A native of Elmwood Park, Nick Anton grew up watching Cubs games and always appreciated the legendary voices that have made their way through the Cubs television broadcast booth.

And on Sunday afternoon, Anton got to experience first-hand the thrill of calling a Cubs game from the TV booth as he had the opportunity to call a half-inning of the game for Marquee Sports Network.

As part of Lou Gehrig Day in early June, Marquee Sports Network and the Chicago Cubs held a live auction for a number of unique experiences with proceeds going to ALS charities, including a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to call a half-inning of a live Cubs game on Marquee.

For Anton, when he saw the opportunity, he knew that this was the chance for a lifelong Cubs fan to achieve a bucket list dream.

“I’ve always wanted to get into the broadcast booth where the legends have sat,” said Anton before the game on Sunday. “I grew up on Len and Bob and then we’ve had a ton of great announcers, so I just wanted to be able to sit in the chairs they’ve sat in.”

But while Anton is new to the broadcast booth, he’s certainly not new to Wrigley Field as he worked as a ball boy for the team from 2016-19 and recalls fondly his favorite game when Miguel Montero blasted a grand slam in game one of the 2016 NLCS.

Anton said he didn’t feel nervous leading up to the call, though acknowledged with a chuckle that maybe he should have been more nervous.

“This is my first day [as a broadcaster],” said Anton. “So, we’ll see how it goes.”

The opportunity to join the game broadcast was a win-win for Anton, both achieving a lifelong bucket list item but also being able to see the money donated go to support those afflicted with ALS.

“ALS is such a nasty disease,” said Anton, “So any opportunity to help out and hopefully find a cure is worth it. When I made the donation, I was glad to know it was going somewhere where it can affect so many people positively.”

Following his in-game broadcasting debut, Anton caught up with Taylor McGregor to discuss the dream experience:

For more stories from Lou Gehrig Day, visit MarqueeSportsNetwork.com/ALS.