Feb. 19--MESA, Ariz. -- It's never too early to start planning ahead, and now is as good a time as any to begin preparations for the Cubs' 2016 championship.
Pitchers and catchers report to Cubs camp on Friday, and the start of the regular season is only seven weeks away. It won't be long until November rolls around, and with so many experts and oddsmakers suggesting this finally is the year, it's best to get a head start on the inevitable post-Series celebrations.
The first item of business, naturally, is planning the parade and rally.
It has become Chicago tradition in the 21st century to start the parade at the stadium you play in and head downtown. The White Sox started at U.S. Cellular Field in 2005. The motorcade snaked through Bridgeport, Pilsen, Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown and Bronzeville before it got to the corner of Jackson and LaSalle streets, where the parade officially began. It ended at the corner of LaSalle and Wacker Drive, where the players were introduced on the main stage and Paul Konerko famously gave the ball he caught for the final out to Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. Many tears were shed.
The Blackhawks' 2015 parade started with a motorcade from the United Center heading downtown, with the official parade jumping off at Monroe and Jefferson streets and going east to Michigan Avenue, leading up to the much-anticipated profanity Corey Crawford uttered at the Soldier Field rally. It was bleeping great.
These were awesome parades and memorable moments, but the Cubs have no choice but to top those because the whole world will be watching, with the exception of certain South Side wards.
So let's do it in reverse and end up at the place where it all happened. Start the motorcade on lower Michigan Avenue outside the Billy Goat Tavern and snake north to Wrigleyville, with the parade officially starting on Rush Street. Then it's over to Old Town, up Halsted through Boystown and heading west on Addison to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.
Despite its limited capacity, the rally really should be inside Wrigley, where the Cubs have played without a championship since their first season there in 1916.
Grant Park and Soldier Field may hold more people, but we've been there, done that. Wrigleyville will be gridlock, but at that point, not even the neighbors will complain. Probably.
Next up is the traditional White House visit, which the Blackhawks took again on Thursday.
Some will argue the Cubs should wait until 2017 for the next president to take office, knowing Barack Obama is a self-admitted Sox fan as well as a lame duck. They assuredly will point out Teddy Roosevelt didn't invite the 1908 Cubs to the White House when he was a lame duck president, so the precedent already has been set.
Should we wait and see if Hillary Clinton, an alleged Cubs fan, becomes president? Or Ted Cruz, giving us a wonderful photo-op of Cruz and his doppelganger, Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts?
No, the best option is to go to the White House before Obama leaves office. He admitted to the Tribune last October he was rooting for the Cubs to win the World Series. It could be his last hurrah.
Lastly, where do we put the Joe Maddon statue?
The obvious spot is outside the center field bleachers where the Harry Caray statue is slated to return in 2016. Caray and Maddon are kindred spirits who epitomize the Cubs without actually having played for them.
Personally, I would have the Maddon statue standing next to the Ernie Banks statue. Any manager who brings the Cubs a championship deserves a place alongside Mr. Cub.
Then again, we could just wait and see what happens this year before making all these grand plans.
But what fun would that be?
psullivan@tribpub.com
