not surprisingly, to the two Crazy Canucks. I had the honor of mediating/interviewing both Rich Harden and Ryan Dempster on seperate occasions in front of a group of little league baseball players. It was really cool, but obviously at the time I had no idea both would be instrumental in one of the best seasons for this team in my lifetime.

Having grown up and living in Victoria, I know many of Rich Harden’s friends. From all accounts, and from what I remember talking to him, a really great guy and class act. Same goes for Demp.

Does that count?

He is a true gentleman; both he and his wife are very kind and gracious people.

I have a good friend who has a good friend who’s girlfriend once dated Michael Wuertz. How’s that? Yeah, that’s kinda lame. And he’s not even on the Major league roster.

I also personally held Jim Frey’s beer (a Mickey’s Big Mouth) after game 2 of the 1984 NLCS while he signed my baseball card. I was 12. That was kinda cool.

I also have a letter from Frankie Frisch on Cubs letterhead from about 1950 when he managed the Cubs addressed to my grandfather responding to a letter he wrote inviting his boys (one of them my father) out for a tryout at Wrigley. It was just a little bit different time back then.

That letter is priceless. It’s framed and hanging up in my office.

...one of my wife’s best friend’s uncles used to be the general manager of the Cubs. I’m so lame I can’t even remember his name – I believe he served sometime in the late 60s, early 70s.

That’s why she’s now my ex.

How about that for “degrees of separation?”

...played against Joe Mauer in HS, who played with Jacque Jones for the Twins, who played with multiple current Cubs the last two years!

Also, a couple of years ago, Mauer played with Twins reliever Willie Eyre, brother of Scott Eyre, you get the idea.

I used to bowl regularly in a league on Thursday nights in Kenosha. The alley had men’s and women’s leagues bowling at the same time. The women’s league that bowled at the same time as ours had a team with Mike Maksudian’s sister on it.

1st place?

who is friends with the Holy Spirit, who’s pretty tight with God the Father, who created everyone on the Cubs current roster. BAM!

We had a lot of good players in our district in Baton Rouge, and Theriot was a sophomore when I graduated so I didn’t take notice of his talent until I was in college and he signed with LSU.

I never woulda guessed he’d be doing what he’s doing today.

I worked for UC Riverside, where 2007 A’s first round draft pick James Simmons and recent Red Sox call-up Chris Smith both played. Since Simmons was in big league camp, he had to at least speak to Harden and Gaudin.

Plus, I am friends with the baseball coach, who chats with Troy Percival on a regular basis. Troy knows Cliff Floyd, who is bound to have at least a couple of Cubs on his cell phone.

Oh and I interviewed Harry Caray at Dodger Stadium during an internship back in 1989 and he bought my father and I dinner at his restaurant when I visited Chicago later that summer

Man, I’m kind of pathetic for figuring this out…..

My folks used to sell baseball cards, so they were at a show and got the promoter to let me sit next to Andre and take the autograph tickets. Dawson is my favorite player and I was 17, so pretty star struck. I could barely mumble out a ‘nice to meet you.’ Then someone brought up that Classic card of The Hawk getting drilled. I took the card and passed it over to Andre and in true smartass fashion, say “I bet that brings back some memories.”

Hawk was not amused.
Grace was there signing, too. There was really bad weather that day and their flight was delayed. Dawson left, but Grace stayed and kept signing autographs. He was very nice.

I also met Wood at ESPNZone in Chicago. We were in Chicago for Opening Day and we went to ESPNZone for Sunday night baseball. Kerry and his family were sitting at the table next to us. He was nice enough to agree to pose for a picture after they finished eating. Told him we came from Texas to see the Cubs Opener and he was hooked. :)

With my folks doing card shows, I got to meet quite a few of the autograph signers. Most were pretty brief. The one that still stands out for me is how incredibly nice Ron Gant was. We were at a show in the Astrodome and the Braves were in to play the Astros. I was kinda wandering around in the stadium underbelly where the show was set up. I walked up to the hitting cages and there was Ron Gant. He was incredibly well built. He was there by himself working on his swing. I watched him a bit and chatted with him while he rested. He was really nice. I always pulled for him as a player after that.

at a doctor’s office in Peoria that used to work with and was good friends with Mark Grace’s ex wife. I wouldn’t mind being Mark Grace’s next ex wife….....

