Back to Wrigley

The return of baseball season is a time I've looked forward to every year since I came to Chicago. Moving here marked my baseball awakening and I was naturally drawn to the Chicago Cubs, the lovable losers of Major League Baseball. Before moving here, I made the decision to start following the Cubs since most of the North Side lives and dies with the team, but my heart was truly sold the first time I stepped into Wrigley Field. When you make a trip to Wrigley, you feel the Cubs: the neighborhood, the tradition, the soul, the community, everything. I won't try to paint an elaborately expressive picture as much greater minds have better articulated the feeling of being a Cubs fan (and a baseball fan, in general). But for the purposes of this post, just know this: I heart the Cubs.

So, on Wednesday, April 15th, I headed to Wrigley Field for the first time in the 2009 baseball season. The Cubs were playing the Colorado Rockies in a midday game with Rich Harden taking the mound for the Cubs and Jason Marquis starting for the Rockies. Marquis was the #5 starter in the Cubs' rotation over the last two years and the fans in Chicago were anxious to express their views on his mediocre performance during his tenure with the team. Given the fact that most people I know have this whole "work" thing going on, I went to the game solo and decided to chronicle my time via photo. Care to join me? Then, let's play ball!

Ah, the legendary sign. Seeing this bad boy lit up always makes me feel good. Also...there's a new Buccaneer Battle Water Adventure Ride at Six Flags?! Hell yeah, son! Summer is here, baby!

Here's the view from my seat. Pretty awesome, eh? And here's the great thing: it cost me 30 bucks. Middle of the week, middle of the day, tons of seats available. Its awesome. One of the perks of quitting your job. One of the downfalls of quitting your job: people stop paying you. Thought I'd throw that out there since no one told me; that was quite the rude awakening.

Kids at a baseball game. Quite the trying experience. Now, first off, let me clear this little guy's reputation: he was a saint. He and his dad had a great time together. But I needed to get a picture of a kid in order to make my point (Side note: trying to take a picture of a random kid is terrifying. I felt like if his dad knew I was taking that picture, he would punch me in the face, call me a creep and break my camera). Anyway, there was a couple sitting behind me who decided to bring along their two young boys, both of whom were under the age of four, I'm guessing. The kids spent the entire game with their backs turned to the field, randomly poking me, screaming, crying and demanding toys and treats. Now, people can do whatever they want and I'd be an idiot to be mad at loud noises during a baseball game, but the experience did make me think about how I'll handle baseball games with my kids. Tentatively, I've come up with the following qualifications I will insist on before I take my kid to a game:

• The child understands the basic rules of baseball (Three strikes and you're out, three outs to a side, how a run is scored, etc.)

• The child has shown the ability to watch at least two innings of baseball on television without demanding to do something else.

• The child can identify a favorite team and at least one player that he/she likes and will be excited to see take an at-bat

In my opinion, if you take a kid to a game before they meet these qualifications, you're taking them because you want to go, not because they do. My guess is that my kid will be around seven before they meet these tests. I'm considering adding the ability to accurately predict pitches and calculate VORP on the back of an envelope to the list of criteria; this would take the predicted age up to 27.

Preview

The beer guy. A fundamental part of the ballpark. I had decided to grab a couple of beers while I was at the game, but then decided to step it up due to the cold weather. As a vendor at Wrigley once told me, "The third beer is antifreeze". Over the course of nine innings, this man, his coworkers and I would form a great relationship.

I included this photo in order to call attention to catcher Geovany Soto's uniform. He's wearing number 42. Those of you who are familiar with the MLB know that the number 42 was retired from the league in honor of Jackie Robinson; no player in the league is normally allowed to wear this number (with the exception of Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who was grandfathered in as he wore the number before the rule was put in place). On this day, however, Soto and every other player on the field was wearing 42 because it was the annual day of the season in which the MLB honors Robinson's memory. I love this day because I love hearing Jackie's story on ESPN every year. Talk about a guy with backbone. Robinson lettered in four sports in college. He fought to receive officer's training in the army and when he heard a fellow officer hurl a racial slur at a black soldier, he punched his teeth out. He went on to endure some of the most abrasively racist behavior as the first black player in the MLB and did so without saying a word in retaliation because the owner of the Dodgers told him to keep his mouth shut. When the owner took the muzzle off, Robinson made it a habit to challenge every opposing player who cursed him to meet him under the stands for a fight; none of them took him up on it. Robinson's story means a lot to me, not only as a black man, but also as a man in general. Jackie knew what his rights were and wouldn't let anyone stop him from succeeding. That's something we can all learn something from.

Since legendary announcer Harry Caray died, the Cubs organization has invited celebrities to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch in Caray's place. Who graced Wrigley with his presence on this day? Check the scoreboard: Michael J. Fox. Marty McFly, son! The two guys sitting next to me spent the bottom of the seventh quoting the Back to the Future movies. "Its not you Marty, Its your kids!". Good times. Good times indeed.

See this usher? This usher was on his JOB. Throughout the game, I saw this guy kick at least 15 couples out of unoccupied seats in the front row of the box section I was sitting in, even in the eighth inning when it was clear that they would go unclaimed. I've always been ambivalent on the debate between letting people move down to empty seats and the economic free rider problem it creates (if you could just take the empty seats, no one would buy them). This guy, however, made it known where he stood: Go back to your seat, loser.

In the end, the Cubs wound up losing the game 5-2. Harden, who routinely punches out at least 10 opposing players a game, just didn't have it going and Marquis pitched the best game he ever has at Wrigley; too bad he happened to be on the other team this time. The team moves to 5-3 on the season despite a few injuries that sidelined hard-hitting Aramis Ramirez and new addition Milton Bradley. Could be worse. If nothing else, my first experience at Wrigley reignited my excitement for the team. Maybe year 101 is the lucky one. Let's hope so. Go Cubs!

Also, I got a couple nosebleed seats for Sunday night's game against the archrival St. Louis Cardinals. If you're interested in rolling with me, let me know.