A Few Minutes With Gene Wojciechowski
Like many Cub fans, the idea of revisiting the 2004 season wasn't at the top of our list of things to do this spring. However, Gene Wojciechowski's new book "Cubs Nation: 162 Games. 162 Stories. 1 Addiction." takes a different turn on a very painful year and is filled with interesting stories about the world around Wrigley Field. The won/lost record doesn't change, but the book is a great testament to the unique passions that surround Cubs baseball.
You set out to chronicle what had the potential to be a historic season for the Cubs. How did you have to adapt the project when things took a very different turn in September?
The only real concession I made to September's events was spending much more time curled in the fetal position in the Wrigley Field press box. Otherwise, the format and the essence of ``Cubs Nation'' stayed the same: part ``Season On The Brink,'' part tale of the people who live and die with this franchise on a daily basis. Having moved 4 1/2 blocks away from Wrigley for the better part of 8 months gave me quick and easy access to both the team (the Cubs were kind enough to provide me a season press pass--plus, I traveled frequently with the team) and to the people who are part of a season's life.
But as September unfolded, I did try to find stories that reflected the emotions, tautness and drama of a playoff stretch run. Those stories weren't always pleasant (for example, I watched a late September game with Jim Hendry in his Wrigley suite--he showed me the wall phone he once heaved after a loss), but they didn't lack for interest.
There are many great stories in the book - do you have any favorites?
My favorite interviewees included Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, ESPN's and Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon, former Cubs Eric Karros, Ryne Sandberg, Mark Grace, Rick Sutcliffe, Ernie Banks to name a few, Pulitzer prize winners George Will and Studs Terkel, and writer/director Ron Shelton (``Bull Durham''), Billy Goat Tavern owner Sam Sianis, umpires room attendant Jimmy Farrell, Wrigley organist Gary Pressy, a Wrigley beer vendor, LaTroy Hawkins (blunt--but in a good way), Greg Maddux (perhaps the guy I ended up having the most respect for at season's end), Jim Hendry, Ron Santo and Pat Hughes, and marketing staff member Jim Oboikowitch (who chaperones the stars during the first pitch and seventh-inning stretch). But really, asking me to pick a favorite is like asking me which cold Bud or Old Style I like best.
As for favorite chapters, that's equally subjective. I spent three hours with Shelton at a fancy LA restaurant as he detailed how he'd write a movie about Steve Bartman; Jimmy Farrell told me how he occasionally writes the letter, W, on the ball that he places on the pitching rubber. W is for Win--he did for Kerry Wood during the 2003 NLCS; I spent a day at the Majestic Athletic plant in a dinky town a couple of hours outside Philadelphia. This is where the Cubs uniforms are made. They showed me exactly why the Cubs unis are so different from almost every other major league teams' unis. And at day's end they presented me with an authentic jersey of my personal Cub favorite--Ron Santo; Scott Nelson, the Cubs director of baseball operations, gave me access to a little-known storage room that houses just about every Cubs player scouting report in the past 50-60 years; I spent a day on Waveland and Kenmore with the Ballhawks; a day hanging out with Ron and Pat in the WGN booth; and, of course, I was in the clubhouse for keys parts of the season (the day Nomar got traded to the Cubs, the day Sammy Sosa ditched the team, etc.)
What happened to the 2004 Cubs?
Three things happened: injuries to the absolute wrong people (Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Sammy Sosa, Joe Borowski, Mike Remlinger, Aramis Ramirez); a sometimes dysfunctional clubhouse, and the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals. In my mind, the injuries were the real reason for the collapse, but there were other factors, including the pressure of raised expectations and an unnecessary Us vs. Them mentality that seemed to fester as the season wore to an end.
Are you surprised that there appears to be a bit of a "hangover" from 2004 with regard to the fans and this year's team?
Get used to it. Cubs fans aren't spoiled (a look at the number of NL pennants proves that), but no longer are they satisfied with mediocrity--and I think that's a good thing.
Dusty Baker said he wanted to rid the franchise of that Loveable Losers tag. I think he's done that, but the by-product of that change is a less patient fan base. One of the things I noticed most while reporting and writing ``Cubs Nation'' was the importance Cubs fans put on each game. In seasons past, there wasn't such an emphasis on individual outcomes. It was more, ``How many beers can I hold with one hand.'' Eric Karros told me the Cubs' biggest challenge in 2004 would be their ability to handle those expectations. Now that they've been through the nightmare of '04, I think they'll be much better prepared for whatever 2005 brings. If--the most important word in sports--this pitching staff stays healthy, I think they'll win anywhere between 86-90 games, reach the playoffs, and, well, who knows after that.
All I know for sure is that the Cubs are blessed with, quite simply, the most devout, passionate and intriguing followers in baseball.