Well, we all know that there is a legion of cats who are Mets fans and Yankees fans, but now we have evidence of baseball cats in the heartland.
On Tuesday night, a cat sprinted across Wrigley Field during the 4th inning. Against the backdrop of the iconic ivy-covered walls, the calico deftly eluded capture while several employees tried to corral her. (Cubby Cat got her licks in — those employees were treated for nips and scratches.)
A security guard finally caught the cat but suffered the wrath of the fans after he grabbed Cubby Cat by the TAIL and lifted her over the wall and into the stands.
Cubs spokesman Peter Chase defended the security guard who picked up Cubby Cat by the tail, and said he felt the employees did well under the circumstances. “We all think the young man who picked up the cat did the best he could in a very unique situation,” Chase said. “The cat had already bitten several of our employees, including the young man who was doing his best to corral the cat on the field.”
A Wrigley groundskeeper said she should be named “Ozzie,” after White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who claims to have seen giant rats at Wrigley Field.
A kind veterinarian at the game took charge of the cat and pronounced her no worse the wear for her adventure. She’ll be held until it is verified that she does not have rabies (several Cubs employees were bitten), and it is hoped that someone will claim her or offer to adopt her.
The Cubs are no strangers to baseball cats. In fact, many Cubbies fans believe the team is the victim of the curse of the black cat. In a 1969 game at Shea Stadium, a black cat walked past third baseman Ron Santo during a Cubs-Mets game and “cast a haunting glare at [Santo], then headed for the Cubs dugout, where it stared down the Chicago players as it skulked back and forth,” according to Suite101. The cat was blamed by many Cubs fans when the Mets won the World Series that year.
No one will be casting any blame in Cubby Cat’s direction, though: the Cubs won Tuesday’s game 7-2.
[PHOTO CREDIT: The Chicago Tribune]
