For The Love of...Baseball!

It had been a long summer of separation for my long-term boyfriend and I. He had chosen to travel on a J1 to Chicago and I had chosen to stay in Ireland to spend the summer paying off my student loans. It was three long months since we had said our tearful goodbye in Dublin and now I was here, waiting to be cleared through immigration in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Needless to say I was brimming with excitement. This was not only my first time seeing The Boy in three months, but also my first time in the US of A. I didn't know what to expect of this great city. From tearful goodbye to tearful reunion, now I was adventure-ready. The Boy himself had a lot lined up for my grand tour de Chicago, beginning immediately with a trip to Wrigley Field, which is in fact the home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team (not where they grow chewing gum). The speech bubble over my head read "Sports? Really? I have flown thousands of miles to watch a sport?". I was soon to stand corrected and humbled by my ignorance, as I realised during the course of my first game at Wrigley Field that baseball may just be the greatest spectator sport since chariot racing. It has all the necessary components for a memorable and enjoyable day out - a stadium of spectators singing The Star Spangled Banner with one proud voice, stands lavished by sunshine (most of the time), hot dogs, cold beer, all the sweet and savory snacks you could shake a stick at, friendly banter between opposing team supporters, the opportunity to see world class athletes displaying their mastery of the craft, the chance to sing Take Me Out To The Ball Game in the seventh inning and maybe, just maybe, catch a game ball! Oh yes, I was in love alright. I couldn't even be deterred by the lengthy duration of the games (in and around three hours!). The more I saw, the more hooked I became. I began to insist we abandon all other planned activities and dedicate our time to as many baseball games as possible. We even did a tour of Wrigley Field, upon which I was astonished to discover that the stadium had been built in 1914, and had been home to the Cubs since 1916. Baseball could do no wrong in my eyes. Not only the most enjoyable sport I have had the pleasure of spectating but also steeped in history, tradition and superstition. Sadly the Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908 and are affectionately know as the Lovable Losers of major league baseball. Maybe with me rooting for them this will be there year.