A Budding Cubs Fan

Zenith Radio

“No man is rich enough to buy back the past.” – Oscar Wilde.

That thought may be true however, vivid memories at unexpected times can flood the present.

My childhood for the most part was very uneventful; growing up in the small Midwestern town of Cuba, Illinois was going to happen anyway with no particular thought or effort on my part.

There were many experiences that mirrored the very fabric of life in the 1960s. Baseball reflected the sounds and smells of summer.

The ole' timers congregated at Main Street Barber Shop in Cuba, its proprietor Bernard (Cocky) Lyons, a rabid Cubs fan. Monthly, my father would take my brothers and me for our haircuts. The sweet smell of Vitalis filled the air, the jars of blue liquid with combs on the shelf, and of course conversations about the plight of the Chicago Cubs.

This is my first memory of major league baseball. As a young boy my attention was not on the game, really. The game was always background noise, from an old Zenith AM/FM radio tuned to 720 WGN Chicago.

Listen carefully and you can hear the sounds of that era - “Double play! “Number 10 Ron Santo makes a spectacular unassisted double play at third from a line drive off the bat of Cardinals left fielder Curt Flood!” Shouts Cubs’ announcer Lloyd Pettit along side Jack Brickhouse.

What makes this memory so vivid was my youngest brothers’ reaction to the barbershop visit. It was always a traumatic experience for him. Both brothers were destined for the haircut of the military, the dreaded crew cut.

There was always a dull roar as patrons chewed the fat, "Santo is the best third basemen in baseball." Immediately an objection, "No I'm afraid you're wrong, it's Ken Boyer, Cardinals," – instantly a hushed silence as the voice on the radio suddenly came to life - “Home run Ernie Banks! Cocky would pause from his work as my brother squirmed in the barber chair wailing with tears streaming down his cheeks. He simply hated getting a crew cut!

Hmmm, upon reflection, this may be the traumatic experience that compelled my brother to become a Cardinals fan.

Its funny what triggers memories, a sound, a smell, a baseball game on the radio!

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