Fifty minutes was all it took Sunday for the Cubs to distribute 10,000 “Daisy the Cow” Beanie Babies to boys and girls 13 or younger at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs opened the gates at 10:45 a.m., 35 minutes earlier than usual, because of the huge crowds forming outside the ballpark. By 11:35 a.m. all of the toys had been given away.
Some fans complained that when they reached the turnstiles there were no more Beanie Babies. The Cubs previously announced that the giveaways would be made to the first 10,000 children 13 or younger.
“Opening the gates early was a safety issue,” said John McDonough, Cubs vice president of marketing and broadcasting. “Crowds had been forming since 5 a.m. People were pushing forward. Safety was paramount.
“There probably were more kids here today than any time in Wrigley Field history.”
He attributed the attraction, in part, to Harry Caray, the late Cubs broadcaster, who agreed last year to be involved in the promotion.
“This was in memory of a legend,” McDonough said. “Harry Caray was wildly popular among children.”
Caray’s pet expression “Holy cow!” was the tiein with the toys. Each “Daisy” had a tag containing a poem and a caricature of Caray.
Sunday marked the Cubs’ third Beanie Baby giveaway. The first two were extremely popular, but each child who attended the games received a toy. Sunday the supply of kids exceeded the supply.
The Cubs plan another Beanie Baby giveaway Sept. 13. “Gracie the Swan” will be given away.
The joker: Late-night TV host Jay Leno led the crowd in its seventh-inning rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Leno said, “The Cubs, of course, are the perfect team for a comedian.”
Sammy solo: Sammy Sosa’s first-inning home run extended his hitting streak to 11 games, his major-league career high.
Orie takes a break: Jose Hernandez played third base in place of Kevin Orie, who is mired in a 4-for-45 slump that has deflated his batting average to .187.
“We took Kevin out of the lineup so he can work with (batting coach Jeff Pentland) today and on the off-day tomorrow,” Riggleman said. “Kevin needs to work on some changes before he goes back in the lineup on Tuesday.”
Catcher Scott Servais endured a 3-for-30 slump before going 4 for 11 in the last three games. Still, he’s batting below .200. Riggleman said his team has struggled in the bottom third of its batting order, but he praised both Orie and Servais for having the “maturity” to continue playing well in the field.
