This past Tuesday, June 17th, we spent the day in the beautiful, medieval city of Bern, culminating in a glorious group stage match between Holland and Romania. The city of Bern, on most occasions, is quaint, quiet and charming. But with over 45,000 exuberant Holland fans celebrating in the streets for the entire day, there was nothing quiet or quaint about the visit.
But, who is complaining? These celebrations are part of the Euro Cup experience….well, the crazed fan pissing in the street…not so much. But the revelry…that is …

Greetings from Europe. Andrew and I are in the great land of Switzerland…known for its chocolate, its cheese fondue and most of all, its neutrality.
Today, we are headed to the city of Bern in the hopes of scalping tickets to a Euro Cup match. If you ever find yourself scalping on a global front, be sure to bring plenty of cash, small bills included (scalpers do not make change) and a note pad and pen to write your price to a scalper who will NOT speak your language. Never be …

If the “thrill of victory” isn’t enough to motivate your country’s players, then how ’bout a little beer….Free Beer….FOR A LIFETIME?!?! Apparently, this is the lengths that one Vienna brewery is going to in order to motivate their Austrian national team in the Euro Cup.
As a co-host country, Austria is competing in the finals for the first time but doesn’t bode the most impressive record. They are ranked 92nd on the world stage.
Who knows if this nonsense will give the Austrians a competitive advantage? All I know is that by …

The more I write about life in Wrigleyville, the more I realize that bartering is part of the informal economy around the ballpark. Want rooftop access? Well, trade your garage for a season’s worth of fun. Want good ticket prices from a scalper? Well, trade your loyalty and some no-strings-attached tickets that you can’t use and you will get taken care of all season long.

Last night, I planned on going to the Cubs v. Braves game in our ordinary season ticket seats in the upper-deck, but, I got a fateful …

Looks like Peter Meehan of the N.Y. Times beat me to the culinary punch- reviewing the best (and worst) in ballpark food from around MLB. Of course, the action is on the field, but a perk of going to the park is the chance for great food- beyond the peanuts and Cracker Jacks. Take a peak at the interactive map which has the highlights of the “culinary scorecard.” Beyond my favorite ballpark food at Miller Park, Safeco Field scored high for their planked salmon, Dodger Stadium for their …

We were supposed to make a trip to NYC for the Belmont Stakes and the chance to see Big Brown win the triple crown. My dissertation proposal kept me away, but it seems that it was a blessing in disguise. As if Big Brown’s last place finish wasn’t disappointing enough, this event had another damper, so to speak. 

The excessive heat created a demand on water that the park was not ready to handle. At one point, the water had to be shut off and the pressure was lowered …

This weekend is all about soccer. But, if you really want to sound like you know what you are talking about, especially to Europeans, start calling “soccer”…”football.” 

Tonight, the Mexican National team (or El Tricolor to the fans) will be playing a “friendly” against Peru at Soldier Field. A friendly is an exhibition game but don’t be mislead by the name.   These matches  are still fiercely competitive since the teams are the “warming-up” for international tournaments and experimenting with strategies and substitutions.  For instance, the World Cup qualifiers  for World Cup …

I wish there was a “sarcasm” font so I could be sure that readers don’t actually think that lesbians are scary.  After hearing about this story through the AP, it is clear that some fans need to get a grip and make their way to the new millennium.

Fans at a Seattle Mariners game complained about a lesbian couple kissing at Safeco Field. The usher in the section approached the couple and asked them to cease and desist on the kiss. There may be children watching!
Regardless of your politics, can …

Women’s Professional Soccer is coming Spring of 2009. The Chicago Women’s Professional Soccer francise was unveiled as the Chicago Red Stars. The Chicago Red Stars honors the four six-pointed red stars on the City of Chicago’s Flag.
Fans had the opportunity to vote and select the team’s name from ten nomintated entries. Thank God the”Red Stars” was the winning name; the runner-ups were the less than ideal. For instance, can you imagine cheering for the Chicago “Stinking Onions”? What would their mascot be? I don’t want to think about it.
Season tickets …

I live in the epicenter of the Cornhole Capital of the World. Night, day, pre-game, post-game…cornhole is the tailgater’s game of choice.
I always thought that this game was just part of the atmosphere of Wrigleyville and other tailgating cites. I was wrong. It seems as though Cornhole is a sport, in and of, itself. Soldier Field is hosting the 2nd Annual Soldier Field Cornhole Classic on July 12, 2008 at Soldier Field. Now, beer guzzling guys everywhere can stand-up and reclaim their competitive glory days of the past in a …