Beech Tree News Network

Cubs’ fans wept, cheered, and sat in disbelief when their beloved team broke their 108-year curse and won the World Series.  Some fans had been waiting a lifetime for this to happen; local-resident Opal Burden is one of those fans.  At the age of 90, he had waited 76 years for his team to win. When I came to visit him and his family on Saturday, it was very apparent that the love of the Cubs was a family affair.

Even family members uninterested in sports turn their eyes and ears to the television during baseball season to cheer on their patriarch’s team.
Opal Burden's love for the Cubs began around 1940. In 1944 he and the love of his life, Anna Rose, moved to McLean, Illinois for work.  Not only was he closer to work he was now closer to his favorite team, 156 miles to be exact.  While in Illinois, he built a life for himself and his family. Established in his community, Opal became the little league coach for his son Steve's team, also called the Cubs. Every year as coach he took his team to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs play, passing his fandom for the team onto his players. Opal said that he could fit the whole little league team in two cars to transport them to Wrigley Field, laughingly he advised that one of those vehicles was a 55 Chevy and not a station wagon. Opal and Anna Rose’s best friends Dorothy and Wayne Cleeson’s son Barry was their star pitcher on his little league team. Opal's impact on his team was so strong that his former players still keep up with him and his family till this day.  While the series was playing out last week, his family received texts, calls, and social media messages wishing him well and letting him know that they were rooting for a win for him. 
Growing up Mesha and her sister Angie recalled their father turning the sound off on the television, and sitting his radio on top of the set so that he could listen to famous broadcaster Harry Carary announce the game play by play. Opal preferred to hear the legendary broadcaster instead of the one on the television because it was much more exciting. 

Two special items of memorabilia that are close to Opal’s heart is a baseball signed by members of his little league team from Illinois and a very special gift of a baseball signed by Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg from his niece, Betty Brand.
On Valentine's Day 1967, Opal and Anna Rose made the decision to move their family back to Kentucky. Here Opal planted roots once again, and the love for the Cubs continued to grow with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

For Opal’s 90th birthday his children Angie (Shirley) Flener, Wayne (Teresa) Burden, and grandson Ty Burden planned a trip to Wrigley Field for Opal to see his team play. While there he was greeted by everyone, even having his pictures displayed on the Jumbo Tron for all to see. Even the staff at the hotel they were staying was taken with Opal.  On their return trip from Chicago, they stopped to stay at a hotel in Lafayette, Indiana. While making small talk with the staff, his children told them it was his 90th birthday, and they were taking him to a Cubs game. The next morning when they awoke the hotel staff had baked him a birthday cake.   Another special gesture for Opal’s 90th birthday was the shirts his family had made.

Each in the family had a shirt with a player number. Opal is "00, " and from there, his children and spouses are numbered in order all the way to his newest grandchild. The back of the shirt is designed as draft picks. The first draft is his children, the second draft is his grandchildren, and the third draft is his great-grandchildren.
For two nights straight the entire Burden family gathered with their baseball patriarch to watch the series. Anywhere from 15-40 family members were present during both nights to cheer the team on with Opal.   The family is already planning a trip for Opal to return to Wrigley Field in 2017.  When asked what he thought about the Cubs winning, his response was, "They owed it to me."

Opal Burden lives in Morgantown with his son Wayne and wife Teresa.  Together, Opal and Anna Rose have 5 children, 18 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren with one more on the way.  All of them to date are Cubs fans.