Non-Sailing Topics
| Chicago & Wrigley Field | |
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August, 2002 - Arizona Diamondbacks Michigan Ave. |
| Wrigley Field is the home
of the Chicago Cubs, the baseball team of which I have been cursed with
being a fan since my family moved to the Chicago area in 1950. My Dad was a
great baseball fan and a Cubs fan since he saw the "Black Sox" throw games
when he was a teenager around 1919. That is why when asked how long
I've been a Cubs fan I answer, "Since 1919". I and my brothers didn't
know we were cubs fans until 1950 when our family moved from Wilmington, DE
to Evanston, IL. I don't remember us getting a vote on that either. Wrigley Field has always been a special place for myself and my brothers. No family get together in Chicago is complete without taking in a game at the "Friendly Confines". |
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| One of the pictures above
was taken in 2002, when the Cubs were in last place, the other was taken in
2003 when the Cubs were in first place. Can you tell the difference and
which is which. No matter the standings the Cubs always draw a crowd.
Still it's just a lot more fun to be in the stands when they are winning.
Having been a Cubs fan for over 50 years I've had a lot of days at the
"Friendly Confines" enjoying the ambience more than the results. For the
record the picture on the left was taking on May 9, 2003 at the Cardinals'
game when the Cubs were in first place. The picture on the right was taken
on August 16, 2002 at the Diamondbacks' game when the Cubs were playing god
awful. This was the year the MLB Player's Association was threatening
to go on strike. After some particularly inept base running by the
Cubs during the game, the crowd started yelling, "Go on Strike!". I
think they got the message and did not go on strike. The Cubs lost both games. No one can accuse me of being just a good luck charm. |
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| August, 2002 - Arizona Diamondbacks | |
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The pictures above were taken the August 16 & 17, 2002 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks. |
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| May, 2003 - St. Louis Cardinals | |
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The pictures above were taken at the May 9, 2003 game with the St. Louis Cardinals. |
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| August, 2008 - Houston Astros | |
| I retired from work in July, 2004 and spent that summer preparing myself and my sailboat for a cruise to Europe, so no time that summer to get to Chicago for a game. In the summers of 2005 and 2007 I was sailing across the Atlantic, to then from Europe. In 2006 I was cruising the Mediterranean. Finally in 2008 I rejoined my brothers for a game. | |
| The pictures below were taken at the August 6, 2008 Houston Astros game. The Cubs are once more in 1st place in the NL Central Division. | |
 Game is Just Getting Underway |
 No Score in the 1st Inning |
| This was a Wednesday day game. As you can see the stadium is nearly full, actually standing room only in the Bleachers. | |
 Stands on 3rd Base Line and Left Field Bleachers |
In
the picture on the left the Astros have just taken the field in the bottom
half of the 1st inning. For the first two innings this looked like a
pitchers duel. The Astros got one hit in the 2nd inning. The
Cubs got one run in the bottom of the 2nd with back-to-back doubles by Jim
Edmonds and Mark DeRosa. Then in the 3rd inning all hell broke loose. The first two Astros were easy outs, then Matsui hit a double followed by a walk to Pence. Matsui scored on a single by Berkman. When Carlos Lee hit a homer the Astros were up 4-1. It looked like my luck for the Cubs was holding strong. I hadn't seen them win a game since 1994. |
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In
the bottom of the 3rd Theriot hit a single sandwiched between a pop-out by
Soriano and a fly-out by Derek Lee. It looked like another goose-egg
on the scoreboard. In the picture on the left Aramis Ramirez swings at a pitch and either missed or fouled the pitch. He hung in there and worked a walk. I'm somewhat amazed by the quality of my Sony CyberShot camera. If click on the picture to open it in full resolution you can actually see the ball out in front of Ramirez. |
 Ramirez Takes a Swing |
 Edmonds Takes a Walk |
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now there are two Cubs on base with two outs in the 3rd. Jim Edmonds walked to fill the bases. |
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This
brought Mark DeRosa to the plate. DeRosa connected for a Grand Slam
home run to left center field. The Cubs were back on top 5-4 and the
crowd was going wild. Still with 2 outs the Cubs were not done for the inning. After DeRosa's homer Fukudome hit a double and Soto walked. The pitcher, Jason Marquis, then hit a double to score Fukudome and Soriano followed with a 3-run homer to left. The Cubs were now in the lead 9-4. |
 DeRosa at Bat |
 Cubs Win! |
Amazingly
Marquis settled in and pitched shutout ball into the 7th inning. The
