Best Memories at the park

[whitehse]

As someone who worked in the front office for a major league team I had many unique opportunities to create amazing memories at the ballpark but one general memory stands out over and above the rest.

My Dad and Mom would always take me and my brother and sister to Cubs games even though I knew they couldnt afford it. They knew, being a baseball fanatic, that going to a game meant the world to me when I was young. As I became a teenager Dad and I would be the ones to go and hang out for the day as we debated the next phenom and if that player would ever amount to anything. Dad always made sure I had a hot dog and a coke as well as something from the souvenir stand. Fast forward 10 years and I got a job working for the Cubs and had the opportunity to take Dad to as many games as he wanted. He would sit in the seats I got him with his scorecard and sandwiches he packed for an afternoon of baseball. He was content just sitting there, watching baseball while I worked but I would always check in on him to see how he was doing. It was now my turn to make sure my Dad had his scorecard and a coke to drink. It felt so good to be able to give back to my dad after all the years of baseball games he gave me. I remember looking up in the stands and seeing the look of contentment and happiness on his face which was all I could ever ask for.

One other memory is that my sister, who was confined to a wheelchair because of a diving accident, was able to roll out onto Wrigley Field and roll around the bases as well as the outfield. This of course was a day when there was no game being played but to her, that was the greatest thing she could have ever done as she never missed a Cubs game on WGN during the summer. Running the bases is many Cubs fan's dream but "rolling" the bases for my sister provided the same thrill!