CHICAGO — The theory behind Rod Beck Day is simple: If we don't remember Rod Beck, who will?
Beck is celebrated Tuesday with Rod Beck Day, which has no fundraising and no organization: It's just a day to remember infamous Cubs relief pitcher Beck, said Steve Timble, who helped start the celebration.
"It's completely owned by the people who care to remember," Timble said.
Beck was "no Patrick Kane or Michael Jordan," Timble said. He was an "enigmatic" everyman with a "big personality," at one point living in an RV near Sec Taylor Stadium and letting fans in to drink beer after games. Beck — who sported a beer belly and a lengthy mustache and smoked — played for the Cubs from 1998 to 1999, dying in 2007 at 38 years old.
“He was a very dramatic player," Timble said. "Nobody was ever comfortable when he was on the mound.”
Timble said Beck isn't a Hall of Famer, but he was more of a "normal guy" than most baseball players and he was born to play, sporting the attitude of, “This is my job and this is what I was born to do,” Timble said.
There's no big celebration planned for Rod Beck Day. Instead, fans should celebrate by calling a friend to tell their favorite stories about the player and then having their friend call another person to share stories, Timble said.
Timble's favorite story? He said he was at a Cubs game toward the end of the season when the team was trying to get into the playoffs. The Cubs had lost a game that had "basically" knocked them out of the playoffs, and the crowd "was kind of bummed out," Timble said.
"And then all of the sudden Rod Beck runs out into the middle of the field, running around like a crazy person ...," Timble said, recalling that his first thought was: Is there a fire or something?
The announcer explained: The Giants had lost a game and there would be a one-game playoff, giving the Cubs a chance to make it into the playoffs. The crowd went wild, Timble said, and the Cubs joined Beck's celebration on the field.
The Cubs host the Dodgers Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs and Wrigley Field are 95 percent owned by a trust established for the benefit of the family of Joe Ricketts, owner and CEO of DNAinfo.com. Joe Ricketts has no direct involvement in the management of the iconic team.
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