Old Times at Wrigley Field

On September 22, 1983, I sat through an hour and a half of Micro Econ followed by an hour and a half of World History at DePaul University. At noon, I raced out to the #22 Clark bus and made my way to Wrigley Field. I was going to see the Chicago Cubs host the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Cubs were 68-85, mired in 5th place and managed by Charlie Fox. The Pirates were 80-73, still alive in 2nd place and managed by Chuck Tanner. The Pirates started Lee Tunnell, while the Cubs started Rick Reuschel.
The Pirates got rbi's from 7 of their players in beating the Cubs 8-3. Ron Cey hit the only homerun of the day, a meaningless solo shot in the 9th inning.
You can tell from the picture that the crowd was sparse. The actual total was 3,426. I think I took the picture in the bottom of the 7th inning, because I always moved closer as the game went on.
Tony Pena is the catcher for the Pirates. Jody Davis is just about to head to the plate. I am not sure where Marla Collins was heading. I thought she usually sat down the line, but here it looks like she is heading for the vicinity of the Pirates dugout.
Things turned around quickly for the Cubs however. In 1984, they won the National League East. Fans started to flock to Wrigley Field. Harry Caray became an icon. Unfortunately, 25+ years later, the Cubs still had not made it to the World Series.

Jody Davis (far left with bat), Marla Collins and Tony Pena (catching) in Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL-Sept. 22, 1983.

Hey Hey Holy Cow

Marla Collins was a ballgirl for the Chicago Cubs in the mid-80's. The major responsibility of a ballperson was to retrieve foul balls on the playing field. I am reasonably sure Collins wasn't hired for her baseball-retrieving skills.
Unlike most ballpeople, Collins wore a Cubs uniform, although with very short shorts. Her shorts were legendary. Fans booed when the cold weather forced her to wear uniform pants. One great incident occurred when broadcaster Harry Caray exclaimed, "Hey we see Marla without any shorts for the first time."
Collins was eventually (and ironically) fired for posing for Playboy. Perhaps that was just an excuse to cut costs or perhaps she was too popular for the interests of the Cubs.

Marla Collins and me at AU Sports in Skokie, IL-Summer 2006.