JJ5 -
I guess he knew he couldn't count on you to stay home & babysit!

This has been fun today talking baseball! Thanks for renewing my sickness!

Changed our plans to make both games in Chicago. Well, the 2 baseball fans did. Now that we've asked others to come we just have to let them know they have to go to 2 games now or stay home!

JJ, I grew up in Comisky Park... every week as the Sox were playing at home we were there after "Dad" got off work... I could tell you every stretch of the Dan Ryan as we approached 31st or 35th... we knew as soon as we hit the tunnel we were almost there! I was "in love" with Bucky Dent... adored Richie Allen... and will never forget Wilbur Wood's knuckleball!

I haven't been to the new park... sad to say... but I'll always cherish my memories at Comisky.

Think I need to grab "Dad" and head to the southside, ey? "Take me out to the ballpark..."

My sister just told me a great (sad?) story about my 3 year old neice. Last night her grandparents took her to her cousins baseball game. She & my sister were watching Baseball Tonight later in bed & she started to tell my sister about the game by saying "at the baseball game outside of the tv"...

I told her it's time to "take that girl to the ballgame"!!! I can't wait to take her (oh... and my 4 year old NEPHEW, too) to Tropicana in July!!

Priceless...

You guys are the bomb! What a pleasure it's been to go over this thread with such "American Pastime" afficionados! I alluded to being a Bosox fan, and for those others who may be, I would like to suggest 2 books about "Teddy Baseball". One is "Ted Williams" by Leigh Monteville who was a sportswriter in Boston for many years. The other is "Teammates" by David Halberstam who wrote an earlier baseball book which was outstanding-believe it was "The Boys of Summer", which I also read. These are all fabulous writings that will make you laugh and cry. It has always amazed me how players can remember the tiniest details about certain situations that occurred so long ago as to pitch count, type of pitch, etc. Again, it's been a great thread in spite of you know who! Incidentally, I'm also a woman. Keeping this a travel thread I would love to travel to many of the fields mentioned-for sure!

bounty, I've read those. And do you know that the baseball categorization in Dewey decimal always seems to overtake the entire Sports section of the library. Lots to write about in this game. Like about how with every team that he plays for, Sammy Sosa ends up ruining all the locker room comradery with his boom box.

By the way, I can remember sitting in the outfield bleachers with Sammy right in front of me. He was this super skinny outfielder with arms like mine, and he would actually gets signs (he would look at the sideline coach) to know where to throw the ball if he missed the catch. And he would, he had a great arm when he was a youngster with us. A skinny arm.

And makail1. I was there. I can remember Nellie Fox and Louis Apparicio
and also I remember 1959. Mayor Daley set of the sirens and some thought the Russians had attacked. What a hub-bub that was.And 1983 was my eldest's hard life lesson.Ouch!

We would park on Mayor Daley's block for free and walk through the viaduct over to the park. We never paid for parking.

Get those kids away from the tv and come on out to the ballpark!

We have 4 kids in ball right now at various fields. So this Grandma doesn't baby sit- she is scorekeeper sub. And my daughter-in-law coaches 1 team and her husband coaches 2.

You know it's bad when a three year old is sitting outside in 50 degree weather and doesn't want to go home because she has to finish her "Big Freeze" frozen treat.

Gotta go. Game starts in 5 minutes.

OMGoodness... and Friday night fireworks coming out of the SCOREBOARD... that was the bomb!

Wonderful memories, JJ, but now you have first hand ones to look back on. You are so right about kids today and those horrid hand-held games! I can remember my son doing nothing but being on the ball field in pick-up games. He was also in Little League, but would play at the drop of a hat. His team won the town championship on a very hot and humid day. He and his mates came back to our house for refreshments, and what do you suppose they did after that-you guessed it-right back to the field for a pick-up!

Yes, they never would let off. My eldest was/is a pitcher and I still remember the day I had 38 people in a 10 x 14 foot front room asking me if I thought he could pitch the playoff game.

He had 102 fever and when I said no, there was this silence.

He took aspirin (you could then, no Reyes Syndrome thing known) and we had cold rags going on his head in shifts.

