"Beach Bums" Descend on Chicago, PVBL April 12, 1998
(Special to the Tribune) - Anyone who follows the Pepper Virtual Baseball
League knows about the Vero Beach Bums. They're a good all-around team
with few stars, aging position players, and a few good young pitchers.
However, one group of fans has gone positively wild for the Vero Beach
Bums. These are the fabled "Beach Bums" that travel around the country,
following the Bums wherever they play. These Beach Bums are easily
recognizable -- they always wear the Bums' colors of brown, gold, and
orange; they travel in brightly painted minibuses, and they are often seen
in the stadium parking lots hours before the games ever start. It is not
uncommon to see over 100 "Beach Bums" sitting together in the bleachers at
any given away game.
"Oh, yeah, man, the Bums are groovy," said pioneering Beach Bum Ed Leaf.
"I got into them when they were playing a game in Sacramento. I'm from
San Francisco, and I was going to Sacramento to score -- ah, score the
game, yeah, and I just got hooked. Right then and there. Something
magical happened as I was in the crowd, and I knew there was something
special about the Bums. Something that would compel me to devote my life
to following them. Especially now that Jerry's gone."
This week, as the Bums play the Hoersts, the Beach Bums have made their
appearance in Chicago. Keep an eye out for them as you stroll down
Michigan Avenue or visit the Sears Tower this weekend.
After last season's World Series appearance, the Bums achieved national
fame. The Beach Bum corps is now stronger than ever. They will now even
travel to mild Duluth, Minnesota to see the Bums play the Bjork.
"Those people are scum, you betcha," opined Duluth Bjork usher Lance
Bergquist. "But they fill the seats, don'tcha know."
Hoersts fans have a more tolerant opinion of the Beach Bums. "They're
basically harmless," said one fan. "They make great brownies, though."
