Jerry Pritikin has been to “well over a thousand” Cubs games in his life, he figures.
So of course Pritikin was there again Thursday morning outside Wrigley Field, where he has become famous over the years as the “Bleacher Preacher,” for the Cubs’ season opener against the Milwaukee Brewers.
He had plenty of company, as fans sporting blue and red flooded Wrigleyville hours before the first pitch.
For the 86-year-old Pritikin, it’s always a welcome sight.
“To me the most beautiful thing, next to the Grand Canyon, was coming into this ballpark, especially from Clark and Addison and seeing the big scoreboard. It was majestic,” said Pritikin, in his trademark propeller hat, reminiscing about his decades as a Cubs fan.
Pritikin — once dubbed the world’s number-one Cubs fan by longtime announcer Harry Caray — said his baseball obsession began at 8 years old, when his dad gave him a baseball “crash course.” He and his brother would help clean the ballpark after games to score tickets to the next day’s game.
Anna Kawka, a lifelong fan from west suburban Franklin Park, said her dad grew up doing the same.
“Some of my first memories are at the ballpark with my dad,” Kawka, 28, said. “He passed away about nine years ago, so my brother and I ... we’ve been continuing on his tradition.”
For fans like Kawka, Cubs games are a family affair. Jon Lake said he has been coming to Cubs games with family for 40 years. Now, he and his wife Jenn bring their 8-year-old daughter Emma to games.
Emma’s favorite part of a Cubs game? “Everything!” she said.
The Lakes were among the fans who lined up to secure general admission spots in the bleachers Thursday, arriving before 10:30 a.m. — with dozens of people already ahead of them.
Kevin Conley, a social studies teacher from Kentucky, was at the front of one of the lines for the bleachers. He’d been waiting since around 9:30 a.m. Though Conley isn’t from Chicago, he said he’s been a fan of the Cubs for decades.
“We had WGN in our hometown,” Conley said. “Every day when I would get home from school, the game would start. ... I just watched it and got hooked.”
Conley said his favorite part of Cubs games is sitting in the bleachers.
“It’s a camaraderie. It’s almost like a club. Everyone’s out there, and you’re all rooting for the same thing,” Conley said. “It’s just a fun place to be.”
Shawn Beaird returned to his native Chicago from Louisiana to cheer for his team with friends he met at the annual Cubs Convention and stays in touch with through social media.
Some of his friends, like Tim Samson, wore elaborate Cubs-themed outfits. Samson wore a cape with a bear’s head as the hood. Tim and his group said their friendships were the most important part of Cubs games for them.
“These guys are like my family,” said Roberto Ramos, wearing a Cubs-themed wrestling outfit. “We talk about the Cubs. We hang out.”
Karen and Dennis Skoda also attended Opening Day with friends. They said they finally cleared the waiting list for season tickets this season.
“We were 20 years on the waiting list,” Karen Skoda said. “When they called me, I said I thought it was a joke.”
The crowd in Wrigleyville was solid blue, but for a few fans, that blue was for the other team. Brewers fans Patricia and Shovana Rydeen flew in from Minneapolis for the game. The mother-daughter super-fan duo have lost track of how many games they’ve attended together.
Both said they thought the atmosphere at Wrigley was unique. Patricia Rydeen said she felt welcome, even as a Brewers fan.
“We’ve been to a lot of ballparks together, and this one is different,” Patricia Rydeen said. “After the game here, the party doesn’t end.”
Some fans cast hopeful predictions for the season. Samson, Ramos and their friends said they have “high hopes” for the season and feel good about the team.
The Cubs did not make the playoffs and logged a losing record in 2022. Some fans tempered their expectations for 2023.
“We will just wait and see what happens,” Conley said.
Still, the excitement was palpable on Opening Day in Wrigleyville. Kawka said she does not think Cubs fans are fair-weather fans.
“Whether the Cubs are good or bad that year, everyone still gets so excited,” Kawka said. “Cubs fans are there through thick and thin, and I think not every team has that. It’s just something special.”
