Great day to be a Cubs fan
M. Eileen Brown, the day after setting up tables and chairs in our cafeteria to create a Disney-style queue for the expected crush of humanity, asked for the crowd's attention.
No one, our vice president of strategic marketing said, was to touch the trophy.
Also, Eileen noted, there were no doubt some Sox fans waiting in line, so no rude or disrespectful poses. (That edict possibly may have been violated. An ex-employee posted a photo of himself sporting an evil grin and two thumbs pointing down alongside the trophy, a gesture he claimed was meant to signify the Cubs are No. 1 "Who let that guy in?" I said later.)
The Cubs championship trophy made its way Friday to the Daily Herald newsroom. And similar to earlier viewings of the Stanley Cup after the Blackhawks championships, employees and their families, many in Cubs gear, handed off their cellphones to people on Eileen's staff. As you might expect, it's a pretty festive atmosphere, with everyone "snagging a Christmas card photo 108 years in the making," as staff writer Doug T. Graham said in Saturday's editions.
My family members who were able to attend Friday's festivities, wife Margaret and stepdaughter Mel, remembered to bring Cubs World Series/Championship hats for the occasion, but other staffers were seriously decked out in Cubs garb or brought cool props. Why didn't I think to bring a copy of our historic news or sports front? Heck, I've already purchased three framed versions, and plan to buy a fourth for some friends. Most impressive, though, I thought, was the giant "W" banner stretched out behind the trophy by proud fans Jessica Cilella and Katlyn Smith.
One more self-indulgent story: In an info graphic Doug Graham put together about the championship trophy, I noticed the first one was not created until 1967, which went to the hated St. Louis Cardinals. But back then, I was a kid living in suburban St. Louis, and in the six years I was there, saw the Cardinals appear in three World Series and win two. Alas, the first and only World Series game I attended, in '68, that was the one they lost. No biggie, we'll get 'em next year. Little did I know I'd be moving to the Chicago 'burbs a year later, become a Cubs fan in due time (yes, I was oblivious to the '69 collapse), and, well you know the rest.
I leave you, then, with some good news: The trophy's appearance at the Daily Herald was part of a Cubs tour of media and its corporate partners. It preceeds a tour for the public in which Cubs fans far and wide will get a chance to enjoy a similar celebration.
jdavis@dailyherald.com