Story URL: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=99389
Story Retrieval Date: 5/24/2013 1:31:17 AM CST

The Dodgers might not want to come to
“Come on, baby don't you want to go, to the same old place, sweet home
A crowd of more than 10,000 fans dressed in red and blue, raised signs and
waved flags as actor Jim Belushi sang a hometown favorite.
“Six and two is eight, eight and two is 10, the Cubs did it before and they
can do it again!”
Then those 10,000 fans at the
“It’s crazy, it’s so packed,” said 20-year Cubs fan Nikita Patel. “They’ve
got a lot of fans here.”
They also had a lot of Cubs players, past and present, showing their fan
appreciation, including pitcher Sean Marshall, infielders Derrek Lee and Micah
Hoffpauir and retired players Ron Santo, Billy Williams and “Mr. Cub” Ernie
Banks.
“Thank you for having our back and showing your support for the last six
months,” Lee said. “We need you guys for one more month.”
The crowd cheered. They weren’t going to give up the World Series dream
either. The Cubs first playoff game against the Los Angeles Dodgers is 5:30
p.m. Wednesday at Wrigley Field.
“I think they have a better chance than they did last year,” fan Louis
Matias said. “They’re a little bit more patient than they were last year.”
Mayor Daley, a self-proclaimed die-hard White Sox fan, said he has so much
confidence in the Cubs beating the Dodgers in the first playoff series he made
a “Take me out to the ballgame” wager with Los Angeles mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa.
The wager includes many baseball favorites: 200 hot dogs from Vienna Beef;
chips from C.J. Vitner Company; lemonheads from Ferrara Pan Candy; 26 cases of
Pepsi; and peanuts, sunflower seeds and trail mix from Fisher Nuts. The wager
also includes about $15,000 of equipment donated by Wilson Sporting Goods.
It is a high-stakes wager for a highly anticipated series. The Cubs have not
won a NL pennant since 1945, or the World Series since 1908.
But just like a true Cubs fan, Tiffany France said this is the year.
“This year is just different because we’ve got the management, we’ve got the
players, we’ve got the fans and everything is coming together,”
Belushi ended the rally the same way he started it, with a twist on a