Off-the-field happenings, wacky and otherwise, help explain how Cubbies wound up on top
There is not enough room in our Cubs 2008 time capsule to get everything in.
We couldn’t fit the old car the players demolished in spring training while punking strength coach Tim Buss, or the giant oranges from the train track at Minute Maid Park that Lou Piniella and Ron Santo thought were pumpkins. But here’s the stuff we can fit, keeping alive a remarkable summer when everything seemed to go right…
Piniella’s chair.
The one he used during news conferences at Wrigley Field in the room Dusty Baker called “the Dungeon.” Win or lose, Piniella never lulled the media to sleep. “One hundred years from now, they won’t even know I managed here,” he said the day the Cubs clinched the division. Not likely.
Dented Gatorade cooler
One of several thrown by pitcher Carlos Zambrano, who frequently turned the dugout into his own demolition derby.
Jersey No. 104
Worn by Leo Hildebrand, the 104-year-old Cubs fan who threw out a first pitch to Kerry Wood on the final weekend of the season. Chicago Tribune/Photo
Photo of the Hug
Depicting Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model Marisa Miller jumping into the arms of Ryan Dempster after throwing out a first pitch, as the rest of the players turned green.
Stanley Cup
Hockey’s immortal trophy, brought to Wrigley by Red Wings veteran Chris Chelios, a former Blackhawk and Chicagoan. Cubs players posed with the trophy.
iPod download
Greatest hits of the ’08 Cubs. “Go, Cubs, Go” by Steve Goodman. “Someday We’ll Go All the Way” by Eddie Vedder. “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Michael McDermott. Piniella’s “Kick somebody’s [butt]” rant in the visiting manager’s office at Busch Stadium.
Yadier Molina’s cup
Worn by the St. Louis Cardinals catcher during his home-plate collision with Ted Lilly at Busch Stadium. The play woke the Cubs from an eight-day slumber — the day after Piniella’s rant.
Pickle juice
The brand used by trainers to try to heal Kerry Wood’s pesky blister, which stopped him from pitching for weeks after the All-Star break. Wood came up with a solution to the problem that has yet to be revealed.
Sports Illustrated Fukudome cover
The long-standing “SI curse” may not have jinxed the Cubs right fielder, but it certainly added some unexpected pressure to the shoulders of the Japanese star, who wilted at the plate after a hot start and lost his starting job in September.
