RYNO’S YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Sultans of Swat
Let’s pullup a chair! Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who could become the next Cubs ambassador next season, believed the Cubs had a recipe for a winning team before the first pitch of their wild card game Wednesday night!
“The vibe I get from this young club is that nothing seems to bother them,” said Sandberg, while getting ready towatch the Cubs at Harry Caray’s eatery on Kinzie street with Dutchie Caray, the widow of the legendary Cubs sportscaster Harry Caray.
“They go out and play the game of baseball with youth and energy— and really look like they really enjoy playing baseball! That’s huge and that can take them a longway. That’s why I think they can do it this year.”
P.S. The legendary Ryno tells Sneed he and his family are still in the process of moving back to the Chicago area from Phoenix, Ariz., and are hoping to locate to Lake Forest.
“It’s where I have a lot of roots and love playing golf at Shore Acres, a course I’ve played since 1984. Lots of friends up there,” he told Sneed.
Holy Mackerel!
So let’s talk the gift of grab. The infamous baseball glove— whichwas tossed into the firmament of Cubs history in 2003when Cubs outfielder Moises Alou failed to catch the infamous Bartman ball— arrived quietly and without fanfare via special delivery Tuesday night.
For Grant De Porter, the sultan of sports swag, it signaled a chance to reunite the glove and the “ball” with a classic mix of kitsch, hoopla and hope to end a 107-year-old streak for a beloved baseball team.
Forweeks, DePorter had been involved in negotiations to bring the legendary glove to Chicago— which has resided with Alou at his home in the Dominican Republic.
On Tuesday night, the flash in the leather became a late-night handoff to DePorter on Wacker Drive via the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic.
“After Alou agreed to loan us the glove, I agreed to insure it for $50,000,” said Deporter.
“Its safe delivery was entrusted to Bob Satawake, the husband of the Dominican Republic’s U.S. Ambassador Wally Brewster,” added DePorter, who manages the Harry Caray restaurant group— and planned to display the bum luck glove at Harry Caray’s eatery on Kinzie during the Cubs playoff push thisweek.
“It arrived on a plane thatwas four hours late, butwe managed to retrieve the glove from Satawake’s suitcase around 9 p.m. Tuesday night, and by 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, people were already lining up outside the restaurant to view it!,” chirped DePorter, who eventu- ally plans to display the glove at the Chicago Sports Museum.
“Alou wanted a photo taken when we exchanged the ball as proof it was placed in the right hands,” he said. “As I’ve told you before, we are so grateful to Moises for letting us celebrate Cubs excitement right now by loaning us the glove to reunite it with the [Bartman] ball— even if the ball is now only remnants.”
“The remnants have now been placed in the glove and finally reunited with the ball!”
“It’s just a funway to celebrate the Cubs’ winning streak and has nothing to do with breaking an old curse,” said DePorter. “The fans are having fun, and so are we.”
Backstory: In 2003, when the Cubs were five outs from their first World Series appearance in decades, a foul ball hit by a Florida Marlins player floated near the edge of the left field line. A Cubs fan named Steve Bartman interrupted Alou from trying to catch the ball and the rest became a continual Chicago heartache.
On Dec. 20, 2003, Sneed— who attended that game— awaited a late-night phone call from DePorter to confirm his winning auction bid on the Bartman Ball for $114,000.”
The story became a national sensation, Sneed got a scoop and DePorter blasted the ball to bits to end the losing streak.
“Grant has away of creating an enjoyment of the history of the game,” said Sandberg. “It’s fun. It’s what enjoyment is all about.”
Amen.
Sneedlings
Congrats to Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) and his wife, Colleen, on the birth of their first child, Ryan Michael Hopkins. . . . Condolences to the family of veteran Chicago journalist George de Lama on the death of his beloved Cuban-born mother, Sonia. No mother had a better son. . . . Today’s birthdays: Bruno Mars, 30; Matt Damon, 45, and Rev. Jesse Jackson, 74.