Today was the 2nd straight day I took in a game at Wrigley.  The outcome much the same as yesterday.  Cubs win, Soriano goes yard and they keep hold on the best record in baseball.  For the first time since 1908 the Cubs have the best record in baseball on June 1st. 

I digress back to my last post.  I woke up this morning and decided to read my drunken post from last night.  I decided to leave it as is…..horrible grammar and misspelled words.  Then again, my writing is probably like that across the board.  It wouldn’t be an article about a day at Wrigley, if it wasn’t induced by alcohol.  I mean it’s what going to a Cubs game is all about for a large majority of the fans.  If you don’t believe me, just go to a game.  Speaking of the game…..it was yet another gorgeous day in Chicago.  The wind was blowing slightly off the lake, which means runs were hard to come by.  My buddy lives about a 25 minute walk from the stadium.  We decided to walk instead of hail a cab.  It was much needed after the 2 am Mexican food the night before. 

You can just feel the excitement as we near the ballpark.  The air around the hallowed grounds buzz on game day.  Smoke rises from all around the stadium as vendors cook hot dogs and brats, the rooftops are prepping for another party and the neighbors are grilling while watching patrons stroll up and down the streets.  Everyone is clad in Cubby blue.  Today saw the largest crowd of the season.  41,730 fans packed in the nearly 100 year old park. 

What’s great about Wrigley is you truly feel like you’re sitting with Forty thousand of your best friends.  Everyone in there has felt the same heartache over the course of time.  It doesn’t matter how old or young, everyone has a great story of triumph or tragedy as a Cub fan.  Unfortunately, we’ve experienced more tragedy.  Each generation has it’s Bartman moment.  In 1969, it was the horrible collapse giving way to the over achieving New York Mets (too bad for Met fans, the team doesn’t over achieve these days) in September.  In the ’84 they were up 2-1 in the NLCS, only to lose in five to Steve Garvey and the San Diego Padres.  In ‘89 they had the best record in the National League, yet they still managed to get dominated and elimated by the San Francisco Giants.  The Bartman game might just be the most hurtful moment in Cubs history.  We were five outs from making the World Series only to fall apart and collapse in typical Cubby fashion.  I call it the Bartman game even though he’s not the reason we lost.  Alex Gonzalez bobbled a ground ball that was set up for an easy double play to end the inning.  I know you can’t assume the double play, but he had the best fielding percentage of all NL short stops on 2003.  Anyway, this article isn’t about Cubby collapses, it’s about enjoying a game on ‘holy ground’ at Clark and Addison.  

Today was all about enjoying the game.  Yesterday was party time, today was about getting the job done.  We were about to sweep a 7 game home stand…..no pre-game drinks today.  We made our way to our seats about 30 minutes before the 1st pitch.  Today, we were in the 500 section, lined up with the Rockies bullpen.  Cheap seats but with a great view of the yard.  Upon taking my seat, I felt it would be a day for taking in the sights and sounds.  I would sponge all that is Cubby Nation.  I think I had just as much fun watching the Cubs win as I did enjoying what truly defines Wrigley Field.  A few things are for sure when attending a Cubs game.  The vendors walking through the stadium and hawking goods are about as entertaining as anything you’ll ever see.  My favorite was a younger fella selling Pepsi.  He was in our section quite a bit today.  Any time a patron would call him to buy a drink, he would bark at them and start up a conversation.  He was actually barking like a dog.  It was very comical. 

Then of course, you can’t go without mentioning the older gent’s playing the horns in between innings.  These guys walk up and down the stadium and play through out the crowd in between innings.  The average age of the band is pushing north of 70……yet they’re worth a listen. 

One thing that I found very interesting was that as the day progressed and the sun moved around the ballpark, it became more and more hazy.  Knowing it wasn’t cloudy and the wind was coming from the lake, I took a quick look right.  I noticed the haze was from the grills going at full boar on the rooftops above right field.  Literally, there was a thin cloud of smoke hovering over the field.  That was probably also why I constantly felt the urge to eat one hot dog after the other. 

Not only was the air rich with flavor, so was the sight line.  Warm weather in Wrigley means less clothing for those in attendance.  I don’t know that it would be all that necessary to dive any further on this subject.  I think we all know what I’m talkin’ about here!

Another thing I really like about Wrigley is watching the little kids.  On the way into the park, about half way through our ascend, I was stopped by a little girl who put her fist in the air and said, “GO CUBS!”  I was impressed on two levels, one that she could read my shirt and the other that she already shared my passion for the Cubby’s.  Another proud moment occurred while I descending the park.  A little boy about 9 years old was holding a paper and pencil in his hand.  I noticed he was holding a score card and was actually adding up the final totals.  I had to ask him how he was able to track all of the double switches and pinch hitters in the game.  His father quickly pointed out that he did it with ease.  I can’t be more excited about the youthful Cubby generation.  I’m sure they’ll have heartache and triumph, just like all the generations before………hopefully they’re not too young andare able understand what a special place Wrigley Field can be.

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These last 2 articles are practice for later this month.  Three friends andI are traveling around to see 5 MLBgames in 5 days in late June.  Detroit, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Chicago (AL).  I can’t wait to see what these parks have to offer in the way of atmosphere.  It’s going to be a great time for this 27 year old going on 10.