Lennie Merullo Will Be At Wrigley Field June 7

Last October, I wrote about Lennie Merullo, who was a Cubs shortstop from 1941 through 1947 and who is the last living player to have played for the Cubs in the World Series.

Merullo worked for many years as a scout for the Cubs after retiring from baseball, but hasn't been to Wrigley Field since 1980. When I spoke to him and his son Dave on the phone last fall, they both expressed interest in Lennie becoming part of the 100th-anniversary celebrations at Wrigley.

Today, I'm happy to report that the Cubs have indeed invited Lennie and his family to Wrigley and they are going to make the trip from where Lennie lives, in a suburb of Boston, for the game against the Marlins, Saturday, June 7. Dave Merullo told me by email that the Cubs have invited Lennie to not only throw out a first pitch, but to also lead the seventh-inning stretch that afternoon.

I'm pleased to have played a small role in helping make this happen -- I passed along to the Cubs contact information for Lennie Merullo that they didn't have. I hope to meet up with the family when they're here.

You might have already read this New York Times article about Lennie Merullo that was posted in this FanPost yesterday. If you haven't yet read the article, please do. The photo is wonderful -- Lennie looks great. I should note that not only is he the last living link to a Cubs World Series team, he's the oldest living player to have played in any World Series.

When I first wrote about Lennie last October, he was the eighth-oldest living former major-league player. At this writing he's fifth-oldest, and for that reason I'm very happy that the Cubs and the Merullo family were able to make arrangements to bring Lennie back to Wrigley Field this year.