Bear Digest

Ben Johnson returns to first Chicago sports love and fires a strike

The Bears coach cut loose with a sinking fastball over the plate Saturday as he threw out the first pitch prior to the Cubs game with the Diamondbacks.
Gene Chamberlain|
Ben Johnson rips loose with the ceremonial first pitch at Saturday's Cubs game.
Ben Johnson rips loose with the ceremonial first pitch at Saturday's Cubs game. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

 Bears coach BenJohnson voiced his love for Wrigley Field when he talked about going there on trips with his family upon signing is contract to coach the Bears.

Now he has pitched there.

With family in tow, Johnson got to return to Wrigley Field and throw out the first pitch prior to Saturday's 6-2 Chicago Cubs win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Johnson put one right over the plate and actually made it look a bit like a Bruce Sutter split-finger fastball as it dropped off the table.

Caleb Williams, Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney, Rome Odunze, Austin Reed and Tyson Bagent turned out in support, as did team president Kevin Warren.

Johnson had a talk with Cubs manager Craig Counsell as well.

"For the last 10-plus years, my family and I have been coming up for a Cubs series every summer," Johnson said upon his hiring. "And it doesn’t take long to realize that this place is special. These people are special.

"This is exactly where I wanted to raise my family, my kids."

Johnson had a connection with the Cubs going back to his youth. He and his brother watched the Cubs on WGN in the 1990s from their home in the Asheville, N.C. area.

According to the Bears website, Johnson's brother put his name on a Cubs season ticket waiting list in 2007 after getting out of high school and after several years was able to buy tickets.

Johnson and family used the tickets for their annual trip.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.