Now that I have the names of our first four picks memorized I'll share my recent trip to Chicago to see the Padres face off against the Cubs. This trip was something I've wanted to do for a long time and it came together in 2012. I'll start off by saying I was really impressed with the city of Chicago, I've never been and didn't know what to expect. I stayed at the Days Inn not too far from Wrigley and the town was hoping. I think it was a combo of Memorial Day weekend and the fact that it was close to 100 degrees on Sunday and Monday but there were a million people out partying, it was a good time. Some non baseball highlights were going to the "beach" and witnessing a chocolate milkshake at this hot dog stand called the Weiner Circle.

On to the baseball. Coming into the series the Cubs were on a twelve game losing streak. As you can see by the Chicago Tribune, this wasn't a battle for wins yet a battle for losses and that coveted pick in next year's draft.

Monday's game was a slug fest. I was surprised to see Quentin in the lineup. I don't think I've ever seen so many HR's for the Padres in a series, let alone one game. Unfortunately the Cubs hit just as many and came away with the victory. It was a million degrees outside and the Padres pitchers felt the heat. If I recall correctly, it was Gregerson that got hit around that game. There were a more than a few Gregerson jerseys in the stands and I finally figured out that he was from the Chicago area. Cool part about Monday was getting on the FSSD feed. A friend of my Dad's called and said he saw us and GLB confirmed so I went on mlb.tv and extracted a picture. Here's a couple of pictures from Monday. Monday ended with a loss and I heard that catchy Cubs song for the first time.

We arrived early to Wrigley for all of the games and hung out. We watched some of the players come into the stadium, saw Pomeranz and Sweeny tape the pre-game show and did some drinking at this bar called Murphy’s (my last name too) which was a good time.

Monday’s game proved to be the most exciting with all of the HR’s. Tuesday and Wednesday’s games both resulted in losses with Wednesday’s game being a walk off. I heard the damn Cubs song two more times and couldn’t get it out of my head. When it was all said and done it was a great experience. I still can’t believe the Padres got swept by the Cubs though. I wasn’t too ticked since we suck anyways but it would have been nice to see at least one victory.

Some random thoughts but the ball sure carries differently at Wrigley. I swear half of the balls that left the yard wouldn’t have even come close to the warning track at Petco. It seemed like every fly ball had a legit chance to go out. I still don’t think the Padres should move in the fences but now I can see where the batters would be frustrated hitting at Wrigley. Hell, even Everth hit a homer.

The other interesting thing about the trip was the relationship between the fans and the Cubs. The Cubs are in the last place yet the energy around Wrigley field was phenomenal. I realize it was Memorial Day weekend but all the games were practically sold out even though they all started at 1pm and were against the Padres. Everyone seemed to party before, during and after the game. Everyone seemed happy regardless of the outcome and extra happy if (when) they won. It was much different from Petco were half of the seats are empty, half of the full seats are occupied by the opposing fans and half of the Padres fans are trying to not fall asleep. I get it that San Diego is a transplant town and that we don’t want to be content with losing but I couldn’t help but envy the park experience at Wrigley. It was an experience, not just another game between two last place teams.

Sorry if this is poorly written or the thoughts jump around. I’m pretty busy catching up at work and wanted to slip this in to a lunch break. When I get some more time I’ll write another fan post about my baseball card collection. I know we have a few collectors including TTG. Below are some more pictures along with a picture of one of my favorite cards.