Here’s where it gets interesting. Our parking spot was near the corner of Clark and Waveland, near the left field corner. As we reached the precipice of the stadium our first sight was that of security fences and large mechanical equipment. This was not my father’s Wrigley Field. The feeling I had was one I’d never been subjected to at Clark and Addison before - confusion. Yes, confusion. My mind took a few seconds to wrap itself around all that was taking place outside the stadium. I won’t say it looked like a “war zone” as Jason Hammel referred to it upon his first visit, but it was definitely unusual. We made our way up Clark to the corner at Addison to enter in the main entrance. We had to take a selfie with Ernie before we entered.
Our seats were located in Section 218, which is in the lower deck but in the upper sections under the overhang of the upper deck. My first thoughts were “well, if it rains we won’t get wet”. Little did I know that was the least of my weather problems on Wednesday. As I scanned the field I spotted the tarps over the bleachers in the outfield. They looked as nice as they did on television on Sunday night. I just don’t understand why they didn’t also cover the corner sections of the bleachers as well. The view of ongoing constructive work seemed tacky.
But then I gazed upon the monstrosity that was the new video board. At first, I took to it like you would a brand new television and thought it was cool. But as the game went on, it also became confusing. It just didn’t seem like Wrigley, if that makes sense. I thoroughly enjoyed finally getting a chance to see replays at the stadium. It enhanced the viewing experience, especially with two close plays at first during the game, one of which turned into a replay challenge. But at the same time, its newfangled-ness seemed like overkill. Over time, I’m sure all of the purists, like myself will accept the video board. Having a beam right in the middle of my view of the screen probably didn’t help either. A friend of mine was at the game as well, a Cardinals fan no less, and had this to say about the video board:
While I’m not surprised that a Cardinals fan didn’t like it, I was pleasantly surprised to hear him describe it as “perfection”. :)
During the game my son and I were taken aback by loud banging noised behind us. My first instinct was to let him know that it was someone banging on a drum to get the crowd going (the game was scoreless until the 7th). As time passed, we both realized it was the sound of construction going on outside the stadium. Once again, confusion – kind of the theme of the day.
Let’s take a break from stadium talk and discuss my current mancrush – Jorge Soler. My goodness, this young man is a beast. The first Cubs hit of the day was his triple, and as I tweeted afterwards, it was the hardest hit ball I’d ever heard. The ferocity of the ball hitting the back was a new sound to me. It happened again when he fouled a ball off in a later at bat and I concluded that this young man is special. I cannot wait to see what he is going to produce in a Cubs uniform. I ended up buying his shirsey while at the stadium.
The bathroom situation was interesting. Just past the entrance to our section was a row of portable toilets. They were directly outside the Men’s Bathrooms in that area. I assume this was a purposeful decision. The numerous times we trekked to the concourse there were never any long lines for the bathrooms or the portable toilets. The ONLY issue with them is that the Cubs roped off a “waiting area” of sorts for the portables and there was a lot of room between the toilets and the lines for them. These lines backed up into the concession stand lines and made for some tight squeezes if you were trying to get through one of those areas.
Something else I was extremely curious in checking out at the game was the timer or the countdown clock between innings and pitching changes. It was located at the bottom right corner of the main scoreboard in center field. The umpires did a fantastic job of keeping the game flowing and there were very few instances where the clock ran down to its final seconds. I truly believed it helped the pace of the game and the overall time in which the game took to play Granted, there were only two runs scored all game and only five hits, I believe. But I still sensed that the clock played an integral part in the flow of the game. Kudos to MLB for having the foresight to make this modification to the game.
And....the Cubs won!
Finally, I need to discuss my test for recognizing true Cubs fans. I discussed this with Evan Altman at our meet up for the Cubs opener at Scotty’s Brewhouse on the north side of Indianapolis. We were deliberating the changed to Wrigley Field and how some fans profess their love for the stadium. I get it. Wrigley is an unbelievable place to watch a game. However, my one question to any fan that claims to be a Cubs fan is this: Which would you rather have – a World Series championship or Wrigley Field being around forever? If anyone answers Wrigley than I know they’re a phony. They are more of a Wrigley fan than a Cubs fan. Again, don’t misunderstand me here – I love Wrigley Field. But what is the most important thing your team can do for you as a fan? Easy answer, win. I would push the button to blow Wrigley up if you could guarantee me a World Series title for the Cubs. The team is ALWAYS more important than the stadium. And that’s how I decide on true Cubs fans.
