Last night, the Cubs lost and didn’t look particularly impressive in doing so, but I had a good time at the game anyway.
It was the first time all season that the three longest tenured members of the Aisle 424 Summer Family were together for a game. Life’s twists and turns, combined with the general crappiness of the Cubs had compelled two of us to ditch our long-held season ticket packages and the last holdout will probably frop his in the off-season. So what was once a regular occurence during the previous thirteen seasons became a happy coincidence last night.
CCD and GM asked me recently if I missed it at all, and my first reaction was that I don’t have a single regret in giving up my package. But I realized last night that isn’t entirely true. I miss the interaction we all used to have up there as the Cubs bumbled around on the field.
Sadly, last night may have been the last time in quite awhile that all three of us watch a Cubs game together, so it seems somewhat fitting that the Cubs managed three two-out hits in a row in the fifth inning without being able to score. there was also a nice nostalgic trip back to when we first came together in Aisle 424 in 1998 as Kerry Wood struck out the side in the eighth. There was the inevitable tease in the ninth inning as Johnny Venters walked the first two batters to bring up the heart of the Cubs order representing the tying run.
Last year, at the Merry Christmas game, I kind of knew that’s how it was going to be this year, but it really hit home with me last night. We outlasted Jim Hendry, but just barely.
They compiled a record of 1,095-1,138 in that time. We saw the rise and fall and rise and fall and rise and departure and return of Kerry Wood. We saw Sammy Sosa hit 402 homeruns and then get run out of town. We witnessed the Cubs get within five outs of the promised land.
We laughed and bitched through all of it and I can’t imagine experiencing those moments without that support group to get through the drudgery and to cushion the blows when the few good teams fell short of our dreams. So until the planets re-align to where we can all get together again, we have the memories from 13 years of cheering on and cursing about the Cubs, plus a grainy photo.
I’ll see you at the World Series, guys.
Comments
I don’t think the reduced capacity of Judd Sirott is exactly a good reason to like Zonk. Truth is, i just don’t like listening to Zonk. His voice bugs me. His pronunciation and enunciation bug me. His stories are stupid. He is terrible at summarizing plays for play-by-play. I see him like Colvin, I hope he’s better next year, but this year I haven’t been impressed
josh22Quote Reply
Aisley, look on the bright side, this will give all of you more time to watch cat videos.
melissaQuote Reply
[quote name=melissa]Aisley, look on the bright side, this will give all of you more time to watch cat videos.[/quote]
I’m sorry, I was thinking about cats again.
Aisle424Quote Reply
Did you give up your season tickets purely because of a lack of an LCD board? It must have been hard, not knowing when to Make Some Noise.
binkyQuote Reply
Those were some nice seats too. Maybe at some point you can get some $10 tickets.
Soriano with a hustle double!
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]Those were some nice seats too. Maybe at some point you can get some $10 tickets.
Soriano with a hustle double![/quote]If he wasn’t so lazy, it would have been a triple.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]If he wasn’t so lazy, it would have been a triple.[/quote]
He would’ve needed the Latin in LF to be even lazier.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]He would’ve needed the Latin in LF to be even lazier.[/quote]Reed Johnson would have found a way.
binkyQuote Reply
Sorry, I’ll wait a while.
GBTSQuote Reply
Time to play Guess the Hack Beat Writer!
Aisle424Quote Reply
[quote name=Aisle424]Time to play Guess the Hack Beat Writer![/quote]
RBIs are a retarded stat. He hit mostly leadoff for the Cubs and thus hit with nobody on base a bunch. He’s batting 5th and 6th for the Tribe and some of the guys in front of him actually know how to get on base.
I’m going to guess Paul Sullivan.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]RBIs are a retarded stat. He hit mostly leadoff for the Cubs and thus hit with nobody on base a bunch. He’s batting 5th and 6th for the Tribe and some of the guys in front of him actually know how to get on base.
I’m going to guess Paul Sullivan.[/quote]
Ding ding ding!
Aisle424Quote Reply
Now might actually be a good time to pinch-run for Rami.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Hey, maybe a two grand slam night?
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]Hey, maybe a two grand slam night?[/quote]
I’d be okay with a ball to the outfield.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I’m about 99.99999% sure Byrd will ground out here.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]I’d be okay with a ball to the outfield.[/quote]I wonder if the ability to come through with contact in contact situations like this is incorporated into any metrics. There are guys who just seem to be really good at hitting the ball in the air in sac fly situations, or hitting to the right side of the infield to advance the runner.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]I’m about 99.99999% sure Byrd will ground out here.[/quote]Marlon Byrd sucks ass with RISP this year.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]I’m about 99.99999% sure Byrd will ground out here.[/quote]
Shit.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Now it looks like Starlin is having some fun out there.
Aisle424Quote Reply
[quote name=Aisle424]Now it looks like Starlin is having some fun out there.[/quote]
Luckily Chipper Jones is a lazy dog like Aramis Ramirez
melissaQuote Reply
[quote name=melissa]Luckily Chipper Jones is a lazy dog like Aramis Ramirez[/quote]Chipper is merely conserving his energy and preserving his body for the marathon season. The way you can tell the difference between that and laziness is that Chipper is Caucasian.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]If he had only read Tom Ricketts’ pamphlet on Cubs history, it would have been a triple.[/quote]
Tommy Boy’d
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=Aisle424]Now it looks like Starlin is having some fun out there.[/quote]He obviously got a hold of a copy of the pamphlet.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
That Michael Bourn fellow is rather fast.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Marlon Byrd, with the pamphlet reading!
