, having pictures of Rick Monday cut out of the newspaper up on my wall, having my 'bachelor party' at a Cubs game, having a player sign our homemade poster in 6th grade, buying souvenirs with my 8-year-old and 5-year-old after a game. Go Cubs!"

<h3 class="leadin">Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson

Q. When and how did you become a Cubs fan?

A. "I lived in Chicago on Oketo Avenue, and my brother Ron and I would attend Cub games in the late '40s."

Q. Do you have any favorite memories from that time?

A. "One day, Bill 'Swish' Nicholson buried a home run in the bleachers, not far from where I was sitting with my brother, my dad and our neighbor across the street. After that, my brother used to sneak into the seats closer to the field and kept getting chased out of there by the ushers."

<h3 class="leadin">West Dundee Village President Christopher Nelson

Q. How did you become a Cubs fan?

A. "My dad is a lifelong Cubs fan who has attended each opening day for the past 47 years. I have joined him for the past 15. This past opening day, I actually caught a foul ball, which I gave to my dad. Additionally, our family would routinely go to Cubs games during the summers throughout my childhood."

Q. Why are you a Cubs fan?

A. "Both of my parents are from the North Side, moving to Schaumburg in 1971 because their fourth child - me - was on the way and they needed more space. The allegiance to the Cubs traveled with them. Being a Cubs fan is a family tradition, of sorts."

Q. How did you celebrate the Cubs' clinch Tuesday?

A. "Responded to an email sent to me and my brothers by my dad immediately after the game. Small gesture, but nice. And then I immediately began worrying about the NLCS."

<h3 class="leadin">Lake in the Hills Village President Paul Mulcahy

Q. How did you become a Cubs fan?

A. "I've been a suburban Chicago person my whole life. There was a brief period when I was a kid when Roberto Clemente was my hero - Hall of Famer and former outfielder for the Pirates."

Q. Why are you a Cubs fan?

A. "I think mostly because my dad was. My dad grew up on the north side of Chicago. All summer long he would go to Cubs games. My dad and his cousin used to would pick up trash inside the stadium. They would get free admission the next time. It was hard to avoid being a Cub fan."

Q. How did you celebrate when the Cubs clinched Tuesday?

A. "Not crazy celebration. I was very excited."

<h3 class="leadin">DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin

Q. How did you become a Cubs fan?

A. "It just is a result of growing up in the Chicago area in Elmhurst all my life watching WGN. ... How could you not be a Cub fan growing up in Chicago watching WGN? It was just sort of an automatic thing."

Q. Why are you a Cubs fan?

A. "I have always felt their pain, and I've pulled for them because they've been somewhat tragic over the years. They've always been the underdog. They've always been coming from behind. And I sort of naturally pull for the underdog. So it's a great history, although it's not a history that is characterized by a lot of success until now."

Q. How did you celebrate Tuesday's victory?

A. "I was at a political fundraiser for (county board member) Paul Fichtner. So I was watching it on TV while I was engaged in an intense conversation about county board business, frankly. We were at a place that had like 25 TVs and it (the game) was blaring at us. So it was really nice."

<h3 class="leadin">Sugar Grove Village President Sean Michels

"I follow the Cubs, but I don't know the players like a lot of baseball fanatics do," said Michels, who attended Tuesday's game with a neighbor.

He saw Ryne Sandberg before the game, at Barleycorn. Michels was impressed with how gracious Sandberg was, as he signed jerseys people wore with Sandberg's name, and posed for photos with fans.

Michels, 51, recalls attending his first game at Wrigley Field around 1972 or 1973. "I'll never forget, I heard Joe Pepitone hit a home run. I remember that coming over the announcement," Michels said. He had a Don Kessinger-branded glove.

Growing up a Cubs fans wasn't much of a choice. "Because we only got Channel 9 back in the day," Michels said of the TV set in his home out near Sugar Grove. "We didn't have a TV that got UHF (stations)." (White Sox games were broadcast on WFLD and WSNS, UHF stations, in the 1970s.)