From Deadspin, in its entirety:
Anyone who reads Ladies... knows that I am a long suffering Pirates fan, to the point I barely care about baseball anymore. Always the same old saw: we stink, we're always rebuilding, we're always trading away good young players to save on the cap, we decide to spend on Matt Morris. Yesterday, however, I got to witness something I had not seen in seen since I lived in South Florida and would attend Marlins games. I got to see a baseball game that meant something. I got to go to an afternoon game of the Cards versus the Cubs at Wrigley Field. And it was probably the closest thing I've had to a "Come to Jesus" moment in sports in a very long time.
Living in LA means I am stuck with the Dodgers, and I probably don't go to more than a half-dozen games a year. It is a hassle to get in and out of Chavez Ravine, the fans tossing and cheering beach balls in the stands give me the hives, and quite honestly, I just don't like the Dodgers so I don't see why I should give them any of my money. Beyond that, there is nothing around Dodger Stadium that gives you the festival atmosphere that so many other cities are able to pull off nightly.
Wrigley Field on the other hand was a quick train ride from my friend's house, and the second we got off at the Addison stop, I felt like I had stepped into a whole other world. Bright reds and blues everywhere. It seemed to me that there were as many Cards fans as there were Cubs fans. (Although my friend eventually put the split closer to 60-40 Cubs-Cards supporters.) They were incredibly excited to be at the game! People were starting cheers in the streets as they went through the turnstiles! Magical! This still happens in baseball? Why did I doubt that all these years? Just because I didn't see it myself didn't mean I shouldn't have believed in it.
It was "floppy hat" day, but even with my new found excitement, I couldn't bear to put on the Cubs hat and instead opted to wear my Pirates cap. The two old ladies sitting next to us sharing beers before the game, gave me wan smiles of bemusement and pity. I figured with a couple more Old Styles in them, I could handle them if they decided to get rough.
My friend wandered off to talk to friends that happened to be in the next section, and I had a moment alone to take it all in. The buzz of the crowd was intoxicating, or was it all the beer fumes and I was getting a second hand buzz? Either way, it was glorious watching the players warm up with an energy that was not there when I went to the Buccos-Angels game a month ago. I looked around. Happy fans for both teams. I could see the Lake. I looked at the pennants above the scoreboard and knew that if the Cubs won they'd change the order of the flags yet again. And suddenly, my eyes got all misty. The moment just felt so beautiful.
I could not have dared to asked the game to be equally as great. Watching Ward crash into the ivy for a catch. Pujols hitting a homer. Ludwick making some amazing diving catches. La Russa trying his best to get tossed from the game. The crowd going nuts when Ankiel was put in to pinch hit. Laughing when a friend sitting behind home plate sent me a text message that read, "He's Jacque Jones... Don't act like you don't know his name." A game that had me on the edge of my seat until the 9th inning.
Thank you Cubs. Thank you Cardinals. Thank you Wrigley. Thank you Chicago. My soul had forgotten what a beautiful day of baseball felt like.
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