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Cubs Fans Stake Out Mag Mile To Snag A Photo With World Series Trophy

By Joe Ward | December 9, 2016 3:27pm | Updated on December 13, 2016 11:52am
 The Cubs World Series trophy was made available to the public for pictures for the first time Friday at the Cubs store on the Magnificent Mile.
Cubs World Series Trophy Visit
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MAGNIFICENT MILE — It's not every day that you get to visit Chicago from Germany, and it's definitely not every year that the Cubs win the World Series.

So on Friday, Patrick H. and his friends who are in town from Germany were some of the first people in line to take a photo with the Cubs World Series trophy, which was on display Friday at the Cubs Team Store Downtown at 663 N. Michigan Ave.

"To be honest, we're not really big baseball fans," said Patrick. "It's a once in a lifetime chance to see the trophy."

Friday was the first time the Commissioners' Trophy was available to the public for photos and served as the kick off to a Midwestern trophy tour, the team said. Hundreds came out to see the trophy in person.

Naturally, there were long lines and eager fans, though most said the weather wasn't that bad and the wait was certainly worth it to glimpse the trophy.

"We wouldn't stand here if we didn't think it was worth it," Patrick said. "I'd like to be inside, though."

The line to see the Commissioner's Trophy snaked down Ontario Street Friday. [DNAinfo/Joe Ward]

William Graves and his son, Will Graves Jr., arrived from Skokie during the 9 o'clock hour and only saw a few people waiting, so they decided to go shopping until they felt they needed to snag a spot in line.

So what did they go buy? Cubs memorabilia, of course.

"I couldn't believe there was nobody standing outside," said the senior Graves. "So we came in and bought some souvenirs."

The line was hundreds of people long at noon, when the trophy became available for photos. Though the queue was orderly and moved fast, it was likely some would not get in by 3 p.m., when the event was scheduled to end, said Colin Faulkner, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Cubs.

"So many of our fans have never seen the World Series trophy before," Faulkner said. "It's fun. To see the looks on people's faces, it's nothing but smiles. We appreciate the opportunity."

Fans certainly appreciated the opportunity to get up close to the trophy as well.

"It's surreal," said Graves Jr. "I was very tempted to touch it [laughs]. It feels so special." (Security told virtually every fan there that touching the trophy was not allowed.)

Anna Mistarz and her son, Alexander Ryne, pose with the Commissioner's Trophy. [DNAinfo/Joe Ward]

Anna Mistarz brought her newborn son, Alexander Ryne (named after Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg) while in town from New Jersey for the holidays.

Mistarz moved from Chicago to the East Coast this year, and said she couldn't miss the opportunity to see the trophy.

"It's a family affair," she said. "Having a baby the year they won makes it that much more special."

The Cubs have released few details about the trophy's next moves, but the team did say it will be at City Hall 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 15.

Afterwards, the club says there will be a "series of visits to locations throughout Chicago," but refers fans to follow @Cubs on Twitter and Instagram for exact locations.

The Cubs plan to take the trophy to numerous Illinois cities including Bloomington, Champaign, Freeport, Peoria, the Quad Cities, Rockford and Springfield. They'll also stop by South Bend and Indianapolis and Des Moines, Iowa.

Clark the Cub interacts with fans waiting in line to see the Commissioner's Trophy Friday along Michigan Avenue. [DNAinfo/Joe Ward]

Eventually, the trophy will return to Chicago for the Cubs Convention, Jan. 13-15, and the Cubs home opener April 10. The team is also working on plans to share the trophy with children in the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program.

"Our goal is to take it to as many places as possible," Faulkner said.

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