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| Greg Maddux and part of Sammy Sosa's leg |
The year is 2004 and I, like many other Cubs fans, was still in somewhat of a daze as to how close the Cubs had come to a 2003 World Series berth.
Back in 2004, people in Chicago still cared about the crosstown games between the Cubs and White Sox. So much so that McDonald's commemorated the event with a souvenir cup featuring each team's biggest stars.
The Cubs side included Greg Maddux, Sammy Sosa and Corey Patterson (true!). The White Sox side featured Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez and, finally, Paul Konerko.
Fast forward to 2006. The White Sox were World Series champions and my buddy at work asked why I had a White Sox cup on my desk. I spun it around and told him that it was actually a "Crosstown Classic" cup and that I preferred to look at the Cubs side.
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| What Remains of the Big Hurt |
Then he asked me how long I had the cup, which was already starting to show some wear. I quickly found the copyright date and informed him the cup was from 2004. He asked how long I intended to use it. I told him I had never really thought about it.
He then dared me to use the cup until all six ball players pictured on the cup retired. I told him that was easy and that we should make it interesting. "How about $5 interesting," he replied. I agreed.
So every day at work - with 3 subsequent employers and several office moves - my McDonald's Crosstown Classic cup came with me. It has been washed 100s of times and has allowed me to drink 1000s of gallons of cool, refreshing water. And now, it has made me $5 richer.
As a Cubs fan, Paul Konerko was always my favorite Sox player. But thanks a lot for playing so freaking long and making me have to use the same cup for 10 years.