A Q&A with new sports editor about the Cubs, hockey and boyhood dreams

Taking over as the new sports editor of the Daily Herald, Mike Smith takes part in a conversation about his lifelong love of sports and a starry-eyed boyhood encounter with Ernie Banks.

Q. When you were a kid, did you hope to become a professional athlete?

A. I first dreamed of becoming a major-league baseball player after my dad took me to Wrigley Field for the first time. I was in second grade.

As we came down Racine Avenue, I saw all these people walking on the sidewalk, many dressed in Cubs jerseys and hats. We parked near the railroad tracks and I could see the ballpark in the distance.

It was the first time I ever walked on railroad tracks and the only time I ever walked faster than my dad.

When I got closer and the full view of the ballpark materialized, it seemed massive, like a spaceship in its roundness and height.

We walked in and it smelled like Smokie Links and peanut shells. (Every time I go back it smells the exact same way.) There was a lot of commotion but the only distinct voice I heard was an older man bellowing “Scorecard!”

We ascended the steps between home plate and the third-base dugout. When I got to the top step, I knew immediately it was the greenest grass I'd ever seen. The field looked big but a lot smaller than TV made it appear. Standing on that top step, I immediately wanted to be a baseball player.

Q. When did it hit you that you would not be a professional athlete?

A. I was a decent player but not nearly decent enough. As a high school sophomore I realized it was the end of the road. Actually, I probably realized it a year earlier, so I started playing organized hockey.

In my sophomore year I started getting good grades in English class. That summer, on a cold call, I talked my way into the Daily Journal in Wheaton. I asked if I could cover football games that fall. Surprisingly, they gave me a try. My first game was at Wheaton North High School.

I was a high school kid covering high school football. I've always liked hockey and baseball and have a soft spot for high school sports.

Q. Tell us about your greatest sports memory from childhood.

A. I got locked into baseball when I was 7 or 8. My mother had told me when she was a young girl she and her sister would sometimes skip school and sneak into Wrigley Field. She said the Andy Frain ushers looked the other way.

She got to know the players. As an adult, she kept two autographed baseballs in a plastic bag in her bottom dresser drawer. The only autograph I could really make out was that of Ernie Banks.

She told me Ernie would wave to her at the games and knew her name. One winter evening, Ernie visited my Catholic school. The place was jammed.

After he finished talking, he was escorted to the kitchen in the back of the lunchroom while the crowd dispersed. Some people stuck around and followed Ernie. They couldn't get in the small kitchen, but they still hung around hoping for an autograph and a word with him.

My mother, brother and me were about four deep in the crowd, trying to steal a glimpse of Ernie through the door leading to the kitchen.

At one point Ernie looked up to survey the masses. He spotted my mother and said, “Annette?” as he motioned at her to squeeze into the kitchen.

Thankfully, she didn't lose the grip on the hands of her two sons. I got in the kitchen and, sheepishly, looked up to Ernie Banks … and just stared. He was one of my favorites from that point on.

Q. If you took charge of a pro sports team and needed someone to run it, who would it be, Theo Epstein or John McDonough?

A. This feels like I'm being asked to pick a favorite child.

Theo Epstein did for the Cubs what no one else could do in more than 100 years. And he did it in Boston. He knows the game. He understands the players. And he knows how to put it all together. No slouch is he.

That said, I'm going with John McDonough. He's had a tougher hill to climb (with the Hawks) and he succeeded in two leagues. His more than two decades with the Cubs were mostly memorable, lack of a championship notwithstanding. In addition to attendance records, he might be best known for creating the Cubs Convention, now copied universally.

I think his best work started in 2007 when he came to the Blackhawks. Winning three Stanley Cups was monumental, and it's the other influences he's brought that makes him the total package. He welcomed back Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito to the Blackhawks family. He made sure every regular-season game was on TV. He was instrumental in bringing the Winter Classic to Wrigley Field in 2009.

In a 2015 SportsBusiness Journal story, the Hawks were the “team that represents the 'model franchise' in all of North American sports.” The Hawks were not the people's choice for years and borderline irrelevant. McDonough changed that.

Q. Cheering in the press box. OK, within reason? Or a cardinal sin?

A. Generally, no, but it's certainly not a cardinal sin.

I've been in the press box for Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Bulls and Bears games, in media centers (Butler National, Medinah and Kemper Lakes) for PGA Tour events, plus several college games and never heard outright cheering.

People know a good play when they see it. It's human nature to react to a spectacular feat. That sometimes occurs in a press box.

Q. What's your favorite sports movie?

A. On any day I could select from among “Rocky,” “Rudy,” “Field of Dreams,” “Caddyshack,” “Hoosiers,” “Miracle” and “Slap Shot.” I'm going with Carl Spackler and Al Czervik.

Q. What's your favorite journalism movie?

A. I like “The Paper,” “State of Play” and “Kill the Messenger.” I've never seen “Citizen Kane.” … I'm going to take some liberties and add “The Newsroom” and season 5 of “The Wire.” The HBO series were mini-movies to me.

Q. Are the Cubs going to win the World Series this year?

A. Teams in the playoffs are all good. It comes down to pitching, defense and more pitching. While some people are nervous about the Cubs' relief woes, other teams should be worried about the Cubs' hitting (other than this week). And it would help if Boston gets beat before the final seven games of the year.

Q. Are the Bears going to be competitive?

A. The defense is strong, though they couldn't stop a hobbled Aaron Rodgers, were smothering (for the most part) against a poor Seattle team and survived Arizona. Consistency will make them competitive. And being competitive is needed to win. It'll help when Mitch Trubisky improves.