When the Chicago Cubs finally finished guzzling champagne and Budweiser in the clubhouse following their NLCS-clinching win over the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday night, the party was just beginning. The afterparty, which was held at Jon Lester’s house, featured a very special guest.
Eddie Vedder, the lead singer of Pearl Jam and a diehard Cubbies fan, put on a private show at Jon Lester’s house. Lester knew he had to get home in a hurry, and he admits he broke the law to do so after leaving Wrigley Field.
“I wasn’t abiding by many of the traffic laws,” the left-hander said, via Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. “I was going down the opposite way on streets. I was telling the guys in the car, ‘If we can get away with it any night, it’s tonight.’”
Lester’s wife had called him to let him know the celebration from Wrigley spilled over into his neighborhood, and people were toilet papering his house. Those not-so-brave fans took off when Lester finally pulled up. Passan summarized how the rest of the night (or morning) went:
Toilet-paper embellishment averted, Lester and the Cubs could get on with the night’s events. While the rest of the city rejoiced over the Cubs going to the World Series for the first time in 71 years – and the real possibility of their first championship in 108 – the team retreated to Lester’s home and stayed up until sunrise eating and drinking and listening to Eddie Vedder strum his guitar and sing songs. It was the perfect party for this team that has stared at expectations and met them, one last night of ribaldry before the ultimate test begins here Tuesday.
Reigning NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta, who Passan described as “a little sloppy” since he knew he would not have to pitch in Game 7, really seemed to enjoy himself.
“One of the greatest rock stars of all time is over hanging out with us, playing songs and singing along,” Arrieta said. “Memories you can’t forget. Things I’m gonna tell my friends and family and kids and grandkids until I can’t tell ’em anymore. To do it with a group of guys like this – we’re family. This is a bond we’ll have for the rest of our lives.”
If the Cubs go on to win the World Series and break a 108-year curse, every member of the organization will be more of a celebrity than Vedder — at least for one night. Think of all the crazy things we have heard about the Cubs being cursed. While the Cleveland Indians are dealing with quite the championship drought of their own, the Cubs’ is the most remarkable in sports. Four more wins and people like Vedder will simply be along for the ride.