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]That Michael Bourn fellow is having more fun than most others.[/quote]
Bobby V approves. Men’s Fitness agrees.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]Marlon Byrd, with the pamphlet reading![/quote]He realizes how fortunate he is to be a member of this ballclub.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
All this pamphlet talk reminds me of propaganda tactics (dying laughing)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]He realizes how fortunate he is to be a member of this ballclub.[/quote]I wonder if the pamphlet mentions interlacing fingers as an alternative to high-fives.
binkyQuote Reply
Methinks Starlin wasn’t finding that at-bat very fun.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]All this pamphlet talk reminds me of propaganda tactics (dying laughing)[/quote]Which is basically what Ricketts says he wants to do to all new draftees.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
How about that Aramis Ramirez guy.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
He blooped. He was the only chance the Cubs had. Enter Tyler Colvin.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]How about that Aramis Ramirez guy.[/quote]Hasn’t read the part of the pamphlet where it says true Cubs always turn it on when it matters and don’t turn it on when it doesn’t.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Oy + vey = This whole game.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]Hasn’t read the part of the pamphlet where it says true Cubs always turn it on when it matters and don’t turn it on when it doesn’t.[/quote]
I wonder if there’s a part in the Cubs pamphlet appendix that dictates that Cubs fans are retarded for thinking that.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
(dying laughing) @ Cubs living out their proud history. Real pamphlet stuff, this.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]I wonder if there’s a part in the Cubs pamphlet appendix that dictates that Cubs fans are retarded for thinking that.[/quote]No. That appendix states only that these are the greatest fans on earth who attend baseball games at the greatest ballpark on earth. And puppies and unicorns and gumdrop bricks paving the streets.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Reed Johnson: 3 BB, 47 K in 190 PA. (dying laughing)
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Byrd only saw 9 pitches in four PA tonight.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I think Marlon is starting to get sick of the pamphlet. Indeed, the entire pamphlet culture.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]Byrd only saw 9 pitches in four PA tonight.[/quote]WWBVS (What Would Bobby Valentine Say)
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]I think Marlon is starting to get sick of the pamphlet. Indeed, the entire pamphlet culture.[/quote]He needs Bobby Valentine to teach him the finer points of the game
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
It’s pretty obvious that Tom Ricketts isn’t handing out a Spanish language version of his Cubs pamphlet.
melissaQuote Reply
I hope Tom included this in the pamphlet:
http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/story/2005/7/13/184146/529
as well as this:
http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2008/11/25/670086/a-few-words-about-fanposts
and for sure this:
http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2009/4/14/834718/a-few-more-words-about-posting-at
melissaQuote Reply
[quote name=melissa]It’s pretty obvious that Tom Ricketts isn’t handing out a Spanish language version of his Cubs pamphlet.[/quote]
Real Cubs speak American.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Aramis having fun:
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18366405
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]Real Cubs speak American.[/quote]
Exactly.
/edit: This also deserves an absolutely correct.
melissaQuote Reply
Cubs History Pamphlet, you’ve probably never heard of it.
melissaQuote Reply
http://sports.failblog.org/2011/08/23/57719/
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
(dying laughing) Thanks, MO
melissaQuote Reply
Didn’t see the game (I’ll be seeing a lot fewer games from now on), but it’s nice to see Starlin paying attention on defense: http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=18372591
ACTQuote Reply
Unfortunately, Cassie keeps striking out at the dish. Nice to see Aramis keeping up his hot streak, though.
ACTQuote Reply
Painful game. Just painful. FWIW, Castro when through a long 0’fer then eventually went on a streak where he was hitting everything they threw. I think that’ll just be what we can expect from him.
[quote name=Rice Cube]http://sports.failblog.org/2011/08/23/57719/[/quote]Hilarious.
binkyQuote Reply
This is the only part of this entry I read. I am shocked you guys would do that during a baseball game, but glad you gave up your package so it doesn’t happen anymore.
Dr. Aneus TaintQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]
Hilarious.[/quote]
Good luck with your blog.
BerseliusQuote Reply
BerseliusQuote Reply
[quote name=Berselius]Good luck with your blog.[/quote]Harsh.
binkyQuote Reply
http://twitter.com/#!/SI_JonHeyman/status/106226409529294848
(dying laughing)
GBTSQuote Reply
BerseliusQuote Reply
[quote name=Berselius]
[/quote]That chair will be picked up by 2027.
/New York Port Authority’d
GBTSQuote Reply
If you guys had started going in 1994 you could say you saw the rise and departure and return of Jose Hernadez.
mb21Quote Reply
new shit: http://obstructedview.net/articles/major-league-baseball/tangotigers-annual-fans-scouting-report.html
mb21Quote Reply
Who’s your beer man up there: Les or Steve?
Wrigley Beer ManQuote Reply
I like those seats. I wish I had seats like that for a season.
Phil_CrivelloneQuote Reply