- Yosh Kawano
Yosh Kawano (born
June 4 ,1921 ) is the longtime clubhouse manager for theChicago Cubs known for his trademark white fishing hat. Kawano's long service and dedication to the team have made him a part of Chicago Cubs team lore. Kawano is honored in the "Cubs Walk of Fame", a series of banners hanging in the concourse ofWrigley Field . (Kawano also had a plaque in the original Walk of Fame, a series plaques embedded in the concrete walkway outside the main entrance toWrigley Field at the corner of Clark and Addison Streets inChicago [cite web |url=http://www.wrigleyexpansion.com/art2.html |title=Cubs to unveil updated Walk of Fame |accessdate=2008-06-25 |date=2002-04-02] .) Reportedly, the contract for the sale of the Cubs from the Wrigley family to theChicago Tribune in 1981 included a clause to guarantee Kawano a job for life with the Cubs. Former Cubs player and enshrined member of theBaseball Hall of Fame Ryne Sandberg has suggested that if the Cubs were ever to change the name of Wrigley Field, that the ballpark should be named "Yosh Kawano Field" [cite web |url=http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=rs-openingday040505&prov=yhoo&type=lgns |title=Vote of confidence |accessdate=2008-06-25 |date=2005-04-05 |author=Ryne Sandberg |publisher=Yahoo! Sports] . Sandberg also thanked Kawano in his Hall of Fame induction speech [cite web |url=http://www.cubsnet.com/node/526 |title=Ryne Sandberg's Hall-of-Fame Induction Speech |accessdate=2008-06-25 |date=2005-07-31] .On June 16th, 2008, Kawano donated his trademark fishing hat to the
Baseball Hall of Fame inCooperstown, New York . [cite web |url=http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080616&content_id=2942480&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc |title=Kawano donates hat to Hall of Fame|accessdate=2008-07-12 |date=2008-06-16 |author=Bruce Markusen |publisher=MLB.com] . On Thursday, June 26th, 2008, it was announced that Yosh Kawano would be retiring at the conclusion of the 2008 season. Kawano joined Cubs' Hall of Famer Billy Williams as guest conductor for "Take Me Out To the Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch of the Cubs-Orioles game on June 26, 2008, a game which the Cubs lost 11-4 to the Baltimore Orioles.His brother, Nobu Kawano, was the equipment manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers for many years.
References
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