Cubs added 2 more runs in the 5th inning. The relief pitchers held the
Astros scoreless the rest of the way. CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN! 11-4 In the picture on the left the Cubs take the field to celebrate the victory with the fans. |
| The pictures below show more of this capacity crowd for a mid-week day game. The picture on the right, below shows a couple of the private bleachers on the building tops across the street from Wrigley field. Even these seats are nearly half-full. They normally fill up only for weekend or night games. Lou Boudreau, Cubs radio announcer back in the 60's, once asked, "How did all of these people get night jobs?" | |
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| August, 2011 - Atlanta Braves | |
| In the summer of 2009 I was sailing my boat back from the Bahamas and in 2010 I was helping deliver a yacht from Alabama to Maine, and I missed Cubs games both summers. | |
 Cubs Are Trailing 2-0 at the End of the Second Inning |
On
August 22, 2011 I once more joined my brothers for a Cubs game. This was
a night game with the Atlanta Braves. For most of this season the Cubs have been god-awful. A few weeks earlier they started to play better and started winning. Too late, though, the season is nearly over. |
| The game started a hour or so before sunset. |
 Sun is Going Down |
 Night Baseball at Wrigley Field |
By the 3rd inning it was nearly dark and the lights were on. |
| Cubs lost 3-0. |
 Soriano Swings and Misses |
| August, 2012 - Pittsburg Pirates | |
 Ron Santo Statue |
Our next family visit to the Friendly Confines was on August 1, 2012.
This was a few weeks after Ron Santo was inducted into the Hall of Fame. |
| Also a few days after Theo Epstein started to dump all of the veteran players on the team in an effort to rebuild with youth. |
 Billy Williams Statue |
 L-R: Sandy, Bobbi & Jeff |
Jeff, as usual got us great seats. If only the game was as great. |
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Actually the Cubs hung in very close until the eighth inning when the
Pirates broke it open with 7 runs. The Pirates are vying for a
play-off spot. The Cubs hope to be vying for the play-offs in a few
years. Turned out the best part of the trip was the dinner Jeff treated us to at the West Town Taven the night before. We returned to this restaurant in 2013 and would have again in 2014, but unfortunately it is no longer in business. |
 Pirates Batting in Top of the Eighth |
| July, 2013 - St. Louis Cardinals | |
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On July 12, 2013 Jeff once again provided tickets to the Cubs game at
Wrigley Field. This time the opponent was the St. Louis Cardinals. The weather that weekend in Chicago was spectacular with sunny days, low temps and low humidity. |
 Cards Taking Batting Practice |
 Cards Batting in the Top of 1st Inning |
This was a late afternoon game (AKA the Businessman's Special). The Cards scored two runs in the 1st inning. |
| As usual Jeff got us great seats. |
 Jeff, Sandy and Bobbi |
 Final Score: Cards 3, Cubs 2 |
The Cubs kept it close, but lost 3-2. They won the previous day 3-0 and won the next day 6-4. We Stevensons are certainly not good luck charms, except for the weather. |
| July, 2014 - Atlanta Braves | |
| On July 11, 2014 we attended the game with the Atlanta Braves. This was a see-saw game. The Cubs took a 2-0 lead in the 3rd, but the Braves tied it up in the 4th. |
 Cubs Take a 2-0 Lead in the 3rd |
 Cubs Re-Gain the Lead in the 6th |
The Braves took a 3-2 lead in the 5th, and the Cubs came back in the 6th for a 4-3 lead. |
| The game went into the 9th with the Cubs holding that 1-run lead, but the Braves tied it up. |
 Braves Tie It Up in the 9th |
 Cubs Celebrate Walk-Off Win |
In the Bottom of the 9th, with 2-outs Alcantara singled and then stole second. Ruggiano singled Altcantara home and the Cubs celebrated the walk-off win in the usual manner of trying to injure the hero of the moment. |
| After the game we had dinner at the Eataly food store/restauraunt. This is a massive 2-story complex of Italian food and products. |
 Jeff, Sandy and Bobbi at the Eataly |
| July, 2015 - Chicago White Sox | |
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Our next Cubs outing was on Friday, July 10, 2015 when the Cubs were hosting
the Chicago White Sox. This was the last series before the All-Star
Game break. This was our first time to see the upgrades that have taken place to Wrigley Field in the last year. The most prominent of those changes is the large video board above the left field bleachers. |
 The Jumbotron in Left Field |
 The Video Scoreboard in Right File |
Another, smaller video board is in the right field stands. |
| Unfortunately the Cubs lost 1-0. It was a well played game by both teams, just the result sucked. |
 The White Sox Congratulating Themselves on a Victory |
 Flying the "W" From the Spreader |
In 2015 I ordered a "W" flag because the Cubs were winning enough that I
thought I could get some use out of. Of course it didn't arrive until
just before the start of the NLCS, in which the Cubs were swept by the hated
Mets. Last night (2016 openning day) the Cubs won, so the flag is no longer a virgin. |
