No, seriously.  If God was trying to make a statement to delay the Cubs Home Opener, he is certainly speaking loud and clear.   

Unfortunately, I am in the bleachers today but I can tough it out. 
The problem? I have to be at work by 3:15 pm. The question?  Can and should I go into the game and try to get in at least 5 innings? This rain is making it a race against time.   Ok, I will post a picture of a Holy Cow Cubs Shrine.  Send prayers, wishes and …

The Chicago Cubs’ Home Opener is finally here.   Finally….

I say, ‘finally’ because it is torturous to have a week’s worth of baseball without opening Wrigley Field.   The bars are empty.  The tourists have, yet, to arrive, and there is a general hush over the neighborhood- a freakish silence that is just wrong during the regular season. 

Thankfully, the real opening day is only hours away.  It is like the anticipation of Christmas, birthdays and summers all packed into one day of playing hooky from work and heading to the bleachers. 

By 10am, we will be …

So a few years back, a woman, who I shall call Helsa Wayton, invited a humble ice skater, Niki Van CleaverYourHead, to make the jump to roller derby skating. As you may have guessed, I am “Niki VanCleaverYourHead,” but I’ve never made it to a Bout. Sure, I can tear it up on the ice rink, but could I roll and elbow my way to roller girl fame? I wasn’t sure I could cut it.

As a consolation prize, I decided to make my way to the UIC Pavilion to …

The NHL may have given sports fans everywhere a new New Year’s Day tradition: the Winter Classic.  In its second year, Chicago fans were in a euphoric state about the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on the first day of 2009.  What can be more blissful than bringing two classic hockey teams- The Hawks and Red Wings- to the nations most nostalgic stadium- Wrigley Field?  

After watching the NHL assemble the ice rink piece-by-piece through the opening in left field, I was more than happy to call it an early night …

With my hopes and realities of a Cubs World Series crushed, I found myself in a unique position to make the best out of a bad season.

In visiting my family in Florida, we were only a 2-hour drive away from Game 2 of the World Series. With tickets only $10 dollars above face value, you didn’t have to twist my arm to go. Yet, I had this strange pang of guilt; the Series was being wasted on an expansion team like the Rays and that …

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 …

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, …

This Saturday, the Cubs clinched the NL Central in dramatic fashion against the Cards. Having attended 26 Cubs games in addition to 8 other MLB games, I needed a break before the playoffs to make it through the homestretch of the season. So, on Saturday, I found myself helping the premier lemonade stand in Wrigleyville for my team’s ice skating fundraiser. Given the high spirits of Cubs fans, donations rolled in. We sold $250 worth of dollar lemonade and treats….that’s like drug money lemonade stand.

Such is the informal economy in …

The NFL season is a week underway. For the second year in a row, I made it to opening day in true form. Last year, I was in San Diego to see my Bears, unfortunately, lose against the Chargers. This year, I was supporting my in-law’s favorite team, the Niners, against the Cardinals. Unfortunately, the highlight of both of these years was the tailgate before the games.
Of course, the loss is always a downer but more recently, NFL hooligans are also a pretty big …