Big Cat's Cubs 50/50 vendor Vicki Rye hits the Yak

Every Wrigley regular has a vendor who knows exactly how to get them. Big Cat's is Vicki Rye, and the Yak finally put her on set.

Barstool Sports

@barstoolsports

Cubs’ 50/50 raffle ticket vendor, Vicki Rye, showing why she’s the best best in the biz (at taking Big Cat’s money) @PaydayCandyBar

The joke is that she's the best in the business at one thing: taking Big Cat's money. That's ribbing, not an audit. Nobody posted a running total of what he's spent with her, so don't expect one here. What's clear is that the guy who runs the biggest sports podcast around has a raffle seller he can't say no to, and she's good enough at it that the show built a whole sponsored bit around her.

For anyone who has never been to Wrigley, here's how it works. The Cubs Charities 50/50 raffle sends Raffle Ambassadors through the park from the time the gates open until the bottom of the 8th, and every purchase is cashless. The winner takes half the jackpot and the other half goes to Cubs Charities. So every ticket Vicki sells Big Cat is at least half a donation, which makes it a lot easier for him to keep buying.

And the habit has paid off before. Big Cat has already cashed a Wrigley 50/50 and told the whole story on air: the awkward moments on camera, the charity pitch, and a shrug at the size of the check. That's the real reason the bit works. He has actual proof the thing can hit, so Vicki doesn't have to work very hard.

The timing helps, too. The segment landed during the Cubs' October, and Big Cat's mood on the team has been swinging the way it does every postseason. On the October 1 Yak he summed up the night before in 4 words.

Barstool Yak

@BarstoolYak

“What else going on? Cubs sucked. Sucked.” – Big Cat

0:27

That's the beauty of the 50/50. The Cubs can stink for a night and you still have a ticket in your pocket that could cover the bar tab. As long as the Cubs keep playing home games, Vicki Rye will be working the aisles, and Big Cat will keep buying. Payday just figured out she's a legend before the rest of us did.