13 replies to this topic

[Tommy]

I remember going to a Cub's game with my Dad when I was a kid - front row seats on the 1st base side! No way we could get those seats today (unless I bought them off of some guy on the BN site, right?)! Anyhow, I took my glove and was getting players to autograph it before the game, and as a kid, I didn't really know all the players, just knew they were wearing a Cubs uniform, so I wanted their autograph.

Well, long story short, I got back to my seat and started looking at the signatures. Frankly, the team wasn't very good back then, so that glove wouldn't be worth more than $10 if I had it today. Funny part of the story is that while I was looking at the signatures, I noticed the name Mike Vail on there...twice. WTF! Mike Vail grabbed my glove out of my hand when I was trying to get Billy Buckner's autograph, and he'd already signed it! Well, you have to appreciate his enthusiasm, but I remember asking my dad at the time, 'Who the fuck is Mike Vail?'

Ok, I didn't really say fuck, but the story is way funnier that way.

I miss Mike Vail.

[Katie]

Nice story Tommy.
My first game was after I graduated college. My dad asked me what I wanted and I said that I wanted to finally go to Wrigley.
(Cue orchestra swell)
And then it promptly rained. And rained. And did i mention the rain? We also realized when we got there that we (he) left the tickets in the hotel over an hour away.

And that began another chapter in the book of My Tormented Abusive Relaionship With The Cubs.

Fin.

(Roll credits)

[Tommy]

I love that story.

[Fishin Phil]

I remember Senior Ditch day in high school, some buddies and I decided to go catch a Cubs game. This was 1980 and the Cubs and attendance were both bad. Took the train from the south suburbs, caught the redline and walked up to the ticket window. Got front row seats on the third base line. You just can't do stuff like that anymore.

[Tommy]

Ain't that the truth! What suburb were you from, Phil? Elgin here.

[Fishin Phil]

Park Forest.

[TWC]

Man, I miss Senior Ditch Day…

[Stinky Pete]

'82 or '83 My parents decided to take me to a game to reward my act of integrity. (I received an award for perfect attendance even though I had missed school and spoke up.) I made it about 2 innings, Terry Kennedy hit a 3 run bomb. I got sick and slept in the infirmary. When I woke, I had an autographed Leon Durham picture.
I got Chuck Rainey's autograph before a game. So that was cool.
'85 during a salmonella outbreak, the guys sitting behind me (With Brown and yellow caps that said "Padres Suck", about the coolest thing I had ever seen.) said they hoped the milk they bought didn't have salmonella. The other guy says, "Nah. Salmonella's playing 2nd base." (Vs. Philadelphia, Juan Samuel.) Okay, it was funny 27 years ago.
1991 Seniors from the HS baseball team took a trip to Wrigley. Night game vs the mets. Best game ever. Sutcliffe pitched, I think. My friend had beer spilled all over him. 14 innings ended by a George Bell homer about 20 feet from me. We were all chanting "New York Sucks!" and I was screaming it about three inches from some obnoxious mets fans face. What a great game.

[scorecardpaul]

I wasn't lucky enough to go to a Cubs game as a child, but the fun for me has been converting my wife (cards fan) and bringing my kids up correctly. I spent many games in the 80's in the bleachers in Wrigley. My family and I try to go a couple of times a year now. It's great that my kids are old enough to sit in the bleachers again.

A great way to see our Cubs is in Arizona. Spring training games are a lot of fun, and it is cheaper and more laid back. If you can get some time I would suggest it for all. The weather in Arizona and the Cubs make for a great start to the year.

[Dave H]

My first game was in 1981. Cold day in June in the upper deck. I could reach out and touch the Ernie Banks flag. Fly balls were at eye level. But I was hooked. Most memorable game was in 1991. My dad got tickets behind home plate. Ryno was at the plate and fouled a pitch off that hit the brick and came all the way back to him. He threw the ball to a little boy. The boy was so excited. My dad yelled to Ryno that he'd hit a homerun for that. He looked over in our direction and shrugged it off. Three pitches later he put one in the batter's eye. When he finished rounding the bases he even tipped his cap. I had so much fun with my dad that day. Truly memorable.

[eporter34]

I have 3 memories that stick out, and I'll try to keep them short, so as not to bore everyone. Please don't ask me to remember the exact dates or even the year... I'm 42 now, and my memory isn't what it used to be.

1. First game that I remember my dad taking me to, sometime in the late 70's, we're sitting on the 3rd base line, 15-20 rows up from the field, and a screaming foul ball comes heading our way. My dad reaches up to at least try to knock it down, but it screams over his outreached arms and as we look behind us, tracking the ball, it blasts some poor young kid in the face, as he's taking a bite out of his hot dog. I still cringe everytime I think of that incident and that poor kid, even as I'm writing this.

