'We're spoiled and we know it': Happ reflects on being a Cub ahead of 150th celebration

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO – Ian Happ cracked a smile while sharing an anecdote about how some of the Cubs’ Hall of Famers will give the current players a hard time about their fancy clubhouse and training spaces. The players’ locker room back in the day at Wrigley Field is now used for the ballpark’s grounds crew.

“We’re spoiled,” Happ quipped. “And we know it.”

What Happ appreciates is that the modern-day Cubs still occupy the Friendly Confines. The National League’s oldest park has been home to the ballclub for 110 of their 150 years, so even if the conditions have changed, the field has remained a common ground, in a sense. From Hack Wilson to Ernie Banks to Ryne Sandberg to Ian Happ, Wrigley Field has been home.

“The locker room’s changed. Bleachers are a little bigger,” Happ said. “But the field dimensions haven’t changed. You’re playing with a brick wall and checking the flags. Having those experiences to talk about and being able to have the same experience is pretty remarkable.”

This weekend, the Cubs are holding a celebration in honor of the organization’s 150th anniversary season, including unveiling an all-time roster for the franchise. Happ, who is the longest-tenured position player on the current team, made the cut among a who’s who group of outfielders from many eras of Cubs baseball.

And it has not been lost on Happ that he has gotten to know players like Billy Williams (1959-74) and Andre Dawson (1987-92) personally during his decade with the North Siders. The Cubs make a point to include their franchise icons in Spring Training, while hosting club greats routinely during home games and again at Cubs Convention over the offseason.

“An incredible part about being a Cub,” Happ said, “is that the organization treats the guys that played here a long time and made a huge impact like family. They’re around. They really are a piece of the organization – the fabric of the organization. It’s not like they’re around once a year and you say hi. You really do get to know them, and I feel really lucky to have been a part of that.”

You can actually trace a line from Happ via teammates to the Cubs’ first season in 1876.

Happ debuted in 2017 and was teammates with Antony Rizzo, who played his first season for the Cubs in 2012 and was part of the group that grew into the ‘16 World Series champions. Rizzo was teammates in ‘12 with Alfonso Soriano, who first suited up for the North Siders in 2007. That ‘07 team included Kerry Wood, who struck out 20 batters in a single game and won the Rookie of the Year in 1998.

In ‘98, Wood’s teammate, slugger Sammy Sosa, launched 66 homers, won the NL MVP and was on his way to the franchise record for home runs. Sosa debuted for the Cubs in 1992, when Greg Maddux won the NL Cy Young Award for Chicago. Maddux broke into the bigs with the Cubs in 1986, when Sandberg was in the midst of his run of eight straight Gold Glove Awards.

Sandberg joined the Cubs in 1982, when Fergie Jenkins – one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history – was nearing the end of his run with the club. Jenkins, of course, was a part of the iconic 1960s Cubs teams, debuting for the franchise in 1966 with Ernie Banks, affectionately known Mr. Cub, on the roster. Banks broke the color barrier for the Cubs in 1953 and went on to win back-to-back MVP Awards (‘58-59).

Banks’ first Cubs team included Phil Cavarretta, a local product who played all 22 years of his career (20 with the Cubs and two with the White Sox) in Chicago. From Cavarretta, you can connect back to Gabby Hartnett to Bob O’Farrell to Frank “Wildfire” Schulte to Frank Chance (of Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance fame) to Jimmy Ryan and then finally, Cap Anson, and the 1876 founding club.

“It’s hard to wrap your head around,” Happ said. “That’s crazy.”

Happ appreciates when he sees younger players understand the importance of meeting and chatting with some of the Cubs’ all-time greats. Like Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong has gotten to know Williams over the last few years. There was a great scene a couple springs ago, when Matt Shaw was pulled into conversation with the late Sandberg, along with Mark Grace, Shawon Dunston, Rick Sutcliffe and Jenkins.

The current players enter Wrigley Field only steps away from a row of statues featuring a few icons who are still around the team.

“You get to know these guys and what they’ve achieved and what they've accomplished,” Happ said. “I think passing that down is important. I think it’s important to have some perspective for what guys have accomplished in this game and how hard it is.”