Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs

The Cubs are back in town for a 3 game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. Last night, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I braved the cold with a game time temperature of 38 degrees. Before the game, I checked the weather and decided it was winter football weather. I put on my long underwear and wore my heaviest coat with gloves and a snow hat. Who knew that after almost wearing shorts to last Tuesday’s game that I would need to break out the winter gear for last night’s game.

For what I believe is a first for me, I saw a player make his season debut after serving a 25 game suspension for testing positive for a banned stimulant. Mike Cameron had 3 hits including a 2 run single (blooper) in the top of the 7th that broke the game open.

In what was not a first for me, home plate umpire Jerry Crawford left the game because he was not feeling well – delaying the game for 13 minutes. I’m not sure how many games I have been to when an umpire had to leave but I have seen Jerry Crawford leave a game before. He left in the 4th inning of Game 1 of the 2003 NLCS for feeling ill. Both games the Cubs lost. I think I know who to blame for last night’s loss now.

A few other notables from last night's game:
1) Derrek Lee tied a club record for home runs in April by hitting his 8th of the season.
2) Ben Sheet’s walked a career high seven batters.

The Cooper Tires Invitational

For the 3rd time this month I went to the Allstate Arena. Today’s Professional Bull Riding event was far more eventful than I remembered from Anaheim – the main reason probably being that more riders seemed to get seriously injured. One rider broke his cheekbone and eye socket, another had a concussion, another rider was carried off on a stretcher after a bull bucked him into the gate, and a couple other riders were dragged around by their foot when their rope did not come undone as planned.

You can compare the injury reports from each PBR event by clicking on each Box Score.

I found a woman with an extra ticket as she was entering the arena. I thought she was giving me a $30 ticket for free, but balked when I said thanks for the ticket. She asked for $20 but I told her I was only planning to pay $10. She reluctantly accepted $10. The Arena operators raised parking from the usual $11 to $15 for today’s event.

Pro Bull Riding

For the 3rd time this year, I will be going to see the Professional Bull Riders. I was in the Los Angeles area when the tour was at the Honda Center in Anaheim and went on Friday and Saturday night. The weekend in Anaheim had more events (Friday, Saturday and Sunday vs. Saturday and Sunday in Chicago) and ticket prices were higher – cheapest seat in Anaheim was $23.50 vs. $12 in Chicago.

This is not the first time the PBR has come to Chicago but the first time I have been able to go. The event would be a much higher priority for me if I had not already seen the tour in Anaheim but I will still go today to see what the Allstate Arena looks like submerged under a lot of dirt.

Colorado Rapids at Chicago Fire

Having not been to Toyota Park for about 1 year, I chose to attend the Chicago Fire game last night over the Chicago White Sox. The best thing about soccer is the length of the game (less than 2 hours). Even though Toyota Park is 20 miles from where I live, the game started 90 minutes after the White Sox game but ended at the same time.

Toyota Park is relatively easy to get to. You take Interstate 55, exit Harlem Ave. and drive south for 2.5 miles. There are a couple of restaurants to choose from as you approach the stadium:

1) Grand Duke’s Restaurant (http://www.granddukesrestaurant.com/)
2) Fire Station Pub

Or you can go to restaurants that are along the way (Mi Tierra) as the Ultimate Sports Wife and I did on a previous trip to Toyota Park.

It was $15 to park. Toyota Park allows tailgating which we’ll need to try at some point in the future. I was hoping to get a ticket for around $5 so I walked around to the main box office:

Ticket Buying Tip #3: Most fans trying to get rid of tickets will go to the Box Office and approach people who are standing in line to buy tickets.

Ticket Buying Tip #4: Look for fans with a stack of tickets. They most likely planned to have a large group show up but some people will back out.

I found a guy with a lot of tickets in his hand. I asked if he had an extra ticket. He said he did not feel comfortable selling the ticket but would give it away (fine with me!). He handed me the ticket and I walked in.

The Verdict: Chicago Fire

I did not end up going to either White Sox game today. I could not cancel my prior engagement to get to the first White Sox game that started at noon – a concern I stated would be the case for most Friday night ticket holders.

So instead of heading to Game 2, I will be going to the Chicago Fire game out at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL tonight. I rarely have the chance to attend a Fire game, so I chose them over the White Sox.

