Chicago has always been a town divided, particularly in its love of baseball. The White Sox are the pride of the South Side, and the Cubs the north, and with the boys in blue heading even further into the postseason tonight, fans are on edge. (No one more so than South Siders who are not only fans of the Sox, but also of whoever plays the Cubs.) However, some White Sox fans should take a step back and remember that the bearded man in the 3-D glasses emblazoned on their T-shirt is none other than Bill Murray… and he’s a Cubs fan, so “my friend, don’t be a jerk.”
On April 17th, 1987, Evanston native Murray sat in as color commentator—filling in for Harry Caray—with Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone. The Cubs were off to a rough start that year with four losses in a row, and were taking on the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals). This YouTube clip is essentially Murray being Murray for 40 minutes; at the 11-minute mark, he says that “anybody that can’t get drunk before the eighth inning doesn’t belong here anyway” in response to Wrigley Field cutting off beer sales late in the game. Murray also cracks wise that “these guys from Venezuela always say they’re from Caracas, but I bet he’s from the suburbs,” a sly nod to people from the Chicago suburbs claiming they’re from the city. That Murray charm is prevalent throughout the clip, and as per usual, is good for more than a few laughs. Even more impressive is Steve Stone, who keeps a straight face through the whole thing.