Chicago Cubs: An emotional day watching Kris Bryant’s return to Wrigley

On Friday afternoon, the Chicago Cubs organization and fans welcomed Kris Bryant and his family back to Wrigley Field for the first time since trading him to the San Francisco Giants at the trade deadline in July.

As a diehard Cubs fan and the ultimate Kris Bryant supporter, I would like to take you through the day from my perspective. In hindsight, it was a day that never had to happen, never should have happened. Yet, here we are.

The day started like many others in the neighborhood. I was in the area early as I always am for a 1:20 start. There’s rounds to make, people to see, Old Styles to consume before heading in. However, this day had a different schedule, and a different feel to it. When I got to the neighborhood, it was an eerie sort of quiet. I found myself in front of the Marquee sign under the team, city and state flags. Cubs vs. Giants, we know who’s in town.

I stood there for a second, took it in, and then went down to the mural of Kris Bryant on the side of HVAC. If you’ve been in Wrigleyville in the last four plus years, you know the one.

Messages from fans began to fill on the lower portion of the mural, ranging from “Good luck in San Francisco” to “Please come back.” It had been exactly 42 days since the trade, but the reality of the situation had yet to set in for most Cubs fans. And also, who’s really counting?

Chicago Cubs: It’s safe to say Kris Bryant will be loved for years to come

After taking in the mural and the messages for a few moments, I then walked back up Clark Street towards the Marquee. Upon my arrival, I saw a group of retirees struggling trying to taking a selfie of themselves with the iconic sign. I asked them if I could help them out, they graciously accepted my offer. As I was handed the phone, one of the older ladies said one of the nicest things to me I’ve ever heard in my life. “Oh my gosh, you actually look like Kris Bryant.”

Now I was wearing my gold numbered KB 17 jersey, with an Obvious Shirt underneath reading “Kris Bryant is better at baseball than me.” So she was definitely a prisoner of the moment, but I’m going to take it for what it was. I took the picture for them and continued to make my way around the stadium, heading up the first base line.

People were starting to appear in the neighborhood at this point, too. Lots of 17 jerseys, some familiar 44 jerseys as well. The Giants are a team that is known to travel well nationwide, so I was definitely prepared to see a lot of orange as well. The chances of seeing a combination of the two teams on youngsters missing their hero were definitely high as well.

I continued on around the stadium until I ended up in the left field corner, over by where the players park and walk into the front offices/club house. I decided to sit next to Lucky Dorr and post up here for a while with much time to kill before game time.

Chicago Cubs: Nostalgia, new faces and autograph-seekers

Autograph poachers, fans, and just people at the right place at the right time began to gather as we were at the time where players began to arrive to prepare for the game. Some would stop by for a couple signatures and pictures, some would simply waive to the crowd, some would just walk in with their head down. I really couldn’t blame them for that because sometimes these poachers are ruthless and forget these guys are people too. They are just trying to get to work.

One of my favorite encounters involved newly called up Alfonso Rivas. A father of a couple of teenage boys asked him to take a picture with his son, Rivas did without hesitation. As he was walking away and still within earshot, the dad turned to another autograph seeker and said “Who even was that?” Yikes.

While I was sitting there, one of the gentlemen whom I took a picture of at the Marquee came and sat with me for a while. I learned he was from Dallas and he was here with other season ticket holders, returning for the first time in a long time. He said he has always been a Cubs fan because he grew up here, but mostly because when he moved to Dallas, he was able to continue to watch his favorite team on WGN daily.

He and I traded “I miss WGN” remarks. We talked about what the day meant, what the team is now and where we think things are going. When I asked him when he thinks we’ll be competitive again, I smiled when he said “It’s the Cubs, I’ll love them anyways.”

I like to think that as much as I do get upset and vent about frustrations with ownership and executives, I will see things in a similar light some day. I’ll love them anyways, too.

Chicago Cubs: “Today, we’re all kind of Giants fans.”

After I saw Willson Contreras, the last of the big names left, walked into the stadium, I decided it was time for my pre-game activities since I wanted to be in my seat early. I knew a tribute of some sort was coming. I decided to head back down Clark Street to see my pal Laila at Vines for an Old Style.

I stopped in the bathroom and saw a guy vigorously washing his plain white polo. He looked at me and said “Coffee. What a start to the day.” I apologized for laughing and told him that I hope his day only goes up from here. He told me how he might need to go Sports World to grab a Cubs shirt, but feels weird because he’s actually a Giants fan. I again laughed and told him “I think you’ll be okay. We’re all kind of Giants fans today.”

At this point, bars were busy and Wrigleyville had its normal buzz in the air. I sat by the window at Vines to do some people watching of the street. It seemed normal, but everyone had the same idea to get into the stadium early to watch a tribute to our boy.