Chicago White Sox Rain Out leads to Day-Night Doubleheader

What happened to the old fashioned doubleheader? You know – the one where you could buy one ticket and they would play two games – the second game starting about 30 minutes after the first game ends. The last time I attended one was September 10, 2004 when the Chicago Cubs hosted the Florida Marlins.

After deciding not to go to the White Sox game last night because of the chance (ok, guaranteed chance) of rain, because a trucker slammed into the el station one stop North of the US Cellular Field stop and I wanted to see the wife’s annual ice show (she’s an instructor), the White Sox game was eventually postponed due to the rain around 9:40 pm CT.

Knowing that this was Baltimore’s only visit to Chicago this season, I was excited about the possibility of attending the old fashioned doubleheader on either Saturday or Sunday. However, the White Sox scheduled a day-night doubleheader – meaning fans wanting to attend both games must:

1) Buy a ticket for the first game. The White Sox screwed all Friday night ticket holders by making their tickets only usable for today’s game at noon or weekday games the week of 5/5 (upper level only!). From the Ticketmaster website -->

“This game has been rescheduled from Friday, 4/25 7:11pm to Saturday, 4/26 12:05pm due to weather. Fans should retain their 4/25 tickets and parking passes and use them for this rescheduled contest on 4/26 at 12:05pm. Customers may exchange their 4/25 tickets at the US Cellular Field Box Office for best available Upper Level seating for the 5/6, 5/7 or 5/8 games only. No refunds or exchanges other than those mentioned here.”

I doubt anyone will be at this game. How many people can plan to attend a White Sox game Friday night only to cancel their Saturday afternoon plans in order to come back? Come on White Sox – we know you want the extra revenue from the game, but since fans cannot get any refund you will get most of it anyway when they exchange their tickets for games that will not sell out.

2) Exit the ballpark after Game 1 and linger around the area for an hour or two until the gates are re-opened for Game 2 (time between the final out of Game 1 and the first pitch of game 2 is most likely 3 hours).

3) Buy a ticket for the second game.

Now the day-night doubleheader can be fun around some ballparks such as Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and AT&T Park, but US Cellular Field is not the best area to hang around. The only bar / restaurant I have been to around US Cellular Field is Jimbo’s – a dive bar that is similar to my suggested dive bar around Wrigley Field.

I have not decided if I will go for both games today. If I do, I might find out there are other restaurants around US Cellular Field in my 3 hours between games.

Chicago Wolves Playoffs

As I mentioned last week, the Chicago Wolves are the only Chicago based team in the playoffs. Last night, I went to Game 5 between the Milwaukee Admirals and the Chicago Wolves at the Allstate Arena. I actually bought a ticket (through Ticketmaster) before the game. There were two main reasons I chose to buy the ticket through Ticketmaster (paid $21.55 for a $10 ticket):

1) The game started at 7 pm. However, I had a meeting for work that was supposed to end between 7:30 and 8 pm. Since I would miss the first period I needed a ticket in hand. The Wolves cut off ticket sales after the first period. Since it was minor league hockey, I was not too concerned with missing the first period.
2) We still had $37 worth of Ticketmaster gift certificates that I wanted to use. I generally never use Ticketmaster since I normally buy tickets outside the stadium for less than face value.

I arrived at Allstate Arena around 8:15 pm. Since the first period was over they were no longer collecting money for parking, so I saved $11. I walked into the arena as the second period was starting. The Wolves were already up 2-0 and won the game 4-1.

On a side note from the Calder Cup Playoffs, last night's game between Philadelphia and Albany in Albany, NY went 5 OT periods - the longest game in AHL history. The game ended at 12:39 am. The game in Chicago last night was not nearly as exciting, but I was also asleep by 11 pm.

Stanley Cup Playoffs – Round 2

Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begins tonight. As with the NBA playoffs there are many travel options based on the amount of teams that are still in the playoffs. However, I am not planning to attend any Round 2 games. I could probably make it to Detroit or San Jose (proximity of city and family by city, respectively), but considering it is only the second round and that both teams “should” advance to the next round I will postpone the decision to travel to those cities for a couple of weeks.

