September 28th, 1998. Cubs are up 5-3 over the Giants. It's the top of the 9th inning. They had started that inning up 5-1. Now there are two runners in, two runners on base, and only one out. .
This game is a one-game playoff with the Giants to win the NL wild card. As some of you may know - the Cubs, they just don't get to go to the playoffs all that often. Not often at all.
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And so there are 30-some odd thousand people standing in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. 24-some odd thousand of them are convinced that the ghost of a billy-goat will distract Kevin Orie enough that he'll miss an easy ground ball (just as had happened in the 3rd inning on May 6th, costing Kerry Wood a no-hitter in perhaps the most dominate game ever thrown by a pitcher) that will lead to another horribly depressing loss.
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20-some odd thousand people were saying, either to themselves or the drunk Trixie next to them, "Sosa hits 20 homeruns in June, and 66 this year...and these bums are gonna blow it anyway."
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11-some odd thousand people began sobbing, getting an early start on the inevitable and trying to beat the crowd.
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8 people relaxed - knowing the game was in hand.
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One of those 8 faithful was a fat guy with unruly facial hair and a mullet. And at this moment, he was running from the left field bullpen towards the mound. All 30-some odd thousand people must have thought it was rather odd, that a fat guy would run like this - in such a hurry to face the Giants #4 & 5 hitters, in such a taxing situation.
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The fat guy stood bent over on the hill, his right arm dangling and swaying in the breeze. He scowled at Jeff Kent. He threw a pitch: slow and crooked. Ground ball to short. Force out @ 2nd. Two down.
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Next, he scowled at Joe Carter, who had a
history of heroics. He threw a pitch: slower and more crooked still. Pop-up to 1st base.
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Up in heaven, Harry Caray yelled, "Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Cubs Win!"
Somewhere right now, Harry's drinking a Bud.
Shooter's drinking a Coors Light. They're talking baseball.
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Rod "
Shooter" Beck was found dead in his apartment this Saturday past. So it goes.
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If you don't know the story of how Shooter spent his time @ AAA Iowa, on the comeback trail in 2003, then go read
this article.
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He was what we all would like to think we would be if we somehow had the talent and balls to be a major league baseball star. He was what the Gorillas are all about.
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Update: Apparantly, Shooter was buried in a Cub uniform, even though he was only with the team for two years. There is still no information on the cause of his death.
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