It was a bright, sunny Friday afternoon in Lake View, nice-enough looking that many people were willing to ignore the 50-degree chill that felt downright frigid.
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| My view of Joe Mantegna's ceremonial first pitch -- I had to watch the video screen in left field. Photographs by Gregory Tejeda |
The
Chicago Cubs managed to jump to a 2-0 lead against the New York Yankees, and
were one out away from winning before Brett Gardner knocked a three-run home
run – allowing hard-throwing relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman of the Yankees to treat the
Cubbies the same way he treated the Cleveland Indians last year while pitching
for the Cubs in the World Series.
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| Do Cubs fans wish baseball was an eight-inning game? |
I
WAS THERE, sitting in my overpriced ($65, plus tax) seat in the uppermost row
of the upper deck – with a post obstructing any view I would have of the
pitcher.
It
seems that many other people felt there were flaws in the views they were
officially supposed to have of the ballgame. Which is why the concourse was
packed with people gathering around the television monitors set up near
concessions stands.
Also,
the outdoor Park At Wrigley set up just to the west of Wrigley Field (the third
base side) also had a crowd of people gathered outside watching a giant video screen
broadcast of the game.
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| These people paid for the right to sit outside of Wrigley Field ... |
And
before you presume that it is possible for people to hang out outside the
ballpark and still watch the game, you have to have a ticket to hang out in the
park area.
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| ... and watch the game on television, while others ... |
SO
WHAT YOU really have are people who pay the top prices to get themselves
tickets to enter the stadium, then choose to spend their time watching the game
on television. Which to my mindset makes no sense!
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| ... watched the broadcast while ordering food |
To
me, watching a broadcast is something I do in the comfort of my own home –
avoiding the hassle of transporting myself to Clark and Addison streets and
dealing with the crowds and the cold weather and ridiculously absurd prices
charged these days for stadium concessions ($7.50 for a hot dog, $10.50 for a
beer).
Just
one other thought about Friday’s ballgame, where actor Joe Mantegna tossed out
the ceremonial first pitch – and bounced the ball about two feet in front of
home plate. He grimaced and expressed some shame at his weak toss, although I'd argue he has nothing to feel bad about.
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| Sitting in the uppermost row of the ballpark, I had the protective netting hanging about two feet above my head |
Many generations of Cubs pitchers have thrown
equally-weak pitches from that very same mound; leading to the generations of
blown ballgames Cubs fans have had to endure.
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| Cubs fans upset with Friday's outcome could have consoled themselves by purchasing a replica Cubs World Series ring at the Jostens gift shop that will be in Wrigley Field for the rest of 2017 |
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