Ok, so as you may know I used to work for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Illinois. My title was Assistant to the Associate Athletic Director, but my duties were basically two-fold. First, I was responsible for group sales at the football and basketball games. I organized the corporate tent parties in the parking lots for football and managed the large groups for basketball games.
But my main duty was to oversee the baseball operations. I scheduled travel, helped with player scholastics, monitored the NCAA rules requirements, handled the budgets, and wrote the Big 10 conference schedule for all the teams. It was fun job for sure.
One day I was sitting in the office and Jim Lefebvre called. It was 1992 and Jim was managing the Chicago Cubs at the time. I had gotten to know him a little as his son Ryan played baseball for Minnesota and our paths crossed at games and meetings.
Jim says to me on the call, "Todd, I was thinking about how we can break the Billy Goat Curse at Wrigley. I know you guys have an indian Chief at Illinois. How about we have this Chief come up to Wrigley, smoke his peace pipe in centerfield before the game and he can lift the curse." I told Jim that first of all the Chief didn't smoke a peace pipe, and secondly, the UI had just announced the Chief wouldn't be appearing in public anymore due to the beginning of the "Chief Controversery." However, maybe I could convince the Chancellor to allow the UI band to come up to Wrigley to and play the national anthem, and then bring the chief along to dance.
Jim said that would work, and let me know when they could make it and the Cubs would take care of everything, transportation, tickets, food, etc. So, I called our Associate AD to share the invitation. He said he would have to ask the Chancellor and would let me know. A few days later the request was denied. I called Jim and said, "sorry, the Chief can't make it."
Jim's head was always spinning, he said, "Todd, I know, have that Chief smoke his peace pipe in front of a picture of him, then bring it up to Wrigley, and we'll hang it in the clubhouse." I reminded Jim there was no peace pipe...and then said "sure, we'll bring it up next week."
So, Coach "Itch" Jones and I headed to Wrigley Field the next week, photo of Chief Illinwek in hand. We got to the stadium and it was raining. The players were in the batting cage under the bleachers and we sat in the dugout talking to Jim. He assembled the players in the clubhouse and proudly hung the photo of the Chief, saying "the curse is broken."
We went up to his office after the ceremony and talked for awhile about his job, the Cubs, and his most recent dilemna. Seems future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux's contract was ending that year. Jim said the club owner, the Chicago Tribune, had asked him to put together stats justifying not signing Maddux as the highest paid pitcher in baseball salary. Jim pulled out some stats and said, "I don't know how I can answer this. Take a look at Greg's opponent batting average. First inning .189, second inning .181, third inning, .175, and showed us stats where opponent's averages dropped every inning until the 8th inning, where it then came up to about .185. Amazing stats. Jim said, "This guys is simply the best pitcher I have ever seen, how can I tell the Tribune not to pay him what he is worth.'
Maddux went on to win the Cy Young that year. And was traded to the Braves. But it was great to get an insight into the struggles a major league manager has when he has to keep a great player from leaving.
Well, as you know they didn't make the post season that year, or any other year until 1998. And as you also know, they still haven't made it to the World Series. But, it's nice to know that they have tried almost everything to break the curse. Maybe if the Chief would have brought that peace pipe up to Wrigley....
