Vacations Blog

The scoreboard at Wrigley Field

Personally, I’m not an avid baseball fan. I like the game pretty well, but not well enough to follow any particular team, even my local Diamondbacks (though I sure was proud when they won the World Series several years back). I like going to the games and watching them live – I like to crowd-watch and nosh on ballpark hot dogs and eight dollar cups of beer. Watching games on TV is just, well, kind of boring to me. The beer’s cheaper, though.

I wrote in my last blog post that I recently visited my friend Heather in Northwestern Indiana. Now, Heather is verging on OBSESSED, she’s such a Cubs fan. She watches any game she doesn’t go to on TV, while simultaneously listening to the game on the radio to get every angle. She goes to as many of their games as she can; even – GASP – driving all the way to Milwaukee to watch the Brewers at home against the visiting Cubs. She risked life and limb on that little jaunt – there’s quite a rivalry going on between the teams. I don’t pretend to understand all the why’s and wherefore’s and history behind said rivalry. There’s something about a curse and a goat and… I got lost after that.

Anyway, my visit happened to coincide with a Cubs/Brewers game at Wrigley Field, so Heather got us tickets. She got decked out in her Cubbies regalia – right down to her socks – and insisted that we leave hours before the game started in order to be among the first in line. The first 10,000 ticket holders received free Cubs Floppy Hats, which she was red hot to acquire.

We were early enough that the drive into the city was pretty quick, despite the fact that the Taste of Chicago was going on at the same time. We paid extra for premium parking ($50 adjacent to the Field) and we were probably 20thin line at the gate. We showed our tickets and had our bags searched and were awarded with our Floppy Hats. We went directly from the gate to the Cubs Store, where I purchased a commemorative shot glass for my husband. Then we secured a couple of polish sausages (“polies”), big soft pretzels, and beer.

We found our seats and had an hour and a half to kill before the game started, so I occupied myself taking thirteen million pictures. The stadium continued to fill, until it was almost maxed out at over 41,000 spectators. The majority were Cubs fans, of course, but some Brewers fans made the drive down to see the game. They were either ignored or hassled, depending on how vocally they supported their team (“Let’s go Brewers!” was responded with, “Brewers suck!”).

Wrigley Field and the Chicago Skyline

We took full advantage of the roving “beer guy”, “kettle corn guy”, and “cotton candy guy”. Heather patiently explained to me all about the flag system above the scoreboard (which represents where each team’s standing is in the league) and that yes, there was an actual person inside the scoreboard who was changing the numbers as the innings played out. I was fascinated.

The crowd watching the game.

I’ve gotta say, Cubs fans are one loyal and supportive group. There was an immense amount of cheering, boo-ing (sometimes at their own guys when they made a mistake), and every single play was scrutinized and reacted to. The game ended up going into extra innings – the Cubs were at bat at the bottom of the 10th, bases loaded, full count, and the Brewers pitcher ended up walking in the winning run. You’d think the Cubs had pulled off the Win of the Century, the way the crowd erupted (hey, a W is a W, right?). Nobody left early, everyone stayed to watch the teams clear the field, and the whole crowd participated in singing the Cubs theme song, “Go Cubs Go”.

I didn’t know the words or the melody, but I sang along anyway. Fake it till ya make it, I always say.

No visit to Wrigley Field would be complete without the obligatory picture of the Marquee:

Cubs win!

It took us a while to get out of the city, what with the vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Everyone was in a terrific mood, though, and houses all over sported a big “W” banner in their windows. I must say I had a really good time, and plan to visit Heather again next summer and catch another Cubs game. Next time I’ll know the words to, “Go Cubs Go!”

Wrigley Field is located in Downtown Chicago at 1060 W. Addison Street, on the corner of Addison and Sheffield. Game tickets can be purchased via The Official Site of the Cubs or StubHub. Single game tickets can run anywhere from $25 to $350 and more for the really premium seats and games.