Autumn baseball
The summer of 1969 was memorable to me, and not only because it was the summer I met the man who was to be my husband.
It was also the year of the first moon landing, and it was the year the Cubs were finally going to win the National League pennant!
Day after day (home games were always day games then) I’d hurry home from my summer job to watch the highlights of the game on WGN, amazed that Ernie Banks, Randy Hundley, Billy Williams and the rest of the team kept on beating out the competition. On weekends I’d watch as Ron Santo clicked his heels together after every victory. Fergie Jenkins and Ken Holtzman dazzled the fans with bravura pitching performances, and the fans ate up every moment. On TV, Jack Brickhouse yelled “Hey, hey!” after every homer, and Vince Lloyd and Lou Boudreau kept us amused and informed when we listened in on the radio.
Everyone knows what followed in September, but oh what a glorious summer that was!
Much attention and press time has been given to the terrible disappointments the Cubs have delivered to their fans by their failure to win in the post-season. The teams of 1984, 1989, 1998, 2003, 2007 and 2008 have been cited, perhaps rightly, for their inability to “close the deal” in those years.
As a Cubs fan, I have resigned myself to the fact that I’ll never be able to go to a baseball game to celebrate my October birthday.
But baseball is a summer game. As disappointed as I have been in the fall of all those seasons mentioned, I relished every moment of those summers, when the tantalizing possibility existed that perhaps this really might be the year.
The 2010 Cubs were a major disappointment, not because of a failure in the fall but because they seemed to have given up by the end of April. I am used to the concept that we may never play a game in mid-October, but I certainly missed the wonder of summer baseball this year.
No summer baseball fantasy camps will be built around the 2010 Cubs. Chicago sports enthusiasts, however, can console themselves with this thought: We’ll always have 1969!
— Mary Williams Stone, Wilmette
Voting help
Tribune readers are fortunate to have a newspaper editorial board that takes the time to interview and research people running for elected office in Illinois. Most of us are too busy to get to all the opportunities to meet the candidates. And even if we do meet them, we can’t interview them and research them.
Thank you to the Tribune for such excellent help for readers in selecting whom to vote for.
— Elizabeth Clarke, Lake Forest
Unqualified politicians
Any individual seeking employment with the government must take an examination to determine if he or she is qualified for the job. Yet those seeking public office are not required to take an examination to determine if they are qualified to be candidates for public office.
Could that be the reason why our government is in the shape it is?
— Alice Pacholik, Chicago
Ethics can’t be forgotten
I write about your front-page story on Oct. 18 “Ethics issues taking back seat; Economy dominates governor campaign.” The candidates should pledge — as I did running in the GOP gubernatorial primary — to close their campaign fund when sworn in as governor.
Illinois is in a crisis and the governor should spend all of his time governing, not fundraising.
We need a chief executive who will lead by example on ethics and make Illinois a “destination economy” for job creation, cut spending and provide a “Best in Class” education system.
Ethics is a front-burner issue and intertwined with Illinois’ economic development reputation.
— Illinois state Sen. Kirk W. Dillard, R-Naperville
As an avid supporter of Scott Lee Cohen, I was disappointed to see your poor job at covering the governor’s race this election.
Pat Quinn and Bill Brady are not the only candidates running.
I am in agreement with Cohen’s effort toward putting America back to work and deem his candidacy newsworthy.
Cohen has won my vote and I’m sure many others’ as well.
— Nissy Rivera, Chicago
I think I understand why the Chicago Tribune endorsed Bill Brady for governor.
It seems that many people believe that the governor of the state of Illinois has incredible power that impacts our lives.
Well if the governor is a Democrat, he has little if any power at all. “Acting Gov.” Mike Madigan has all the power.
Thus electing a Democrat to the office is a waste of time.
On the other hand, a Republican governor can act as a check on Madigan by vetoing legislation that requires a simple majority of Democrats such that the legislation gets significantly more scrutiny and perhaps doesn’t pass unless the veto is overridden.
So while Brady may not be the best man for the job, at least he isn’t Madigan’s “guy”!
— M. Free, Northbrook
Could we please extract just one promise from all the mayoral candidates?
If elected, end the practice of posting your name on signs promoting every single event in the city.
That will save thousands of dollars and send a fiscally responsible message to begin your term.
— Jerry Slabe, Chicago
Calling all college freshman!
This is your first chance to vote.
Don’t miss it!
If you are away at college, you will need to vote absentee.
In order to do that you will have to go online and follow the instructions.
Parents, remind your students!
— Nancy Cassidy, Chicago
GOP vs. GOP
The elections this year are not between Republicans and Democrats. Nor are they between Democrats and the tea party.
The elections this year are between mainstream Republicans and tea party Republicans.
If the tea party wins all or most of its elections, it will mean the end of the mainstream Republican Party. Conservatives appalled by the extremism of tea party Republicans will have nowhere to go, except to become Independents, or even Democrats, to influence selection of primary candidates.
This is going to be a very interesting election indeed!
— Frank L. Schneider, Chicago
