April 8, 2013

• 4-8-03

  Today marks the 10 year anniversary of one of the better days of my life. For decades I have always been a huge Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bulls fan. Through the years I have gone to countless Cubs games including many opening day games. As for the Bulls, I have probably been to about 10 games in my life. Which made this day all the more special.

  In 2003 the Bulls were an awful team; one of the worst in the NBA. Unlike nowadays, tickets were not only easier to get but they were also much less money. In spite of their awfulness, I was still a huge fan. So when I found myself at a silent auction in March of 2003 and one of the items was four fourth row tickets to a Bulls game on April 8, I decided I would do what it took to win the tickets. After all, I had never sat that close at a Bulls game and when would I ever get a chance to sit that close again. Not only did I wind up winning the auction, but I got the tickets (and an autographed pennant signed by two players) for half the face value. I could not be anymore excited to be able to sit fourth row at a Bulls game, something I never could have done during the Jordan years, at least not for any less than my left testicle.

  In 2003 I was working for AAA Chicago which had season tickets to the Cubs games that would sometime find their way down to me. I think in 2002 alone I had gone to about four games courtesy of work, all of the seats fourth row behind the visitor's (that would be the first base side) dugout. Fortunately for me, April 2003 was a cold month, so cold that on April 7 when the Cubs were scheduled to play their home opener it snowed and the game was unable to be played until the next day. And the big wigs at work were unable to go to the game. So the tickets funneled down to my department. Somebody offered me the tickets but at first I turned them down knowing I was already going to the Bulls game that night. Then I thought about it for a second. The Cubs game started at 1:20 on the north side of Chicago. The Bulls game started at 7:30 that evening on the west side. Being a huge fan of both teams, I had to be nuts to turn down this special and very unique opportunity: sit fourth row at a Cubs game and Bulls game on the same day.

  To even achieve my goal, I had to rely on a tremendous amount of good luck. First of all, the Cubs game needed to not go long. Most baseball games take upwards of three hours. Some take longer. And some games that have gone into extra innings have been known to last 4-5 hours. Also, while the distance between Wrigley Field (where the Cubs play) and the United Center (where the Bulls play) is only 5.7 miles, traffic in Chicago is often times a bitch. And traffic during rush hour? Well shit that can be a total disaster. Even if the Cubs game when a typical three hours, I would still have some issues making it to the Bulls game on time. And if it went three and a half hours, well that puts me on the road right around the height of rush hour traffic.

  Being that they were snowed out the day before, the weather was quite cold as you might imagine. In fact, game time temp was probably about 32 degrees and it only seemed to get colder as the game went on. I remember being so frozen that I could barely feel my feet. I wanted the game to go quick not only because of my time constraints, but also because I was fucking freezing. And luckily for me, it did. The Cubs wound up winning and the game ended after about two and a half hours. Now the race was to have my brother drop me off downtown so I could meet up with another friend of mine so he and I could drive to the Bulls game.

  We left our seats at Wrigley about 3:45. Much to my surprise, traffic on Chicago's legendary Lake Shore Drive was not bad at all. In fact, for the most part, we zipped right across town into the heart of downtown Chicago where I met up with my friend. He then drove us to the United Center, getting there so early that the doors had not even opened up yet. By the time we got to the UC, it was only 5:15 which meant that I had gone from my seat at Wrigley to the UC in about an hour and a half. Not bad when you consider I had to get out of a packed ballpark and walk several blocks to the car before navigating rush hour traffic to get downtown.

  The Bulls game was awesome. I remember security walking up to us several times asking to see our tickets to make sure we were in the right seats. The Bulls would win the game as well therefore completing what was an awesome and unforgettable day for me. I always say it was any sports fan's dream: sitting fourth row at two sporting events in the same day. And both teams winning as well. Doesn't get much better than that.

  • 9:18 pm
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