Every weekday at 10am, my "second" day begins. Once I'm done herding cats for Lin and Mary on the XRT Morning Show, I help Terri out with the little she needs while prepping the next day's morning show. Getting to chat with her is a nice treat, but the off-the-air show that happens between Lin, Mary and Terri is gold. SO much knowledge between those three of so much, including music, that I just can't help but soak it all up like a little sponge.
Monday the 22nd of May presented a new wrinkle to my day, for I'd be accompanying Terri through the VIP entrance at Wrigley Field, joining a few of our XRT colleagues on the field before the game, and then surprising her with the news that she'd be throwing out the first pitch ahead of the ballgame between the Cubs and the San Francisco Giants. WSCR program director and all-around man who knows how to make things happen, Mitch Rosen let me know Friday afternoon that Terri would be doing the honors on Monday and wondered if we should tell her before the weekend. I thought that the surprise on Monday would probably make more of an impact, so we agreed to hold off on telling her the news. Terri, as you probably know, is a Cubs fan of the highest magnitude. So, elevating the excitement of being on the field at Wrigley during Giants batting practice would be hard to top in and of itself. When Mitch finally let her in on the secret we'd been holding for 72 hours, she was in stunned disbelief. Mitch assured her there were no shenanigans, and the reality finally sank in for Terri.
Just before I started shooting the video below, that singular voice of Cubs anthem singer Wayne Messmer drifted into my ear as he greeted Terri. She wheeled around in yet more astonishment at the day's events. "Terri, how've you been? It's been too long!" exclaimed Messmer. Terri agreed that it had indeed been too long and remarked at how great he sounded. It was like being at a reception on the oldest ballfield in the National League.