New York at Chicago (AL) – Game 2

I wanted to write that I went to three games in three ballparks in 27 hours. However, that changed to 28 hours when the second New York at Chicago game of the day lasted 3 hours and 44 minutes.

When I arrived at US Cellular Field, you could tell the team and city felt that with the Yankees in town they needed to have a police “presence.” There were cops on horseback and lots of security. However, based on the crowd inside (25,012), the White Sox overestimated the policing needed.

Bobby Abreu hit a grand slam to give the Yankees the lead, the second grand slam hit during the “red line” doubleheader.

Random Ticket Buying Experience: While I was looking for a ticket, I saw a guy that looked familiar. I asked if I knew him. He said no, but I explained that I met him at a Champagne tasting back in December. He remembered the meeting and sold me his $28 ticket for $20.

White Sox Ticket Buying Tip: As most teams are doing now, the White Sox give season ticket holders a discount off of single game ticket prices (the Cubs do not implement this policy). Thus, if you are looking for extra tickets around US Cellular Field, the face value on a “season ticket” ticket is less than what you will pay at the Box Office – so you’ll save money buying a ticket from a season ticket holder.

New York at Chicago (NL) – Game 1

Today, for the first time since April 18, 1980, both the New York Mets and New York Yankees are playing in Chicago on the same day. I am planning to attend both games in this scheduling quirk. The last time two teams from the same metropolitan area played in the same city on the same day was April 15, 1997 when the New York teams hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers and Anaheim Angels, respectively.

In the first game of the day, the Cubs defeated the Mets 8-1 with Ronny Cedeno hitting a grand slam (his first home run of the year). The Ultimate Sports Wife and I went to Wrigleyville Dogs before the game – a good hot dog stand about 1 block North of Wrigley Field.

St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers

Having not been to Miller Park for 4 seasons, I drove up to Milwaukee last night. I entered the ballpark a little over an hour after I left work, so the decision to drive to Miller Park rather than Wrigley Field was the correct one – the Cubs game was in the 5th inning at the time.

As I entered the parking lot, I noticed that parking increased $2 (since 2004) to $8. Not too bad (especially when compared to Chicago). I knew the cheapest seat in the stadium was $8 for Upper Levels. Thus, I budgeted $5 to buy a ticket outside.

As I approached some scalpers, I noticed a woman approaching them at the same time – “She must have extra tickets,” I thought. I asked her for an extra ticket but she did not hear me. She told the scalpers, “I’ll sell you 15 tickets for $25.” I interrupted the transaction and asked her, “Can I get one of those before you sell them?” She handed me an upper deck ticket and I went on my way.

Ticket Buying Tip #1: When looking for extra tickets, try to find someone walking away from the stadium. They most likely picked up their tickets at Will Call and are looking for a scalper to make a quick transaction.

Ticket Buying Tip #2: Always complete your transaction before the scalper completes his. Once money changes hands you must buy from the scalper which means paying a little (or a lot) higher – in this case it was the difference between free or $5.

Once inside Miller Park, I needed to decide which sausage to buy for dinner and which team to root for. After walking by a few concession stands I found the “chorizo” – the sausage the Brewers added to their infamous sausage race during the 2006 season. The Brewers’ chorizo comes wrapped in a tortilla with salsa as the condiment. This is my new top sausage choice when attending Brewers’ games (btw, the Polish Sausage won the sausage race).

Given the choice to root against the Cardinals or Brewers, I found myself rooting for the Brewers even though the experts predict the Brewers will be the Cubs main competition this season. I could not bring myself to root for the Cardinals. An interesting note on this game was that the pitchers for both teams batted 8th rather than the usual 9th. Both Tony LaRussa and Ned Yost are using that strategy this season.

Miller Park Tip #1: While most stadiums stop beer sales around the 7th inning, Miller Park has a loop hole. If you find yourself still thirsty after the 7th inning head down to the left field bleachers and enter TGI Fridays. Since they are technically a restaurant within the ballpark they can sell beer until after the game ends - but you'll need to order food if you want to sit down.

The ride home took longer than I expected. With construction consuming the entire highway from the Wisconsin – Illinois border until the Wrigley Field exit, I would advise planning some extra time if you are planning a visit to Miller Park from Chicago this season.

Miller Park vs. Wrigley Field?

