Even though I’m not a Cubs fan my brother was nice enough to take me to Game 4 at Wrigley on Saturday. All I had to do was promise not to cheer against the Cubs. That’s really not a problem. While I do take some enjoyment from watching the Cubs lose, I’ve never been they type of Cubs hater White Sox fans are known to be.
Anyway, I had a good time, and even cheered for a nice play Sosa made in the field. Cheering was made possible by the fact the Cubs were losing so I was able to manage a “good effort” applause.
As you can imagine the crowd was intense. Fans were into it from the first pitch. I almost wish the Cubs were able to clinch just to have been able to see the crowd reaction. As it was, the late innings were pretty subdued with the Cubs falling behind .
A few observations:
There were more people keeping score than usual.
There were very few kids in the park and I didn’t see anyone over 10. This was somewhat surprising since I always see a lot of children at Wrigley. Of course I understand why you wouldn’t want to bring them to a playoff game. Most young kids won’t be able to focus on every pitch for three hours and there would be a good chance you might have to miss a portion of the game taking care of their various needs.
Hardly anyone got up from their seats during the game. After the second inning, I went out to the patio to get beer and not a single person was in line! In fact, there were only about four people out there getting their nicotine fix.
Overall, I came away impressed with the fans in the ballpark. Not the usual “party time at Wrigley” atmosphere. But the same cannot be said for the fans outside the ballpark.
I had a couple of amusing experiences walking home from the game. Out on Waveland, women were hanging out one of the rooftop buildings flashing fans on the street Mari Gras style.
Then I heard the following conversation on the corner of Grace and Sheffield:
Cop: You have to get up.
Man in drunker stupor laying on grass between sidewalk and street: In a minute.
Cop: No, you have to get up now!
I was pressed for time so I didn’t stick around for the rest of the conversation. But I don’t think the guy was going anywhere. Now even though I’m not a Cubs fan, I strive to be unbiased observer on this site. So honesty compels me to admit the man was wearing all black and was by himself. In other words, there was a good chance he was a Sox fan.
Thanks for the game bro.