Share    Print   Save    Become a Fan



Rooftop Game at Wrigley
By Sherri Smith   
Rated "G" by the Author.
Last edited: Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Posted: Tuesday, May 02, 2006

We seen a Cubs game from a nearby rooftop.

What do you have when you put a few Cubs fans, White Sox fans, and even a few misguided Cardinal fans; mix them up on a bus trip.  Throw in snacks, good conversation, and a love for baseball and you mix in a little bus trouble.  What we had was a wonderful day.  We had in some way won our tickets from the Miller Lite folks, to see the White Sox play the Cubs at Wrigley Field.  The twist?  We were guests at one of the rooftops across the street on Waveland Avenue.  You know, the ones you see while watching the game?  You know the ones having the fun, bar-b-q, and an excellent view?

The view was great.  You could see nearly all the ballpark except for the warning track in left field and the corner.  We were atop the building on Waveland, right next to where Sammy Sosa used to slam his homers.  I can see them now, bouncing down the street on the other side of the building, fans of all ages chasing the ball hoping to be the one to recover it.  It also was the building that someone on the Cubs team (I’m sure someone will soon tell me who) broke a window the ball had been hit so hard.  It might have had a little help from the wind, but hey, it was great wasn’t it?

We had more people on the roof then the 17 that traveled on our bus, so we had a good mixture of Cubs and White Sox fans.  It looked good for us for a while, but then, well you know the story.  It was a joy to see the colorful and emotional Carlos Zambrano pitch a great game.  There were some of us that went home disappointed, but not unhappy.  The day was beautiful, perfect in every way, the food was good, and the ambience was the best.

Starting back home, what started out as a bus full of strangers from all lifestyles had turned into a friendly bantering group who had enjoyed the day together.  We had a couple of retirees, office workers, a bread salesman, laid off factory workers and I believe we had a representative from every factory in Decatur.  Our host Denny and all the other folks who put the trip together made sure that we were all having a good time.  Michael our bus driver, despite the bus problems, guided us through the traffic both coming and going and made sure we arrived home safely.  He handled the bus problems like a professional, called the bus company when he started having problems, and a rescue bus was dispatched for us.  We limped along in the original bus as far north as it would take us, then abandoned it for the rescue bus that pulled in about 15 minutes later.

The trip reminded me of another trip to Wrigley Field.  My sister and I took Mom to see her only baseball game.  She was already sick, but would prop herself up in bed to watch her Cubbies.  She lay with her head in my lap in the backseat, all the way up and all the way back.  She loved it and it was a glorious day.  Mom made my day, when she looked up at me on the way home and said, “Sherri, why couldn’t I hear Harry Carey?”

A great rooftop experience, and something else I can cross off my want ‘to do’ list.  I’ve been chalking them off pretty fast this year.  Over 50 and loving it!