RIP Cubs Fans
“Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around?
When the snow melts away, do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground?”
Singer-songwriter Steve Goodman died in 1984 at age 36. He was probably best known nationally for his song, the City of New Orleans, which Arlo Guthrie covered in 1972. Twelve years later, Willie Nelson took a crack at it. In Chicago, however, Goodman was better-known for his ode to Lincoln Towing, a company that had towed many a Chicagoan’s car, and for The Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request. It still brings a tear to the eye despite the Cubs’ trip to the World Series in 2016. Goodman died four days after the Cubs clinched the 1984 Eastern Division title.
Today I visited Bohemian National Cemetery on Chicago’s northwest side. Goodman isn’t buried there, but he should have a plaque on the columbarium that was erected in 2009 to memorialize die-hard Cubs fans who have had their final at-bat. It is a replica of Wrigley Field’s signature red brick wall, with the bricks, ivy, and dirt all sourced to Wrigley field. The two sets of seats in front of the wall are also Wrigley Field originals. In back of the bench on the ground, sits home plate, once again taken from Wrigley Field. The idea originated with Dennis Macari, a true Cubs fan. His remains are now entombed behind a plaque on the wall, which reads “Please tap here when they win.”
The wall has room for 287 other niches. An undated article indicates that the price of admission is $1,600. Surprisingly, there have not been a lot of takers.
The cemetery went along with most of Mascari’s proposal, but it called him out when he proposed having Cubs’ games broadcast from a speaker in close proximity to the wall..
The memorial speaks volumes about die-hard Cubs fans.
[Click on the image to enlarge it]
“Cubs Fans Forever” at Bohemian National Cemetery
