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LEMONS
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During the mid-20s, one unknown Cubs fan started a tradition that lasted two decades. He brought a bag of lemons for every game and threw them at players and umpires that displeased him.
This "lemon-tossing" caught on, and the sale of lemons in Chicago went up noticeably. During the very public dispute between Hack Wilson and Rogers Hornsby late in the 1931 season, future Hall of Famer Hornsby (photo) was pelted by lemons every time he stepped on the field.
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The fans loved Hack and they hated Hornsby.
Hornsby wasn't the only Hall of Famer to be pelted with lemons. Maybe the most famous baseball player of all time, Babe Ruth, received the biggest lemon shower in Wrigley history.
It started in batting practice. After Babe hit nine homers, he shouted to the Cubs bench: "I'd play for half my salary if I could hit in this dump all the time."
The fans responded by tossing lemons at the Babe, and he playfully tossed them back.
Lemons were thrown during the game too. Billy Jurges threw wildly on the first ball the Yankees hit in the first inning. Joe Sewell followed with a walk, and the fans erupted when Ruth casually homered deep into the rightfield bleachers to give New York a 3-0 lead.
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Lemons poured onto the field as he circled the bases.
With the score tied at four-all in the fifth Ruth was up again. Some more lemons were tossed at him along with all the chosen words the Cub bench could muster. With the count 2-2, the next pitch was a moment that will in infamy.
Did Babe really call his shot? Probably not.
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But he really did hit another home run and once again the lemons flew from the stands.
In the years that have since passed, Wrigley Field has acquired the nickname: "The Friendly Confines," but it obviously wasn't always the case.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Cubs fans weren't just sore losers.
They were sour losers.
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