Until next time,
Shawn
But then I gazed upon the monstrosity that was the new video board. At first, I took to it like you would a brand new television and thought it was cool. But as the game went on, it also became confusing. It just didn’t seem like Wrigley, if that makes sense. I thoroughly enjoyed finally getting a chance to see replays at the stadium. It enhanced the viewing experience, especially with two close plays at first during the game, one of which turned into a replay challenge. But at the same time, its newfangled-ness seemed like overkill. Over time, I’m sure all of the purists, like myself will accept the video board. Having a beam right in the middle of my view of the screen probably didn’t help either. A friend of mine was at the game as well, a Cardinals fan no less, and had this to say about the video board:
@illini3sc Although they tried to make it feel/look old school, something about it seemed wrong. Don't mess with perfection. Wasn't a fan.
— Tony Manning (@TonyManning) April 9, 2015While I’m not surprised that a Cardinals fan didn’t like it, I was pleasantly surprised to hear him describe it as “perfection”. :)
During the game my son and I were taken aback by loud banging noised behind us. My first instinct was to let him know that it was someone banging on a drum to get the crowd going (the game was scoreless until the 7th). As time passed, we both realized it was the sound of construction going on outside the stadium. Once again, confusion – kind of the theme of the day.
Let’s take a break from stadium talk and discuss my current mancrush – Jorge Soler. My goodness, this young man is a beast. The first Cubs hit of the day was his triple, and as I tweeted afterwards, it was the hardest hit ball I’d ever heard. The ferocity of the ball hitting the back was a new sound to me. It happened again when he fouled a ball off in a later at bat and I concluded that this young man is special. I cannot wait to see what he is going to produce in a Cubs uniform. I ended up buying his shirsey while at the stadium.
The bathroom situation was interesting. Just past the entrance to our section was a row of portable toilets. They were directly outside the Men’s Bathrooms in that area. I assume this was a purposeful decision. The numerous times we trekked to the concourse there were never any long lines for the bathrooms or the portable toilets. The ONLY issue with them is that the Cubs roped off a “waiting area” of sorts for the portables and there was a lot of room between the toilets and the lines for them. These lines backed up into the concession stand lines and made for some tight squeezes if you were trying to get through one of those areas.
Something else I was extremely curious in checking out at the game was the timer or the countdown clock between innings and pitching changes. It was located at the bottom right corner of the main scoreboard in center field. The umpires did a fantastic job of keeping the game flowing and there were very few instances where the clock ran down to its final seconds. I truly believed it helped the pace of the game and the overall time in which the game took to play Granted, there were only two runs scored all game and only five hits, I believe. But I still sensed that the clock played an integral part in the flow of the game. Kudos to MLB for having the foresight to make this modification to the game.
And....the Cubs won!
Finally, I need to discuss my test for recognizing true Cubs fans. I discussed this with Evan Altman at our meet up for the Cubs opener at Scotty’s Brewhouse on the north side of Indianapolis. We were deliberating the changed to Wrigley Field and how some fans profess their love for the stadium. I get it. Wrigley is an unbelievable place to watch a game. However, my one question to any fan that claims to be a Cubs fan is this: Which would you rather have – a World Series championship or Wrigley Field being around forever? If anyone answers Wrigley than I know they’re a phony. They are more of a Wrigley fan than a Cubs fan. Again, don’t misunderstand me here – I love Wrigley Field. But what is the most important thing your team can do for you as a fan? Easy answer, win. I would push the button to blow Wrigley up if you could guarantee me a World Series title for the Cubs. The team is ALWAYS more important than the stadium. And that’s how I decide on true Cubs fans.
Until next time,
Shawn
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