Gordon Wittenmyer knew what he wanted when he burst through the door at the Chicago Tribune.

"I thought I could just go in there, like in Spokane," said Wittenmyer, who was immediately ushered out. "I couldn't even get in."

The 19-year-old Eastern Washington University student had fallen in love with the Chicago Cubs as a youth, and wanted a job covering the team for a newspaper. The Tribune was the one he wanted.

Wrong time, wrong paper.

Wittenmyer eventually wound up in the Windy City following the Cubs, only for the rival Chicago Sun-Times.

"I was asked in an interview what I saw myself doing in five years, and I said covering the Cubs for the Tribune," Wittenmyer said. "I wound up covering them, but not for the Tribune, and it took a lot longer."

Wittenmyer stepped right into the role of a professional journalist while attending Eastern.

The 1983 graduate of Federal Way High School worked as a freelance sports writer for the Federal Way News, and wound up working all over the Northwest.

"The P.I. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), the Seattle Times, and I covered the Mariners for the Valley Daily News," Wittenmyer said. "And they had an agreement with Bremerton to run the stories there."

Not only did Wittenmyer work all over metropolitan Western Washington, he also found work in Eastern Washington at the daily Spokesman Review and Spokane Valley Herald.

"I don't even know if they're still there," Wittenmyer said of the Valley Herald.

Aside from covering the Mariners, Wittenmyer went on to cover the Angels in Southern California and the Minnesota Twins for the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

"I was in Minnesota for seven years, and it's my fourth year in Chicago," Wittenmyer said.

In Chicago, the former Mariners writer found himself reunited with former Mariners manager Lou Piniella.

"Lou's great," Wittenmyer said. "He's outstanding. His first year was my first year."

Wittenmyer almost found himself looking for work elsewhere, however.

"We were in bankruptcy, and it was touch-and-go in the fall," he said. "If the paper had not been bought when it was, we'd be out of business."

But Wittenmyer is still employed, and living in the North Chicago suburb of Glenview, Ill.

"We first moved to a condo in the city, at High Park on the South Side," Wittenmyer said."Then we moved last summer to a suburb up North."

"We" would be Gordon, his wife Lisa and their 9-year-old daughter Lauren.

Wittenmyer also has his former wife living in Cleveland with son Spencer.

"My son will be 16 in July, and he plays baseball and football," Wittenmyer said.

Wittenmyer used to see them in Cleveland when the Minnesota Twins came around, but now has to be more creative to get in visits since the switch to the National League -- like stopping by during trips to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

"I'm going to get to go to Cleveland and play with my son," Wittenmyer said. "From Pittsburgh and Cincinnati it's on my way home, so why not go there? Moving to Chicago from Minnesota cut the trip to Cleveland in half."

The Cubs' recent three-day stop in Seattle allowed him to take the weekend off before to visit friends and family here.

"I haven't been out here for three or four years," Wittenmyer said. "I've been here most of the week and don't want to leave friends and family."

That's not to say he regrets his move or his job in Chicago.

"I haven't regretted it," Wittenmyer said. "Just the opposite. I've enjoyed it."

Wittenmyer also enjoyed his first trip to Chicago that included his ejection from the Chicago Tribune office. The journey took place after his freshman year at Eastern.

"I went in my '74 Vega with no fender on the left side," Wittenmyer said. "It was crazy, but it was a lot of fun. I had never been east of Montana. When I got to Chicago I was overwhelmed with how big it is, and I saw a sign that said, 'Wrigley Field next exit.'"

Wittenmyer visited Wrigley Field shortly thereafter.

"Wrigley Field is awesome," he said. "This was 1984, and they didn't have any lights yet. They had a great team and made the playoffs that year."

The Cubs are still aiming for their first World Series appearance since 1945.

"They've had 65 years to get used to not even being there," said Wittenmyer of the Cubs fans.

Wittenmyer hopes to stay around awhile himself now that he is in Chicago.

"If the economy turns a little bit, it may be long term," Wittenmyer said. "But what's long term in this business?"