Cubs Give 100-Year-Old Fan Second Chance To Deliver Game Ball
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 100-year-old Cubs fan from central Illinois will get a second chance to present the official game ball at Wrigley Field this summer.
WBBM Newsradio's Lisa Fielding reports that on Opening Day this year, Louis Reinhart and his family traveled 145 miles from Metamora to Wrigley Field to present the game ball to celebrate his 100th birthday, but they arrived too late due to unforeseen traffic.
"Unfortunately we couldn't make it happen," Cubs spokesman Julian Green said. "We actually did give Mr. Reinhart a game ball, and we were sad that … it couldn't happen."
Reinhart gets another chance to deliver the game ball before the Cubs-Marlins game on June 8.
"It's an opportunity to go on the field, and actually engage with one of the umpires, and make you feel like you're actually part of something that's pretty amazing, and something that you'll never forget," Green said.
The Cubs learned about Reinhart when his daughter wrote a letter and requested a souvenir ball. They invited him to participate in the Opening Day festivities.
His daughter said she hasn't told him yet about his second chance, but one can only imagine they'll hit the road extra early this time.