Under normal circumstances, I would never attend a Milwaukee Brewers game over a Chicago Cubs game based on my proximity to Wrigley Field. Miller Park is about 90 miles from my house whereas Wrigley field is about 90 steps. However, with the Cubs game starting at 6:05 pm today in order to accommodate ESPN, the Brewers game starting at 7:05 pm and my having to work until 6 pm about 30 miles north of Wrigley Field and 60 miles from Miller Park, I have chosen to drive to Milwaukee after work today. The irony is that I will get to Miller Park faster than driving to Wrigley Field – the 90 mile drive back being the difference on the way home.

Cubs Game #300

300 wins makes a career for a pitcher in Major League Baseball. 300 Cubs games attended makes you…a guy with a lot of time on his hands? I attended my 300th Cubs game at Wrigley Field today. Over that time, the Cubs are 156-144. I attended my first Cubs game in the summer of 1982 (I don’t know the exact date but I believe it was in August versus the Phillies), my 100th game on August 31, 2002 and my 200th game on August 14, 2004.

To celebrate my 300th game and how I can speed up the next 100 we barbequed ribs on our deck after the game.

Ronnie sighting and other sightings from the rooftops

I was not sure if I would get on the rooftop today. I had texted the rooftop owner yesterday asking if I could go but received no response. As Nicole wrote in her article the other day, the process to get on the rooftop for us can be difficult. However, last year, I learned who was “on the ground” that I needed to talk to. I saw him fairly quickly which allowed me to skip rooftop access steps 2-9.

After the start of the game I saw Ronnie Woo-Woo walking down Addison St. I thought to myself, “Why isn’t Ronnie in the game?” I remember a security guard telling me (this was over 10 years ago) that Ronnie was the only fan allowed to enter Wrigley without a ticket. Next thing I knew Ronnie was standing behind me on the rooftop. What the hell! How did Ronnie get on the rooftop? Did he have to go through the 10 step process to get up here?

Derrek Lee hit his 7th Home Run of the season as the Cubs beat the Pirates convincingly 13-1. The most entertaining part of the last few innings were the fans in Wrigley Field that were displaying their body parts (equal opportunity here boys and girls) to the fans sitting on the rooftop.

NBA Playoffs – First Round

The NBA Playoffs have arrived. There is not a better time to plan spontaneous sports trips only a few days to a week ahead of time. With the amount of teams involved in the playoffs there are many travel options.

The last couple of years I was commuting between Los Angeles and Chicago, so there were multiple playoff games to attend with the Lakers, Clippers and Bulls making the playoffs during that time. But this year, I am living and working in Chicago. Thus, the Lakers resurgence as a #1 seed does not affect me.

With the Bulls out of the playoffs, the next cities on my priority list in which I would attend first round playoff games are:

1) Milwaukee – 1.5 hour drive
2) Indianapolis – 3 hour drive (probably would combine with another event)

However, both of those teams are out of the playoffs as well. My next option is to look at the cities in which we have family – San Francisco and Orlando. The Warriors are out. The Magic's home playoff schedule does not work well for our schedule. Thus, I may not attend an NBA Playoff game for the first time since the 2003 NBA Playoffs. We'll see what happens in the later rounds as the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers try to advance and my radius for travel expands.

On a side note, the only Chicago team in the playoffs right now is the Chicago Wolves (AHL – Minor League Hockey). Based on the fact I pass the Allstate Arena on the way home from work this could be a viable option.

Game ball #7? Not this time.

For the first time in awhile I almost caught a game ball. It all started when my friend, Kelly McMahon, texted me that she was sitting in Section 112 of Wrigley Field and that she had the mitt I lent her on Opening Day. My buddy, Mike Holzman, and I decided that her seats were better than ours so we headed down in her direction. Her friend had been using my mitt, but once I arrived she gave the mitt back to me.

A few innings later, a towering foul ball was lifted in our direction. None of us thought the ball would land in our section. However, the ball started to fall in our direction. Next thing I knew we were waiting for it to land. Thud! The ball bounced of Kelly’s friend’s hand – the same guy who had been using my mitt until I took it back. Oops!

