Article: Friday Fan Feature - Evan Altman

[CandidCubs]

When I began writing about the Cubs, I started doing it for my love of baseball and the need for a place for all my baseball thoughts. Meet Evan Altman, an excellent example of what passion for the Cubs can do, and this week's Fan of the Week.

Image courtesy of Evan Altman

I want to set a scene. 

Imagine it is dark outside for a moment, and you are sitting in your father's lap. It is the middle of the summer, so naturally, the feeling of baseball lingers in the air. You are currently located in Northwest Indiana, where TV channel counts are in the single digits, and the angles to get the radio to pick up your favorite station need to be just right. 

As you sit there, your dad turns on the radio, and the most comforting sound erupts, grabbing the signal from north Chicago:

“Chicago baseball is on the air!”

The voice is as warm as the sweaters the announcer has been known to wear. As you listen to the start of the game, you hear your voice giving analysis on the flagship radio station for your childhood team. 

Dramatization can be fun, but this snippet is a full-circle analogy of this week’s fan of the week.

Since I started loving the Cubs, I searched for as much as I could consume. Books, articles, and writings became blogs, podcasts, and radio hosts. This is how I was introduced to Cubs Insider and its owner, Evan Altman. 

Cub Origin Story
Evan had that same Cub-fan energy I have come to expect in these interviews, with similar origin notes. We met via a video call in his “Cub Cave,” expertly decorated with Cubbie Blue Benjamin Moore paint, a blue striped wall made to look like the Cub’s home whites, and hung memorabilia envious of any Cub fan.

 I have begun to appreciate the small items that connect our stories, creating a deeper meaning of fandom. Evan grew up in northwest Indiana (my college stomping grounds) in a world of no cable, 4 TV stations, and connection to Pat and Ron. His fandom grew from accessing WGN Cub games and radio sessions on the farm with his grandfather and father. Evan joked that he didn’t choose to be a fan as much as he became a part of his family’s fandom, a point I related to fondly. He grew up attending more Sox games based on cost and drive time. Even with the exposure of the south side squad, the “vibes” were clearly different for the Cubs. 

 In his career, he had been the “Cubs guy” at the different jobs he took post-college. He read different articles and blogs on the Cubs found on the internet but gravitated to a writer at Yahoo that he found regularly commenting on. He decorated a fund world of the internet where Yahoo comment spaces rivaled the darkest corners of Facebook. He read this writing regularly and thought he could do it better. 

“I learned early on that you don’t criticize if you do not bring a solution.”

This idea led him to apply to the Yahoo Contributor Network, a space for interested writers to apply with sample works to write about sports teams. Altman’s writing created connections with Chicago Now, a Chicago Tribune company, ultimately bringing him to a partnership/ownership of Cubs Insider. Passion and fandom drove the pen in all these ventures, not finances. 

Evan found a love for Minor League Baseball, and his Indiana ties introduced him to leadership within the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and the South Bend Cubs. Since then, he has been featured on 670 The Score for podcasts, guest appearances, and analysis. 

 

Best Cub Memories
Evan took some time to answer this question. He thought out loud of instances of meeting Cub legends like Billy Williams, Ryne Sandberg, and others. There was no boasting in these thoughts but a genuine, humble reflection and disbelief of what he has been fortunate to accomplish.  But his answers were fantastic. 

After being lucky enough to attend Games 1 and 4 of the 2016 World Series, some superstition led to an early exit from his local watering hole; he remembers telling folks that if he left, they would win. In the rain delayed trip home, Evan was able to make it to see the rally and the win. I enjoyed sharing what that win meant to us. Evan admitted that, to this day, it is something he believed would never actually happen. 

During college in 2001, he went to Wrigley Field for a game against the Astros in September. The motivation for the day was getting to Wrigley. It had been a minute since his last trip, and he motivated his friends to make it for the day. Little did he know upon arrival that this game was the pre-scheduled “Fan Appreciation” game. If you may recall, the baseball season was paused in 2001 as we mourned the tragedy earlier that month. Sammy Sosa famously ran out to the outfield, waving an American flag to the crowd upon the restart of games in Wrigleyville. However, plans for such events had been in the works and were likely harder to move. The schedule had shifted a bit, but the Fan Appreciation date remained. Evan remembered arriving at the park and feeling the usual magic we have all experienced once inside one of the world’s great treasures. However, this day ended up being memorable beyond the usual Wrigley goosebumps. He recalled seeing back-to-back home runs by Fred McGriff, Rondell White, and Todd Hundley. After our conversation, I found the box score and was instantly jealous of his attendance at a Kerry Wood start.

What’s next for Evan? I loved his humble answer, as he appreciated what he has been able to do for a sport and team he loves. He never imagined being asked to contribute analysis and his voice on the flagship radio station of his childhood team. That is an energy to strive for. 

When he isn’t being a super dad for his kids Addison and Ryne (yes, those are Cub names), he can be found on Twitter as @DEvanAltman and at CubsInsider.com.

Want to tell your Cubs story? Want to share your Cubs fan space? Click this link to apply, and you may be the next feature! 
 

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