| July, 2016 - Texas Rangers | |
| Our 2016 Cubs game was against the Texas Rangers on July 15. We met next to the Ernie Banks statue. Part of the massive construction underway in and around Wrigley Field can be seen in the background. |
 Enrie Banks Statue |
 Another Packed House |
This was a close and well pitched game through the top of the 6th inning with the cubs leading 1-0. |
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In the bottom of the 6th the cubs blew it open with 5 runs to take a 6-0
lead. In the picture on the right the Texas pitcher has just pitched to Contreras of the Cubs. You can see the ball about half-way to the plate. Pretty good for a phone camera. |
 Cubs Break It Open |
 A Cool, Cloudy and Misty Day in July |
It was very cool, cloudy and misty day. The wind was out of the north
so no home runs today. CUBS WIN 6-0! |
| After the game we had an excellent tapas-style dinner at the Girl & The Goat Restaurant. |
 Girl & The Goat Restaurant |
| August, 2017 - Toronto Blue Jays | |
 Cubs Batting in the 6th |
Our 2017 Cubs game was on August 19 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Still trying to get used to the Cubs being World Series Champions. |
| This year Jeff got us seats in the upper deck for the first time since 2003. These seats have a great view of the field, as shown above. |
 Upper Deck |
 Aisle Traffic Obscurs the View |
The only problem was we were in the 1st row of the upper section of the deck, just above the traffic aisle. When people walked by (as they do throughout the game) they obscure our view of part of the field. Next time we'll either be a few rows further back, or in the rows in from of the aisle. |
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This was a close game. The Cubs scored one run in the first. The
Blue Jays took the lead in the top of the 4th, 2-1. The Cubs tied it
up in the bottom of the 4th. The Cubs took a 4-2 lead with single runs
in the 6th and 7th, and then hung on to win 4-3. Cubs Win! |
 Game Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 6th |
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The Final Out |
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 The Park at Wrigley |
The new feature at Wrigley this year (beside the Word Series pennant on the flagpole) is the park, which was just a paved area last year. |
| There is another Jumbtron on Cubs office building, which also houses a sourvenir shop. The Ricketts family, who own the Cubs and Wrigley Field, have stated they want this facility to generate revenue 365 days/year rather than just 82 (number of Cubs' home games). It is starting to happen. |
 The Jumbotron in the Park |
 Jeff, Bobbi and Sandy |
After the game, we had tickets to Havana Mardrid at the Goodman Theater, and had dinner at the restaurant next to the theater. |
| August 2018 - Milwaukee Brewers | |
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When we gathered in Chicago for the 2018 game against the Brewer, the Cubs
were in 1st place, but only just. This game was a harbinger for the
remainder of the season as the Cubs offense disappeared.
Brewers won 7-0. That was the only downer for the trip as we had several excellent meals at local restaurants and took in play at the Goodman Theater. That play, Plampona, was a one-man performance by Stacey Keach as Ernest Hemingway, near the end of his life, overcoming a writers block by recollecting the events and people from his past. |
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| August 2019 - Milwaukee Braves | |
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In 2019 Jeff got us tickets to the Aug 3 game against the Brewers, who have
become the Cubs principal competition in the Central Division. Last
year the Brewers won the division in a playoff after the two teams tied at
the end of the season. This year the Cubs were in 1st, but only just. The team has been a power house at Wrigley, but a losing team on the road. Fortunately we only go to the home games. |
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This was a close game for the first 7 innings with the cubs leading 2-1. Then the Cubs scored twice in the 8th and won 4-1. |
| Cubs win! |
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After the game we went to the bar in the Zachary Hotel next to Wrigley for a dinner of small plates. |
| The night before the game we saw the Music Man at the Goodman Threater. I had only seen the movie version of the musical and that was more than 50 years ago. As usual the Goodman production was excellent. |
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| 2020 - Zoom Game | |
| With much of the country in lockdown for the pandemic, this year we got together remotely via Zoom to watch the game using my mlb.tv subscription. That didn't work too well due to network delays relaying the game video from my PC to everyone else on Zoom. It was such a let down I didn't get around to posting the results on this page for over a year. When I finally got around to it I couldn't remember who the Cubs played. I'm pretty sure they lost. | |
| 2021 - Colorado Rockies | |
