Article: Friday Fan Feature - Sean "HotStoveCubbies" Chapin

[CandidCubs]

Ever dream of breaking a Cubs signing three days before the media? Do you love Darwin Barney? Meet Sean Chapin, a small king of Cub Twitter. 

Image courtesy of Sean Chapin

Sometimes, when you meet someone, you immediately click. A commonality helps ease you into a conversation that seems to flow like water. 

It is generally the Cubs that can get me to this point. Hot Stove Cubbies helped. 

A few weeks ago, I shared a thought on Twitter and saw it was retweeted. Soon after, I saw many likes roll in. I sent a quick, direct message to thank the account for the share and the support. That was the start. 

Sean Chapin, known as Hot Stove Cubbies, had the energy of a Cubs fan I knew I would immediately enjoy talking to. As you may realize, if you are a regular reader of this series, I tend to ask the same few questions to guide the conversation and learn about peoples' Cubs stories. Sean and I talked for 40 minutes on the care given to the modernization of Wrigley Field, along with pontificating on the offseason that had not yet come to pass for the boys in blue. 

From the broad topics of Christopher Morel, Theo Epstein’s big swings, and the Bryce Harper non-negotiations, Sean and I had a quick rapport. Like many of my days in childhood, Sean spent time with his grandmother watching WGN. He recalls early memories of Chip Caray and Steve Stone and their comforting regularity. As he got older, work days with his dad shifted his identification with the Cubs with Pat Hughes and Ron Santo. 

Sammy Sosa and the home run chase of 1998 captivated Sean. Hopefully, the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame voters can see how instrumental that season was in establishing diehard fans. Baseball left the standing of a slow sport to a full-on addiction. Days became about seeing his at-bats and tracking the race. The obsession was born.

Sean attended his first Cubs game at Wrigley Field in 2005. He recalls Greg Maddux pitched against the Red Sox. It turns out we were both at the game that day. 

In 2005, Sean started a BlogSpot called “Hot Stove Cubbies.” It was a passion project to air out all of the Cub thoughts that came to him during the day. Reviewing the early days, he joked about how “awful” his writing was. He wrote regularly for 3-4 years until something changed: fatherhood. As I can relate, the business of new kids (4 boys in total!) kept him away from the regular commitment he wanted to keep. 

Then, media technology advanced with the invention of Twitter, a source of immediate, character-limited content that made finding your interests and sharing your thoughts easier. This was the perfect resource for Sean to pick back up and share his thoughts. After 6,000 followers and a few inside news breaks, Hot Stove Cubbies has become a must-follow in the Twitterverse for thoughtful Cubs content. His most prominent Twitter “win” broke the Jason Marquis signing after getting information from some sources. Other highlights include a tweet from Ozzie Guillen and a follow from 2003 fifth starter Glendon Rusch. Sean credits his ability to remain authentic while maintaining thoughtful interactions as a reason for his continued follower growth. 

Sean’s best Cub memory came at an Iowa Cubs game in Des Moines, where he currently makes his home. His oldest son, who was five then, adored Darwin Barney. I reminisced with Sean about the scrappy second basemen with nifty hands and a solid glove. Barney had a rehab assignment at the time. His son, decked out in Cubs stuff, got a ball tossed to him from the man himself. Indeed, it is a lasting memory for his son and a core memory for Sean.

You can find Sean on Twitter/X at HotStoveCubbies. Please give him a follow today!

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