This Fan's Undying Love For Cubs Makes You Hope They #WinItFor Him

WRIGLEYVILLE — Andy Lerner doesn't care if the Chicago Cubs #WinItFor him. He doesn't even care if they win at all.

Win or lose, Lerner will be back in Wrigley Field next season, watching every game he attends straight through to the final pitch. He always has, simply because "it never occurred to me that I'd rather be somewhere else than enjoying the game at Wrigley Field."

A lifelong Cubs fan, Lerner said this year's postseason team has been "as good and fun a team we've had to watch in my lifetime." Granted, he admits, he was only 4 years old during the 1969 playoffs, so he can't vouch for them.

Lerner is the kind of old-school baseball fan it's great to talk to. He's got stories of "the old days," like the year the Cubs lost 90 games, but he still got to see a triple play on a pop fly. Or his first Opening Day in 1976.

And then there was the time a ticket floated down to him from the sky.

He was 11 or 12, and he'd bounded out to Wrigley Field with $4 in his pocket — enough for a bleacher ticket, a hot dog and a train ride home. But by the time he got to the ballpark, tickets were sold out.

He shuffled away down Sheffield Avenue when he heard a voice from up above, calling out, "Hey kid! You want to see the game?"

It was a fan in the bleachers, who tossed down a spare ticket for the disappointed kid.

"So because of that, that's the attitude I have," said Lerner, who refuses to sell his extra tickets. He gives them away to people like Kara Severson.

Severson moved back to Chicago in 2010 after 10 years in Los Angeles. She kept her Cubs spirit throughout, and when she moved to Boystown, she befriended Lerner.

"My heart was breaking two years ago when Andy and I sat in a nearly empty ballpark every game," Severson told DNAinfo. "Nothing compares to the love, joy and magic of Wrigley."

Severson shared Lerner's story last week, as Cubs fans shared who they wanted the team to #WinItFor.

 

Other fans dedicated the Cubs' stellar season to their parents, grandparents and siblings:

 

#WinItFor my parents, who made me a Cubs fan when they took me to my first game on my 10th birthday. Sammy Sosa hit a homer and I was hooked

— Sarah Berg (@sarahberg) October 18, 2015

 

Hey @Cubs #winitfor my 93-year-old Nonna who came to #Chicago for a better life for her children #italianamerican pic.twitter.com/DZMlvEtBpF

— Colette McLaughlin (@colettemc21) October 18, 2015

 

Severson said Lerner had to give up his season tickets two years ago when his share partner backed out. Which is an actual tragedy, because when you say Lerner bleeds Cubbie blue, it feels like an understatement. He even credits them with saving his life.

During high school, he hung out with kids who skipped school frequently, eventually going down a dark path.

"But instead of getting into hard drugs like they did, I was at the Cubs game," said Lerner, who saw 62 of the 81 home games during his sophomore year "instead of going to school."

Looking back, he has no regrets.

"It's not your children out there, but it's not that different. I grew up in an era where kids were told to go outside and play and baseball was still a big sport. It used to be a part of the rhythm of summer," Lerner said.

 

 

People rarely watch baseball games on TV when "their team" isn't on, which helps the sport maintain its local flavor.

While the traditional Lerner hates the changes brought during Wrigley Field renovations, he said he understands it comes with building the strong team that has taken the Cubs the farthest in the playoffs in over a decade.

"They don't realize the ballpark's not only an escape like fall sports, but really an escape because we didn't have all the advertising and corporate world. It was still somewhat pure, and you felt like a part of the game," Lerner said.

Adrift in memories of the days when fans could reach out into fair territory from their bleacher seats, his love for the sport is clear. It's not braggy, not whiny. Lerner is just content to support his Cubbies no matter what.

"This team represents us well. They're not always the best, but they're doing what they can to come out on top," Lerner said.

 

#WinItFor Tweets

 

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