Interviews

View the interview with the Executive Producer of WGN Sports and author of Cubs Forever, Bob Vorwald, below.

WGN has been a pioneer in broadscasting baseball games and has also been very important for the globalization of the Chicago Cubs. What inspired you bring Cubs Forever to a book and television show?
Bob Vorwald - 60 years is an important milestone and I’m proud to be associated with WGN. As is often stated in the book, it’s a relationship that has no equal in American sports. I wanted to make sure pioneers like Jack Brickhouse, Arne Harris, and Jack Rosenberg got their due and wanted our fans to be able to re-live as many of those great moments as possible. Finally, I’m a baseball fan. To spend time before our game each day with Greg Maddux, Billy Williams, and all my other favorite Cubs, plus talk baseball with Jimmy Buffett and Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is a dream come true for this Cubs fan.

I’m left-handed so I do some things backwards. Usually things start off as a book and are made into a TV show or movie. In this case, it was a TV special first, but once I saw how much great stuff I had after my first round of interviews, I worked to see if I could turn out a companion book.

Where is the furthest you've heard someone has watched a Cubs game on WGN?
Bob Vorwald - Thanks to e-mail, mlb.tv, and the Armed Forces Network, we regularly hear from people all over the world during the game. My favorite story might have been a note we got in fall 1998 from Cub fans at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow who were up in the middle of the night following Sosa and the Cubs wild card chase that year. We sent them some Cubs stuff and they sent me a shot of the group in full Cubs gear in front of the Kremlin.

The book pays tribute to many of the hard working members of the WGN crew from the truck to the broadcast booth. Who do you think has the hardest job?
Bob Vorwald - Gee, which one of my kids do I like the best? I don’t think the general public can realize the intense concentration it takes to do 3 hours of baseball. You can’t relax for one pitch because that could be the game-turner. I guess I’ll say our cameramen because they brave the elements each day. Each position has particular skills – I can’t tell you how much I admire our crew for their dedication and passion. Executive producer (me) is probably the easiest job – I watch the game and try to stay the heck out of the way.

Who has been your favorite member of the Cubs over the years?
Bob Vorwald - I’ve been treated so well by all of them, but I’ll tip my cap to the endless grace and class of Billy Williams. His catch in the well on Hank Aaron’s drive in the 7th inning of Ken Holtzman’s 1969 no-hitter is one of my all-time favorite plays because as a player, Billy never took anything for granted.

What has been your favorite moment at Wrigley Field?
Bob Vorwald - Mmmmmm, so hard to pick just one, but I’ll go with the Walk in the Park on September 30, 1984. The Cubs came from behind to win their last home game of the 1984 season and the fans refused to leave. Jim Frey led the entire team back out on the field for a victory lap and I still get chills hearing the roar when the team came out of the locker room. It was the perfect way that regular season and a great display of the love between the fans and the members of the ’84 Cubs.

How long did it take to gather information for the book?
Bob Vorwald - I worked on the project every chance I got for 18 months, but I had been thinking about it and setting things aside for at least five years.

What was the most interesting fact you learned while writing the book?
Bob Vorwald - Off the wall - there was once a ski jump held at Wrigley Field. Coincidence – Kerry Wood and Burt Hooton were both #1 picks from Texas. Hooton threw his no-hitter in his 4th start, Wood’s 20 K’s came in his 5th.


CBB thanks Bob Vorwald and and appreciates his time. Purchase this historic tribute through Amazon.com.