Page 33 - November 2017 Magazine

hi ago oli e f er who re i te this
The greatest impact the Chicago Police made on the World Series might have come nearly nine months be- fore that glorious extra-inning, Game 7 victory.
On Feb. 9, Cubs Hitting Coach John Mallee vis- ited his father, John Sr., a retired Chicago Police officer. John raised his son to be a Cubs fan, even though they lived in the Hegewisch neighborhood of the City that is sometimes known as White Sox turf. That was four days before the start of spring training, and John Sr. had a message for his son.
“He looked at me before I left and said, ‘You and the Cubs are going to win the City a World Series this year,’” Mallee told the Chicago Tribune. “I said, ‘Pops, we’re going to give it our best shot.’ That was the last time I saw him.’”
On Feb. 13, John Mallee Sr. died at the age of 82. He was known around the Department for his fascination with electronic gadgets and known around the neigh- borhood as a devoted youth baseball coach who would put a glove on his left hand and hold a bat in his right, drilling ground balls for his son to practice fielding.
What John Jr. knew little about was his dad’s military service during the Korean War. Only after his death did John Jr. discover why their father was fixated on the No. 11, why he insisted that John Jr. wear the number on his baseball uniform.
Shortly after his death, while going through her fa- ther’s boxes, John’s daughter, Kathy, discovered patches and military paperwork indicating that he was part of the Army’s 11th Airborne Division. Kathy had a plaque made with her father’s name, the dates of his birth and death, the words “11th Airborne Division” and an army logo.
On Father’s Day, before a home game against the Pi- rates, Kathy hand-delivered the framed flag to John,
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moments are primarily Downtown adventures.
This was THE CUBS in THE WORLD SERIES at a 102-year-old ballpark which happens to reside among
the corner stores and three-flats of Lakeview.
To a person, the officers marveled at the scale of things: Approximately 1,200 were assigned to the Wrig- leyville detail. Bike patrol, mounted patrol, organized crime, drug saturation units, undercover, cops from districts across the City – they each had a role in watch- ing the throngs of fans come and go amid unprece- dented street closures and parking bans that essentially
made Wrigleyville a baseball oasis.
“I think a lot of planning went into it and we just did
what we needed to do,” commented Kelly Cusack, who was assigned to the World Series from the Third Dis- trict. “It seems to me like we have it under control and were able to keep everybody happy. Obviously, that’s
along with a separate, smaller frame that included three of their father’s military patches.
John hung the flag over his locker at Wrigley and dis- played the patches inside. He taps both frames before every home game, quietly telling his father, “Help me get through today, Pops.” d
always our first objective – to protect the citizens. And each other.”
From the hub that is Clark and Addison to farther outposts on arterial streets, the officers stood tall and mindful to prevent any bad guys from ruining the par- ty, and some of the efforts and exploits are detailed in the following pages. They also enjoyed their time in the spotlight, posing for pictures and offering friendly ad- vice to blue-clad passers by. Blocks from the action, at Waveland and Ashland, two officers drew a big smile from a young Cubs fan by exchanging high fives of en- couragement with them.
And there it was. The fans flocked to The Friendly Confines to will their team closer to the now-attained World Series title, while police officers went above and beyond the norm to show the City, the team and the fans they were right beside them on this exciting baseball journey. d
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NOVEMBER 2016 33