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When asked how long she has worked as a beer vendor at Wrigley Field, the woman known to her Chicago friends and in the roller derby world as Val Capone knows just how to dish it up.

“Eleven seasons,” she said. “Which is rad, since it takes 11 wins to get through the postseason.”

And by “get through,” the lifelong Cubs fan—who prefers to go by her roller derby name, per that sport’s etiquette—means “win it all.”

Val, 37, grew up in Lakeview and was raised as a Cubs fan by an extended Chicago family that, like most North Siders, considers the team almost a part of their own family. As such, she considers the hours she spends over the 81 home games at Wrigley Field and her beer stand on the mezzanine level at the top of Aisle 211 “nothing short of a dream job. I love my life.” (Though you can find her in the bleachers this weekend for the World Series.)

She also said that for all the years she has worked at the Friendly Confines, her high point there actually came as a result of her participation in roller derby. In 2009, after about four years in the sport, Fox Searchlight released Drew Barrymore’s film about roller derby, “Whip It!”

As a well-known announcer in the sport as well as a competitor, Val was asked to consult on the film. That eventually led to her and other members of the Windy City Rollers, the team whe was on at the time, to sing during the seventh-inning stretch with Barrymore, who was in town during a summer day that year.

“So far, it was the happiest moment of my life,” Val said. “Getting to lead 41,000-plus Cubs fans in that song won’t likely be topped. That is, unless the Cubs win the World Series, especially if we do it at home. Then that may be my happiest moment ever.”

These days Val is a member of the Chicago Red Hots, a “fast derby”-style team that plays under the rules of USA Roller Sports. Val also coaches the USARS men’s national roller derby team, a group working to get its version of the game into competitions such as the Olympics.

When asked who her favorite player from this year’s Cubs squad is, she leans toward the man on a #YearlongRetirementParty.

“Duh, ‘Grandma Capone’ loves Grandpa Rossy [catcher David Ross],” Val said. “Number 3 is number one for me. But then here’s Dexter Fowler, too. So proud of him.”

Singing with Barrymore and her fellow derby athletes wasn’t the only memorable adventure for this Cubs die-hard. Most recently Val spent her days off in Los Angeles for the NLCS and in Cleveland for the World Series.

Of course, this weekend she’ll be at Wrigley, serving up beer, high fives and hope for a World Series title.

Andy Frye is a RedEye contributor. @mysportscomplex