Buy me some peanuts and overpriced Aquafina

When you get a call late Friday night to go to a Cubs baseball game on Saturday, you take it. I mean, Wrigley Field. What's better? The ivy covered outfield wall. The sights and smells of the crowd. The triple A ball club that plays there. It's a tradition unlike any other. Sorry, CBS. So my friend Brian and I ventured to the Windy City yesterday afternoon amongst the heat and traffic.

One of the only radio stations that we could get in the car was the sports station that focused on the crosstown White Sox. And all they could do was bitch and moan about their team. How the pitching sucked, the bench sucked, they GM sucked. That the Tigers "just had" to stop playing well. God, I'm thinking, stop whining you effing babies. Just in case you've forgotten these are the same White Sox that won the world series last year when no one thought they would. The same White Sox that everyone is still picking to come out of the AL. The same White Sox who, if not, for the unbelievable season Detroit is would surely be in first place. Oh, and they've beaten the Tigers 6 out of 9 this season. Shut up radio guys!! Rule: You can't bitch and moan about your team the year after you win a championship. That's just greedy and selfish. I mean, when the Pistons lost to the Spurs, it's like, yeah, I wish they would have repeated, but I didn't get to mad. How can you? You just won the championship. That's why Yankee fan can never bitch. They've won like 30 World Series.

At the game, the people watching is great. It's such a fascinating cross section of human life. People decked out in their Chicago Cub regalia. Parents with their kids taking them to their first game. The old timers who 've been there every year. Crazy punks who are in town for Lollapalooza. And even folks in their Pittsburgh Pirates MLB authentic All-Star Game uniforms. Really?? You're a diehard Pittsburgh fan?? Traveling to Chicago? To see a meaningless game between the two teams with the two worst records in the league?? That's like traveling all the way to Walled Lake Western after districts to watch a prelim round of Poetry. If it's not your kid, what's the point?

One thing that has changed about baseball over the years, is they have a sponsor for everything. At first it was Budweiser is the official beer of the Chicago Cubs. Then National City is the offical bank. Yesterday I saw ads for Walgreens the official pharmacy of the Chicago Cubs. Cingular Wireless official phone company. Pretty soon they'll have Trojan is the offical condom of the Chicago Cubs. Or Tampax the official Tampon of the Chicago Cubs. Mark Prior says its what he needs on his heavy flow days. Side note: There was Wi-Fi in Wrigley Field, so I could have brought my laptop there and live-blogged the event straight from right behind the first base dugout. But seriously, who is bringing their cpu into Wrigley Field? You'd have cheap/expensive Old Style Light Beer spilled on it in two seconds.

As for the game, the Cubs did win despite being picked off twice, giving up homeruns to guys named Ronny Paulino and Nate McLouth, and using six pitchers. What a team! And it was Free Cubs hat day! Thanks again for the tix Brian, and don't lose to much moolah in Vegas.

-UR