Article: Friday Fan Feature - '23 In Review, A Call for '24

[CandidCubs]

The final Fan of the Week for 2023 takes us back to look at why this idea started, and invites you to share your story in 2024!

Image courtesy of Jeff Ragauskis

I had an idea. 

I wanted to engage with new Cub fans but I wasn’t sure where to start. This summer, while engaging with the Cubs Man Cave Facebook Page, I realized I wanted to selfishly visit every cave I saw. 

The decorations. 

The Jerseys. 

The bar set-ups.

The custom pieces. 

I wanted to wrap myself up in this corner of fandom and never let go. 

As Gru from Despicable Me would say, “Liiiighhhhht Bulb!” (This is how I imagine one would write out the Gru voice from the hilarious Steve Carrell)

Fan of the Week was born and I was on my way. I never realized how rewarding this experience was going to become in the short weeks and how amazing the stories I would hear would be. I have grown addicted to telling Cub fan stories and seeing the unique ways they honor the team. Thank you so much to Jay, Pat, Crawly, and Juan for giving me your time. 

Ever been curious who the man behind Candid Cubs is? Probably not, but I am going to tell you anyway. 

I am a “cradle Cub-fan” who lives in the South Suburbs of Chicago with my wife, 2 kids, and 2 golden doodles. I am doing my best to make them love this sport. My strongest baseball memories tie back to my Grandmother’s passionate fandom and the WGN days. Baseball became a religion for me;  a feverish pursuit of mastering the knowledge and the strategy of this game I saw on TV. 

I can’t tell you the first time I went to Wrigley Field. I can tell you that it feels the same way every time I go. I am a purist: I walk in the main gates under the unrivaled red marquee, walk up the first set of stairs, and let the light slowly reveal my mecca of brick and ivy. The first glimpse of the hand-operated scoreboard each season still gives me goosebumps.

I did whatever had the word baseball attached to it growing up: baseball cards, MLB Showdown (A baseball card strategy game), video games, little league, etc. It used to bother me how the Cubs were the one thing people knew about me. As I aged, I understood why. The hint should have been my high school boycott of white colored sox in 2005 so people would not confuse that I was supporting their playoff run. My heart in those days had been built on Mark Grace and Slammin' Sammy Sosa, but destroyed by Alex Gonzalez, the Dodgers, and the Diamondbacks. 

I married my best friend right after college. When I love something, I am all in and want as much as possible. Rachel was, and still is, that for me. In 2016, she told me she was pregnant with our first child during the 7th inning stretch of a Cub game in April. I joked that if the Cubs won the World Series, I got to name the baby. Kyle Anthony Frank was born on December 16th. No Cub memory will top that year or story for me. The only thing close was playing catch with my dad on the field.

Since I was young, I knew I wanted a space for my Cubs stuff in my future home. I dreamed of lining a room with the same brick and ivy I had fallen in love with. I wanted to feel when i entered the space the same magic I felt at Wrigley. That dream is impossible, but I have gotten close. During the pandemic, I picked up a few more hobbies and re-captured the love of Star Wars with my kids. Part of my space highlights my Movie fandoms, but the large portion is reserved for Cubs stuff.

It is always hard to pick a favorite item. Some days, it is my autographed Kerry Wood 20K game flag, which I won via social media. Other days, it is my autographed Kyle Hendricks jersey from my parents. Recently, it is the Ernie Banks statue that was my grandma’s, who felt it needed a home in my shrine. Truly, it has to be my wife’s gift of patience and time to start this project in 2021. 

As I have learned while interviewing fans for these articles, these spaces are never truly complete. I long to make an Wrigley-themed arcade cabinet filled with Retro Baseball games. Like many others, I would also love some Wrigley seats, and an autographed Nomar Garciaparra Cubs jersey.

I have blogged on and off for years, with most of my engagement with other Cub fans coming from Twitter/X. I have always been a sharer, and I look to connect with people of similar mind and values. I have been told at times in my life my active sense of empathy has made me candid on my thoughts and troubles. That, and my adoration for alliteration, birthed CandidCubs.

Early this year, a friend of mind nominated me for an appearance on Baseball Bucket List Podcast (I highly recommend adding this to your rotation of Podcasts). This summer, I joined the crew here and I have been trying to use the energy from my career shift to grow this community and my brand. I have found every minute of this so enjoyable for my fandom and for my soul. The growth and readership I have seen is a cherry on top of this endeavor that started to simply share my love of baseball. As I tell my kids, “my head is only filled with boogers and baseball stuff.”

In 2024, I am looking to do so many more, but I need your help. Each article, I enjoy setting around an hour for a video call to meet and greet, along with asking some of the questions you have seen each week. As the Cub season gets closer, those questions will shift to the hotter topics surrounding the team. 

Do you have a story you want to share? Looking to announce your arrival to this open-armed community of blue-bleeders and ivy-huggers? Check out this brand new application form to help us get in touch!

I wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season. I am excited to share some of your stories in 2024. 
 

View full article