As I wrote this morning, my plan for today was to attend both the Chicago Blackhawks playoff game this afternoon and Chicago Fire game this evening.
Beg, Borrow and Deal
Blackhawks Jim volunteered to pick me up so we could drive to the United Center together. On route, I checked craigslist.org and found the following ad, “Just found out I have to work and can’t go to today’s game, I’ve got two standing room only tix available $60 for the pair which is less than face+fees. I live at Wells/Division and can …

There are a lot of major sporting events to choose from today. Here is the list:
1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators Game 5 at the United Center at 2 pm.
2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks Game 3 at the Bradley Center at 6 pm.
3) Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs at Miller Park at 6:10 pm.
4) Chicago White Sox vs. Seattle Mariners at U.S. Cellular Field at 3:10 pm.
5) Chicago Fire vs. Houston Dynamo at Toyota Park at 7:30 pm.
The wife is busy this weekend with the annual McFetridge Sports Center …

The Chicago White Sox have a tradition – after every home run a White Sox player hits fireworks shoot off over the scoreboard. On top of this, one of the White Sox main promotions is fireworks night. Tonight, after the game, the White Sox had a scheduled fireworks night. What I did not expect was the fireworks display throughout the game. Andruw Jones, Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko all hit home runs to give the White Sox a 5-2 lead through six innings.
But, the game appeared to be the Mariners …

Over the last few years, smokers attending sporting events have gradually been banished from the arena in order to smoke. First, they were removed from their seats. Second, they could no longer smoke in concourses and had special smoking sections. Third, they were required to smoke outside of the stadium entirely. Not only is banning smokers better for all of the non-smokers in the stadium, but the outside smoking sections have definite advantages for all fans – smoker or not.
Case in point was last month when I attended the NCAA …

The Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks are all in the playoffs. Meaning there are several more sporting event options to choose from than in past Aprils. For example, tonight the Chicago Bulls are home at 6 pm and the Chicago White Sox are home at 7:10 pm.
I usually prioritize the stature of the event over the cost of the event. Thus, I will be attending the Chicago Bulls playoff game versus the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. Currently, ticket prices are $20 for upper …

July 23, 2009 will live in infamy for Chicago White Sox fans and definitely for me. That’s the day Mark Buehrle threw the 18th perfect game in MLB history – one of baseball’s rarest achievements. Since I started attending baseball games I always wanted to see a no-hitter. And, in the 823 regular season MLB games I attended before last July 23, I never saw one let alone see a perfect game. The best I witnessed was five one-hitters and several “close calls.”
So with Buehrle pitching against the Tampa Bay …

Cheering for both the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox is indefensible in Chicago. During the White Sox 2005 playoff run, the term bisoxual developed to define Cubs fans that rooted for the White Sox at the time. In fact, this is the official definition of “bisoxual” according to urbandictionary.com:
Bi-sox-u-al [bai-sahk-shu-ul]
-adjective.
1. State of being for Chicago Cubs fans who root for the Chicago White Sox when they reach the postseason.
-noun.
2. A fan of both the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox. A virtually indefensible position in the bitter rivalry …

With the Cubs game lasting 10 innings, I did not have any time at home before needing to meet Blackhawks Jim for dinner before the Blackhawks game. After the Cubs game, I went back home to meet the Ultimate Sports Wife and we were off.
Pre Game Dining
The Ultimate Sports Wife chose Carnivale for dinner before the game. Located at 702 W. Fulton Market, Carnivale is less than two miles from the United Center – meaning you will need to drive to the arena after dinner. The dinner was great although …

For the second time in three days, I was planning to attend both the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Blackhawks game in the same day. However, after seeing the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals play 20 innings on Saturday night, I was slightly concerned that a long extra innings game would keep me from attending the Chicago Blackhawks playoff game. I have a strict rule that I cannot leave one sporting event early to attend another sporting event. In the end, I was not that concerned as the Cubs …

For the second day in a row, the Cubs tried to stage an eighth inning comeback. However, today they came up short losing to the Astros 4-3. Roy Oswalt shut down the Cubs, pitching shutout baseball over seven innings.
Sun vs. Shade
The game time temperature was 50 degrees, which is actually a good temperature for April baseball in Chicago. However, at Wrigley Field whether you are sitting in the sun or the shade can make a world of difference. If you are sitting in the shade be sure to bring layers …