The ball bounced a few rows in front of us and that was the end of our foul ball chances. Now, the conversation of catching foul balls generally does not come up unless a ball falls on you. When asked, I said I had either caught or picked up 6 game balls before (5 coming from 1993-1996 and 1 in 2004). Everything thinks I am lucky, but I tell them it’s because I have been to too many games. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in awhile.

As for the game, Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 596th career home run, Joey Votto had a career high 5 RBI, Tom Arnold sang the 7th inning stretch and the Cubs lost. After the game I went home to work since I had been at the game all afternoon.

Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs

The Cubs started the game off quickly and never looked back defeating the Reds 12-3. Derrek Lee equaled his first half home run total of last year with a home run in the 3rd inning. Carlos Zambrano pitched well and added 3 hits.

The bleacher bums were at it again. After Adam Dunn’s home run in the top of the 8th inning, the fans decided throw his home run ball back in addition to 15 more baseballs.

Josh Fogg tied his career high giving up 9 runs. It was the 3rd time he had given up 9 runs – all coming against the Cubs.

NFL Schedule reviewed. Tentative plan set.

When the NFL Schedule was release I reviewed it for 3 main agendas:

1) The Chicago Bears home schedule.
2) The schedules for the stadiums I have not attended NFL games at.
3) The international schedule – now that the NFL is consistently playing games in London and Toronto.

The Chicago Bears Home Schedule
As a Bears’ season ticket holder, I first look at the Bears’ home games and look out for any conflicts. For example, September home games sometimes conflict with Cubs’ home games. However, the Cubs are only home on one Sunday afternoon in September this year – Sun, September 21 at 1:20 pm.

The Bears home schedule is (all times Central):

Sun, 9/21 at Noon vs. Tampa Bay (of course the only Sunday afternoon home game in September is on the same day the Cubs are home)
Sun, 9/28 at 7:15 pm vs. Philadelphia
Sun, 10/19 at Noon vs. Minnesota
Sun, 11/2 at Noon vs. Detroit
Sun, 11/9 at Noon vs. Tennessee
Sun, 12/7 at Noon vs. Jacksonville
Thu, 12/11 at 7:15 pm vs. New Orleans
Mon, 12/22 at 7:30 pm vs. Green Bay

After initial review, the Bears schedule works out very well this year except for the first home game. Not only are the Cubs home but the Ryder Cup falls on that same weekend in Louisville, KY. I may have to skip both Chicago games and go to Louisville.

Schedules for stadiums in which I have not attended games yet
After reviewing the Bears’ schedule, I look up the schedules for the stadiums I have not attended games at (that I do not need to combine with the NBA and NHL) – Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.

Indianapolis: Since Indianapolis is close to Chicago, I do not need to plan ahead since we will be driving. I had hoped to see the Bears in Indianapolis’ new stadium this year, but the Colts host the Bears in the opening game at Lucas Oil Stadium. I expect ticket prices to be high for the game. Thus, I will plan to attend a Colts game later in the season or another year.

Philadelphia: I would like to combine seeing Lincoln Financial Field with Nationals Park (the new home of the Washington Nationals). The only weekend both teams are home in September is Sept 20-21. UGH!

Pittsburgh: With Indianapolis and Philadelphia most likely out for trips this season, the best weekend to travel to Pittsburgh is most likely opening weekend for the game on Sun, 9/7 vs. Houston. The rest of the Steelers’ home schedule either compete with Bears home games, other travel plans or are on weeknights.

International Games
The NFL has started to play multiple games in foreign counties – Wembley Stadium and Rogers Centre. As a rule, I do not travel to a stadium if the game is a one-off. However, since the NFL is scheduling annual contests at these venues, I am planning to travel to those cities.

London: For the 2nd consecutive year, the NFL will play a game at Wembley Stadium in London, England. As stated, since this will be the second year they play there, I feel it is time to schedule the trip over there. The Chargers and Saints will play on Sun, Oct. 26.

The only possible scheduling conflict for this weekend would be possible Cubs World Series games (“Why would you consider that?” You might ask). I will be a big fan of the National League in the All-Star game this year. Then, the National League would host World Series games on Wed, Oct. 22 and Thu, Oct. 23.

Toronto: Starting this season, the Buffalo Bills will host one regular season game each year for the next five years at Rogers Centre in Toronto. This year’s game falls on Sun, Dec. 7. Since the Bears are home that day as well, we will not attend the game in Toronto this season. Also, I expect tickets to be in high demand for the first regular season game in Canada. By waiting a few seasons, tickets will probably be cheaper to buy.

