maurice
08-05-2004, 03:48 PM
Probably 38,000 of those guests are on cell phones [], and maybe 30,000 of them are talking to each other. And therein lies the problem, I think. Cell phone radiation is weakening Wrigley's infrastructure. It's also very irritating.
An example: On a recent Sunday my friend Carmen and I settled into our Wrigley seats to watch Kerry Wood pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers. We couldn't help but notice the guy in front of us with his son, maybe 5 or 6, who was much more intrigued by what various vendors had to offer than the ballgame. Childhood Obesity … what's that, a grunge band?
Finally, the man devised a ploy that captured Junior's attention: Cell phone activated, he climbed to his feet and began waving. Not the polite, this-is-part-of-my-job, barely discernible hand waggle of Queen Elizabeth or Pope John Paul, but a full-blown, arm-across-the-sky flail. Back and forth, like a juiced-up metronome. Junior was similarly exuberant. Arm these men with flashlights and pilots on final approach to O'Hare would have thought they were being diverted. . . .
"Hey, buddy, we're trying to watch the game here," I offered, friendly but firm.
He turned around and was neither apologetic nor confrontational. "I know, but my wife and daughter are at home and I want them to see us," he explained.
"Can't it wait till you get home? Won't they see you then?"
"They're taping us."
Ah, those precious family moments. "Martha, come see the tape of Dad and Junior making fools of themselves." And when you're done here, there are some really tall buildings downtown you might want to gape at.
The man to my left had paid no mind to this tableau and was equally oblivious to the game as he and his fellow captain of industry discussed . . . I don't know, pork bellies. Finally, inevitably, he tapped me on the arm. "What was the goat's first name?"
I stared at him blankly.
"You know, the goat responsible for the curse." . . .
I stared at him blankly. He gave me a condescending smile.
"I saw you guys keeping score, I thought you were diehard fans," he said. "I guess you're newcomers too?" . . .
Linky (http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-040804cubsmcgrath,1,4684378.story?coll=cs-home-headlines)
An example: On a recent Sunday my friend Carmen and I settled into our Wrigley seats to watch Kerry Wood pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers. We couldn't help but notice the guy in front of us with his son, maybe 5 or 6, who was much more intrigued by what various vendors had to offer than the ballgame. Childhood Obesity … what's that, a grunge band?
Finally, the man devised a ploy that captured Junior's attention: Cell phone activated, he climbed to his feet and began waving. Not the polite, this-is-part-of-my-job, barely discernible hand waggle of Queen Elizabeth or Pope John Paul, but a full-blown, arm-across-the-sky flail. Back and forth, like a juiced-up metronome. Junior was similarly exuberant. Arm these men with flashlights and pilots on final approach to O'Hare would have thought they were being diverted. . . .
"Hey, buddy, we're trying to watch the game here," I offered, friendly but firm.
He turned around and was neither apologetic nor confrontational. "I know, but my wife and daughter are at home and I want them to see us," he explained.
"Can't it wait till you get home? Won't they see you then?"
"They're taping us."
Ah, those precious family moments. "Martha, come see the tape of Dad and Junior making fools of themselves." And when you're done here, there are some really tall buildings downtown you might want to gape at.
The man to my left had paid no mind to this tableau and was equally oblivious to the game as he and his fellow captain of industry discussed . . . I don't know, pork bellies. Finally, inevitably, he tapped me on the arm. "What was the goat's first name?"
I stared at him blankly.
"You know, the goat responsible for the curse." . . .
I stared at him blankly. He gave me a condescending smile.
"I saw you guys keeping score, I thought you were diehard fans," he said. "I guess you're newcomers too?" . . .
Linky (http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-040804cubsmcgrath,1,4684378.story?coll=cs-home-headlines)