Suburban fans get to present Cubs with World Series rings
Nearly a dozen suburban Chicago Cubs fans will have a once-in-a-lifetime experience at Wrigley Field next month when they present the team's players and coaches with their 2016 World Series rings.
The presentation will take place April 12 during a pregame, on-field ceremony. Each ring bearer will get a specially made jersey and hat, plus two free tickets to the game, transportation and accommodations.
They're among the 20 winners of the Championship Ring Bearer Contest, a video competition the Cubs hosted on Twitter. The winners, who range in age from 13 to 90, submitted 60-second videos about their Cubs fandom, with some made by the fan's children or grandchildren. Here are some of their stories.
<h3 class="leadin">The Cubs-obsessed teacher
Melissa Hurd of Carol Stream, who teaches seventh grade in a Cubs-themed classroom at Still Middle School in Aurora, wept with joy after hearing she'd won. She hasn't had a good night's sleep since because she's been so excited.
“As Anthony Rizzo said in Game 7, from the movie 'Anchorman,' 'I'm in a glass case of emotion,'” she said, laughing.
She hopes she gets to give the ring to catcher David Ross, whom she admires for his leadership and kindness.
“I don't care if (I give a ring to) someone who works at Wrigley and helps clean up after the games. It's the experience,” she said. “There are many, many fans who deserve this, so I hope I represent Cubs Nation well.”
Her students screamed and cheered when they heard the news, knowing how much it meant to their language arts and geography teacher. After all, her classroom is decorated with faux brick walls and plastic ivy, like Wrigley Field's outfield.
She also has several Cubs-themed incentive programs, including a Wrigley-like scoreboard, bases and bricks that track students' achievements.
<h3 class="leadin">The Northwest Community Hospital nurse
Jessie McGinn, a 26-year-old nurse at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, grew up watching the Cubs with her grandma. They used to turn down the sound on the TV and listen instead to Pat Hughes and Ron Santo call the game on the radio.
For Game 7 of the World Series, McGinn had to work until 11:30 p.m. Patients and other staffers shouted updates to her throughout the night, and when her shift ended, she raced home - even blowing a red light (“there was no one else on the road!”) - to make it home just in time to see her team win.
“Because of the (game's) rain delay, I made it home. That was Ron Santo, helping me get home,” she said, laughing.
Calling it “the coolest thing that's ever happened to me,” McGinn is beyond excited to give one of the players or coaches a ring. She hopes she gets to give it to Anthony Rizzo, whom she likes because he wears his heart on his sleeve. She considers him a true Cub, since he was on the team when it lost 100 games in a season.
<h3 class="leadin">The widowed “Papa”
Last year was difficult for Roselle resident Dennis Gieseke. His wife of 49 years died of ALS and he's been having health problems, including a stroke during a Cubs playoff game, said his granddaughter, Laurel Gieseke.
“I raced to the hospital, and I was scared for him. The first thing he said to me was, 'Why aren't you wearing any Cubs gear right now?'” she said.
Dennis, whom the family calls “Papa,” is recovering from open-heart surgery now in Palm Springs, California, where one of his sons can help take care for him. The ring presentation in April is an incentive to follow his doctor's orders.
Gieseke's family submitted a tear-filled video talking about his lifelong love of the Cubs and their wish to lift his spirits.
“I can't think of a better way to give him a bright spot after this past year,” Laurel said. “When my sister told him (he won), he started crying. He never even thought he had a chance of winning.”
<h3 class="leadin">A Naperville grandma
Joanne Harrer's Naperville home is full of Cubs gear, including more than 20 T-shirts, a few coats, a hoodie, a blanket and scarves.
Even her dog has a Cubs T-shirt and a scarf.
Harrer, 76, used to watch games with her mother (her dad and brother were both White Sox fans), and now she watches the Cubs with her granddaughter, Amanda. Together, they've traveled all over the country to see the Cubs play.
They found out she'd won the ring bearer contest while on a plane to Arizona to see the Cubs in spring training.
Harrer wonders whom she'll end up giving a ring to.
“Maybe Rizzo. Or Grandpa (David Ross). We could be Grandpa and Grandma! Or (Ben) Zobrist, I love him, too,” she said. “I don't care who I get. I want to hug 'em all.”
<h3 class="leadin">Other winners
More than 1,500 video nominations were submitted using the #CubsRingBearer hashtag, and 20 winners were chosen.
The other suburban winners are Paul “Crawly” Dzien, 40, of Bartlett; Michael Folsom, 30, of Palos Hills; Amy Liss, 34, of Downers Grove; Doug Meyer, 60, of Deerfield; David Morimoto, 55, of Joliet; Steven Teplinsky, 63, of Mundelein; and George Wiseman, 72, of Mount Prospect. For a list of winners and their videos, visit cubs.com/cubsringbearer.