My First and Only Visit to Wrigley Field this Summer

Publishing this post is proving to be as frustrating as watching the Cubs this summer.  I wrote the whole post, tried to add pictures, and lost everything!  Arrrrrgggghhhh!!!!  Let's try this again...

By the time I returned from Singapore, Erin was dying to go to a Cubs game.  It had been a very cool and wet Spring in Chicago, but the weather had warmed up upon my return.  I initially thought that I had brought Singapore weather with me, but the heat only lasted for a few days at a time.  The thermometer had approached 90* for several days, but a thunder storm had cooled things considerably on the day that Erin and I headed to Wrigley Field.  In addition to the cooler temps, there was also a wind coming off Lake Michigan, to make it feel even cooler.  Erin and I knew it was going to be cooler near the lake, but were unprepared for the 20 degree difference.  We wished that we had brought our blankets!

The reason that Erin had chosen this particular game was because they were giving Cubs Pitchers and Beer Cups to the first 10,000 fans, 21 and older.  But, when we walked through the gates, shortly after they opened, we were not given our promotional item.  There was an attendant standing next to unopened boxes of pitchers, and we asked why she was not giving them out.  She said that they realized at the last moment that they could present a hazard.  In other words, they thought that some fans would be throwing the cups and pitchers around during the game.  Unfortunately, someone had really dropped the ball, and they hadn't even been prepared to hand out cards to the fans that qualified for the giveaway as they entered the ballpark.  That is the standard practice when a promotional item can prove hazardous.  We noticed a line forming at Customer Relations, and decided to join it.  When we reached the front, we asked the agent if everyone was complaining about the giveaway.  She told us to write down our names, and the number of pitchers to which we were entitled.  She said that she would reserve 2 pitchers for us, and to go and enjoy the game with no worries.  Erin said that she must have been "Disney Trained", as Disney prides itself on its customer service.

The Saint Ignatius High School Choir sang the National Anthem. and Brandon Marshall of the Chicago Bears threw out the first pitch.  Then the game started.  The Cubs were down, then tied, then down, then tied, then down, and lost.  It was a script that would be reenacted many, many times this season, especially at home.  Let's hope the "rebuilding process" is completed in my lifetime.  It's een 105 years since the last time the Cubs won a World Series, and 68 years since they've even made an appearance!  Go, Cubs, Go!

Batting practice before the game at Wrigley Field.

Brandon Marshall, of the Chicago Bears, throwing out the first pitch.

The view from our seats.