I apologize for my delay in posting, but it’s been taking me a little bit to get back into the groove of things. Between my sleeping cycles being drastically changed (I’m very much an early to bed, early to rise sort of person), my eating habits changed (back home, I eat fairly healthy and actually keep track of my calories), and my exercise routine interrupted (I do some sort of aerobic or weight training 5-6 days a week), I just haven’t been myself lately. But, I seem to be getting back to whatever normal is around here.
So, Sunday night, I arrived at Wrigley Field with my family around 5:00, two hours before game time. Our cab driver was pretty funny, especially when he started talking about Ozzie Guillen and how terrible the Cubs were. He said in his thick, middle-eastern accent, “You from Iowa? You have a good football team. Not too good last year though.”
When we arrived at Wrigley, we started to walk around the field. There were statues outside of the park; and in right field, there was a cut-out where you could watch the warm-ups on the field. It looked like Matsuzaka was working throwing the ball around, and the position players were taking batting practice. We then made our way towards the center-field area, where we asked an usher which gate we needed to go in. He replied “Any gate.” I guess this is what happens when you’re used to Fenway Park, where you’re only allowed into a certain area of the park with your ticket.
As we continued to walk, a guy decked out in a Cubs uniformed mumbled something to us about seeing Theo Epstein. We didn’t realize that he meant Epstein was in the parking lot behind him until we saw Theo walk into the park. My brother’s comment was “No wonder the Cubs are so bad; they’re president arrives late to work.” I will not badmouth Theo Epstein for the rest of this post.
When we got into the park, I immediately bought my dad and myself a beer ($7.00 for a draft Bud Light); it was Father’s Day afterall. So, with that beer, I officially had my first beer at a ballpark. Not that I haven’t had the opportunity before, but I’m not much of a beer fan. I much rather prefer the margaritas I had at US Cellular a few years ago or the vodka lemonade I had later that game.
We found our seats, which were much like the seats at Fenway Park- small and old. Luckily, it was seat cushion day, so we had something comfortable to sit on. I also remarked to my brother that we got to put our asses on the Cubs logo. Our seats were not the greatest, as they were the second to last row in the grandstand about midway down the first base line. The only thing we couldn’t see was the center fielder because of a pole and where Ortiz’s home run landed because of a sign above our section.
The Red Sox were taking batting practice when we arrived, and I noticed a few interesting things during this time. One- Carl Crawford was batting, and he looked really good for someone who has yet to play this season. I know he’s close to getting ready to play in games, but he looks strong and focused. Two- Pedroia was switch-hitting while he batted. I’m not sure if this is to build strength or if it’s something he was trying out.
My initial instinct of the inside of Wrigley Field was I didn’t get that nostalgic feeling I get when I go to Fenway. The field just looked old, not old and historic like I was hoping. I could tell from our seats that the bleachers needed to be painted, and they were actual bleachers. The rooftop seats were neat, and I would like to sit there sometime for a game. The grass in the outfield was torn-up and scorched, evidently from a concert that had taken place there. You could definitely tell where they tried to patch certain places, like the pitchers mound.
After all that negative talk about Wrigley, there were some things that I did really like. We ate hot dogs (because that what you do when you go to baseball games) on a patio outside the grandstand. There was a great view of the city from there (find it in my post from yesterday with the pictures). There was also a 25% discount on food and drinks prior to the game, so that was pretty enjoyable as well. My “Chicago dog” was really good, especially with the sautéed onions they loaded on it.
Seeing Terry Francona in the pressbox gave me an eerie feeling, like he didn’t belong there. Sure, I have seen him on Sunday Night Baseball for months now, but it still didn’t seem real. Plus, there were screens mounted on the posts around Wrigley showing the ESPN broadcast, and every time they showed Valentine, he looked like he was relaxed and not really that into the game. Let me point out I’m sure he was into the game and was paying attention, but the difference between Valentine and Sveum, who was seen leaning against the fencing closest to the field most of the game, was drastic.
Unfortunately, Beckett was supposed to pitch Sunday, and he went on the disabled list Friday. So, Franklin Morales took his place. I thought Morales did great that night, only giving up 2 runs in 5 innings while walking 0 and striking out 9. The bullpen followed up nicely as well (besides Aceves, which I talk about later). They gave up only 1, unearned run. Melancon even lowered his ERA to 22.85!
Now Aceves made things interesting in the 9th. I cringed when I saw Aceves take the mound because while I think he’s a reliable member of the bullpen, he does not seem to do well in non-save situations. So, what did Aceves do? He gave up 3 hits and a run, and made most Red Sox fans who weren’t entirely intoxicated question him.
It was kind of cringe-worthy to watch the Cubs and Red Sox’s defense play as well; it was evident that these were both last place teams. As much as I love Pedroia, he really needs to not do so much on the field. It looked like he was trying to play 2nd, shortstop, first, and right-field, all at once. Youkilis (fielding) and Aviles (missed catch) both had errors, though I would’ve given Pedroia an error or two.
The Cubs also had two errors, one being Starlin Castro’s fielding error, his 12th of the season. There’s a lot of talk in Chicago about whether or not Sveum’s going to go through with his threat of benching Castro if he keeps making errors. My opinion is he shouldn’t. Castro and 2nd baseman Darwin Barney are the Cubs’ only two real sparks on the team. Fans like them, and they are really enjoyable to watch. Besides, Castro is only 22; he still has plenty to learn. If Epstein really wants to show the fans he’s ready to take the Cubs in a new directions, he should hold onto these two, young players.
Offensively, it was an interesting night as well. The Sox started with a line-up that didn’t include Nava, Gonzalez, Middlebrooks, or Saltalamacchia. They ended the game with all 13 of their position players having had a chance to bat and 6 relievers used (including Morales, who is still technically a relief pitcher). The only members of the Sox that did not play Sunday night were Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Felix Doubront, Clayton Mortenson, Vincente Padilla, and Clay Buchholz. (A quick note on Buchholz, I think he should have started on Sunday night on 5 day’s rest. Obviously from last night’s game, the extra 2 days didn’t do him any good).
Overall, it was a great experience to see the Red Sox play at Wrigley Field. The Red Sox won 7-4, and they had some pop in their bats with 12 hits. Ortiz hit a home run, and Salty pinch-hit for an RBI single. It was a team effort, which is what this team needed.
