Looking for Net54 members that went to Wrigley...

[frankbmd]

I'm your man, Moe.

As the chief surgical resident at one of the Northwestern hospitals, one of my duties was to attend or have someone attend all the Wrigley games in 1977. I did most of them myself. The official team physician was Jake Suker, an endocrinologist. Why, I don't know, but Jake was a good friend of the director of the surgical training program, and the residents aways got the Wrigley assignment.

I would spend the morning in the operating, hop on the el to Wrigley for the game and return to the hospital to see the post ops and the other hospitalized patients on the service.

At Wrigley I had an 8 seat box on the field level spitting distance from the visitors on deck circle and could comp 7 guests in my box including concessions. I didn't have to run out onto the field, but saw players from both teams in the clubhouses. I also covered the first aid station for the fans. I always sent the stars from the visiting teams to the hospital for precautionary X-rays. For the Cubs I usually let the players decide. I remember seeing Bill Madlock and asking him if he wanted to continue or be taken out of the game. He wanted to play. I figure that over the course of the year I may have been responsible for two additional Cub wins although you will not find me in the boxscore.

On the weekend we once saw the Reds at Wrigley and then drove to Milwaukee and saw the Yankees and the Brewers. After the game we went to the bar at the Yankees hotel. Ten or so Yankees joined us.

Steve Renko of the Cubs had a thyroid nodule and I sent him to Dr. Suker.

[mr2686]

No disrespect to those of you that were long suffering during those lean years (this applies to the Red Sox too), but one of my biggest disappointments in Baseball was when the Cubs (and Red Sox) finally won the WS after all those years and all of the unusual occurrences that happened to them on the field. It was such great baseball lore to think they were cursed.

[Shoeless Moe]

I love hearing names you would never have thought of the rest of your life if they didn't come up out of the blue....like Bill Madlock.

That guy had to be one of the most under-rated players of all time.

Led the league in Batting 4 times:

.359
.339
.341
.323

15 years, lifetime .305. Would have been higher if his last 2 years didn't drag that number down.

Glad you patched him up, he was one of the best 70's Cubs.

And that long list of Cub managers: Herman Franks, Lee Elia, Dallas Green, Jim Frey, Don Zimmer, etc. etc - You always had hope........til about a month or 2 in, but then still never gave up.

And I'll admit when they won it in 2016, I was also kinda hoping they would choke it away, and almost did. I was torn that World Series, wanting them to win it and wanting them to lose it. Craziest feeling. So many people died all those years and never got to see it happen, those are who I would have wanted to see it.

I wanted them to win it when Harry was there, after Harry died it wasn't the same.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by Shoeless Moe

I love hearing names you would never have thought of the rest of your life if they didn't come up out of the blue....like Bill Madlock.

That guy had to be one of the most under-rated players of all time.

Led the league in Batting 4 times:

.359
.339
.341
.323

15 years, lifetime .305. Would have been higher if his last 2 years didn't drag that number down.

Glad you patched him up, he was one of the best 70's Cubs.

And that long list of Cub managers: Herman Franks, Lee Elia, Dallas Green, Jim Frey, Don Zimmer, etc. etc - You always had hope........til about a month or 2 in, but then still never gave up.

And I'll admit when they won it in 2016, I was also kinda hoping they would choke it away, and almost did. I was torn that World Series, wanting them to win it and wanting them to lose it. Craziest feeling. So many people died all those years and never got to see it happen, those are who I would have wanted to see it.

I wanted them to win it when Harry was there, after Harry died it wasn't the same.

Madlock was indeed special on a poor team in 1977. Every time I looked up he was hitting a line drive 6 feet over the shortstops outstretched glove for a single or a double. He was so consistent in doing this that he would have easy to defend in the current "infield shift" era. Just move the second baseman to shortstop position and put the shortstop in short to mid left-center field.

Madlock however probably would have just started hitting bullets elsewhere. Nice guy too.

[ooo-ribay]

Originally Posted by mr2686

No disrespect to those of you that were long suffering during those lean years (this applies to the Red Sox too), but one of my biggest disappointments in Baseball was when the Cubs (and Red Sox) finally won the WS after all those years and all of the unusual occurrences that happened to them on the field. It was such great baseball lore to think they were cursed.

I agree. Sorry.

Having been to both of their hallowed grounds, I must say Wrigley is about 100 times nicer than Fenway.

[whitehse]

I was raised as a Cubs fan starting in the mid 60's, suffered through the 70's and actually worked Security, at Wrigley during the 80's. I started out my Cubs career as game day security in the bleachers in 1982 and saw the start of Sandberg's career and the demise of Fergie's. Became the Security Manager out there unto 1983 when I moved to dugout security for the 84 and 85 season where I spent these 2 years riding the pine in the dugout. I then moved to a Front Office position in Stadium Operations where I was low man on the totem pole and did mostly security and loved every minute of it. There were many overnights spent at the old ball park by myself and I can tell you I scored the winning run of the World Series from second base on many many occasions.

I got to explore every nook and cranny of that old ball park because they gave me a full set of keys and I had time. I found stuff I couldn't believe still exists and I found out I believe in ghosts as that place is haunted. I found that, if I had no morals I could have taken stuff that was just laying around and be a millionaire today with what I could have pilfered and they would have never known.