Of course, this is just the initial planning for the NFL season. As the season draws closer, I will start to finalize travel plans and add other cities. For example, the Bears play in Green Bay on Sun, November 16. The Ultimate Sports Wife and I have discussed going to Green Bay this season. If the game is not changed to Sunday night we will probably drive up for the game.

A reunion at Wrigley Field: Reds at Cubs

The Cincinnati Reds featured some infamous names from the Cubs’ 2003 playoff run – Paul Bako, Corey Patterson and new manager Dusty Baker. Baker was returning to Wrigley Field for the first time since the Cubs decided not to renew his contract after the 2006 season. I have always thought that Dusty just won too early in his tenure with the Cubs. If he had one or two losing seasons before guiding the Cubs to the NLCS, he would still be managing the team.

Alfonso Soriano injured himself in the top of 1st inning. He was probably playing tribute to Baker. It seemed like Cubs’ players were always hurting themselves when Baker was around.

Last night was also Jackie Robinson night. Baker, Ken Griffey Jr. (who hit his 595th career home run), Derrek Lee, Daryle Ward, hitting coach Gerald Perry and bullpen coach Lester Strode all wore No. 42 in tribute to Jackie Robinson.

Before the game, we went to the same dive bar on the corner of Sheridan and Byron that I wrote about on Sat, 4/5.

NFL Schedule is released

Get your fall calendars out. The NFL Schedule has been released so start planning your road trips. As for me, we are Bears Season Ticket holder so fall weekend (and holiday) plans are determined based on today.

In addition, I have been to every NFL stadium except:

1) Atlanta
2) Philadelphia
3) Pittsburgh
4) Indianapolis

While I can plan Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis immediately, I need to wait until late July once the NBA and NHL 2008-09 schedules are released in order to plan an Atlanta trip.

The Belmont Breeze

The Belmont Breeze is the official drink of the Belmont Stakes. However, planning the trip there is not so easy. As you may know, I am an avid Southwest Airlines customer for multiple reasons. The main one being – they do not charge change fees. No change fees is key for any sports fan trying to rank and file hundreds of possible sporting events to attend.

However, Southwest does not fly to three key sports cities – Minneapolis, Atlanta and New York City. Today I was trying to plan a trip to NYC. Southwest does fly into Long Island (ISP) but the airport is 50+ miles away from Manhattan and the train into town costs $10-13.50 depending on when you take it.

Also, adding to the puzzle is that the Ultimate Sports Wife teaches ice skating on Saturday mornings. Thus, she generally likes to fly out Saturday afternoon, so she can still teach.

Thus, I tried to determine the best way for the Ultimate Sports Wife and me to get to New York City. Here were the options:

1) The easiest route would be to fly to JFK. JFK is only 8 miles south of Belmont Park and about a 15 minute cab ride. Delta has a one-way non-stop flight from Chicago’s O’Hare (ORD) airport that arrives at 10:31 am into JFK for only $119.50. The only problem is getting back to JFK once the weekend is over.

2) Fly to New York’s LaGuardia (LGA) airport (also knowing Nicole would miss the Belmont Stakes and fly into LGA later Saturday evening). American Airlines flies non-stops from ORD to LGA (first one arriving at 10:35 am) but it would be more expensive to cab from LGA on Saturday morning before the race. The one way fare was $124.50.

3) Fly to ISP on Southwest. However, their flight did not arrive until 12:20 pm Saturday afternoon. While the Belmont Stakes post time is not until 6:30 pm ET, the first post is at noon. I was not sure how late I wanted to arrive.

After some discussion with Nicole, she decided she might skip skating on Saturday morning and fly in on Friday night. Thus, we decided to book Southwest into Long Island because we can always change our plans if she decides to teach Saturday morning. We booked the flight that arrives into ISP at 10:50 pm on June 6 for $97.50 one way.

As for race tickets, we are planning to buy general admission. It appears Belmont Park does not have an infield – meaning you can actually see part of the race rather than watching it on TV.

