Red C

Watching on tv as the Braves played the Cubs last night, Lisa reminded me of a funny story from my childhood. I guess I had told it a few times. 

Indirectly, it involves the Chicago Cubs. 

Full disclosure: I've never been a Cubs' fan. In fact, I've had a complicated relationship with them. When I discovered baseball as a kid growing up in West TN, everyone on the block was a Cardinals fan.  Everywhere I went, I was surrounded by Cardinals fans. 

One of my uncles was such a huge Cardinals fan, one of his prized possessions was a letter from the play by play announcer for St. Louis.

In other words, NO Cubs fans around. 

Fast forward to these days, I have rooted for Braves fan for a long time now. We live in Braves Country, after all. The story of my break-up with the Redbirds would be a topic for another post another time.  But watching the Braves and Cubs face off last night, I noted it is at least conceivable they could play each other again in postseason in just a few weeks.

As I considered that possibility, my mind drifted back to the Cubs. 

For as long as I can remember, they have had the same classic uniform - the royal blue, the pinstripes, the circular logo on the jersey, the patch on the sleeve and, the cap with the Red C.

Red C - underline that part. We'll get back to that.

Somewhere along the way, all the Memphis neighborhood kids found a back yard big enough for some sandlot baseball games and I joined the fun. Every boy, it seemed, had a ball, a bat, a mitt and their St. Louis Cardinals cap. I had all the above but I didn't have that last item.

So, one night at dinner, I spoke up and asked my folks if I could get a Cardinals cap. They agreed. Request granted. 

A few days later, my dad came home from work and proudly handed me a baseball cap. It was a royal blue cap with a Red C. 

I looked at him and in essence, called B.S. "That's not a Cardinals cap," six year old future #CoachJeff said. 

Red-faced, he immediately burst out with that sort of nervous laugh I saw him do hundreds of times in successive years - the nervous laugh that basically admitted he'd been busted on some issue. Holly knew exactly the laugh I referenced. Clearly, he was trying to pull a fast one and, as he'd often say, it went over like a lead balloon.

I miss the laugh.

Anyway, back to the lid, I think I explained, even with first grader logic, that a little guy can get roughed up--or at least mercilessly teased--by showing up wearing the wrong cap, jersey, etc. to the sandlot. 

I am not sure what happened to that Cubs' chapeau. And, in that sequence, I didn't wind up with a Cardinals' hat, either. Maybe it was that Nick looked at a couple stores and they were sold out. Maybe he forgot.

It would take many years before I wound up with the trademark STL. Later, I tossed it aside. Now, my caps are For the A.

Heading into this postseason, it's a good place to be.

JG