Beautiful Day for a Ballgame

Oh yeah, the weather sucks in Chicago in late March. But 4o degree temperatures and pouring rain wouldn't stop hordes of eternally optimistic Cubs fans from piling into Wrigley field to watch their perennially disappointing team begin their 100th try at another World Championship.

Before any baseball could be played, we had to witness what I call "the dance of the grounds crew."

Here they come!

Now, everyone grab on:
Ok, 1...2...3...CHARGE!
KEEP RUNNING!

Hey guys, you spilled it all over the infield! I can get it off...with my foot...

I think I need some help here:

Oh yeah, we have these broom things...ok everyone get a broom thing and push the water toward the drains!

There we go, good work boys. Ok, now let's go roll it up.

Everybody 1...2...3...PUSH!

And finally they play:

The Cubs newest import, Kosuke Fukudome makes an immediate impact, whacking the first pitch he sees to the centerfield wall for a Double.

And then it started raining again.

So we took a picture: And drank hot chocolate:

(Benetti note: Nothing in America that costs two dollars is what it says it is. The contents of that white styrofoam container were neither hot nor chocolate.)

Eventually it stopped raining and they played again. The Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers traded bullpen implosions. Fukudome added to his stellar debut with a game-tying three run homer in the bottom of the ninth. Then the Brewers scored in the tenth and spoiled opening day for the Cubs and their water-logged fans.

Or as we learned, they really didn't spoil anything. Most of the fans seemed less interested in the game than they were in drinking beer, eating sausage and texting their friends on their blackberrys to brag about skipping work to go to Opening Day.

Insert cheesy sentimental line about the trip coming to an end here.

We have more to blog about, and a book to write. Thanks for joining us so far. Stay with us; you won't be disappointed.

--david