Results tagged ‘ Chicago Cubs ’
Welcome to Wrigley
Yesterday I got a chance to make my second trip to Wrigley Field, as I watched the Tigers take on the Chicago Cubs. But this entry isn’t about the ballgame, at least not specifically, but it’s about life and getting to spend quality time with the family.
The trip was planned by my brother and myself as a father’s day gift for our dad. Needless to say, it turned out to be a wonderful trip. So without further ado, here’s how our day went.
First we started with a stop at FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, which was a surprise to me. Perhaps it was something orchestrated between my father and brother while I dozed off in the backseat, but we made a quick detour there.
It was my first time there, and I thought the casino was very clean and well lit. Overall, I would say my experience was nice, but that may be based on the fact that I won twenty dollars while I was there.
From there, we headed over to Sweetwater Bakery, where we picked up a dozen doughnuts for the road. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the bakery, and it was my first time getting to have one of their many famous doughnuts.
Not a bad way to start the day.
My first doughnut was a caramel apple doughnut, and it was delicious.
After that, we headed to straight to Chicago. I asked a friend of mine where we should go to eat before the game, and he suggested that we stop at Art of Pizza. We did that, and got some true Chicago-style deep dish pizza. It was excellent pizza at a reasonable price, so I’d definitely suggest stopping by there if you’re ever in the area.
You have to get Chicago-style pizza when you’re in Chicago, don’t you?
Finally, we made it to Wrigley Field. It’s always an experience when you go to a different ballpark, and even though I had gone to Wrigley about 13 years ago, I really didn’t remember that much about it. As I’ve also gotten older, it allows me to appreciate things that much more.
The view from my seats. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday evening.
To put it simply, the stadium is a relic. A standing symbol of what baseball once was, and it’s hard to not get some goosebumps just from walking in the building. I wish I had more time to walk around before the game, but an injured ankle didn’t really allow me to do that.
What a sight to see, for so many reasons.
The environment at the park was unlike anything I had experienced in recent memory. I’m sure it had something to do with the fact that it seemed like Detroit fans had taken over the stadium. Chants alternated between ‘Let’s go Cubs’ and ‘Let’s go Tigers!’ There was more energy and excitement in Wrigley Field than there was when I was in Yankees Stadium, so take that into consideration.
The Tigers also won the game, making it the first time they’ve ever won when I’ve watched them on the round. It’s refreshing to know that I’m not a complete jinx. After the game we drove straight home, and before I went to sleep, I was thankful to remember how wonderful my life is. Because it’s not just about the things you experience in life, but who you spend them with.
Going west to Wrigley
No news or stories for you right now, except for the fact that I’m heading to Wrigley Field to watch the Tigers play the Cubs today. It’ll be the second time I’ve gotten a chance to see Wrigley Field, and the first time I’ve seen the Tigers there.
It’s always fun when you get a chance to watch your home team play on the road, and I’m looking forward to watching the Tigers play in a National League stadium. I’ll be sure to tell you guys all about it on Thursday. Until then, let’s hope the Tigers get another win streak going!
We’re going streaking!
Despite the fact that they fell behind early in the game, the Tigers managed to rally late, beating the Cincinnati Reds by a final score of 7-6.
This marks the first time since May 27th that the Tigers have won two games in a row, which they need to start doing if they want to become serious contenders this year. The biggest part of the Tigers win tonight was the fact that they didn’t give up. Despite being down three runs entering the 8th inning, they were able to score four runs against the best bullpen in all of baseball.
Not just the best bullpen, but arguably the best relief pitcher, Aroldis Chapman. Entering tonight’s game, Chapman had only allowed one earned run for the year, but allowed two more to in just one inning.
This win doesn’t mean that the Tigers have necessarily figured everything out, but it’s got to give them a lot of momentum and confidence, something they seemed to have been lacking as of late. If the Tigers can continue this momentum into their upcoming series against the Chicago Cubs, they will give themselves a very good chance to get right back in the division race.
Sure it’s early, but every game still counts.
Are the Cubs still cursed?
If you ever talk to a Cubs fan, they always seem to think that next year is going to be the year they finally break the curse. Last year, the Cubs disappointed their fans once again, coming in fifth place in the NL Central, finishing only ahead of the Houston Astros. Do the Cubs have what it takes to improve on the 71-91 record they posted last year, or should we expect much of the same?
Call it a curse, bad luck or whatever you’d like, but the Cubs haven’t found themselves in serious contention for quite a few years and it doesn’t seem like they’re getting any closer to doing so. In one of the more surprising moves in the offseason, the Cubs acquired Boston’s general manager Theo Epstein and named him President of Baseball Operations.
I’ll be honest, the move didn’t really make a lot of sense to me. Nothing against Epstein, but I don’t necessarily understand how he’s going to be able to make the 2012 Cubs a whole lot better than they were last year. Of course the argument will likely be made that the move was made looking at the long-term situation for Chicago, but I’d imagine that people in Chicago want to see the North Siders win now.
The NL Central has proved to be one of the more competitive divisions in recent years, and it’s going to be incredibly difficult for the Cubs to outperform the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers, but it’s not impossible.
Even though he’s no longer a rookie, Bryan LaHair has played in so few games that I’m sure not a lot of people are familiar with who he is. LaHair has gotten off to a solid start at first base for the Cubs, hitting .361 through the 13 games of the season. Obviously it’s not likely that he’ll keep hitting at that pace for the duration of the season, but he fills the vacancy left by Carlos Pena quite nicely.
Another player that people need to be more aware about is the very young, but talented Starlin Castro. At 22-years old, Castro is playing his third year at shortstop. All he’s done is quietly hit better than .300 the last two years. If he’s this good right now, imagine how good he can be.
For me, the biggest question mark for the Cubs is their pitching. They have Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza at the top of their rotation, but after that, it goes downhill quickly. For this reason, it wouldn’t shock me if the Cubs trade away Garza before the deadline, and try to pick up a couple young starting pitchers in return.
Then there’s the bullpen. The Cubs have Carlos Marmol as their closer once again in 2012, and I’m sure they’re desperately hoping that he’ll have a year more comparable to his 2010 season than the one he had last year. Even if you have a lead entering the ninth inning, you don’t want to see your closer have an ERA of over 4.00, because that means you’re not going to come away with too many victories.
The good news for the Cubs is that they’re going to win more games this year than last year. The bad news is that it likely won’t be enough for them to make it to the playoffs. It’ll be interesting to see if Theo Epstein can bring enough talent here in the next few years to allow them to make it to the postseason for the first time since 2008.
Fun fact: Wrigley Field has the distinction of being the first place where the “Star Spangled Banner” was performed during a professional sports game. It happened during the 7th inning stretch of game one during the 1918 World Series.
Brad Jeffers
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