Two Grand Slams in the same game

A day after the pitchers tried to make history; the batters took center stage. Paul Konerko and Joe Crede each hit a grand slam – only the third time the White Sox had hit two grand slams in the same game. Also, according to baseball-reference.com, only 6 games in 2007 and only 3 games in 2006 had two grand slams hit in the same game. In addition, Paul Konerko’s grand slam catapulted Kenny Rogers into the “I’ve given up 10 career grand slams” club. He joined Nolan Ryan and Mike Jackson in the not so-elite club.

I bought a $28 face value ticket for $5 outside the stadium. It was kids costume party day. But that did not stop these guys from dressing up as batman and bat boy.

A No-No on the No-No: Rainy disappointment

While Gavin Floyd was concentrating on pitching, I was concentrating on staying dry and warm in dismal, rainy baseball conditions. Floyd found out about his no-hitter in the 5th inning when some fan yelled it to him. What’s the #1 rule about a no-hitter – you never talk about the no-hitter.

I failed to realize Floyd was throwing a no-hitter until the seventh inning stretch. So in the bottom of the 7th, I started to get nervous. Did the fact I had not noticed the no-hitter cause Floyd to pitch one through 7 innings? Now that I know about it would he blow it in the top of the 8th? If it keeps raining like this will they postpone the game – meaning Floyd won’t pitch any longer? If my wife calls should I ignore her because of the possibility of jinxing the no-no? I kept thinking I was like the pitcher in the dugout that nobody could sit around. Nobody could talk or bother me about the no-hitter but all I could think about was the no-hitter. Then the Tigers came up to bat.

Batter #1: Jacque Jones – Strike (foul), Ball, Ball, Ball, Strike (swinging), Strike (swinging) – strike out! Sorry Frenchie this day’s not for you.

Batter #2: Edgar Renteria – Ball, Strike (foul)…..single to right! And with that Floyd’s no-hit bid came and went with a whimper. And to add insult to injury, Ozzie pulled him from the game immediately.

Oh well. I have waited this long to see a no-hitter (760 games since 1990 but who’s counting); I can wait a little longer.

As for my ticket, I bought a $38 face value ticket for $10 from 4 kids who had one extra seat. The ticket was 5 rows up from the White Sox dugout, but since it was raining I sat under the overhang.

Until the next flirtation!

Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox

After not attending an event for 5 days, I am going to the White Sox game today at 12:05 pm CT. The White Sox rarely have Saturday afternoon games (unless they are on national television), but play a Saturday matinee on the first home stand of the season because of the cold Chicago weather.

From experience, my budget for today’s game is $10. We’ll see how it goes.

Hotels vs. Hostels in Vienna, Austria

The combination of the White Sox being home and my working about an hours drive north of Wrigley Field has kept my sporting events attendance at bay this week. Instead of attending, I began planning the hotel portion of our upcoming trip to Switzerland and Austria for Euro Cup 2008.

We are spending 4 nights in Switzerland and 3 nights in Vienna, Austria. Since we have more time and flexibility in Switzerland I chose to spend my time researching Vienna hotels.

We already have tickets for the quarterfinal match in Vienna, Austria on Sunday, June 22 so we have to spend the weekend in Vienna rather than seeing any other portion of Austria. After a quick glance at the following websites I decided that hotels in Vienna were too expensive.

1) hotels.com: most rooms were above $300 per night and I would have to do a lot of research to determine whether they were in good locations.
2) karenbrown.com: had 3 preferred hotels that were around the 150 euro price range. I would have to call to find out if they were full during the popular weekend.
3) tablethotels.com: none of their Vienna hotels had availability.
4) venere.com: rooms seemed pricey.

The cost and lack of options prompted me to logon to hostelworld.com. I booked a hostel through the website when I flew to Paris for a few days to watch the French Open in 2005. While staying at the hostel I met a lot of recent college graduates and had a great time. Thus, I broached the subject to the Ultimate Sports Wife. I had multiple reasons for staying in the hostel:

1) We were planning to tour Vienna pretty heavy in the two days we had and would not spend much time in the hotel.
2) It would be fun to meet some people in the hostel. It is much harder to meet people in hotels. Plus we would be in bunk beds in a room of 4 – it is really easy to meet people when they are staying in your room!
3) It was only $120 per night for both of us vs. the mid $300’s per night.