2. August 1988. Me and two of my closest Cubs fan buddies are sitting in the front row of the bleachers, as close to the "batter's eye" as you can be. At one point during the game, my two buddies decide that they need to take a leak and get a bite. As they are standing in line to get a bite, they are watching the game on the TV's in line, and they see their other buddy (me) reach down in the basket to retrieve a home run ball, hit by Mitch Webster, off of Dan Quisenberry (RIP). I went home that night and threw a VHS tape in the VCR and recorded the WGN News to forever capture the image of this scrawny, well tanned, 18 year old grabbing that home run ball and then jumping around like a banshee. I still have the ball and the VHS tape, however, I no longer have a VCR to relive that memory with my wife and kids. (As if they care!)

3. "Sammy Sosa Day" - Me and 3 others, that I sat in the left field bleachers with on numerous occasions, go to the game this day and for whatever reason, I guess since it was "Sammy Sosa Day", we decided to sit in the right field bleachers. Well, we make this beautiful, large poster for the day, with the words "The Dominican Dominator" in large, bold print across the top of this HUGE poster, with a real nice picture of Sammy, below those words. And we enjoy the game and the day. The next week, Sports Illustrated comes out with this big 2 page spread, panoramic photo of all of the fans and posters from that day, in the LEFT FIELD BLEACHERS. SON OF A BI_CH! The one chance in my life to ever grace the pages of SI, and I screw it up by sitting in the right field bleachers, instead of the left field bleachers.

[Katie]

All of these are awesome. The game I went to last year was televised on ESPN against the Giants. It was May 15th, I believe, and the game time temp was in the mid 30's and it was raining like crazy. The wind was blowing right in my face and it was truly miserable. They ended up calling the game in the 6th, Cubs lost. When I got back home after the weekend I watched the game on my DVR and laughed my ass off at how much complaining the ESPN announcers were doing about how miserable the weather was. And the funny thing is that I've gone to day games at Wrigley in the middle of May and gotten sunburnt. Go figure. I also saw myself in my sexy poncho several times in the crowd which was funny.

Can't wait to take my son to Wrigley!

[Cubbie Blues]

Last year I took my boys to their first game. Everyone was awesome. We met an usher on the L going to the game. He made sure we knew to go get a certificate for the boys being their first game. When we got there we walked them around the outside. Then just before the gates opened it started pouring down rain and lightning. The rain let up for a bit and some of the players came out on the field. Tony Campana was over by the bullpen and we went over and my boys got an autograph from him. Then there was ended up being a 2 1/2 hour delay. Add that to the time before game time (since we were there before the gates opened) and that is a long time for a then 5 & 6 year old to wait (before the game). They were champs though and didn't complain a bit. We scoured over every inch of Wrigley that day (and bought some swag for the boys). The game finally started (with purchased ponchos) and the boys were loving it (even if cold). Then the 7th inning stretch came and they both sang at the top of their lungs. After the game here comes the "Go Cubs Go" and the boys once again sang at the top of their lungs. It was great. Now Tony is their favorite player and always ask me if he is in the lineup that day and always want to see his at bats. I know he isn't the best to emulate but my oldest boy now uses Tony's pre-at-bat quirks.

[BFiddy]

I will never forget my first Cubs game.

My parents were missionaries, so I grew up in SE Asia. In the summer of 1997, my family moved to America. I fell in love with baseball immediately and was listening to Pat and Ron on WGN 720 everyday by the end of that summer.

I finally made it to Wrigley on June 18 of the following season...1998. It was the year of Sammy's 66 and not long after Kid K's 20.

I am not going to look any of this up just to test my memory:

Jeremi Gonzalez was on the mound for the Cubs against the Phillies. He gave up 3 or 4 runs in the top of the 1st...seemed like it was going to be a long afternoon.

Thankfully, CF Brant Brown led off the bottom of the first with a dinger, one of 3 HRs he would hit that day. Gonzalez settled down on the mound and he (3-for-3) and Terry Mulholland (2-for-2) combined on a remarkable 5-for-5 day at the plate. I believe the Cubs hit 2 other HRs that day, one of them by LF Henry Rodriguez and I want to say the other was 3B Jose Hernandez, but don't quote me. I know Gracie was at 1B, Sammy was in RF, Mickey Morandini at 2B. I think Jeff Blauser was the SS, but I have no idea who was catching.

Scott Rolen definitely homered for the Phils (I have seen him play at Wrigley three times and he has hit one out each time)...don't remember much else about that PHI team.

A great first Cubs game and a great memory.