Saying farewell to a former Cub

At 33, trades involving my favorite teams typically don’t affect me quite like they did when I was 8. Back then, the loss of a favorite player from “my” team would send me running for the comfort of my boxes of baseball cards. But now, my joy or disgust quickly dissolves after a random Facebook post or debate with a fellow sports fan.

There is an exception.

Wednesday afternoon, as the news of the Chicago Cubs’ trade of Derrek Lee to the Atlanta Braves became official, a part of me held the feeling of that disappointed 8-year-old running for the comfort of the boxes of baseball cards.

While my love of sports hasn’t changed much since I was 8, my feelings toward the athletes have. Most of that simply has to do with growing up. I don’t idolize players like I did when I was 8. And like many sports fans, I’ve become much more cynical about the business of sports.

As fans get older, admiration evolves into respect. There are those players you love to follow, love to watch. Some, you might even find some sort of connection with.

Our family adopted Derrek Lee as our favorite player, and it goes beyond what Lee accomplished on the field during his seven seasons with the Cubs. He’s a Gold Glove first baseman who was as consistent as any National League hitter during his prime. He never seemed to draw any negative attention and hasn’t portrayed the image of the modern day sports prima donna.

But above all of that, Lee is a father to a daughter with a congenital disease and special needs. My wife and I are also parents of a daughter with special needs. Lee became an advocate for his daughter, teaming with a group to create Project 3000, which was formed to support those affected by Leber’s congenital amaurosis, a rare genetic disease.

We’ve always respected that, and as little as it may be, we felt a connection with Lee.

Professional sports have never been immune to turnover. Mike Ditka, an ultimate Bear, also played in Philadelphia and Dallas. Ron Santo, a former Chicago player who will always bleed Cub blue, capped his career on the South Side, playing a season for the White Sox.

But today, professional sports is a business of perpetual change. It’s that business that consistently drives players from one city to another. Gone is a time when young fans could grow up watching their favorite players as they stay on their favorite team. With a “what have you done for me lately” attitude fueled by a variety of factors — salary caps, bloated salaries, merchandising and marketing — a player who was once recognized as part of the foundation of a franchise can quickly become expendable.

Lee was the consummate Cub, a pillar of the franchise, for many of the aforementioned reasons. But sadly, with this trade to Atlanta, Lee’s future with the Cubs became a casualty of the business.

I’ve always felt there’s something good about having that team you follow loyally. It becomes a constant in your life. Good or bad, year in and year out, that team is there.

Stealing a line from the movie, “Fever Pitch,” “I like being part of something that’s bigger than me, than I. It’s good for your soul to invest in something you can’t

control.”

Even in a time when professional sports seem to lack purity, there’s something pure about that statement.

As I get older, these connections with pro athletes become more distant. It’s now more about the team and less about the players, in my mind.

I know I will never again view a player as I saw Walter Payton when I was 8 years old. It was 1985, and the Chicago Bears were en route to winning Super Bowl XX. It’s the first sports season I vividly remember from start to finish. My idols, Jim McMahon, Mike Singletary and especially Payton, were more than human to me.

But things change.

In the past several years, thanks to that small connection we felt, Derrek Lee seemed human to us. And that’s why he’s our favorite player.

Good luck in Atlanta Derrek.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.