Not consistently, I reneged, I did let him pitch 4 innings and they won and went to the Little League playoffs in another state. Child abuse, I know. He sure doesn't think so. Never told my mother or many people about that one.

The fireworks still come out of the scoreboard for every home run by the White Sox, makai1. And for awhile in the new stadium they didn't have it down right and the whole upper level by the flag pole/scoreboard area gotten smoked out. We all scrunch over for the fireworks now. You get away from the scoreboard if you are savvy. My grandkids say "boomers" before they say ten words.

Billy Crystal has his two seats in his spare room. My son has his two green seats from old Comiskey in his basement tv area. You don't want to hear about the street signs.

Come on back and see us.

Will do JJ... thanks for this amazing thread. I knew about the homerun "boomers", but they only did the Friday night fireworks for a time... we just loved those Friday night home games!

For the poster who asked about 1/2 price Mondays at the Cell. Just realized that the 4th of July is on a Monday. Holidays are exceptions, so if that is the Monday- tickets will be full price on that day.

Oh yes, after last night the streak has now been extended to 29 games.

The record has now been extended to 30 continous games.
5/7/05

And poor George's horse came in 7th, but the team had their 1st shutout since last Sept., lol!!

Hi JJ5,

I love Chicago and I love baseball.

Thanks for the update, I've been following your thread, impressive record.

Keep us posted, k?

Best wishes, T.

Thanks, I will.

Mother's Day gifts have been slightly altered. Tomorrow's brunch in the Frankfort forest/woods remains, but all else is postponed until Thursday 7:05pm. Youngest son has masterminded a plan- "en group" we will be at the Cell to greet the boys coming home. Leaving straight from work to his house and on we go. Hope it doesn't rain on our parade (both literally and figuretively).

Just heard today that the last record of 27 was the Dodgers in 1955.

Anybody out there have the 50-1 Derby winner's ticket?

Paul Konerko's dry spell is over, so I think we may extend this streak. If we do so until Thursday, none of us will have voices left by Friday.

Streak is now extended to 31 games.
5/8/07

Typo 5/8/05. 07-Now that would be a streak. But don't want time to go any faster than it is already. Yipees!

JJ5-

Just booked our flights!! We'll be heading your way 8/12-8/16. We're planning Cubs on Saturday and White Sox on Monday.

So glad you posted last week or I would not have even thought to make it to the Cell. No offense, I hope - I'm just an NL girl at heart!

It's a shame. We got Southwest flights for just under $180. We'll probably spend that much on our baseball tickets!!

Who cares! I'm going to Wrigley! (and the Cell!)

You will have a great time. It isn't quite the baseball town of say, St. Louis, because there is SO much else- but you will love your stay.

I know why.

Yesterday I took a day off and went downtown. It was HORRIBLE weather, actually the worst I've seen since I worked downtown many, many years ago.
AND I still had a wonderful day.

The tulips are sheared off and laying flat and without petals; a terrible storm came through yesterday 2 or 3 times and wiped that out. It was winter coat weather on May 11. My Chicago.

AND I, a White Sox fan since infancy, happened to catch the Metra (light years from Wrigley Field)-on the Joliet to LaSalle St. line, and guess what- there are about 20 out of the 50 people waiting with me in Tinley's station in Cubs hats/coats/gloves (yes it was cold) going to the CUBS game yesterday afternoon. (THIS IS 2 or 3 trains away from where they start.)

AND (I know this is long and too conjunctive) I did pass the Cell on my way to LaSalle St. Station and waved at it. Can't get off because there is no stop there or anywhere near there, but waved at it.

I was supposed to go to the game tonight but we have put it off until next Mon.or Tues. as I am still frozen from walking miles and miles yesterday.
I saw "Wicked" and it was more than awesome. I wore green, of course.

AND to follow up on this thread-
the WHITE SOX are now all time leading record in this category with 34 straight games after yesterday- all games having a leading score as described. Will probably not post day to day at all, do not want to jinx it.

We are 24-9 and coming home tonight to rain and 40-49 degrees with WIND.