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The Delta variant of Covid19 was surging in Chicago in late August, but we decided to resume our annual visit to Wrigley Field. This time the Cubs' opponent was the Colorrado Rockies. Two last place (or nearly so) teams. In spite of that it was a well played and interesting game. |
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The game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 5th when Patrict Wisdom hit a
3-run homer. Cubs Win! 5-2 We all got to sing along with Steve Goodman. Only 24,000 in the stands |
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| Scenes Around Chicago | |
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The pictures below were taken around the Chicago water front. |
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| Michigan Ave, "The Miracle Mile" | |
 Wrigley Building on Michigan Ave. |
Michigan
Ave is the up-scale shopping area in downtown Chicago. It used to be
State Street, but now this section of Michigan Ave, south of the river has
been branded "The Miracle Mile". On the left is the Wrigley Building, which is north of the river, as seen from Michigan Ave. |
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Also
north of the river, opposite the Tribune Building is the Marilyn Monrow
statue. Why is that little kid standing under her dress? Apparently the statue was just on loan to Chicago and is some place else as of 2012. |
 Marilyn Statue on Michigan Ave, Next to the River |
| Millenium Park | |
| Along Michigan Ave is the latest public park in Chicago - The Millenium Park. The pictures below are of the open air concert hall designed by Frank Gehry. | |
 Roof of the Pritzker Pavilion |
 Pritzker Pavilion |
| In 2013 we took another walk through the Millenium Park and the Pritzker Pavilion. On this trip it appeared the Chicago Symphony was performing a concert. The arches seen in the pictures below support large audio speakers, which bring the music to those on the lawn. | |
 Pritzker Pavilion in 2013 |
 Audio Speakers on the Arches |
 The "Bean" (real title: "Cloud Gate") |
 Taking a Selfie on the Bean, 2016 (We are in the middle right of the picture) |
 The Crown Fountain |
 Kids Playing in the Shallow Pool Between the Fountains |
 "Taste of Chicago" in 2013 |
On the weekend of the 2013 Cubs game the "Taste of Chicago" festival was underway next to Millenium Park. This is an exhibition of the many restaurants in Chicago. |
| The Art Institute | |
| On the day before the August 22, 2011 Cubs game, my brothers and I visited the Art Institute. That's Jeff peering under the lion at the entrance to the Institute. |
 Entrance to the Art Institute on Michigan Ave. |
| One of the exhibits we wanted to see was a tapestry made in Madagazcar from spider webbs. That tapestry is shown in the pictures below. | |
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 Entrance to the Exhibit |
Also on exhibit that day was a collection of war posters from the Soviet Union. A few are shown below. |
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| In 2014 we viewed the exhibit of the surealist artist Rene Magritte. We were not allowed to take pictures of the exhibit. |
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| The Field Museum | |
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On
the Saturday after the 2013 game, we visited the Field Musem of Natural
History. We went primarily to see the primitive paintings from the Lascaux cave in France. The picture on the right is of the largest complete Tyranasaurus Rex skeleton in existance. |
 Tyranasaurus Rex |
 Main Hall in the Field Museum |
Photograhy is not allowed inside any of the exhibits in the Field Museum, so the only pictures I have are of the main hall. |
| Chicagor Skyline and Water Front | |
| During most of the day before the 2012 game we strolled around the Michigan Ave area. |
 Skyscrapers Opposite Millenium Park |
 Chicago River |
On the left is the Chicago River looking toward Michigan Ave. The tall building in the center is another to which "The Donald" has rented his name. |
| Tour boats ply the river and the lake front. |
 Chicago River Tour Boat |
 Watching the Air Show on the Lake Front |
The Chicago Air and Water Show took place on the 2011 weekend. We spent almost an hour watching the USAF Thunderbirds perform from Lakeshore Drive. |
| In 2013, the day after the game, we visited the Field Museum and the
Adler Planatarium. We wanted to visit the Shedd Aquarium as well, but
the line to get in was very long. On the way to the planatarium we had another spectacular view of the Chicago skyline and waterfront. |
 Chicago Skyline Viewed From the Adler Planatarium |
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In 2014 we took the boat tour of Chicago Architecture. The tour was supposed to be on the Chicago River, but the recent rainfall had raised the level of the River such that the tour boat could not get under the bridges. Instead the tour boat went out through the locks at the mouth of the river and toured the waterfront from Lake Michigan. |
| Later that night we attend a performance of the Lerner & Lowe musical Brigadoon at the Goodman Theatre. |
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