After thinking I might attend my first 1-0 game of the season, the Cubs scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th to beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-0. The offensive output erased the save opportunity for Kerry Wood who still worked a scoreless 9th inning.
Rich Harden became the 6th Cubs pitcher in the past 13 seasons to strike out ten, while only giving up two hits and zero runs in a start.
Post Game DiningAfter the game we ate at Finley Mahony’s located at 3701 N. Broadway. Finley Mahony’s looks …

In a sold out night at Allstate Arena, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I attended the WWE Raw event on Monday night. It was only the second WWE Raw event I have been too and third WWE event overall. Our friend Todd, newly employed by the WWE, gave us complimentary tickets to the event so we did not have to look for tickets outside the arena. However, we did note that although the event was sold out, scalpers had stacks of tickets in hand (generally meaning fans can buy …

Decisions, decisions. The ATP Tour was in town with a noon doubles match and a 3 pm singles match. The Washington Nationals first pitch was at 1:35 pm. When faced with this sort of sporting event dilemma, I normally follow a few of rules to make a decision:
1) Location of the event – Nationals Park was 8 blocks from where we were staying. The Legg Mason Tennis Classic takes place in Rock Creek Park – 8 miles from where we were staying. Favors the Nationals Game.2) Frequency of the event …

Over a year ago, I wrote that I had attended a game at every Major League Baseball stadium and questioned how long that status would remain. It did not even last one year as the Washington Nationals opened their new park, Nationals Park, with the start of the 2008 season.
This weekend, I traveled to Washington D.C. with the Ultimate Sports Wife to once again complete the goal of many baseball fans – attend a baseball game at every existing Major League ballpark.
Yesterday started as any Saturday in our nations capital …

With both the White Sox and Cubs out of town and the WNBA away on Olympic break, finding a good sporting event in Chicago was no easy task today. Three months ago, I realized I never even considered attending a horse race during a sports drought. Over the last few weeks, Arlington Park has been on my radar as a quick sporting option since I am working within a 15-20 minute drive from the track. Today was one of those days I was able to make it …

In my second Sunday night baseball game of the season, the Chicago Cubs defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2. As with any sporting event, the fan’s day is defined by the game’s start time. For example, since yesterday’s Cubs game started at 7:05 pm, fans in Chicago had the option of enjoying a Sunday afternoon exploring Chicago or partaking in the “Red Line doubleheader” – the Chicago White Sox game started at 1:05 pm earlier Sunday afternoon.
Instead of attending both baseball games in Chicago, the Ultimate Sports …

With Friday night plans to listen to Grieg’s Piano Concerto at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millenium Park, it was hard to imagine that we would be heading to US Cellular Field to watch the Chicago White Sox host the Boston Red Sox. But that is what happened last night, after a major assist from Nicole’s fellow Ph.D. student Christine Wood.
Christine’s girlfriend Katie contacted me stating the Red Sox were in town (Christine’s favorite team) and that we should go with them to one of the games (the Red Sox are …

For the second time in a week, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I headed to Soldier Field. This time it was for the Bears first preseason game of the 2008 season. As usual we took the red line train from Wrigley Field to the Roosevelt el stop. The walk from the subway station to Soldier Field takes around 20 minutes but is worth it if you can avoid the drive.
Obtaining TicketsMost people (including season ticket holders) seem to avoid attending preseason NFL games – the games do not count in …

Act 1: It had all the makings of a peaceful evening at Wrigley Field – an early 6:05 pm start followed by a BBQ at home. However, as the game continued, the skies over Wrigley Field became darker and darker. We knew a thunderstorm was approaching. What we did not know was the wild evening the weather would provide us.
After Alfonso Soriano grounded out to end the 5th inning (making the game official), it started to downpour and the game was immediately postponed at 7:39 pm. We thought we were …

As I wrote yesterday, I had hoped to beat the $30 face value price buying from ticket scalpers outside of the Soldier Field box office. However, the box office through me for a loop when we arrived and the cheapest ticket was now $60 – Soldier Field had doubled all the ticket prices for buying day of game at the box office. This gave the scalpers a tremendous advantage since they had a $60 price point to work with rather than $30. No scalper would accept under $50 per ticket …