|
Last year against the Seattle Mariners -
I was invited to go to a game with some other business friends. The game was fantastic, Ichiro went 5-5 and received a standing ovation after his fifth hit. Fireworks after the game...nice food...we really thought everything was nice. Three of us left together and waited for eternity for the traffic to move along. As we neared the expressway, we were still inching along when a guy approached the driver's window. He held out his hand looking for money and my friend waved him off. He should have rolled up the window, because the guy pulled out a knife and told him to get out of the car. I presume he was a Mariner's fan, because my friend was wearing a sox jersey. That could be the only reason why that happened, right?
Did you forget the Dad who was attacked with an iron bar and left brain damaged? He was walking with his family back to the car when he was hit from behind. How about the shooting between the LK and Cobras a year ago? That was during a game. These freaks walked out of a game and shot it out in the parking lot. How many gangs fight for turf control around Wrigley? There are hundreds more incidents of stupidity at the Cell. Get your facts right, two different sets of fan hooliganism, half empty stands throughout a championship year and the need for Kevlar when you journey to the Cell (an appropriate nickname to most of the fans). Wrigley is a beer garden, no fireworks, no batting cages nor showers to cool off. Cub fans go to see a baseball game up close. They cheer for the boys who like to sign autographs and don't whine about playing time. No member of the Cubs looks like 50cent or owns a rap label. Maybe that's why grandmas and little kids cheer for them.
When the Cubs played the Marlins for the LCS, the south side had free beer for Marlin fans, served up booze for every Cubs loss and derided them for making it when the Sox were horrible. Did you see much of that going on this year? Nah, Cubs fans bought tickets (yes, they were available) and went to watch baseball. As fans of the game, we appreciate how special that team was. The north side showed class and restraint, cheering on LaSalle when Ozzie went by. Look around next summer, how many Financial District power brokers have Cubs gear? It's called class and maturity. We respect the game and appreciate the victors. We'd rather watch the Sox win the Series than the Astros. Some day you'll understand why.
Yes, Wrigley is old and in need of repair. The netting insures that the full house doesn't get injured. Built before architectural safety codes, Wrigley and Fenway pack them in anyway. Both parks have terrific atmosphere, great sitelines and people feel safe going there. (Didn't you need oxygen to sit in the top rows when the Cell opened? They realized ther mistake and cut those rows off!) In case you missed it, the Tribune Company is in a battle to alter Wrigley. They can't because of preservation codes and double-dealing alderman. When was it that Wrigley was being torn down?
|