"You the living, you're stuck here with the Cubs."

Well, this is the most charming thing I've seen in a long while. It's Steve Goodman singing his song "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request" on a rooftop right outside Wrigley Field. I had never heard of Goodman, but it seems he was a singer-songwriter who met with some success when others -- like Arlo Guthrie and David Allen Coe -- interpreted his material. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 1969, and died in 1984 at the age of 36. He didn't live to see the Cubs in a playoff game, but the team played in one just eleven days after he passed away. He had been scheduled to sing the national anthem.

Based on the reference to Keith Moreland, who started playing for the Cubs in 1982, this must have been recorded in the last year or two of Goodman's life. In any case, it's intimate and funny and moving. And I think Goodman would believe it an appropriate choice after the Cubbies were swept over the weekend. Enjoy:



Here's another clip of Goodman. Seems like he had a genuinely joyful spirit, and I'm suddenly wrapping up this weekend in a wistful mood.

(Via Reel Fanatic)