Cubs fans can gather here without fear
It can be tough cheering for the Cubs here in White Sox Country, where mere mention of the 2005 World Series still brings smiles to many faces.
And if you dare wear a Cubs hat and walk into a tavern where the basic color scheme is black, silver and white, you're just asking for trouble.
(Matthew Grotto/Daily Southtown)
But don't fret, Cubs fans. There are many places where you can quench thirst, watch the North Siders' playoff games and not fear for your lives.
"This is a Cubs bar because I've been a Cubs fan since I started playing baseball as a kid. My dad is a Cubs fan. I'm a Cubs fan. And this bar is a Cubs bar. I'm not changing," said Tony Montesano, 47, who owns Old Tinley Pub & Eatery in Tinley Park.
He thinks Cubs fans outnumber Sox fans "at least 2-to-1." You won't find any memorabilia from the Sox's 2005 World Series championship in his bar.
"I've never liked the Sox. That's why you don't see their stuff up here. Ever. (The staff) wanted to take down our Cubs stuff and put up Bears stuff, but I wouldn't let them. Not until whatever happens happens," he said.
A "66 Sammy Sosa Drive" street sign hangs over the bar near a Cubs rally monkey and pennant. Tiny Cubs flags dangle from the ceiling. One wall bears a shiny "W" flag similar to one that flies over Wrigley Field after a win.
"It hasn't gotten a lot of use lately," Montesano, of Lockport, said of the flag as he watched the Cubs lose three games to Florida last week.
"I hope to God they go all the way, but I'm not going to say it. Do you know how many times I've gotten my hopes up and took a sledgehammer to the head? It's quite depressing," Montesano said. "Go talk to Ron Santo about (1969). Then there's the Bartman deal (in 2003). It's one disappointment after another with these guys. I wish they'd surprise me and make all these Cubs fans happy."
Tom Freeman, 55, of Tinley Park, is one happy Cubs fan these days.
As he is for nearly every game, he is perched atop a bar stool at Old Tinley Pub, 17020 S. Oak Park Ave. He arrives an hour before the game to get a prime seat with an unobstructed view of the wide-screen HDTV. His pint glass is seldom empty for long.
"What makes this a good place? Everybody is a Cubs fan here. There's a great atmosphere. People get a little bit (rowdy). They're for the Cubs. They have to be," Freeman said.
It's time to end a title drought that dates back to 1908, he said.
"The time is now. It doesn't matter who they play in the World Series. They're going to win anyway," Freeman said.
Transplanted Tinley Park native Don Roberts, 49, of Bourbonnais, sometimes watches day games at the Old Tinley Pub before driving home from his job as a carpet installer.
"It's the environment. You come in here, and everybody is into the Cubs. That's the way it is here. Everyone we know hangs out here. Come here, enjoy the game, kick back a few cold ones," Roberts said.
A bar for Sox, Cubs fans to mingle
Dave Thayer, of Oak Forest, doesn't care who the Cubs play, as long as they still are playing.
Thayer relishes watching games unfold on the 13 HDTV sets at Oliver's Bar & Grill, 6150 W. 159th St., Oak Forest.
"It's perfect. It's around the corner from my house," said Thayer, 43.
Oliver's caters to Cubs and Sox fans alike, co-owner Tom Les said. The turnout is larger for night games, so Les is sitting pretty for the Cubs' late-night affairs today and Thursday.
"It feels like you're at the ballpark. Half the crowd cheers the Cubs. Half cheers against the Cubs. It's fun," Les said.
Last week, Thayer was in baseball heaven. He had a stiff drink and pack of smokes in front of him and three ComEd co-workers sitting beside him.
Bill Stewart, 26, of Chicago's Mount Greenwood community, and Brian Malloy, 30, of Tinley Park, are White Sox fans who were razzing Thayer about the Cubs' struggles.
Fellow Cubs loyalist Matt Ciancanelli, 28, of Mokena, nursed a beer while watching the game.
"It's OK whatever they do. The season is usually over by now," Ciancanelli said.
Although the four disagree on teams, they agree that Oliver's is friendly to Cubs fans.
"I love the TVs they have here. A lot of Cubs fans come here. There's a mixed crowd, so you still get the 'shut ups' from Sox fans now and then," Thayer said.
As though on cue, Malloy said he will be at Oliver's with Thayer next year, "to watch the 100th year of Cubs futility."
More bantering is found in downtown Lemont at Nick's Tavern, 221 Main St.
"It's been a Cubs bar since it opened in 1945," bartender Terra Hoster said. "Sox fans are always surprised when they walk in here."
That's because they are welcomed by Cubs pictures, posters, banners and a photo of "The Friendly Confines," beloved Wrigley Field, she said.
Sox fans get an extra bonus when they are ready to order one of those one-pound hamburgers that made Nick's famous.
"We have special menus for Sox fans. It's a spoof menu where the prices are double the normal price. We like to heckle them in a good-natured way," Hoster said.
Steve Metsch may be contacted at smetsch@ dailysouthtown.com or(708) 633-5996.
Need a break from the Cubs?
If you're sick of that "Go Cubs, Go!" song and are thankfully immune to Cubs Fever, you'll want to visit McNally's, 11136 S. Western Ave., in Chicago's Beverly community. There's a sign outside that reads "Anybody but the Cubs." Earlier this year, it read, "Cubs for sale. Who will buy them?" "The owner hates the Cubs. Hates them," bartender Courtney Kennedy said. "But if the Cubs make the playoffs, it's good for business."
Management is fair. After the Cubs swept three games from the Sox this season, nickel draft beers were sold the next day.
Then again ...
"During all Cubs day games, if a player on the opposing team hits a home run, the entire house gets a round. There was only one (Florida) homer (last) Thursday, so people were kind of sad," Kennedy said.
Those brave Cubs fans who wander in during the playoffs may get an unwanted eyeful.
During the 2003 National League Championship Series, all employees wore Florida Marlins jerseys.
Steve Metsch