CUPICH GIVES CUBS HIS BLESSING
Holy cow!
Archbishop Blase Cupich is at bat! Pull up a pew. Cupich, who will become a cardinal next month, tells Sneed he is sending the Cubbies a blessing. A special blessing. “Hey, I’m storming heaven on their behalf,” Cupich tells Sneed.
“I’m probably the only cardinal who is for the Chicago Cubs,” chuckled Cupich, who heads to Rome next month for his investiture as cardinal of the nation’s third- largest archdiocese and 2.2 million Roman Catholics; the hand- picked choice of Pope Francis.
“Mike, I’ve already told the Ricketts family [ the Cubs’ owners] I’m pulling for them,” said Cupich, who leads his flock with a symbolic, but peaceful bat: a crozier.
“I assured them that I’m in their corner!”
“And if the Cubs win the pennant and make it into the World Series, we’ll make a [ food] bet with the bishop or cardinal of the city’s team like we did with the Blackhawks,” he said.
Ironically, hours after Cupich got the news he’d been selected to be a cardinal, he stood before his flock at Holy Name Cathedral on Oct. 9 and told them “The Cubs had won the second game of the playoffs and now lead 2- 0,” before he told them of his selection as cardinal!
“I’m still jokingly referred to as “The presumptive cardinal” by Father Gregory Sakowicz,” the rector of Holy Name Cathedral, he added.
Cupich, who also expressed his Cubs support at the American Bar Association luncheon Thursday, tells Sneed he already has a Cubs cap — but was also given a yarmulke [ skullcap] by a Jewish rabbi emblazoned with the Cubs emblem on it, which he might wear in Rome and leave behind for the pope.
“I’m all set,” chuckled the cardinal, er . . . presumptive cardinal.
Ticket masters . . .
Top tip: Before opening night Wednesday for the hit musical “Hamilton,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel chatted with playwright Lin- Manuel Miranda and his father, Luis A. Miranda Jr., and personally thanked them for their generosity with Chicago’s schoolchildren.
To wit: Lin- Manuel and his father have teamed up to bring 10,000 children to see the hit show — free of charge!
Bravo!
Holy mackerel!
The numbers game: The reasons why number 108 may be the Cubs’ magic mojo number continues to stuff Sneed’s inbox. Some are hilarious. Some require an abacus.
Sports impresario Grant DePorter, the Cubs uber prognosticator, reminds Sneed that the Cubs’ NLCS Game 4 versus the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night was the 108th win of the year for the Cubs, who scored 10 runs and won by eight runs. 10- 8. Get it?
Radio maven Bob Sirott added: “Hey, Grant. I’m so nervous that when I’m watching the games my temperature is 108!”
Attention!
Sneed is told comedian Tom Dreesen, Harvey’s pride, is spearheading a drive to restore pride to the city’s beleaguered south suburb.
To wit: “Harvey gets such a bad rap focused on crime,” he said. “But we are more than that; we need to remind people that this little town has probably sent more men and women into the Armed Forces than any other town its size in America.
“Almost all of us were volunteers during the draft years; 21 of our boys have their names on the Vietnam monument wall alone.
“So I am spearheading a drive to bring back all veterans who have served their country — as well as their families — to come back to Harvey Nov. 12, the day after Veterans Day, to Thornton High School to help shed a positive light on Harvey! Nearly 300 plus veterans are already coming,” added Dreesen.
“No politicians will be there. This is not a photo op for them!”
Sneedlings . . .
PR titan Rick Jasculca isn’t the only one who just turned ageless and priceless; Grandpa [“BOP”] Rick is over the moon with the birth of granddaughter Cecelia Rose — as well as dad, Andrew Jasculca and wife, Maureen. . . . I spy: Comedian Jim Gaffigan spotted at Ocean Cut on Wednesday night celebrating his Michigan Avenue Magazine “Man of the Year” title. . . . Academy Award- winning producer Brian Grazer in town for Ideas Week at Gibsons on Wednesday night. . . . Today’s birthdays: Kim Kardashian, 36; Festus Ezeli, 27, and Carrie Fisher, 60.
Archbishop Cupich plans to don a Jewish skullcap emblazoned with Cubs logo in Rome before he becomes cardinal. @ SNEEDLINGS