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One, two,
three strikes you’re out at the ol ball game
Now I’ve been to a
lot of Major League baseball games in my years and
heard that seventh inning stretch song. Never gave
much thought to it before.
As I mentioned a
couple of emails ago, I was going to talk about my
first trip to Wrigley Field.
It was a couple of
Sundays ago, the day after I went to the Notre
Dame-Michigan football game.
What a great weekend.
Thanks to my good
friend Sean Cochran (and business partner) he set us
up for some great seats at Wrigley.
I have to admit, I
was like a kid going to Disneyland for the first
time. We parked our rental car a few blocks away in
a lot. Not too bad of a walk. It gave us the
opportunity to see the area around Wrigley a little.
As we got closer to
the stadium, the activity really picked up. Small
bars were open (it was about noon when we got there
for a 1:00 game), a lot of vendors on the street
selling Cubs t-shirts, hats and whatever else you
can think of.
Police were directing
traffic. It seemed like a huge party. Like it was a
playoff game.
There was a Dixie
band playing out front. I was amazed. This was a
Sunday game, late in the year, no chance of the Cubs
making the playoffs, yet there was this excitement
in the air.
I was trying to
figure it out. As we reached the stadium, I could
look to the right and see the stands of the stadium
and the stands on the rooftops of the apartments
across the street. Pretty cool.
We walked towards the
will call windows and saw that famous “Welcome to
Wrigley” sign. I was amazed how close everything was
there. There were no large parking lots like those
that I saw at Dodger Stadium this summer.
After we took our
mandatory pictures out front of the stadium, we
entered the front gates. The stadium is obviously
old, but had an incredible feel to it.
When I saw the field
for the first time, it felt like I had been there a
hundred times. The ivy on the bring wall, the large
house with the red roof in left center field with
the Budweiser name on it.
A lot of history
here.
I couldn’t stop but
think why this place is so special.
As the game
progressed, I could begin to understand. The fans
were really into the game. Each out, they cheered.
Each run the Cubs scored, the crowd went crazy. Each
mistake, well, they got on the player a little.
Then there was the
wave. A group of people tried to start a wave in
centerfield and the crowd booed.
I couldn’t figure out
why.
I was sitting next to
an avid Cubs fan and asked what was happening. He
told me, “we don’t do the wave here. Not part of the
tradition.”
AAhhh. Now I
understand.
Tradition is very
important to these folks. I also asked him why the
fans are so supportive and into the game. He felt
that the fans in Chicago really understand the game.
Now that makes a lot
of sense. The fans are not there because of the
luxury boxes. Not there because of the creative food
(by the way, the menu at Wrigley is simple and
traditional, no fancy clam chowder, or tofu bento.
Hot dogs, cracker jack, peanuts, and beer).
When it was time for
the seventh inning stretch, Ron Santo, the long-time
Cub fan favorite sang the famous song, I was
impressed on how the whole stadium sang proud and
loud.
It really added to
the atmosphere.
The game ended with
the Cubs giving the Reds a real trouncing and the
fans were happy….until the closer gave up a couple
of runs I the last inning to break the shutout. They
really booed that reliever. Giving up a couple of
runs with a 11 run lead…how could he!
What does all this
have to do with a tip for today?
Well, what I learned
from my experience with this game and the Notre Dame
game is that tradition does matter. It is important
to people.
But what really stood
out in my mind is that you will get out of something
the more you understand it.
You should work
towards being an expert in your chosen craft.
Obviously, most of
you in the BioForce Faithful family are students of
baseball. Keep on learning. You will get more out of
your experience and perform better.
If you ever have the
opportunity to take in a game at Wrigley, you’ve got
to do it. By the way, the hot dogs are great! Not
something I usually eat, but when in Rome…..
Train like a champion
today!
P.S. For those of you
in the Portland area, we have started our BioForce
University program for pitchers. A great opportunity
to learn more about pitching and move up the ladder
of success. Call if you would like more information.
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