I sat in my bosses chair and watched Al Campanis sink his career (and mine) and I watched the sun come up over the lake from the upper deck as the sun's rays filtered through the old scoreboard. I felt the morning dew on my feet as I walked across the outfield and I felt the tug on my forearms as I knew I "got ahold of that one" as I hit BP with the bat boys as we waited for the team to arrive. I saw that ball bounce with a resounding THUD on the bleachers and about pissed my pants when I realized I put one in the seats at Wrigley Freaking Field.

I allowed my sister, who was confined to a wheel chair to "run" the bases when it was just the two of us in the ball park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and had to explain to the bosses the next day why there were tire marks on the field. I destroyed my shoulder leaping into the ivy as I attempted to catch a 16 inch softball hit by a member of the Sox front office during one of our many matches against other team's staff and I played in the first football game at Wrigley since the Bears moved out when a touch football game broke out during a team family night at the end of the season.

I was at the celebration for Billy Williams when he was elected to the hall and I was drenched with champagne in the visiting locker room when the Phillies clinched the division at the old ball park in 1983. I saw my world series ring go over that outfield fence when Steve Garvey hit his home run in the 1984 playoffs and I just left my stuff at the park after that season was over, because the memories hurt too much.

Vin Scully called me by name and I thought it was God calling me home and Rusty Staub, the gentleman that he was would always wished me well on each of his last trips into Wrigley each season.

I, along with another Security person shadowed Pete Rose the whole weekend when he tied Cobb's record and I congratulated Daryl Strawberry on his 3rd home run of the game in 1986.

There are just so many memories that I am grateful for and I could go on and on. Thank you for allowing me to write this tonight. Its has been a long few months with some serious health issues going on and it has been fun to think about other things.


I am the tall guy second from the right in the back row with the stupid grin on my face, knowing full well I had an amazing job.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by whitehse

I am the tall guy second from the right in the back row with the stupid grin on my face, knowing full well I had an amazing job.

The photo you posted was backwards. I've flipped you correctly.... [you're welcome]

[whitehse]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

I'm your man, Moe.

As the chief surgical resident at one of the Northwestern hospitals, one of my duties was to attend or have someone attend all the Wrigley games in 1977. I did most of them myself. The official team physician was Jake Suker, an endocrinologist. Why, I don't know, but Jake was a good friend of the director of the surgical training program, and the residents aways got the Wrigley assignment.

I would spend the morning in the operating, hop on the el to Wrigley for the game and return to the hospital to see the post ops and the other hospitalized patients on the service.

At Wrigley I had an 8 seat box on the field level spitting distance from the visitors on deck circle and could comp 7 guests in my box including concessions. I didn't have to run out onto the field, but saw players from both teams in the clubhouses. I also covered the first aid station for the fans. I always sent the stars from the visiting teams to the hospital for precautionary X-rays. For the Cubs I usually let the players decide. I remember seeing Bill Madlock and asking him if he wanted to continue or be taken out of the game. He wanted to play. I figure that over the course of the year I may have been responsible for two additional Cub wins although you will not find me in the boxscore.

On the weekend we once saw the Reds at Wrigley and then drove to Milwaukee and saw the Yankees and the Brewers. After the game we went to the bar at the Yankees hotel. Ten or so Yankees joined us.

Steve Renko of the Cubs had a thyroid nodule and I sent him to Dr. Suker.

Dr. Suker? I remember him well. Very nice man as he was the team doctor for much of the 80's. I cannot help but wonder if you and I crossed paths a few times back in the day as I spent a good deal of time getting fans to see Peaches (that was the nurse's name) at the first aid station.

[Shoeless Moe]

Good stories indeed!

Was anyone there for Randy Myers Poster Day in 1993?

Randy Myers posters for the first 10,000 fans. Myers comes in the 9th to close it out and blows the lead. 10,000 posters rain down from every corner of that stadium onto the field. I threw mine. Funniest thing I'd ever seen.


I was also there for the game (way before replay) where a I want to say the opposing team's player hit a Home Run down the left field line and it was clearly foul, but the ump puts his pointer finger up in the air and circles home run. The fans went crazy with "boos", but the best part was yet to come. So now every foul ball hit the entire crowd stands up and puts their finger in the air and we all signal Home Run. That was great!


Also in my youth when we sat in the Bleachers, we'd sneak a joint or 2 into the stadium. We'd each take turns going down to the bathroom take a hit or 2 and leave it for the next guy behind the toilet. It would be hilarious listening to the other guys peeing say "you smell that?".


I remember bringing a kitchen knife and whole cucumber into the bleachers. Cuz I had to have cukes on my hot dogs, and all you would get there was like a mustard packet. No one is sneaking a knife in to any stadium these days.


Also, knew a guy, just through being in the Bleachers (this was sometime in the 80's), but would see him all the time there, he was a true Bleacher bum, had been going since the 60's and one time someone was sitting in "his seat", mind you there were no seats in the bleachers just long benches. He goes to the guy "your in my seat!", other guy goes "I've been in this seat since 11 o'clock", Bleacher Bum replies "Yah, well I've been in that seat since 1968, now get the $#%& up!!!". Next thing ya know I see the 2 of them brawling. Good times.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by whitehse

Dr. Suker? I remember him well. Very nice man as he was the team doctor for much of the 80's. I cannot help but wonder if you and I crossed paths a few times back in the day as I spent a good deal of time getting fans to see Peaches (that was the nurse's name) at the first aid station.

I only spent one summer with Peaches (1977).

Randy Hundley, the elder one, would drop by to say hello. He wasn't in uniform ,but only had 4 ABs in 1977. He used to tell stories about Doc Ellis of the Pirates. I wonder why.