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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Sunday, November 9, 2008 8:26 PM CST
Cardinals vs. Cubs always a hot topic in Mattoon

By F.N. WRIGHT

One thing I liked about growing up in Mattoon was that half the people (the smart ones) were Cardinals fans while the other half (the dreamers?) were Cubs fans. In fact, I don’t think that has changed over the years.

I also like the fact it is a friendly rivalry, though I have never understood how the Cubs came up with the term “The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field.” Let’s face it, when the winds are blowing out it is not “friendly” to the pitchers (no matter what team they are pitching for) because most baseballs hit in the air are not going to be confined to Wrigley Field.

In fact, many of the Cardinals players who have hit it out of the park over the years are probably still waiting for permission to land from an air traffic controller somewhere as far away as China.

And when the wind is blowing in at Wrigley Field it is not “friendly” to the hitters, with the exception of many of the Cardinals hitters past and present.

I hope my friends at House’s Tavern and many of the bartenders at the American Legion Post are not reading this column because I have a feeling I will be 86’d from both places next time I am in Mattoon, since they are Cubs fans.

For you Cubbie fans, I have a feeling many of you don’t know about the “billy goat curse” or the fact one of your revered icons began his career with the Cardinals. Yep, Harry Caray began his broadcasting career as the radio announcer for the Cardinals before going to the White Sox and finally hitting rock bottom and finishing with the Cubs.

I will say this much for the Cubs organization that I can’t say for the Cardinals: at least the Cubs recognize him as the Hall of Famer he is, while my beloved Cardinals have yet to pay tribute to this baseball legend.

Writer/artist F.N. “Fred” Wright is a former Mattoon resident who lives in California but maintains a part-time residence at Lake Paradise. He is a Vietnam veteran.

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sapient wrote on Nov 13, 2008 11:09 AM:

" If I'm not mistaken, I believe that the phrase "friendly confines" originated with Ernie Banks who also always wanted to "play two". "