Wrigley fails to disappoint

CHICAGO – I’ve never seen the Eiffel Tower or traveled to Stonehenge. When I saw the Golden Gate Bridge at age 12, I wasn’t exactly enthused. History isn’t my thing and quite frankly, I have no urge to travel to view most ancient landmarks.

Except when it comes to sports.

I’ve been to Fenway Park a million and a half times, including Game 1 of the 2004 World Series, but I still feel like Paris Hilton on Christmas every time I walk up the ramp and stare into the eyes of the Green Monster. Needless to say, I felt like a six year-old in Toys R Us Saturday when I entered Wrigley Field for the first time.

I love to text message my friends during class and facebook chat when I’m on the clock at work. Heck, I even have a blog. But when it comes to baseball, I’m old school. So as I sat seven rows behind the Cubs dugout Saturday (thanks again for the great seats, Annie), I began to take it all in. Prior to Dick Butkus’s first pitch (and subsequent seventh-inning stretch “Take me out to the Ballgame” rendition, which was quite impressive, by the way) I stood up and observed the utter beauty around me. Don’t let (White) Sox fans tell you otherwise. The ivy is much cooler in person. The rooftop seating adds character to a ballpark that has everything but charisma issues. Few ads. No jumbotron. I nudged my friend Bryan next to me and pointed, “Bartman was right there!”

It was a baseball fanatic’s paradise. Wrigleyville, aside from the ballpark itself, is one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. Everyone dressed in Cubbie attire, drinking beers, hoping this year will finally be the year, after 100 non-years.

With that, I can sympathize.

So there I sat, in baseball heaven watching Rich Harden make his Chicago debut. His excitement made mine look like I was at a funeral, which was apparent after he failed to hold back his smiles during his sixth-inning exit complemented by a standing ovation. The Cubs led 7-0 and I was perfectly content with a blowout, as the outcome of the game really had no bearing on my level of utility. Little did I know what was about to unfold.

The visiting Giants scored two runs in the eighth then exploded off Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol for five in the ninth, knotting the game at seven. Two innings later Mark DeRosa scored on a bang-bang play at the plate after a Reed Johnson single to right. You would have thought they had just won the World Series (I forgive the fans, as obviously none of them know what that actually feels like) as the song “Go Cubs Go!” filled the Wrigley air. Even I stood up on my chair and sang along. What else was I supposed to do?

And like Harden, that, along with an afternoon of bar hopping, was my Wrigley debut. I will say one thing, though. The fans, at least within my earshot, weren’t exactly the most knowledgeable I had ever encountered. The guy behind me was telling his friend that Wrigley had the last manual scoreboard in baseball. And the friend was keeping score, wearing a Red Sox hat! Bryan and I looked at each other.

“You wanna tell him, or should I?” We refrained.

I couldn’t do the same the night before. Friday night we ventured over to Lincoln Park to our friend’s house downtown. Travis Beckum and TJ Theus unexpectedly graced us with their presence. I later found myself in a cab with two Western Illinois students from Park Ridge who were at the house earlier.

“You guys always chill with future NFL tight ends?” I joked, referring to Beckum.

“No, they are wide receivers,” the kid next to me replied.

Little did he know he was trying to argue psychology with Freud.

“Actually Travis is going to be the first tight end taken in the draft next year.”

“You think?”

“I know.”

I couldn’t help it.

On the L Saturday, Bryan, in casual conversation claimed that drinking reverts people back to childhood, as they have no fear and no shame.

Baseball has the same effect on me.

I sat in Wrigley all afternoon, lapping it up like a golden retriever in July, analyzing the game with Bryan, who has every bit the baseball knowledge as me. We explained to Annie and her friend Rachael how Ryan Theriot’s baserunning blunder cost the Cubs a run in the first. Derrek Lee hit a ball to the track with nobody out and Theriot on second. Theriot found himself near third base when Aaron Rowand made the catch. Had Theriot been two steps off of second, he easily could have tagged up or scored had Rowand not made the catch. Instead, he retreated to second and failed to score on the subsequent Aramis Ramirez line drive, which was caught in diving fashion by Rowand.

Man I love this game.

Wrigley Field: Check. On deck: Yankee Stadium August 2^nd. Excited? You bet.