Last week, as the 2024 Fort Wayne TinCaps season was nearing an end, a familiar laugh could be heard loud and clear from the third base beer stand at Parkview Field. The infectious laugh cuts through the typical ballpark sounds. "Tom LaBarbera is one of the all-time greats," says TinCaps President, Mike Nutter. "This guy is a character and a showman. It's people like him that keep this place rolling." High praise from the boss for a man who has been serving up suds and smiles for over a decade to thirsty fans. We call him "Chicago Tom," Nutter says. "And I absolutely love the man. That's not hyperbole." Tom LaBarbera, better known as "Chicago Tom." "I come with the ballpark," LaBarbera jokes to a customer. "I'm like the plumbing." As we walk around the ballpark before the game, it's apparent LaBarbera is known by just about everyone. "Even if they don't drink beer," he says. "They still come by to say hi. That means a lot to me." The first thing you notice about Chicago Tom is his quintessential accent. "I didn't know I had an accent until I came here," he says. "But, I guess I do, just a little bit." "I always kind of dreamed about being at a ballpark, because I went to Wrigley Field all the time." Tom LaBarbera serves up a cold beer at the Third Base Beer stand at Parkview Field. LaBarbera moved to Fort Wayne 17 years ago with his family and fell in love with the place. "It's a smaller city compared to Chicago, but the city has a big heart." "When I came down here, I needed something to do," he says. "I retired at 51, very young." "I'm the kind of guy that has to stay busy." "It was something fun." "It's outside, how could you not?" "This is great!" Mike Nutter, TinCaps President, says "Chicago Tom is one of the great ones." Nutter couldn't be happier he came aboard and became part of the fabric of the TinCaps gameday experience. "Getting to know him and what he did before," Nutter says. "He ran warehouses and buildings in Chicago." "He interacted with about 100 tenants and had to be like this for everybody." Tom and his "work wife" Dawn serve happy fans from the Third Base Beer stand. "Forget about it," LaBarbera says to a customer with his trademark accent. "Look at that," he says to another. "I got one with your name on it!" So I ask, what makes a good beer guy? "A good pour," he says with a knowing look. "And maybe a few jokes in between." Nutter says LaBarbera has a unique sense of humor. "He zings me with some one-liners that other people wouldn't say, but I love it!" It's almost impossible to see Tom LaBarbera without a smile on his face at Parkview Field. "You're not just buying a beer, you're buying me," LaBarbera says. "I'm here to serve you and make your experience at the ballpark the best it can be." "He's got this vibe," Nutter says. "You walk away feeling like he just made me feel special, but he'll do that for hundreds of people tonight." "It's just a part of me," says LaBarbera. "Ever since I was a kid, I always tried to treat people right and be positive. It just comes natural now." The laughs come often and loud at the Third Base Beer stand. Newcomers and regulars walk away with a cold beer, a laugh, and a unique experience. LaBarbera tells a co-worker passing by, "I won't be here tomorrow. I have to get my biopsy." LaBarbera is open about his ongoing battle with cancer. "Last July, my doc says something is going on." "It turns out I had a 20-pound tumor inside me that I'd been carrying around for probably four or five years." "It winds up being cancer." It meant an early end to his 2023 season. A 9 1/2 hour surgery removed the tumor. During difficult days in the hospital, Tom remained upbeat and encouraged others. He has a lengthy scar from the top of his chest to below his belly button as a reminder of what he's been through and continues to go through. Despite the challenges, LaBarbera returned this season with the same zest and zeal he's always had. "Everybody is going through something," Nutter says. "He's been open because he wants to help people." "He doesn't want attention. He doesn't want, I'm sorry." "He knows somebody else out here is going through something and he wants to help." Once word spread about Tom's battle, fans and co-workers showered him with love and support in any way they could. Thinking about it brings back warm feelings of appreciation. "I get a little emotional, so excuse me for that," says LaBarbera as he chokes back tears remembering the outpouring of support. "Between Mike Nutter and the rest of the team, they really stepped up to the plate." "They were holding signs for me." "Sending me pictures, saying we want you back soon." "It means a lot to me, Pat. It really does." Nutter and LaBarbera communicated regularly during his lengthy stay at a hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he receives his treatments. "He's talked openly about his faith and prayer," Nutter says. "And, Tom would tell me at the end of our conversations, I'm gonna pull through, but tell the boys, don't stop praying, and we won't." Tom LaBarbera and WANE 15's Pat Hoffmann at the Third Base Beer stand. LaBarbera gets quarterly checkups to hopefully stay ahead of any cancer, should it return. "At least we're catching it early, if it happens," he says. "Unlike the other time where I carried it around for years not knowing I had it." LaBarbera shares his story hoping it might help someone else. "It might inspire somebody," he says. "And that's what I want to do." As LaBarbera serves up another cold one, a customer asks how he's doing? "Fantastic," he replies in an instant. "Never had a bad day in my life!" It's why "Chicago Tom" is what Positively Fort Wayne is all about!