MMeM, Vol.12 Issue 41 – for Lefty

By Golly, Grandpa, it’s happened! The Cubs are in the World Series and last night they played game 3 in Wrigley Field! Well, they lost, but Hey Hey! It’s happening!

Some background, my grandfather was John “Lefty” Conner, Sr., and he was a ballplayer among many other things. Above it all, he was a Die-Hard Cubs Fan through and through. He used to always say, “By-Golly” in his raspy voice, or yell for my dad with “JACK” which is the only name my dad was known by in his hometown. He’s the biggest reason I became one, much to the chagrin of my father, his son, who is ….wait for it, a CaRdInAl’S FAN! See, we like to say like baldness, it skips a generation. Anyway, yes, Grandpa was a Cubs fan up until his untimely death in 1999 and before that he was a WWII veteran and baseball player all his life as well as locksmith and a golfer who could beat the tar out of his son well into his 70’s.

He was playing minor league professional baseball and even had offers to come try-out with major league teams, among them none other than the Cleveland Indians! But, WWII began and he chose to enlist.

While in the Pacific Theater his left pitching arm and shoulder were somewhat injured and his major league dreams were dashed. But, he played organized baseball and softball well into his 50’s and always said his only regret was that he hadn’t started out as strictly a hitter. He as a tremendous left-handed hitter. From Beardstown, IL, to this day I still hear stories from locals that remember “Lefty” as he was always known and how he hit a home run over the Illinois River levee behind the outfield wall one time. Heck, just the other month I met some people while getting my MS infusion in the hospital in Springfield, and they mentioned Lefty!

Well Grandpa, your Cubs are down 1-2 games and facing a real wing-dinger for game 4 tonight so we could really use some spirit from on high. If the Cubs do pull this World Series out after 108 years of futility I’ll be celebrating with one of your once treasured every day and then dropped like a bad habit in one day cigars.

Then again, if, the Cubs don’t pull it out well, you know what they say. There’s always next year BY GOLLY!