Five good reasons to attend a ballgame in Chicago
By Jeff Armstrong
IV Leader Staff, April 12, 2007
Recently, I attended the Chicago White Sox game (second
game of the season) and had a wonderful time even though they lost. But Cubs
fans don’t worry, this column isn’t about the White Sox, it’s about the
experience you get from going to a Major League Baseball game.
While sitting there in the snow watching the game, I began to
remember why the wait in the off-season is worth it. Here are five reasons why I
love going to the ballpark. (In no order):
1. The Food – Although nothing beats Mom’s home
cooking, baseball parks put up a pretty good fight. Right when you walk into a
park, your nose instantly falls in love with the mix smell of hot dogs, brats,
pizza, nachos, and funnel cakes. Although prices can be painful at times, it’s
still worth the extra buck (or two).
2. Sound of the Bat – I’m not sure really why the
sound of the wooden bat smashing against the baseball makes me shiver, but I
know I’m not the only one. Even with the crowd going crazy and you can’t even
understand what the person next to you is saying, you are still bale to hear and
feel the sound of the power wooden bat.
3. Homeruns – It’s hard to compare a homerun to
anything else in sports. The closet thing I would think is a long touchdown in
football. The great thing about a homerun is it can happen any inning, any at
bat, or any pitch. It’s such a wonderful sight to see somebody so big crush a
ball so small.
4. Stolen Bases – Since my favorite player is Scott
Podsednik, I always make sure I watch him when he’s batting and when he is on
base. When he is on base he takes three very large steps away from the base to
get set up for a steal. For Cubs fans this would be your Pierre from last year
or your Soriano for this year. These players and their lighting fast speed makes
you get up out of your seat to see if they are going to make it or not.
5. Extra Innings – Some fans wouldn’t agree with me on
this one, but I would rather sit and watch a game go into 19 innings and last 6
hours if that’s what it took to win then watching my team lose in nine innings.
In fact I did go to the White Sox/Red Sox six hour game last year and watch the
White Sox win and it was worth. The great thing about extra innings (if your
team is the home team) is that you get the chance of seeing a walk-off hit or
homerun.