Cubs fans: May they rest in ivy
Finally, the perfect answer for a team that has been killing its fans for 100 years: a place to put their remains.
Cubs fan Dennis Mascari and Bohemian National Cemetery on the city’s North Side are joining forces to build for Cubs fans a final resting place that looks a lot like the spot where they saw their dreams of a pennant die year after year.
Called “Beyond the Vines,” the 24-foot long ivy-covered wall is designed to look like the one in dead center at Wrigley Field.
It’s all on the drawing board now, but the wall is expected to be up and ready to accept fans in October when Cubs fans are usually starting their mantra of “Wait till next year.”
Boy fractures skull
Doctors and family members say a 7-year-old boy who fractured his skull when he was struck by a foul ball at Wrigley Field was recovering and expected to live.
Dominic DiAngi of suburban Frankfort was sitting behind the Cubs’ dugout Thursday afternoon during a game between Chicago and Cincinnati Reds when a foul ball off the bat of Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly struck him in the head.
On Friday, the boy was in serious condition. Children’s Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Julie Pesch said the boy regained consciousness on Friday and doctors said he was steadily improving.
Orioles fire scout
The Baltimore Orioles fired a high-ranking scout after Major League Baseball’s investigative unit linked him to a gambling probe.
The fired scout, Alan Marr, was national cross-checker for the Orioles and the top person listed in the team’s scouting directory. The gambling investigation that led to his firing first was reported Friday by SI.com.
Clearing the bases
Washington general manager Jim Bowden denied an ESPN.com report that he and special assistant Jose Rijo are being investigated in connection with a scandal involving bonus money for prospects from the Dominican Republic. … L.A. Angels right-hander Kelvim Escobar will have season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder. … David Wright of the New York Mets will replace injured Alfonso Soriano of the Cubs on the National League All-Star roster. Colorado outfielder Matt Holliday will start for Soriano.