Chicago Cubs 1978 Field Trip
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I’ve known Chicago radio and television personality Bob Sirott longer than he knows.
I’ll be on the Sunday Night Radio Special, hosted by Sirott and Marianne Murciano, at 10 p.m. Aug. 30 on WGN Radio (720 AM). I’ll be talking about my book “Cougars and Snappers and Loons (Oh My!),” a field guide to Midwest League baseball.
But that’s not why I’m here.
Deep in the bowels of my home office I found this picture of what must have been a listener give away when Sirott was an on-air personality at the rock n’ roll giant WLS-AM in Chicago.
I’m guessing this was taken in 1978 before a Cubs game at Wrigley Field.
Sirott is in the middle. I’m in the back row, third from the right in front of the Andy Frain usher. Nice haircut.
The kid far left in the front row is not Steve Bartman.
This must be 1978 because Sirott is standing between Rick “Big Daddy” Reuschel and shortstop Rudy Meoli on his left. Meoli played one year for the Cubs and that was ‘78.
He batted .103.
In his six year major league career that incorporated 310 games Rudolph Bartholomew Meoli had more errors (48) than extra base hits (26). Maybe that’s why he was assigned to this detail to hang out with a bunch of strange Cubs fans/rock n’ roll listeners. The other Cubs in this picture are relief pitcher Willie Hernandez (on Reuschel’s right) and the late Larry Cox showing off an early Tom Selleck look. If I had more time I’d like to do a “Great Day in Harlem” reunion of all the characters in this photograph, similar to how jazz legends Sonny Rollins, Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins and others got back together in 1958 on 126th Street in Harlem.
Just like radio, the game has changed. Most major league ballplayers no longer have time or desire for this type of connection. Minor league ballplayers do. Even at an early age they understand the songs are fleeting in late August.
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