Cubs 7, Cardinals 3
On Sunday, I attended the Cubs/Cards make-up game from a rain out in April. If you’ve been reading the baseball posts then you are well aware of my recent drought of seeing a victory. Well, I caught a “W” for the Cubbies. Not sure that counts. Especially since it meant that I had to endure the horrible sing-a-long number, “Go Cubs Go”. Even worse though, I was sitting next to one of the most obnoxious fans I have ever met.
The “fan” was in his mid twenties, from Indianapolis, and was attending his first Cubs game. How do I know this? Because, he talked to me throughout the entire game despite the fact that I hardly ever responded. Around the 1st inning, Annoying Fan told everyone around him that he could make his father proud if at the 7th inning stretch he streaked across the field. “What’s the worst tat could happen to me, ” he asked. A Cubs fan next to me had the answer. “$1000 bail!” AF said that he had that much money on him and that it might be worth it. I told him that he had about an hour and an half to think it over. Did I mention that AF had already confessed to us that he been drinking heavily in Wrigleyville the night before and had woken up on someone’s porch (thank goodness we don’t live in that neighborhood).
During the 2nd inning, AF started quizzing me on baseball history. His first question was what was the oldest ballpark in the majors. Easy, Fenway Park. Obviously, he thought I was going to say Wrigley. And then he came with a harder one. What is the oldest team in the majors? I answered, “Cincinnati Reds.” He was impressed and stopped with the baseball trivia. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop him from commenting and telling jokes to me for the next couple of hours.
The sad thing was that he was a friendly guy. But there was just too much pep there. I mean even the Cubs fans were getting agitated with him. The most annoying thing he did was press his fingers between his lips, and blow the loudest whistle I’ve ever heard come from a human being. He kept doing this over and over and over again. Finally, a Cubs fan near me told him that whistling was really only reserved for home runs. That stopped him for a few innings at least.
Speaking of home runs, AF called the homer from Carlos Zambrano in the 4th inning. This fact excited him to no end. He started screaming out profanities (luckily, the young kid in front of him was with his dad on a bathroom break) and looked for someone who would high five him. Even with an excited crowd, I don’t know if he found any takers.
Towards the 5th and 6th, I think all the beer AF had consumed was starting to have a sleepy effect on him for he was pretty quite during this time. But as soon as the 7th inning came around (no, he didn’t run out onto the field naked), he got his second wind. He started up the whistling again much to the chagrin to those around him.
I will admit that he had one funny joke. At one point in the game, the Cubs popped up behind Pujols (who had already committed an error missing a routine grounder through his legs) in short right field. Three Cardinals went for the ball but the ball fell in between them. AF yells, “How many Cardinals does it take to catch a pop fly? More than three!” Okay, that was funny. But true to his annoying nature, he ruined the few chuckles he got by immediately repeating the joke. And then in the 8th, he recycled the joke without any context.
Surprisingly, at the bottom of the ninth, AF turned to all of us around him and announced that he was leaving to beat the crowd because he was driving back to Indianapolis that night. As soon as he was gone, there was a collective sigh of relief. One Cubs fan near me told me, “I don’t know how you sat next to him the whole game!”
As I said, AF was friendly but also so grating and exhausting. At one point while he was talking on the phone to his friend, he commented on just how beautiful the day was and how beautiful the ballpark was and how much he wished his friend could be there with him. That the people were so friendly. And it all felt like a bit of Heaven. Thinking about that made me feel a bit guilty about all the negative thoughts I had had about him. Then, I felt the ringing in my ears.
Arriving at the ballpark by bus.
The old time band plays for those entering Wrigley. Nice touch.
Inspired by Adam a few months ago, I kept score. It was also a great way to ignore the madness going on next to me.
The great Pujols went 2 for 4 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run. He also made an error that probably cost the Cards any chance of getting back in the game. A few days later, he would also make an error in the All-Star game.
“Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. Towards the end, you can see AF waving his newly bought Cubs cap. AF was also wearing a Cubs shirt he bought at the gift shop and finally put on around the 3rd inning.
The last out was a fly out to Milton Bradley in right field. Note that I stopped transmission right before the “Go Cubs Go” sing-a-long.
The massive crowd that AF was trying to beat. The official attendance for the game was 40,701. For the Sox, such a number happens on opening day, during playoffs, or whenever the Cubs are playing at The Cell. For the Cubs, it’s just another day at the ballpark.
Dang, I forgot to take a picture of my hot dog.
