I was very torn about going to BP for this game. Of course, I wanted baseballs, just like every game. But this game against the Mets carried a little something extra.
This year, the Mets are using a commemorative ball during home games in New York to represent their 50th year in the league. This game wasn't in New York, but extra game balls are often used in BP. (Balls get switched all around the league, too. It's possible to go to a Astros-Rockies game and find the Mets ball). With the Mets visiting Wrigley today, I had my best chance to catch one of my own. There was bound to be a ton of them hit and tossed before the game.
So why didn't I go?
My partner for this game with another friend from ISU named Chris. He's been to one game in his entire life, which he remembers almost nothing about. So, in a way, this would be his first one. I wanted him to have a good time. I remember when I was an avid fan at 13 or 14, I still didn't want to go in two hours early. I was addicted to the game, yet still thought there was nothing to see until first pitch. I didn't want him to be miserable for so many hours.
Secondly, Chris is from Orland Park. Our plan was to meet at Union Station and walk over to the Red Line. That's the quickest way for him, but it would be going very far out of the way for me. We would have to be on the 8 AM trains downtown to make sure we would make it to Wrigley in time.
The thing that finally made me give in was our tickets. They weren't bleachers, and I would be stuck begging on the foul lines the whole time. That put my streak in danger, and only gave me a very small chance of coming home with a commemorative. I was regretting it at first, but was cheered up when I realized this really was a day off from the usual game. I wouldn't have a schedule to stick to, and had absolutely nothing to worry about.
On to Downtown I went.
I hopped on the 10 AM Metra for my hour long ride. It was pretty relaxing; I had some music on and was still looking forward to bringing someone to their first game.
I met Chris, and we caught up; it had been almost two months since we'd talked. It was pretty hot, but it was a relaxing walk. For me, this was something new. I felt like I was getting the whole Chicago experience by getting to the park this way.
About half way through the El ride, I checked my phone. It was 11:24, and the gates were officially opened. I only felt a little emotion, like "Well, that's it. For sure not doing it this game". There was no urgency, anger, regret, ect. I was happy I wasn't freaking out, and also relieved that I was still so relaxed.
We made it uneventfully, and I was ready to give Chris the best first experience possible.
The first place we went was to my all time favorite eating establishment in the neighborhood - Wrigleyville Dogs, located right down Clark Street.
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| I didn't realize there was an S in there until today, so I'm still naming it my way, with no S. |
I hadn't been there too often the past two years, but it was still great. It's quick, has a pretty good dog, and is perfect for a pre-game snack. The guy taking orders is reminiscent of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld, so make sure you know what you want.
We took a walk around the perimeter, where Chris asked questions and I fired back with things I thought were important for him to know.
After making it around the whole outside, we went in the third base gate. I was trying to think of the best way to give Chris his first view, one he'll remember. I wanted it to almost be cinematic, but I couldn't come up with any perfect scenario. Since there was no plan, we walked up the ramps. I'm willing to say this the view I had at my first game. It seems likely, and I can't remember any parts like that.
Before we even got to the seats, I took him out to the rooftop patio behind home plate. I needed a scorecard, and I thought he would like looking at the hustle and bustle at Clark and Addison right before game time.
I was back to my good old upper deck infield seats, where I hadn't been since May 16th.
I was particularly ecstatic to attend this game today for two reasons. First, there would be a SHARK ATTACK.
Samardzija's nickname is shark, if you didn't guess. If you've ever seen him smile, he seriously looks like Bruce the shark from Finding Nemo. The Heckler has made the name more popular, and @NotTomRicketts on Twitter emphatically promotes #SHARKATTACK for every one of his starts.
Once the Cubs drafted him, I couldn't spell his name if my life depended on it. Since he was a fantastic wide receiver at Notre Dame, I simply started to call him "Jeff Irish". I still do today.
Secondly, and most importantly, the future of the Cubs franchise had arrived. The first proverbial child of TheoJed was born the night before. Anthony Rizzo was batting in the three spot and starting at first.
Unfortunately, he had two hits the night before, so I wouldn't see Cubs history. (Even more unfortunate- I lost a $5 bet that he wouldn't play before the All Star break. You suck, Sean).
He hadn't hit a homer yet, so I still had the possibility to see something. He had the power, and the flags were going straight out.
I tried to explain the significance to Chris. I had to start all the way back at Babe Ruth (who he knew from 'The Sandlot') and explain everything that led up to why Theo and Jed at Wrigley was such a big deal. He understood from what I could tell, but wasn't nearly as anxious as me to see Rizzo take the field in person.
Here's the first pitch from Samardzija:
The Cubs were going up against the lefty veteran, Jon Niese.
The Mets got out to the quick lead in the first. David Wright got an RBI on a sac fly. In the second, Luis Valbuena smacked an RBI double into the gap to tie it at one. I had a feeling this would be a relatively low scoring game; it felt a little like one of those days.
Speaking of days, it would take me that long to write the rest of the recap. So I'll start with bullet points, and include the score after each play.
- Ike Davis double in the fourth (2-1)
- Daniel Murphy homer in the fourth (4-1)
- David Wright double in the fifth (6-1)
- Davis homer in the fifth (9-1)
- Another Murphy homer in the fifth (10-1)
- Bases loaded single by Wright in the sixth (12-1)
- GRAND SLAM by Scott Hairston in the sixth (16-1)
And finally, a fielder's choice by Murphy gave them one more to make the final score 17-1. How disgusting is that? I was keeping score, but tried to block out the actual score as much as I could.
Chris wanted to stay and explore a little bit. He knew about the blue W, but never the white L.
After most of the crowd is gone, we started walking around home plate below the press box. I saw a guy carrying a rolling briefcase. Some people were talking to him, and he just got done signing a book. I then got a full view and...holy crap, it was Pat Hughes! What a great thing to finish the game with.
How about that?
We wandered around more, even down to the VERY first row where Tom Ricketts sits.
And got one took one more picture together before we left.
He was meeting his sister downtown for a show, so I took a walk with him and said goodbye. He's going to be spending next semester at Disney World, and this was the last time I would see him until January.
It was a great day all things considered, and I hope Chris has fond memories of his 'first' game.
Now up to Milwaukee for more commemorative ball hunting!
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