Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Cubs 365, February 29

Every day in 2012, the Just One Bad Century blog will feature a story about this day in Cubs history. We're calling it Cubs 365.

On Leap day in 1944, Cub fan Dennis Farina was born.

He was a Chicago cop, working as a consultant on cop movies, when he got the acting bug. His first major role: playing a Chicago cop.

He has since gone on to have a distinguished acting career with some classic films and television series among his credits, including "Midnight Run", "Get Shorty", "Saving Private Ryan", "The Mod Squad", "Police Story" and "Law and Order."

But he's also made no secret of his love for the Chicago Cubs. He didn't just play an avid fan alongside Dennis Franz in the play "The Bleacher Bums" for a few years. He lived it.

In 2006, he narrated the Cubs documentary "Wait Til Next Year" for HBO. He also contributed to the film "This Old Cub" in 2004.

And when he comes back to his hometown of Chicago, he makes the pilgrimage to that shrine on the North Side.

Because Dennis Farina is a Cubs fan.