Brian McCabe helped add a new element to the CCO with his daily recaps of the Cubs Convention a few weeks back and he has agreed to become a full time contributor here at the CCO. Brian will be able to provide a unique perspective to the Cubs Faithful and I think his first post is proof of that....enjoy!!!
The biggest bar in Chicago, a place to be seen, something to do, fun to be had, the biggest beer garden in the world....these are just some of the many things people say about Wrigley Field.
The following exchange occurred near the end of the brilliant movie "Field Of Dreams,"
"Is this Heaven?"
"No it's Iowa."
"Could have sworn it was Heaven."
That is how I feel every time I walk into Wrigley, heavenly. My happy place, one of my favorite destinations and sure, one heck of a great beer garden, but Wrigley Field is so much more than that.
It is hard to put into words what Wrigley represents, but over the coming days, weeks and months, I hope put it into my own words, for you. I have the distinct pleasure of spending my summers at Wrigley as a season ticket holder. No, not every game, but as many nights, weekends and sick days as possible. I grew up going to Wrigley a few times a year, but now it is a second home, a place of solitude, and in its unique way, Heaven.
Everyone at Wrigley has a story, whether it is the beer vendor in the left field upper deck, the hot dog guy with a shaved head and catchy phrase or a fellow season ticket holder who wears a hat to every game that he must have stolen from Fred Flinstone's Water Buffalo meeting. Each story has value, promise, history, feeling and hope. Therefore, I hope to share as many of these stories as possible.
My story....26, single, member of the rat race, and yes, a Cubs fan. My wonderful mother grew up in the northwest suburb of Des Plaines. Her mother, Jane, was a diehard and passed it along. I had the privilege of coming home from school every day to a snack, my mom and Harry Caray. So I thank her every day for giving this to me, the curse of the Northside.
The Bartman ball was bad, but for me, it was Game 7. Kerry Wood's homer tied the game, Alou put us ahead, and as I looked at my mom that night, for the first time EVER, she believed in the Cubs, she had hope, but it was gone soon. The tears rolling down her face in the ninth inning hit me ten times harder than a fan innocently reaching for a foul ball. That is when I realized....This is not Heaven, it is Wrigley Field.
The following exchange ended "Field Of Dreams,"
"What is Heaven like?"
"It is the place dreams come true."
"Well, maybe this is Heaven!"
Someday, someway, somehow, I promise, Wrigley will be Heaven! Until then, I guess we just have to pray.
If you would like to reach me, feel free to drop me a line at brian@chicagocubsonline.com, thanks for reading and....
Stay Classy Cubs Fans
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Brian, great story on Wrigley. I also think it is a fabulous place, but at the same time, I think maybe it could be one of the biggest hindrances the team has. We all know Wrigley is "the place to be". How many people visit Wrigley during the season that are not Cubs fans? It hit me very hard this year, when I saw an ad in the Sun-Times for the Cubs coming year. The ad is a picture of Wrigley Field. Was there a picture of Derek Lee? No! Maybe Mark Prior? No! It just galls me to see the Tribune advertising Wrigley Field, like it is the sole reason to come to a Cubs' game. Sometimes I think as a Cub fan, maybe we would be better off if we did not have Wrigley Field. The Tribune would then have to spend money on players to better the team rather than advertising the "House". I do think it is a beautiful park, but the accommodations are terrible. As much as I hate to say it, the "Cell" is much more fan-friendly, with better seating, better food and much easier to park. I have been a Cub fan for over 50 years and will always be a Cub fan, but sorry to say I am not a Wrigley fan.
Gramps,
You comments were right on the money!
I had front row tickets (I could put my drink on the top of the dugout) at the Sox park.
Great park...very fan friendly.
Unfortunately, I was watching the Sox!
My recent Wrigley experiences have been:
trying to get tickets but being unable to get through the website
seeing tickets on ebay while I am stuck online...still trying to get through.
A true fan can't go to the good games, unless he wants to pay for scalped tickets, or has a connection somehow.
To be honest, if the team is not going to win, then I would rather it be like the 1970s and early 80s and I could get good seats, or buy bleacher tickets, and be surrounded by actual fans of the team, and not just a bunch of drunks who can't wait for the game to end, so they can hit the bars...
They charge too much for a ticket to not put a winning product on the field.
I am not too sure where you guys are from, I couldnt agree w/ Brian more. I am also a season ticket holder, and Brian I know (fellow season ticket holder who wears a hat to every game that he must have stolen from Fred Flinstone's Water Buffalo meeting) who you are talking about. He sits very close to me. I am also in LF. Everytime I walk into Wrigley it doesnt get old. I guess it all depends on what you consider fan friendly. Large TV screens, scrolling LCD's, and incredibly loud speakers is not my idea of fan friendly. When I go to a baseball game I want to feel like I am in a baseball park not a baseball field surrounded by a mall. Wrigley is baseball. Cant help you about the tickets, 3/4 of Wrigley is a season ticket. Which is amazing to me. And the actual fan comment is a big White Sox's line. C'mon waiting for the game to end to go to the bars, those people dont even go to the game....just to the bar. Next time you are at Wrigley look around and you tell me that people dont care, you cant. Sorry Gramps and Jason B we are all entitled to our own opinion but you just insulted my girlfriend.....just dont tell my wife. GO CUBS.
I have to agree with Brian and Shaun on this one. Being at Wrigley Field has been what makes it just a little bit ok that the Cubs lost (again). Just sitting there does feel like you're at a ball park and not at a stadium. That feeling makes me think of being a kid, and as a kid I just wanted to watch a game. Wasn't too concerned with records or stats. It was just about baseball.
Shaun and AJ: I posted my comment on Wrigley because I feel the emphasis is being put on Wrigley Field more than the Cubs team. I don't want it to be the biggest bar in Chicago or a place to be seen or the biggest beer garden in the world...I want it to be a place where my favorite team plays with fans who ALL understand the game and are ALL rooting for the Cubs. I was talking with a few guys at work about this and one put it in words that made the most sense: he had friends in Seattle who asked him if he could get tickets to Wrigley; I think the question should be: "Can you get me tickets to a Cubs' game?" As long as the Tribune can fill the place with people who want to see the park, why should they do their utmost to spend money on players and all the other things that might bring a championship? And you say 3/4 of the attendance is season tickets, but how many of those tickets are in the hands of brokers, etc. instead of fans who have been supporting this team for almost a century without having a Series winner?
Hey, this is what makes this website so great. We can disagree on all the side things, but we are all Cub fans and can't wait for the season to start. And we will all be cheering and rooting for our team -- GO CUBS!!!!
Gramps - I totally agree, being able to agree to disagree is what make this site the place to talk about our opinions.
I am quite certain that I don't have the history with the Cubs that you do - I've only been a fan in the years since I've moved away from Chicago (my family was rooting for the White Sox while I was growing up). I don't know everything that you do about what the Tribune Company is doing - right or wrong. I do, however, love the fact that I can live three states away (from home) and talk to a coworker about how excited he is about taking his son to Wrigley for the first time.
I am a season ticket holder for the NFL team here, and I feel for the folks who can't get their hands on tickets year after year. It doesn't seem right, but I'm not about to give up my seats to free up some seats. I hope one day to have children who will appreciate having them, and won't ever let them go.
GO CUBS!
loved it, Bri, you brought that tear/s back to my eye/s as it was that night...but more still in the 8th inning we really believed it was heaven...not so, oh well..."wait til next year.
Great job, Bri, love your writing.