The only other thing I can come up with is my grandfather used to speak with Pete Vonachen regularly back when Pete had more to do with the Chiefs and I bet he could be a valuable link to just about any Cubbie.

I almost forogt that I met Joe Girardi and he signed my Beckett price guide when I was like 10 yrs old at the mall in Galesburg. He is the only player I have met, and at that point he was just becoming a Cub.

I was a personal banker and met Glen Allen Hill when he came to the Cubs. He opened up his accounts with a nice big Cubs check. He was a really nice guy and actually left us some tix at will call on a couple occasions. He also donated some team autographed items for a charity auction we had.

Most embarrassing part was my amally retentive boss making me call the Cubs front office to verify his employment. “Umm, Hi I’m calling from XYZ bank, where Glen Allen Hill has opened up some accounts with us, I need to verify that he is a player on your team” Never felt so stupid. Sometime later on while in the break room, thee was a Cubs game on with Hill at the plate & my boss was there when I said, ” How’s that for employment verification?”

I also had the pleasure of meeting Wayne Messmer while working at that bank too.

with Santo’s kids. My brother sat next to Ron at one of their baseball games. More recently (ok maybe 10 years ago) I rode the bus with Ken Holtzman’s wife.

I have a co-worker whose little sister dated Billy Petrick in high school. I don’t know if he’ll ever get back to the bigs, but it’s the closest I’ve got to current roster.

A few years ago I was at a game and I lost my friends walking from bar to bar. I wandered over to Sluggers, figuring they’d wind up there eventually. I sat at the bar watching game highlights on the TV and after a while Matt Stairs sat next to me, bought me a beer, and talked for about an hour. He was a really good guy, and now I have an awesome Blue Jays connection.

My last one – my wife worked at a vet clinic where one of the vets worked there part time and another place part time. The other place was an exotic bird clinic owned by member of the ‘69 team, Rich Nye. When he heard how big a Cub fan my wife was he offered to sell her his ‘04 playoff tickets (which of course never got used) for a huge markup. I never met him, but I was a little disheartened that a former big leaguer with a successful business was trying to make a big profit off his freebie tickets.

My older cousin played against Girardi in high school. He told me that he stole a base off of him, for what that’s worth.

I played baseball in the backyard, in my home town of Cleburne,texas. Actually, with Dave and his brother Spike, both played major leag. baseball, Dave with the Cubs…1984.

I went to a K.C. Royal’s game this year and he signed a bunch of stuff for me and my daughter.

Mickey Morandini has lived in my hometown for a long time now. I’ve seen him around town a lot – at the grocery store, at the gas station, etc. When I was in high school, one of my friends babysat his kids a few times. A guy I work with once played a pickup basketball game with him. The dandy little gloveman seems like a pretty nice guy.

Also, my grandfather went to high school with former Cubs coach/manager/broadcaster Lou Boudreau, and they kept in touch until Lou passed away. Unfortunately I never got the chance to meet him.

And – as tough as this is to say on a Cubs forum – one of my first cousins is actually a big-leaguer himself, but is on the roster of (ahem) a certain bird-themed franchise from St. Louis.

My son’s girlfriend worked with Steve Bartman. When she interviewed she was told she could never say his name and never, ever ask him about the Cubs. Poor guy.

My boss’s son was in Children’s Memorial here in Chicago. The day after game seven of the 2003 NL Championship Kerry Wood came to visit. Kerry spent more than 30 minutes with the family and from what I’ve heard Kerry was nothing but positive, supportive and gracious. From that day on my boss has held Kerry in the highest regard and just from hearing the story and knowing how improtant the visit was to the family I have a new and deep respect for Kerry Wood.

on WGN at my first Cubs game. I was 11 and it was at Dodger Stadium. I also met Todd Zeile after the game and he was really a nice guy. My buddies and I talked to Scott Eyre in the bulpen at HoHoKam last spring. Thats all I got