We Say Goodbye to the “King of Wrigley Field”: Yosh Kawano, RIP

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The “King of Wrigley Field” Passes Away, Yosh Kawano, RIP

 “I think he saw more bad baseball than any man should be forced to watch.” –Sportswriter John Schulian, speaking of Yosh Kawano, the Cubs’ long-time clubhouse manager, who passed away yesterday at age 97.

Lets face it…if you worked for the Cubs for 65 years, you’ve probably seen a lot of bad baseball!

Every once in a while, I like to shine the spotlight on the overlooked, often forgotten, men and women who work out-of-the-lime light and in the shadows of the big league players. I’m talking about ticket-takers, front office personnel, vendors, grounds crew, club house attendants – usually putting in long hours for low pay – who are an integral part of the game we love. 

So I can’t let the day go by without acknowledging the passing of legendary Yosh Kawano, the long-time Wrigley Field club house manager who had been with the Cubs for 65 years.  I can remember as a kid back in the1950’s seeing Yosh and his floppy-brimmed fishing hat sticking his head out of the entrance to the Cubs’ clubhouse down the left field line. 

Yosh began his association with the Cubs as a spring training bat boy in 1935; and later became full-time club house manager in 1943. The combat-decorated World War II veteran was still at the same job until 2008, when he turned 88. Kawano served under 37 different Cub managers, including such baseball icons as Gabby Hartnett, Charlie Grimm, Stan Hack, Phil Cavarretta, and Leo Durocher. He was even there for the ill-fated “College of Coaches.” During his years at Wrigley Field, he also saw 12 general managers and two ownerships come and go. Over the years, he became friends with many celebrities, including Frank Sinatra; and Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Ted Williams once mentioned Yosh Kawano as one of his favorite people in the game.

But there’s no doubt he saw a lot of bad baseball. According to Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander:

“The Cubs finished sixth or worse, in either the league or the division 24 times while Kawano was doing the laundry and sanitizing the bathrooms. But he cherished his job through it all.”

Yosh’s signature white floppy hat, made famous during the Harry Caray years, is now enshrined in Cooperstown. When the Wrigley family sold the Cubs to the Tribune Co. in 1981, a “Kawano clause” was reportedly written into the contract, so that Yosh would always have a job with the Cubs.

In declining mental and physical health due to Parkinson’s disease and dementia, the “King of Wrigley Field” – as Mark Grace so aptly named him – fortunately lived long enough to see the 2016 Cubs win their first World Series since 1908. His good friend, Ryne Sandberg said, “He lived to witness the World Series and I know he was aware of it. I feel very good about that.”

Cub Chairman Tom Ricketts paid tribute yesterday: “Yosh was truly one of a kind and an integral part of our family and history.”

Yosh Kawano, RIP

Gary Livacari

Photo Credits: All from Google search

Information: Excerpts and quotes edited from article by Paul Sullivan on Chicago Tribune on-line, June 27, 2018 ; and article in Chicago Sun-Times by Rick Teleander: Order Like No Other, June 27, 2018 

Check out my two books, both now available on Amazon in e-book and paperback:  “Paul Pryor in His Own Words: The Life and TImes of a 20-Year Major League Umpire” and “Memorable World Series Moments.” All profits go to the Illinois Veterans Foundation