Let's Play Ball!

Well, I went to the Cubs game on Saturday. It didn’t end up a family affair after all...my mom spent some time with my aunt and uncle, while my sister relaxed at home and enjoyed the start of the NBA Playoffs. My dad and I just went, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. In fact, my dad went to Super K-Mart and got us some cheap Cubs hats to complete the experience.

We took the Metra to the Randolph Street station and then hopped the L to the Addison street station which is right at Wrigley Field. Since we had two extra tickets, we were looking to sell them. A guy was waiting at the train stop asking for Cubs tickets and we sold our remaining tickets for $40 total.

We got to our seats, which were pretty nice. We were in the back and protected from the sun by the upper deck section above us. In fact, about 15 rows down, towards the front of the section was the place where the infamous Steve Bartman deflected that famous foul ball in the 2003 NLCS. Our view was slightly obstructed by a pole (just because the tickets were free doesn’t mean they would be the best seats in the house), but in general they were nice seats. The players didn’t look like ants and the seats were comfortable. There was a TV above us that showed the TV broadcast of the game minus commercials.

Although it was in the 70’s outside, with the wind coming into Wrigley, it felt like it was in the 50’s. It was chilly, but not bad enough to wish that I had brought my down coat. Even though we were two of the few black people in the park (save for a couple of 12-13 year old boys a couple of rows in front of us), the experience wasn’t bad. A person behind me spilled some beer on my back (which I didn’t even feel because I had my jacket on) but a woman behind me wiped it all up with her napkin. In fact, the only real excitement in the stands (apart from cheering whenever the Cubs did something good) was the response to a Cincinnati Reds fan who was sitting about three rows ahead of us. He stood up and cheered the Reds on, which brought jeers (“Sit down!” “Boooooo!”) in addition to some people throwing peanuts and other stuff at him. I guess he anticipated people throwing stuff as he had on a Cincinnati Reds helmet on his head. The person who sang “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” during the 7th Inning Stretch was Jimmy Collins, coach of the UIC Flames.

One thing I noticed is that the game moves a lot quicker at the park than it does on TV. While I sat there, I said to myself “Oh, four innings already?” If I was watching this on TV, it would’ve seemed like the game moves at a snail’s pace. Baseball isn’t the fastest-moving sport in the world, but TV makes it seem about as appealing as watching paint dry. Baseball has to be seen in person in order to enjoy it.

As always, the cost of ballpark food (or just special event food, as my sister put it) is highway robbery. Two examples: First, there was the lunch my dad and I had. It consisted of a Polish sausage, a hot dog, two cups of fries, a large soda (which would’ve been a small at a movie theater) and a bottle of water. This relatively small amount of food cost a grand total of $20.25! Then, there was the cotton candy. I wanted to buy some as I haven’t had it in years. I bought a pretty big bag...for $5.00.

We left the game at the end of the 8th inning, as my dad had to work that night. When we left, the Cubs were actually up 2-1. In the 9th inning we missed, they gave up two runs and Kerry Wood got ejected. The Cubs choked again and ended up losing 3-2. This continues the trend that every baseball game I’ve ever attended ended with a loss for the home team. Of course, I’ve also never stayed all the way through a baseball game, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I definitely had fun at the Cubs game, even if they ended up losing. Now, I’d like to somehow get to a Sox game, especially since the stadium has been remodeled. I remember what was then Comiskey Park’s upper deck...it was simply the creepiest sports experience I’ve ever been to. Maybe with that new roof and eight less rows, then it will be a nicer place to see baseball.