Growing up in the 1960’s and early 1970’s in bucolic Kenilworth, a tiny village in Chicago’s North Shore (the sign welcoming visitors to Kenilworth from the north touted, “Population: 2,800”; the sign on the south end reflected, “Population: 3,000” - no, I never took the time to count heads to verify which was true), I played Little League baseball on the fields behind Joseph Sears Elementary School, and also on a baseball field west of Green Bay Road, accessed via a bicycle underpass leading away from the school, underneath Green Bay Road.
My Kenilworth baseball experience began in 3rd grade, and encompassed a total of six seasons. Saturday was game day, and the season began just as spring weather began to arrive in the Chicago area. I enjoyed playing baseball as a youngster, as did virtually every one of my (male) classmates - sorry girls, no co-ed baseball teams back then. Two-thirds of the three iconic American ideals were represented on those Saturdays: baseball, and Mom (she was usually in the stands at the game) - to my recollection, apple pie was not served at those games, although, that might have been a nice touch, no?
One of the grand traditions associated with Kenilworth baseball during that era was that the manager of the winning team was obligated to treat his (sorry, ladies - again, no female managers back then, either) entire team to a trip to Homer’s Ice Cream, located on Green Bay Road, just over the village border, in Wilmette. Even though Homer’s address was in Wilmette, I have no idea whether or not Wilmette baseball teams exercised the same grand tradition - in my mind, Homer’s was more closely aligned with Kenilworth than with Wilmette, perched, as it was, not one hundred yards from the Kenilworth border.
Homer’s, which was founded in 1935, was the tiny place you see pictured atop this column, when I and other Kenilworth baseball players from that era were visiting, although judging by the vehicles parked in front, this photo is likely from the 1950’s. The shop had two small round tables, with a couple of those old-timey wire chairs, and shoehorning an entire baseball team into the place was no small feat. Homer’s has since expanded, serving burgers and fries and chicken fingers, and has opened a few satellite locations, but the ice cream remains the touchstone.
The first team for which I played struggled - we lost every game, except the final game of the season, which we won. So, according to the rules of engagement back then, we enjoyed zero trips to Homer’s Ice Cream all season, until after the final game. Perhaps it was due to finally breaking that long losing streak that our manager insisted that we indulge in triple-dip ice cream cones during our trip to Homer’s - I might not have the facts correct from that trip from more than fifty years ago - there might have been some lobbying for the third scoop from me and my teammates. In any event, our manager still made out financially that season, versus his fellow managers, who logged a few wins along the way. I have no concrete evidence, mind you, that he actively pushed for us to “take a dive” during that season, in order that he would avoid the negative financial impact associated with multiple trips to Homer’s; perhaps we were simply a lousy baseball team.
Kenilworth baseball players were not the only customers of Homer’s Ice Cream. Legend has it (and, by legend, I mean the Rule of Three research staff Googled a few random websites) that notorious gangster, Al Capone, was a frequent customer, as he had a lakefront house a bit north of Kenilworth, in Glencoe. Capone is described as being one of "Gus Poulos’ (Homer’s Ice Cream founder) “. . .most pleasant customers.” Yeah, I can see that, Al Capone has been portrayed as quite a likeable fellow, including in this memorable film clip from The Untouchables, which ironically reflects his great love of baseball - enjoy. . .
Likely this incident was followed by a visit to Homer’s Ice Cream, because, as you can plainly see, “AC” recorded a “W” during this particular ballgame.
Since that time (the 1960’s and the early 1970’s - not Capone’s time), youth sports has evolved into a “participation trophy” environment - I suspect that all Kenilworth baseball teams now visit Homer’s Ice Cream (or, perhaps an all-organic, gluten-free, lactose-free ice cream parlor), win or lose. And, maybe that’s OK. What life-lessons did we absorb from the “ice cream is for winners” philosophy? Predictably, there are roughly 28 gazillion motivational quotes involving winning to choose from, including, famously, Charlie Sheen’s drug- and mental breakdown-induced views on winning. So, why did I settle on this one, from a Canadian-born NBA basketball player?
Everything is good when you're winning. But true colors come out when you lose.
- Jamal Murray -
If Murray’s perspective were true, during that first season in Kenilworth baseball, me and my teammates could likely have appeared in a Broadway production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, owing to the embarrassment of riches we enjoyed in the loss column.
I consider it a bit un-American to award the last word in any column to a Canadian, so I think it appropriate to share with you a film clip from a classic 1992 film, Glengarry Glen Ross, which is a great film, and features an all-star cast, including: Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Al Pacino, and Alec Baldwin. You didn’t realize that this column would check the “film critic” box for you this week - what have I become: Rotten Tomatoes? You thought this was going to simply be a heartwarming story of bygone days - sorry to disappoint. This film is a must-view for sales professionals - it definitely takes the Homer’s Ice Cream stance regarding winning - enjoy. . .
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