Forever Loyal - A Salute To The Cubs Fans And Their Field
Forever Loyal: A Salute to Cubs Fans and Their Fieldis a doubleheader of Chicago Cub info.  The first segment, "Inside Chicago: Wrigley Field" is a 26-minute exploration of the inner workings of the "friendly confines," from the players' clubhouse to the hand-operated scoreboard to the concession stands.  The second segment, "The Cub Fan," tries to dissect what makes these long-suffering stalwarts tick.  There are some celebrities in the Bob Costas-hosted 53-minute feature (political pundit George Will, writer-historian Jerome Holtzman, former Cub player Ron Santo), but mostly it's normal fans who explain their affliction (a large part of it is hereditary).  A special bonus is "Fandemonium: 2003 in Wrigleyville," an 8-minute compilation of giddy fan interviews as they gather outside the park before the 6th game of the National League Championship Series, when a World Series trip was only nine innings away.  Unfortunately, they should have paid heed to a statement in "Inside Chicago: Wrigley Field" (which was produced during the 2002 season): "As fans grow more insistent on becoming part of the action, their interactions with the players has increased."  The bizarre fan incident that helped derail the Cubs' 2003 playoff run is the kind of addition to the Cub curse that will makeForever Loyaleither a reassuring visit or a painful reminder of what it means to be a Cub fan.  Either way, they'll probably find it worth watching, though maybe not more than once.--David Horiuchi