Guests (Ron, Bobby, Yosh, Andre, Gary)

Ron Santo is introduced at the ceremony.

Do you see his flag flying on the poll behind him?

Cubs long, long time employee Yosh Kawano.

Wayne Messmer chats with Gary Matthews.

Bobby Dernier makes his entrance.

Andre Dawson before the ceremony.

Last year on Disney Day, Mickey Mouse threw out the first pitch, and the Cubs lost to the Astros 15-7. Mickey needs to be traded to the Cardinals.

This year Popeye threw out a ceremonial first pitch and the Cubs won 14-3 vs. the Marlins. I think Popeye needs to be invited back.

Come to think of it though, Ryne Sandberg threw out the first pitch this year before the Cubs 16-6 win over the Diamondbacks on opening day.

Ryno threw the ball from 2nd base to Mark Grace at first for an unusual ceremonial first pitch.

And Ryne also threw out a first pitch on Ryno day and the Cubs win 14-3. Hmmm.

BTW, when is Yosh going to throw out a first pitch?

Guests at the event

Ceremony (Part one)

Ryno ceremony (Part 2)

Jersey retirement ceremony (part 3)

Ryne's speech, walk around the park

Ernie, Billy, Ryno and Ron

Ryne and Andre stepping over the line...

National Anthem

Autograph Time!

Who's on third?

Derrek Lee stolen base, home run

More people pictures, foul ball, etc.

Who is in the bleachers today?

Scorecard for the 14-3 game
Signs of a win
Fan Portraits and interesting t-shirts

View all photos in one long page

The Game By Robert Benson In The Game, Robert Benson ties the nine innings of one ordinary minor-league game between the Iowa Cubs and the Nashville Sounds to the ordinary and not-so-ordinary innings of his own life. He shows how, through a series of seeminly routine plays in an average weeknight game such as this one--just as in our everday lives--we eventually win the game. In beautifully measured prosed he also describes moments of greatness--the Giants' dramatic ninth-inning penant win over the Dodgers in 1951; Sammy Sosa's breaking Roger Maris's home-run record in 1999--and the subtle way in which these moments mark themselves in the life of an average American baseball fan. Whether he is hitting fungoes with his children at a neighborhood park, reminiscing about Carlton Fisk's famous home-run trot in October 1975, or praising the enduring beauty of Chicago's Wrigley Field, Benson reveals that "the game" and the game of life are in many ways one and the same.

Cubs Pride: For the Love of Ernie, Fergie & Wrigley By Alan Ross