CHICAGO -- Like swallows returning to Capistrano, celebrities flock to Wrigley Field every October.
It has become a rite of passage, at least since the Cubs evolved from lovable losers to perennial contenders.
There's Eddie Vedder, the muse of the Cubs front office, who heeded Theo Epstein's advice in 2015 to leave his Octobers free from now on. And there's Bill Murray, Chicago's very own uberfan recently seen hobnobbing with old pals at the Loyola-Mount Carmel high school football game in Wilmette.
John Cusack assuredly will be there in the premium seats, probably dressed in black from head to toe and sitting next to his friend Chris Chelios, who's back home working for the Blackhawks. Billy Corgan figures to stop by, too, reminding us he was attending games during the Mike Quade era when most celebs were ignoring the Cubs.
We look forward to their arrival because we like to know famous Chicagoans haven't forgotten their roots, and also to get photos for our Facebook and Instagram posts.
While the legion of Cubs celebs prepares for the postseason, Milwaukee's celebrity fan already is in playoff form.
"Get rid of Pina NOW," he tweeted Tuesday night after Brewers catcher Manny Pina struck out with two out and two on to end the seventh inning of a 3-0 loss to the Cubs.
That celebrity fan is Kato Kaelin, whose Twitter profile (Kato--Kaelin) describes him as a "Former houseguest, current adult, but now living behind my own house." The name might not register with millennials, but any fan of 1990s culture remembers Kaelin as the spaced-out surfer dude who once lived with O.J. Simpson and testified during Simpson's double-murder trial.
Though he got rid of the surfer look, Kaelin continues to trade off his 15 minutes of fame as a quasi-entertainer while asserting himself on Twitter as one of Brewers manager Craig Counsell's most vocal critics. He's not your typical celebrity fan, acting more like an angry sports-radio caller when things aren't going right for the Brew Crew.
During the Cubs-Brewers game Sept. 3 at Miller Park, Kaelin tweeted: "Listen CLOSELY. This is why u FIRE COUNSELL Brewers -- SHAW W BASES LOADED HAS NEVER DELIVERED. Look at PAST AT BATS. SHAW JUST SUCKS! EVERY MILW FAN KNOWS THIS. Counsell u R G-D AWFUL. U BLEW IT AGAIN. I CANT STAND THIS GUY. Chances r few vs Cubs -- COUNSELL & SHAW SUCK."
This was after Kaelin called out Christian Yelich (mvp? Ha), Jesus Aguilar (we knew u would K), Ryan Braun (Trade Braun now 2!) and Josh Hader (He's lost it & I will say it LOUDLY, HE SUCKS & just blew the SEASON!).
The Hader tweet was in response to the two-run home run the reliever served up to Anthony Rizzo in a game the Brewers came back to win in the bottom of the ninth. Kaelin then posted a video of a "victory dance" with Charo, another one-note celebrity from the 1970s who became famous for saying "cuchi-cuchi." Kaelin added to the post: "Still need to fire Counsell."
Kaelin didn't tweet when Hader struck out six Cubs in a row during the Brewers' victory Monday at Wrigley.
This is nothing new, as we reported last year during the Cubs-Brewers stretch drive. But with the Brewers having a 97 percent chance of making the postseason, according to ESPN.com, we could get our first real glimpse of Kaelin in the October spotlight. It's unlikely the Brewers would welcome him to Miller Park, but perhaps the Cubs could find him a ticket for a game at Wrigley if the teams meet in the NL Division Series.
A seat right behind the Brewers dugout, where Kaelin could heckle Counsell and the Brewers players in person?
Now that's something we could all look forward to.
Sports on 09/13/2018