We're kind of weirded out to say this, but until last night's game (picture, right) we hadn't been to Wrigley Field in nine years. Maybe that sounds like a #firstworldproblem but when you have a ballpark so gorgeous just a one-day drive or short flight away, it needs to be visited more often. The good part, we suppose, is that we had largely forgotten -- at least from a sensory perspective -- what it feels like to go to a Cubs game. Because we have a car on this trip and because we were staying in the far north burbs in order to (hopefully) avoid Friday morning traffic when heading toward Milwaukee, we had to drive to the game. We parked waaaaay far away, not far off Addison, and embarked on a long trek to the park. But in doing so, again, we were reminded how that trudge can be part of the experience. The closer we got, the more fans converged until we all reached a pinch point trying to cross the final street with Wrigley beckoning just beyond. While we enjoy the walk through downtown to Target Field, there's nothing quite like a Major League ballpark popping out of nowhere, as Wrigley seems to do from every direction.

Once inside, of course, you are reminded that baseball has been played there for nearly 100 years. Modern amenities like "lights" have come along since then, but it is still possible to envision a crowd there nearly a century ago. And as usual, the ballpark was full of all types of fans. Overheard at Wrigley last night:

*Man, 30ish: "Our seats are right by third plate."

*Man, giant beard, White Sox fan, Cubs hater, sitting next to us for a while: "You guys don't dip (chew) do you? I'm dying for one."

*Man, 40s, with the Cubs trailing 8-3 going into the bottom of the 9th: "We need baserunners. We just need baserunners."

The eternal optimism mixed with fatalism is a wonderful Cubs fan trait, and it shone through with that last anonymous fan. After more than 100 years of ultimate failure, Cubs fans generally know to expect the worst. They can't help, still, but hope for the best. As such, it was a classic Cubs game. Because they DID get baserunners. And they DID actually rally to make it 8-7 with two outs and the tying run at first. But then, predictably, the rally ended with a greater certainty than with which it started. Everyone walked out full of slightly numbed Old Style pain (and a couple Chicago dogs if you were in our seat), ready to push that boulder up the hill again next game.

A couple final thoughts before we start the drive toward Milwaukee -- with a stop, hopefully, for 18 holes of golf somewhere between here and there: 1) Having watched one final Beloit game Thursday morning as part of yet another day-night multi-city doubleheader, the difference in crispness between Class A and the majors was underscored. Everything in the low minors is choppy compared to the smoothness of how routine plays are handled in the majors. The players all have talent in the lower levels, it's just unrefined. And it shows up most of all, we would say, in their glovework. 2) We seriously can't wait for the weekend, even if this trip is one long weekend. We are going to the Friday and Saturday Twins/Brewers games and we are doing some honest-to-goodness pregame tailgating today as Diddy joins the trip. Who else out there is heading to Milwaukee for some interleague action?