Week 52 -- Go to a Cubs' Game

It was cool but sunny at Wrigley.

Brando at statue of Grandpa's favorite Cub.

Cubs owner Tom Ricketts signs Jordan's baseball.

    It only took us 2 1/2 years to get to Week 52 of our "Retirement Adventures"! Actually, every week has been an adventure -- mostly good!!
     This summer, Bill participated in the Charleston Recreation Department's "Walk to Wellness" program. If you walk or run at least 67 miles a month, you qualify for prizes in drawings. This year I won a women's coin purse(?) and, at the end of the program, won tickets to the Cubs' final home game of the year.

Brando and Jordan's autographed balls.

Cubs fans with new hats (see first photo pre-game).

        Heather agreed (reluctantly) to let Brando and Jordan go to the game with Grandma and Grandpa on a school day (Wednesday, Sept. 25) as it was the final game of the season at Wrigley Field.
      It was a beautiful day, about 75 degrees, meaning it was cool in the shade of the grandstands. Our tickets were upper deck front section down the left field line which made for a nice view of the action.
     This was Brando and Jordan's third Cub game and our favorites had not won either of the first two. This time the Cubs faced Pittsburgh and the Pirates had won the first two games of the series. In the game we attended, Jake Arrieta was pitching against the Pirates' top winning pitcher, Francisco Liriano. Chances of the boys seeing their first win were not good!
     Because it was the final home game of the season, Cubs officials went through the stands handing out autographed baseballs to kids. Jordan got a ball signed by Darwin Barney and Brando got a Jeff Samardzija ball.
     The game went quickly and with the score tied 1-1 in the sixth, Cubs "slugger" Darnell McDonald belted a three-run homer off Liriano and, despite a nervous ninth-inning, the Cubs won 4-2, and we all got to dance to "Go Cubs Go."
     The boys went down to the dugout hoping to get post-game autographs but no players came back out. Disappointed, we headed through the stadium concourse to the exit when we spotted Cubs owner Tom Ricketts talking to some fans. The boys went up and asked him to sign their Barney and Samardsija baseballs, and he did. We even told him of our common "Omaha connection," which, I'm sure, he enjoyed!
     All in all, it was a good day -- beautiful weather, Brando and Jordan got to skip school, Cubs win, new baseball hats (even Grandpa got a vintage 1950s Cubs hat), autographed balls -- just as a trip to Wrigley should be.
     To top it off, Grandpa got stopped for speeding just after getting off Interstate 57 back here almost to Charleston. But the Coles County Sheriffs Deputy just gave us a warning, instead of a ticket. Maybe he's a Cubs fan and saw our Cubs hats!? A good ending to a great day!