Arlington Heights family recalls '15 minutes of fame' at Wrigley

Thanks to one tap on dad's shoulder, the Sluga family's "15 minutes of fame" was lasting 24 hours and counting on Tuesday, said Keith Sluga of Arlington Heights.

"It's going to be tough to get back to normal," said Sluga after an appearance on ESPN. "I don't think the boys understand what a big of a deal yesterday was."

Sluga was watching batting practice before the Cubs game on Monday when Tom Ricketts tapped him on the shoulder and asked if Sluga and his family would like to throw out the first pitch of the 2010 season.

"Are you kidding me?" Sluga told Ricketts. "You're not joking, right? Of course, yes."

Sluga was with his wife, Tammy, and sons, Wade, 7, and Trey, 4. It was the first Cubs game for Wade and Trey, and the first opening day game for Tammy and Keith.

Actor Bill Murray was supposed to throw out the pitch but had to back out days before because of a reported family issue. The Ricketts instead decided to pick a family at random out of the Opening Day crowd, which turned out to be the Slugas.

Keith's brother-in-law and father-in-law split season Cubs tickets this year and gave Monday's opening day tickets to Slugas.

"Everything just worked out perfectly," Keith Sluga said. "We got the tickets and Wade wanted to get there early for batting practice. It's like it was meant to be."

After the pitch, the Sluga family found their seats and enjoyed the rest of the game - Wade, a student at Westgate Elementary School, more than anyone.

"He was sharing his peanuts with everyone sitting around us, telling them he threw out the first pitch," Sluga said. "He was loving it."