One man, one city, two teams

I am not a believer that one can be a fan merely of one team in the city while unjustly, other than for cruel, snobbish behavior, consider the other team a vile slime that is a blight upon their fair metropolis. In baseball Los Angeles, New York and the Bay Area in San Francisco have the same argument as fans do in Chicago with the Cubs and White Sox. 

The first team I ever connected with was the Chicago Cubs. I remember as far back as four years old collecting baseball cards of legends such as Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson. The clichés of those grilling hot dogs alongside onions and the fresh air that permeates into an open air stadium are all true, just overdone. I adore ‘America’s game’ as I love my nearby Chicago, voted in many polls throughout the years (Sporting News 2006 for example) as America’s best sporting city. Yet, I see differences in the make-up of a Cubs and White Sox fan. Stereotypes at times are said to be based on truth and in some circumstances here Wrigley Field is more of a party field with tourists (at times, at least 20% of all ticket sales) and U.S Cellular Field has a corporate image in a blue-collar environment. In my household, I cannot use those easy go-to stabs. My girlfriend is a White Sox fan.

On our way down to a 6:10pm game last night, the sky turned from ashy to bleak; literal day to night as streetlamps and skyscrapers lit up. Trapped on our journey to the south side on route 94 with thousands of other cars, the torrential downpour had me thinking for a few bumper to bumper moments that we were like those sorry saps washed away in a CGI torrent in any disaster movie. It is said that getting to ‘the Cell’ is easier than Wrigley Field but any native knows that traffic is Chicago is no cake walk, especially when the 100,000 strong crowed in Grant Park for Lollapalooza is being evacuated ahead of the storm. 

By the time we walked up the many levels of U.S Cellular Field to the 500 section (cheap tickets, folks) the rain had reduced to a drizzle. All that time waiting for the game to start in the midst of the rain delay, I took the time to appreciate how I have to admit the concessions at ‘the Cell’ are far better than at Wrigley Field, which at times has been downright disgusting at 1060 West Addison. I’ve consumed a pint of Old Style more than I should there, making me appreciate the stands with incredible ranges of micro-brews, large tasty labels (Heineken), and a Leinenkugal’s stand that offers seven types of mixed flavors of beers.  Though beer, sugary snack, and hot dog vendors roam the isles of any stadium, there are far less at newer stadiums like ‘the Cell’ or as I still call at times ‘Comiskey Park’ because of the investments they have made in size of section promenades and the better than average food. Being at a ballpark, I got a dog with onions and kraut with extra mustard. Ally and I both bought a delicious Crispin cider, one that is less sweet than Magners yet a step below Strongbow. The kid that I am at times, I bought a mini ice cream helmet. Feeling like a piggy, that feeling soon faded when I saw a line of White Sox fans, each of them cradled a full size MLB helmet full of nachos and fixins – not sure if they are glutonus pigs or are sharing another American pastime (with baseball) of over eating.   

I do admire a few of the White Sox players, namely hopeful future hall of famer Paul Konerko at first and one of my favorite players in baseball, the former Red Sox 1^st and 3^rd baseman Kevin Youklis. ‘Youk’ as he is affectionately called had a great night of two home runs and three RBI’s wasted with a 6-5 loss to the L.A Angels in 10 innings. The game, which started rough with a less than single A performance in the 1^st inning by pitcher Gavin Floyd, turned out to be a back and forth battle for the three and a half hours it existed.

Bum fans, those ones who exude male frustration from their eye balls and chose of douchebag hair cuts, clothes and their obvious scents of Ed Hardy, proceeded to scream viciously at Angels Albert Pujols, using their best taunts like “you suck!” Yes, that modern legend at 1^st base with his 10 year, 200 million dollar contract just killed this man’s self esteem enough to crush a 400 foot home run to left field. Those lads were matched by what Ally called ‘YOLO duck face party girls’. Arriving late in the 2^nd inning and leaving by the 6^th, these two girls (nope, not ladies) popped and locked to every five second techno beat to pump up the crowd, nearly nailing me with their knobby elbows several times. Be gone wenches – you sully my game.  

I will always be a Cubs fan, but there is no reason I shouldn’t cheer for the White Sox, unless of course they are playing the Cubs.