Fergie Jenkins Coming to Wrigleyville

The Cubs will not be at Wrigley Field until Monday, April 9, but this Sunday, April 8, Cubs Hall of Fame pitcher Fergie Jenkins will be in Wrigleyville to meet fans, sign autographs, pose for pictures and talk baseball. More specifically, Fergie will be at Wrigleyville Sports (from 1 pm to 3 pm) right across from the ballpark.

Fergie is one of the most beloved players in team history. He played 10 of his 19 Major League Baseball seasons with the Cubs, getting 167 of his 284 career wins with the Cubs. He won 20 games six straight seasons, becoming the only pitcher ever to accomplish that feat. He won the Cy Young award in 1971, becoming the first Cub and the first Canadian to win that award. Somehow, he only won one Cy Young Award, despite going 127-84 over a 6 year period, although he finished in the top 3 voting an incredible 5 times.

A native of Chatham, Ontario, Fergie was the first Canadian inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Fergie is one of only 4 pitchers to record 3,000 strikeouts with fewer than 1,000 walks. He also played with the Harlem Globetrotters during the offseason early in his career.

The always jovial Fergie is a treasure trove of stories and he happily shares them with his fans at these outings. I have had the pleasure of seeing him several times and each time I hear more great tales from his career. He dueled some of the greatest pitchers, faced the best hitters and was teammates with other all-time greats.

Making the day even better is that Fergie is bringing a friend. Author Marla McKenna will be on hand selling and signing copies of Mom's Big Catch, her fun children's book. Telling the tale of an interesting day at Wrigley Field, Mom's Big Catch is a great book for youngsters and a cool piece of Cubs memorabilia for older collectors, too.

I really enjoy these such events. Unlike large conventions, these are more intimate. It's almost like visiting an old friend, if you're old friend happens to be a Hall of Fame pitcher. Seriously, this is a great opportunity to spend some time with Fergie and Marla, while getting some awesome signed merchandise. It might be snowing outside, but it will be sunshine and baseball inside with Fergie and Marla!