In my second sporting event of the day, I attended the Chicago Fire match at Toyota Park yesterday. It was also the second MLS match I have attended this season.
Obtaining TicketsFrom the parking lot, I walked to the main box office at Toyota Park. I noticed a man leaving Will Call with more tickets in his hand than people around him. So I asked him if he had extra tickets. He said he did and wanted $10 per ticket. I offered him $20 for 3 …

This morning we headed over to watch the Chicago Marathon. Once the Elite runners started the race at 7:55 am we left the house and walked over to the Northwest corner of the course at Addison St. and Broadway St. Since our corner is between mile marker 7 and 8 we figured it would take “the elites” about 30 minutes to reach us. Thus, we stopped off at Starbuck’s for some coffee since we had time. Around 36 minutes after the race started the elite men ran by us. At …

For the first time since 2005, Northwestern played a football game in which they were ranked in either the Coaches Poll or AP Poll. Northwestern went into Saturday’s game ranked #22 in the Coaches Poll. However, Northwestern failed to confirm that ranking as they went down early to Michigan St. 17-0 and traded scores with the Spartans in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarter. Michigan St. won the game 37-20.
The parking lots were packed before the game with tailgates. The first conference game in Evanston, a Northwestern 5-0 record and …

I have a lot of pressure to comment on the the sweep of the Chicago Cubs in the playoffs. In the past few days, after escaping from my self-imposed hibernation, people have hugged me, apologized and offered their polite condolences. They have also been egging me on for some kind of commentary- perhaps a eulogy to the 2008 Chicago Cubs.
I find that there are not many words that can do justice to this crushing loss – although given the shrine at the bleacher entrance of Wrigley Field, I am …

In the first playoff game at Milwaukee in 26 years, the Milwaukee Brewers lived to see another day after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1.
Obtaining TicketsA friend of mine was able to purchase tickets to each playoff game through a contact of his at the Brewers. Since he had a prior engagement on Saturday, he sold his tickets to me for face value – including the parking pass.
ParkingIn a rare event, Miller Park only allowed fans who had pre-purchased parking coupons into the Miller Park parking lots. Most cars …

As a fan, the Los Angeles Dodgers have always been a thorn in my side. Even though they have not won a playoff series since 1988, they somehow manage to spoil the fun of the teams I have followed over the years. I’ll give you a brief history of the pain the Dodgers have inflicted on me over the years. I grew up in the suburbs of San Francisco. Since Bay Area fans can be apathetic towards their home teams, there was no “you cannot root for the Oakland …

In my first of at least three MLB playoff games this week, the Chicago Cubs lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers last night 7-2 at Wrigley Field. It was the first time the Dodgers opened a postseason series with a win since the 1988 World Series.
The GameThe game started off well for the Cubs when Mark DeRosa hit a pop fly that the wind carried over the right field fence for a home run. This moment had us asking – were the fates finally with the Cubs?
That question was quickly …

I didn’t want to post this before the first game of the playoffs but I have a confession to make. I felt a small shift in fate and luck in the Neighborhood the night before the playoffs. My prevoius post was on the “luck” of running into the Dodgers as they arrived in Chicago. I got a picture with former Cubs, Juan Pierre and got to see other Major League greats like Nomar, Manny and Kemp. What I didn’t talk about was a weird moment that was almost like something …

I have been working ten hour days in preparation for the playoffs.
You may think that is extreme, but when you live next to Wrigley, you cannot take a break from playoff baseball. Not a break for rest, relaxation or even your job.
Bull horns going off at 2am. Garbage overflows from dumpsters from the influx of people. And, the sheer number of baseball pilgrims, who just want to be near the stadium warrants barricades and riot police.

Last night, exhausted from all my pre-playoff work and the terrible anticipation of this week, …

The Chicago White Sox asked for all fans to wear black to U.S. Cellular Field for last night’s one-game tiebreaker versus the Minnesota Twins. The fans complied and the stands appeared to be completely black.
In the first AL one-game tiebreaker game since 1995, the White Sox defeated the Twins 1-0. It was the first 1-0 clinching game since 1987 when the Detroit Tigers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Twins could only produce two hits in a game that lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes. It was the …