This was only my second Cubs-Sox game of my life. The first one turned out pretty good, so I was more excited than usual to attend this one. Sean grabbed some tickets in March, and we were good to go.
As you can see, we were going to be in the regular seats instead of Bleachers. Not only that, but it wouldn't be possible to stick out while wearing the visiting team's gear with the number of Sox fans that were going to be there. Going early and going for balls would have just been a waste of time.
It was my second annual Ballhawk's Day Off inside the park, and the second this season after my rooftop game 10 days prior. I was looking very forward to walking in right before the game started, something I'm not accustomed to doing. Plus, there would be a more interesting than usual match-up to watch. It was going to be a good day.
Because we didn't have to rush anywhere, Sean and I sauntered into Sports Corner for a bite and some...beverages.
Let me save you all a little time, and a lot of money. None of the places around the park offer their online specials during Cubs game days. I found that out the hard way. That was a big downer, but at least I know for next time. I'm going to have to ask some more experienced friends for cheaper, and therefore better, places to hang out.
We made it to the front gate by (I think) 1:00.
And then ventured up the ramps to our seats.
The ones we sat in were not the ones we paid for. Not even close. We were in 524 for about 10 seconds. After seeing a pole that gave a pretty terrible view, we moved down the line to the 400s. Nobody asked us for our tickets or bothered us for anything. This is the most crowded part of the immediate area we were in:
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That is absolutely awful. Even when these teams were just as bad as this season in 2005 and 2006, it was still a big deal. People wanted to go. Now look at it. Two pictures ago, you can see how empty it was on the third base side. It's really disappointing to me that two fan bases can't fill a stadium on a beautiful day like this. Granted, it was a Wednesday afternoon, but hopefully something will spark an interest when both team's records improve a few years down the road.
Ticket prices are definitely and issue too. Ours cost $44 each through the Cubs after all the fees. That's for the second cheapest pricing level in the park! The ones we actually sat in? Before fees was $77. I get that management wants it to be a popular game, but jacking up the price isn't going make that happen.
With having only 10 minutes to look around, there wasn't much to see before the game started.
Scott Feldman was out there for the Cubs. Thank God it wasn't Travis Wood again. I should start keeping track of Cubs starters in my games. It seems like Wood pops up the most often whenever I'm here.
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| First pitch |
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| John Danks was the enemy hurler for the day |
I was keeping an eye on those big patches of empty seats for foul ball chances. Sitting where we were gave me the best chance in the whole park to get one, and I had no one blocking me in. It goes against my Ballhawk rule and the 'all or nothing' mentality I created in my rule book, but I would have figured out what I wanted to do in the still pretty unlikely chance I got one.
I said it was a low profile game, but it wasn't boring in the least bit.
The game was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 2nd when Dioner Navarro hit his first (as in there's more than one) homer of the day to put the Cubs up one. At the time, not all that amazing.
Feldman got in the grove and pitched two perfect innings after that to keep the Cubs ahead. When Navarro came up again in the 4th, he hit his SECOND homer of the game.
The Sox got pretty close in the 5th and 6th, making the score 4-2. The bottom of the 6th is where the Cubs pulled away after Matt Lindstrom allowed a run to score on a wild pitch and gave up Ryan Sweeney RBI single.
More sights, along with some pretty good close ups:
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| I want to go back.... |
There must have been some recent renovation news, because I took this picture and just remembered the exact reason why:
It's to get a feel for the size of the proposed video board. Just a few days before, the Cubs brought in some cranes, tarps, and set up a meeting with rooftop owners about possible obstructed views. From what I saw in the articles and pictures, I guessed it would stretch from the first aisle in frame on the left, and span the two sections to the right of that. That doesn't seem so bad, but just by eyeballing it, you have to know it will end up being taller than the Toyota sign. The height may not fit in so well, but I can definitely live with it.
Moving on....
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| Savior Faire in the house! |
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| My most hated player is this stick figure of a man. |
And then.....
HE HIT HIS THIRD HOMER OF THE GAME!
If you couldn't tell from the video, it was a no doubter that landed on Sheffield. I had certainly never seen a three homer game before, and told myself once again that anything can happen when you walk into the ballpark any given day. I didn't manage to snap a picture, but he came out for a curtain call after some encouragement from his teammates.
The three run shot put the Cubs up 9-2, and the game was essentially over. Carlos Marmol (dear Jesus) gave up a run on a sac fly in the 8th, and Alex Burnett (who?) pitched a perfect 9th.
Cubs Win (!!!!), and take a 2-0 lead in the four games played against their rivals this year.
STATS
- Time spent at game: 4 hours, 40 minutes
- Total time spent at games: 52 hours, 8 minutes
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