Ever talk to a ballplayer ?

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Posted By: whitehse

I was fortunate that right out of high school I got a job with the Cubs working game day security. Since I was a bigger kid they used me as dugout security for 2 years. 2 great summers!! My job was to literally sit on the end of the bench (or in the tunnel leading to the locker room) and make sure no one went after the players. I got to know may of them althoug I would not expect any of them to remember my name but they would recognize me. I used to carry handcuffs and remember Leon Durham and one other player borrowing my cuffs to use on Dennis Eckersley. Eck came out of the clubhouse and demanded my key which i didnt have because I gave it to the other players.

After the 2 years of game day work I was hired to work in stadium operations all year round and spent 5 years (total of 7 years) with the team.

My highlight would have to be the fact myself and one other "big" guy would be Pete Rose's shadow the entire weekend he was to have tied and possibly broken Ty Cobb's hit record at Wrigley. From the moment he stepped out of the cab to the moment he got back in we were his shadows. We walked him to the press conferences and waited for him in the clubhouse. He had death threats and threat of other harm that weekend so we had to minimize non field personel contact with him

I have to say he was one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet. We were not allowed to ask for autographs and to be honest I would not have felt right asking him for one. It was a very nice experience for someone who used to yell to him for a autograph in Wrigley when I was 8 years old!.

At the end of the weekend his manager ended up giving me and the other guy that worked with me one of those 1981 fleer triple threat cards with Bowa and Mike Schmidt autographed.(sorry i know this is not pre war material!!) Still have it to this day

I was able to sit and hear many old timers tell stories as well as One of the best story tellers, Don Zimmer. what that man has to say away from the mics and cameras is amazing. In the Chicago area they have a dinner in the winter where all the old timers get together and trade stories. Worth the price of admission if you ask me!!