Sunday, April 3, 2011

Here We Go Again

The invitation was tempting, the weather was fair, (not below freezing) the wind was blowing out and it was April Fools Day so why not accept the offer and head South to the Land of Lincoln and Wisconsin Democrats.
Early Friday morning I ventured out of the comfort and security of my little "Clock" place and was immediately greeted with the first of many April Fool jokes, SNOW! The weather guy on WGN Radio promised no snow in Chicago so off to meet the guy with the tickets, Derek. After a quick check of equipment, peanuts, KitKats, Jolly Ranchers, Hersey Miniatures, gloves and warm hats we hit the road for a wonderful day at the old ballyard. An uneventful car ride, a short hop on the El and squeezing in as the last two to make it onto the overloaded bus made for a fairly pleasant trip down. The car ride always provides an opportunity for the kid and I to solve most of the world problems while the El ride gives us a reason to pray a prayer of thanksgiving as we witness the Expressway traffic we left behind when we moved North. We arrived early which gave us a chance to take a lap around the outside of the stadium and check out the new statues and shops (bars) in the area. And once inside we seek out the "old timer" vendors who never seem to change, the familar groundskeepers who just slow down a little more each year while the new, younger ones eagerly scrap, rake, sweep and run around meaninglessly.

Ah but there was no joy in Wrigleyville that day, the mighty Cubbies struck out, grounded out, flew out popped out and just simply, lost out. At any rate it was still a great day and the return of Vienna Hot Dogs to Wrigley almost made it worth while. Young Sebastian is just learning the meaning of being a Cub fan. Here's his first reaction...

Just think of all "The Next Years" he has to look forward to!