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Joy, for now, in Wrigleyville: Cubs fans flock to season opener

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Jerry Pritikin sports his propeller hat and “Bleacher Preacher” jersey at the Cubs’ 2023 season opener.

Jerry Pritikin has been to “well over a thousand” Cubs games in his life, he figures.

So of course Pritikin was there again Thursday morning outside Wrigley Field, where he has become famous over the years as the “Bleacher Preacher,” for the Cubs’ season opener against the Milwaukee Brewers.

He had plenty of company, as fans sporting blue and red flooded Wrigleyville hours before the first pitch.

To the 86-year-old Pritikin, it’s always a welcome sight.