Constable: Spirited Cubs fans ensure there's life at hallowed Wrigley grounds
On Sunday night's Halloween eve, the spirits and the spiritual crossed paths at the Hallowed Confines of Wrigley Field where the Chicago Cubs resurrected their World Series hopes with a scary 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Outside the ballpark, two trucks covered in Bible verses used loudspeakers to spread messages about praising God and condemning sinners, and three pedestrians held posters promoting Jesus. Teams of Jews patrolled the sidewalks looking to pray with like-minded folks. And Carly Hall of Arlington Heights brought back a ghost of Halloween's past.
"The 'Wrigley Ivy' costume originated back in 3rd grade," said Hall, 23, twirling to show off her top covered in plastic ivy with a fake brick wall on her back that was the hit of the Halloween parade at Dryden Elementary School back then. Her mom made matching pants, too. She's grown out of the pants, but not her love of the Cubs.
"We are a die-hard Cubs family. I had to bring it (the ivy costume) back. The Cubs are in the World Series." Hall said.
"It's all Cubs fun," agreed Chris Petrovski, 22, Hall's friend from Arlington Heights.
The treats started early for the Cubs when Anthony Rizzo made a juggling catch of a foul popup that bounced off the mitt of catcher David Ross. Then the next Cleveland batter, third-baseman Jose Ramirez, played trickster by blasting a homer into the wind to give the Indians a 1-0 lead. Cubs right-fielder Jayson Heyward's catch while scaling the bricks along the foul line pumped life into the crowd the next inning.
Heading into the game, Cubs fans were a little down after seeing the Cubs lose the first two World Series games at Wrigley Field since 1945.
William Warnock, a Cary musician who performs around the suburbs as "Uncle Will," tried to change that by playing his guitar for mobs of fans gathered outside the Friendly Confines.
"It lifts our spirits," Warnock, 62, said after playing a host of Cubs-related songs, including the "Go, Cubs, Go" ballad. "Music can do that."
So can a line-drive, 4th-inning homer into the first row of the bleachers by Cubs slugger Kris Bryant, which gave him his first World Series RBI and tied the score at 1-1. That was followed by a towering double off the ivy in right field by Anthony Rizzo. Hits by Ben Zobrist, Javier Baez and Addison Russell produced the go-ahead run ahead of a sacrifice fly by David Ross, the 39-year-old retiring catcher, playing his last game at Wrigley.
The faithful, on their feet and screaming as the Cubs took a 3-1 lead, kept Wrigley rocking as the Cubs and pitcher Jon Lester held a 3-2 lead after six innings. Other faithful also made the most of the opportunity.
"As much as we are Cubs fan, we are proud Jews," said David Golschmidt, 20, of Skokie as he wandered the streets surrounding the ballpark with Noah Wasserman, 17, of Buffalo Grove. The pair offered Jewish fans a chance to pray with Tefillin - small leather boxes worn on the arm and head that contain Torah verses.
Fellow Buffalo Grove residents Sandy, 36, and Lee Michelsen, 41, gave thanks for the chance to buy tickets at face value from the Chicago Cubs ticket lottery, and take her mom, Theresa Froelich of Antioch, and uncle, Jerry Hedrick of Buffalo Grove. "It's unusual, and it's fabulous," Sandy Michelsen said. "This is my first World Series. I'm normally doing something else by now."
"I'd probably be at the Blackhawks game if this weren't going on," Lee Michelsen said.
Fans roared as Cubs Manager Joe Maddon brought in fireball closer Aroldis Chapman to get two clutch outs in the 7th inning. Chapman struck out Indians hitter Francisco Lindor to leave the tying run on third base in the 8th, and pitched a perfect 9th to save the win and thrill a packed house. A half-hour after the thrilling ends, Cubs fans were still chanting and cheering as many players came out on the field to toast the crowd.
"This is the rally game," noted Hall, the ivy-covered fan. "Start winning now. It started at Wrigley."
Hoping for a treat, Warnock predicted the Cubs would prevail as the Series returns to Cleveland for Game 6 on Tuesday.
"We're down, but we're not out. That's what being a Cubs fan is all about," the musician said, pointing to his Cubs sticker on his guitar. "We can win three games. We've done it before. We've got this."