By Angel Nuñez
Check out these names of sports celebrities and see if they remind you of something. Jody Davis, Leon Durham, Shawn Dunstun, Ryne Sandberg, Sarge, Lee Smith, and then Harry Cary. Got them? These were members of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. The folks in San Pedro, men, women, and children knew the names of all the players, their statistics, the starting lineup, their homeruns, and all the relevant information.
For many years we rallied behind them hoping to get into the World Series. We came close; we celebrated; we lamented; I think some persons literally cried. “Win or lose, this Bud is for you”, said Harry Cary. Win or lose, we stood firm behind the Cubs. Year in, year out, we followed them very closely. We spent lots of hours in front of the television sometimes spending our boss’s time watching the Cubs. Students found it difficult to do home works during Cub’s games. Call it what you may, a fad, a fan club, an obsession, we were Chicago Cub fans “hasta la muerte”!(to the tomb)
If you wonder why San Pedro picked up the Cubs as their home team, here is a simple explanation. CCV or Coral Cable Vision brought television to San Pedro in the 1980’s. It offered about seven or nine channels only and one of the most interesting channels was WGN OF Chicago on Channel 9. This channel offered great news, talk shows, international events, movies, documentaries, and sports, of course. And since WGN was based in Chicago, it is obvious that they followed their home team, the Cubs, very closely. It was in this manner that we were exposed very much to the Cubs and thus they became our “Home Team”.
San Pedranos sought to acquire Cub pennants, Cub Caps, Cub T-shirts, and other paraphernalia that indicated that they were fans. Some also longed to visit Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs, and they celebrate big time when they accomplished this. This, in a nutshell, is the explanation why San Pedro so loves the Chicago Cubs. You should have heard the complaints and fuss a few nights ago when in the middle of the Cubs game to the finals, there was a power blockout and the television was off for about one hour. And then the smiles because when the power came back, it was Cub 3-Pirates 0. Unbelievable that San Pedro has been Cub fans for over twenty five years ago.
25 Years Ago Books Can Be Purchased At:
-Ambergris Today Online Newspaper -Jose Luis Zapata Photography –Lala’s Store -Pampered Paws -San Pedro BTB Office -S.P. Town Library -Di Bush, A & R
Contact the Author at: nunez_nest@yahoo.com
