Spring Training Is Over—Time to Start Pretending We Know What’s Coming

Opening Day. Two of the sweetest words in the English language. A new season, a fresh start, and a reason for baseball fans everywhere to believe that this could be the year. It’s like New Year’s Eve, but with hot dogs and beer, instead of champagne. It’s also a signal that summer isn’t too far away—sunshine, ballgames, and the distinct possibility of eating nachos out of a helmet. And the Cubs getting to start the domestic Opening Day here in Phoenix vs the Dbacks is a real bonus!

For me, Opening Day is all of those things. But it’s also bittersweet. Another spring training season is in the books—my forty-second straight with the Cubs. On Tuesday, we wrapped it up in style, snagging one last spring victory and belting out ‘Go Cubs Go’ at Sloan Park. Sure, the games don’t count in spring, but let’s be real—it’s always more fun to win. Especially when you get to hear Cubs fans in full-throated celebration one final time before the real thing begins.

So, there it is. Another spring season is done. My time announcing lineups at Sloan Park—injecting that extra energy into names like “Ian Happ!” “Dansby Swanson!” and “Seiya Suzuki!”—is on pause until next year. The daily rhythm of being around the team, feeling the press box buzz, hanging with friends tailgating at Sloan, has concluded. But you know what? For six weeks every year, I have the best job in the world (if you can even call it a job). Being the stadium announcer for the Cubs is an honor, a thrill, and one of life’s greatest privileges. And I plan on holding onto that mic for as long as they’ll let me.

Of course, no spring training finale would be complete without our tradition—the end-of-season wrap party. It’s a bit like the scene in Caddyshack when the caddies get to use the Bushwood pool for one glorious afternoon. For a few golden hours, we get to hit in the batting cage on the Sloan Park field and shag fly balls in the outfield. There I was, roaming and outfield, beer in hand—a Four Peaks Kilt Lifter Ale, for the record—catching fly balls on the very same grass that Ian Happ, PCA, and Kyle Tucker had patrolled just hours earlier. The same field where the 2016 World Series champion Cubs played. And all I could think about was how lucky I’ve been on this Cubs journey—the incredible people I’ve met, the moments I’ve been part of, the history I’ve witnessed.

Speaking of history, let’s rewind to spring 2017. I had the absolute thrill of being the first Cubs home-field P.A. announcer to say those long-awaited words: “Your World Series Champion Chicago Cubs!” I still get chills thinking about it. At that point, I’d announced thirty-two springs for the Cubs, but that moment? Pure magic.

Now here we are. Another Opening Day. Another chapter in this never-ending baseball novel. If baseball has taught me anything, it’s that life and the game go hand in hand. The struggles, the highs, the lows—the unpredictable ride of it all. As a long-suffering fan of the Cubs, sometimes referred to as Lovable Losers (pre-2016, of course), I’ve come to appreciate the journey. I don’t know what this Cubs season holds, or what life has in store for me, but I do know this—I’m going to approach it with gratitude, enthusiasm, and an unshakable belief that something great is always just around the corner.

Go Cubs!