Celebrities weren’t as plentiful in Houston as they were at U.S. Cellular Field over the weekend. But actor Matthew McConaughey caused a stir when he left his private box and went to the bathroom in the third inning of Tuesday’s game.
He was flanked by women with cameras, who patiently waited for him to exit the bathroom in the club level at Minute Maid Park.
When he was done, McConaughey ran back to his private box yelling, “Beat the Sox.” He was, of course, chased the entire way by women with cameras clicking.
Joys of youth
In a northwest suburban living room adorned with Sox memorabilia, the anticipation of an 11-year-old boy with tickets to Game 1 of the Series was measured in moments.
Brian Krueger, who suffers from an inoperable tumor, wasn’t feeling well in the days before Game 1. But when his dad began to talk about the Sox, the 6th grader smiled and flipped through a thick binder of baseball cards on his lap.
“Don’t worry, you’re going to feel better by Saturday,” Kenneth Krueger told his son.
A Sox employee learned about Brian from his Little League teammates and got his Lake in the Hills family four tickets. Friends and Krueger’s co-workers paid for them.
First diagnosed at age 4 with a brain tumor, Brian underwent surgery, chemotherapy and 31 radiation treatments. After relearning how to walk, he thrived for five years. A tumor appeared a year ago. Through it all, baseball has been a source of happiness.
“I want to see them win,” he said.
Join the bandwagon!
Tucked in a Homewood video store parking lot, Ronna Rogers was doing brisk business Tuesday on Sox gear. She’s one of legions of street vendors cashing in, as customers were jamming her makeshift booth at 183rd and Dixie Highway.
The most popular T-shirt was Konerko’s, though after Sunday’s heroics she had an unexpected run on Scott Podsednik-wear.
Stanley Jackson, a diehard Cubs fan, was snatching up another model: a T-shirt with the words “Switch Happens.” It depicts fans jumping off a bandwagon and heading South.
“Around August, I found myself emotionally involved,” Jackson admits. “You can’t help but be drawn in.”
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Brothers in baseball
As soon as the phone rings during the World Series, Mark Voss knows who’s calling: his twin Michael.
Mark, who lives in the Houston suburb of Katy, roots for the Astros. Michael, of Naperville, is a Sox fan. His calls are usually to talk trash or blare “Let’s Go Go-Go White Sox,” theme song of the 1959 league champions.
The twins, 47, agree on most things but can’t reconcile their disagreement this week. It’ll be settled with a bet. Sox win, and Mark will send fajitas from the chain Mexican restaurant Ninfa’s. If the Astros win, Michael will dispatch Home Run Inn pizza and ribs from Carson’s.
Learning to love it
It was a World Series holiday at work. For Mimi Garcia, Marisa DeVito and Rosa Carioscia–58, 59, and 61, respectively–Tuesday night meant a night off for their sons, owners of la vita restaurant on Taylor Street.
Two of the owners were watching Game 3 elsewhere. The three mothers had volunteered to manage the restaurant. But not many people were interested in visiting. And so, the three watched the game from a table, their eyes hardly wavering from the television.
A month ago, the moms said, they barely cared about baseball.
“I thought it was a boring game,” Carioscia said. “Now I love it.”
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