Even though attendance would definitely be down with a less competitive product on the field, the numbers were boosted on Friday because our MVP was coming home. I paid and once again walked towards the Marquee to enter the stadium. At this point, I had to have walked at least six miles Friday morning, right?

Chicago Cubs fans make Kris Bryant feel right at home prior to first pitch

With an eruption of cheers as if a Cub just knocked a double into the right-center gap late in a game, Bryant emerged from the visiting first base line dugout to begin his all too familiar warm up routine on the field. This was the first time I saw in real life my guy wearing the wrong colors.

I’m not unfamiliar to this. I was reminded of Chipper Jones. Growing up in Atlanta as a Cubs fan, I latched on to Chipper as a favorite player, even though the Cubs were my favorite team. I thought I knew how to do this and all would be well. But I never saw Chipper in any other uniform than the Braves, certainly not a Cubs uniform. That’s where this differed. Kris was a Cub, my guy was on my team, and now he is not.

He met some of his former teammates in shallow center field during warm ups. I saw him have some hugs and conversation with Ian Happ, David Bote, and even Patrick Wisdom. Bryant was always a guy you saw warming up pregame and meeting with the opposing team during the warm-ups. This day would be no different.

After his normal stretching and a few tosses back and forth with a teammate, he was pulled aside and started his walk toward the area by the visitor’s on-deck circle. I could see his wife and child down in the stands by that area, obviously preparing for a moment well-deserved, but should have been done ten or fifteen years in the future, and not this day.

https://twitter.com/WatchMarquee/status/1436394240976769027

A very emotional Kris Bryant received a tribute video and walked to home plate in an eruption of cheers. Wiping away tears that I can only assume represented a plethora of emotions, he was met at home plate by none other than Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney and Chairman/Owner Tom Ricketts. General Manager/President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer and Cubs Manager David Ross were both quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19 and were unable to be at the game.

Bryant was presented with a number 17 from the iconic center field scoreboard and a blue 2016 flag representing the Cubs’ World Series championship. After another huge and deserving ovation from the Wrigley crowd, Bryant gave another tip of the cap to fans and went over to greet his family, wife Jessica and son Kyler.

At last, it was game time.

Chicago Cubs: Emotions running high in the stands as Kris Bryant steps in

After a walk and an infield single given up by Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks, Bryant did indeed get a first inning at-bat. After a long lasting eruption from the crowd, a pat on the backside from catcher Willson Contreras, and a nod and smile from his friend on the bump, KB stepped into the box at Wrigley for the first time in the road greys. He struck out swinging, and the crowd had no idea what to do, including myself.

Giants fans behind me asked me how I was feeling, and why I wasn’t cheering for the strikeout. I had an answer for them, but the game was only going to be three or four hours long. I would’ve needed all night to explain something they’d regret asking. I just told them “He’s my guy. He’ll always be my guy no matter what.”

“Well he’s our guy now,” he said.

Ouch. That one hurt. All I could say was “You’re going to love him, and he’ll love you back.” What I really wanted to say was “You don’t deserve him,” but in reality, neither did we.

We went back and forth throughout the game. By the end of it I think they did understand how I/we Cubs fans felt and respected us for it. I returned my respect for the Giants, saying that if KB couldn’t play here, I’d be hard pressed to find a better organization than San Francisco. Ultimately, if Kris Bryant is happy. I’m happy.

Kris Bryant ended up 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. The Giants won the game 6-1. The Cubs could only muster up two hits: both by Frank Schwindel, one being a home run to left-center.

Chicago Cubs: Goodbye and we hope to see you down the road

Recapping the experience, and although as a San Francisco Giant, it was great to see Kris Bryant and the Bryant family back at Wrigley Field. I think it’s up to us as fans to continue to treat him as one of our own every time he returns here, no matter what team he is playing for. Kris was one of the biggest hands in getting us to a level some never thought possible, and he will always be a legend in Chicago. This should always be a home to him for the rest of his life.

There is going to come a time where he will return, and the receptions will die down with each plate appearance. The feelings of him being ours will wear off as everyone moves on. It’s a real shame, but it is reality. This is not what Kris deserves, and it really isn’t what Cubs fans deserve either. But at the end of the day Major League Baseball is a business, and sometimes this is just how it is and has to be.

After the game was over, I waited with hundreds of Cubs and Giants fans outside the right field gate by the Giants’ buses to take them to the team hotel. We waited for close to an hour before players started to climb on board. Kris Bryant came out a different exit, I can only assume after making the rounds to see gameday staff he used to see each and every day. He waved to all of us briefly and joined his new teammates.

As the buses pulled away, we all waived to the tinted black windows of the bus, knowing our guy was on there, almost officially saying thank you, good bye for now, and we hope to see you again.