Wrigley Field: It's a Temple to Me

    For as long as I can remember, I was mesmerized by the Cubs baseball games on WGN. Even at a young age, I realized that they don't play many night games at home. Do the Chicago Cubs ever play night games at Wrigley? I wondered.

    I always found myself cheering for these Cubs. I grew to like the white uniform with the blue pinstripes. I'd never been to a Major League baseball game up to that time, but I'd been able to get a hint of the ballpark's smell when the cameras panned the crowd. After watching Mark Grace hit a home run, I knew that someday Wrigley Field had to be a destination point for me.

    After a Wrigley visit became my dream, I was teased by watching them every chance I could. Derrek Lee hit a walkoff home run, Michael Barrett hit a grand slam in the late innings against the St. Louis Cardinals. At that point, I wanted to be there more than ever.

    My fortunes changed when my parents made the decision to make a Chicago trip; eight-hour drive there, eight-hour drive back home. The game I chose to get tickets for was in late August, during my football season. It wasn't even a close decision. The day after I ordered tickets, I told my coach at practice I wouldn't be at practice for three days. I was recovering from three broken ribs in June and a rebreak during the first week of August, so football wasn't fun anyway.

    The game took place on Aug. 22 against the Philadelphia Phillies. My uncle Shane and his wife-to-be, Apryl, joined us hours after we had arrived, I had ordered six tickets and invited them along.

    We were all going to stay at a friend's house in St. Charles and take a train into Chicago, which would be an hour's ride. The family's place we stayed at owns a cabin up here, on the beaches of Lake Superior, across the road from my house.

    The Cubs were in the midst of what would end up being a 96-loss season. The Phillies were rolling and Ryan Howard was working on his fifty-eight home run season.

    We took the train into Chicago in the morning, so we had most of the day to explore the town a bit. Shane and Apryl went to check out the aquarium while we went to the Field Museum.

    Blah blah blah, I was waiting to get to Wrigley!

    After our three-hour tour of the museum, we had eaten at a McDonald's under the museum and then I got very pumped up when my mom said, "Let's take a taxi to Wrigley." Now you're talking, Mom!

    We hopped in a cab and disappointed the cab driver when he learned that he had to take us across the city. After taking Lakeshore Drive, I watched for street signs and I started feeling anxious when we turned onto West Addison.

    It's hard to expect to see a ballpark while driving by apartments and bars. There's a fire department a block away from Wrigley's left field. We drove by another fire department on Addison. I kept watching for Wrigley to pop up out of the apartment skyline.

    We drove under the red line train and then I knew we were close. I started seeing more people, and my surprises climaxed when Wrigley jutted out from the apartments and bars.

    I smirked.

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