Cub Fan, Bud Man. Harry Caray

I grew up a Cub fan, with Jack Brickhouse as the announcer and Ron Santo on third base, Ferguson Jenkins pitching, Ernie Banks at shortstop and Billy Williams in left field. So when I had the chance to create a commercial with Harry Caray, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

My idea was to have Harry rapping in a Blues Brother's outfit. My partner Ben Counts wrote the song that became known as Cub Fan Rap. In order to sell the idea, my Budweiser client requested that I travel to Chicago to present it to Harry. I was in Los Angeles at the time and took the redeye to meet Harry for breakfast at the Ambassador East where he was living. We met in the Pump Room, a famous restaurant inside the hotel, around 8 am, Harry had a game that day and we were going to be joining him in the announcers box.

As a Cub fan who enjoyed listening to Harry announce the games, I had always suspected that Harry started drinking in the first inning and that by the time you got to the seventh inning he was feeling no pain, as he would ever so slightly start slurring his words. I always thought that was part of his charm. Now I was finally going to meet the man and I had to sell him the idea, I even brought a Blues Brother's hat as a prop.

As we were looking at the menus, the waiter brought a champaign bucket on a pedestal and set it down between Harry and myself; in it were three Budweisers. Not wanting Harry to drink alone, I ordered a Budweiser for my self too. At the table with us were also the regional Budweiser manager and the agency account manager.

As I presented the idea, I could tell Harry wasn't too keen on the Blues Brother's wardrobe idea and the dancing made him nervous. I told him we could get an extra to do the dance moves, but I couldn't convince him about the look. "I don't know," was Harry's reply. Then the hostess came over. It was clear Harry had breakfast everyday he was in town at this restaurant and that she and Harry were good friends. Harry put on the hat and asked her what she thought. "Harry, you are so cute in that hat, I love it." she said!  

​Sold!

If that hostess had said she didn't like it, my career would have taken a different path. I am forever indebted to her. I finished breakfast after matching Harry beer for beer. It was 9:30 am, I had sold the campaign, but I still had more than five hours until the game started at Wrigley and I was drunk already. Harry was just warming up. So began my relationship with Cub Fan and Bud Man.

To be continued...