Nicole did not jump at the idea. I think the bunk beds did her in so I continued to do some more hotel research. I went back to Venere.com and found a decent looking hotel (Hotel Adlon) for 149 Euros per night ($235). We decided that at only twice as much as the hostel that the hotel was the way to go.

Houston Astros at Chicago Cubs

We had planned to eat brunch at Uncommon Ground on the corner of Clark St. and Grace Ave. But, by the time we arrived (12:30 pm), it was a 45 minute wait. Since the Cubs game started at 1:20 pm, we decided to eat elsewhere and chose Yak-zies.

Since we were with Nicole’s cousin, Gina Skreens, we needed to buy an extra ticket. I thought we could buy a ticket for under face value, but the warm weather increased demand. The game was not sold out but the cheapest seat at the box office was $24. We bought a single in the Upper Deck for face value ($16) after some negotiation.

The Cubs won 3-2 after Derrek Lee hit the game-winning home run in the bottom of the 7th inning. Carlos Zambrano’s scoreless inning streak ended in the top of the 3rd inning at 22.1 innings – a new career high for Zambrano.

Surprise…it’s a Doubleheader Day

The original plan yesterday was to only go to the Cubs game. I went with my colleague Charles Merritt. The Cubs won a back and forth game 9-7. Fukudome put the Cubs in the lead 7-5 with a clutch two out double in the bottom of the 7th inning bringing on supportive cheers from Wrigley faithful.

After the game, Charles and I went to the bar on the Northwest corner of Sheffield and Byron. I don’t know the name of the place but it has an “Old Style” sign outside of the front entrance. This bar is your best bet in Wrigleyville. Instead of having to navigate crowded bars and pay $6+ for beer before or after a game, this bar sells beer for $2.50 and pitchers for $10 and is not very crowded.

After being home for a couple of hours and watching the first game of the Final Four, the Ultimate Sports Wife decided she was going to the gym. Thus, I decided to go to the Bulls game and we would meet for dinner at BW3 (our normal DePaul Women’s Basketball meeting spot).

Over the past couple of trips to the United Center, I found that there is free parking between 1200 and 1400 Madison Ave. about two to four blocks from where I normally pay $12 for Bulls games. I parked there and walked to the United Center. I paid $10 for a $10 ticket.

The Bulls game was pretty uneventful since the Bulls are basically out of the playoffs. Brendan Haywood of the Washington Wizards scored a career high 25 points and the Wizards beat the Bulls 99-87.

Houston Astros at Chicago Cubs

I am going to my 4th Cubs game this week as the Cubs host the Astros today at 12:05 pm. The weather is actually supposed to be nice with highs in the low 60’s!

Opposite Day at Wrigley Field

Instead of going to work, I worked from home yesterday (at least I was working) and attended the final game of the series between the Brewers and Cubs. Instead of Kerry Wood starting and Ryan Dempster closing, Dempster started and Wood earned his first career save.

The Cubs avoided the series sweep beating the Brewers 6-2 in a cold day at Wrigley Field.

Game 2: Red Wings at Blackhawks

It was not a shutout but it was impressive. The Blackhawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back winning 6-2 to keep themselves in the playoff hunt.

I had bought $10 tickets ahead of time since I knew student tickets (and the game) would sell out – which they did.

After the game, we tried to take one of the bar shuttles that stop at the corner of Wood St. and Madison Ave. but the West End Bar & Grill shuttle was already full. We made the walk over since our car was parked that way. We were one of the last groups to arrive at the West End and it was completely packed. We moved onto where we normally eat when attending Bulls or Blackhawks games – The Beer Bistro.

Game 1: Brewers at Cubs

The first game of the day passed without much fanfare. The Cubs lost 8-2 and the Brewers batted their pitcher 8th for the second straight game – a tactic they plan to use most of the season. The main news of the day was that the Cubs clubhouse attendant, Yosh Kawano, announced he would retire after 65 years with the club.

Now we’re off to see if the Blackhawks can post another shutout.

Doubleheader Wednesday

For the first time this year, I will attend two games in one day. The Cubs are hosting the Brewers at 1:20 pm and the Blackhawks host the Red Wings at 7:30 pm tonight. Weekday afternoon Cubs games means I arrive at work as early as possible in order to get to the game on time.