The first home run nearly caused me to choke on a bite of my hot dog. The second one made me laugh.
Barry Bonds hit No. 752 and No. 753 last Thursday. I guess surprise and bewilderment were appropriate reactions.
From my seat in Section 406 - high above third base at Wrigley Field - I watched the embattled slugger drive in six runs with a pair of homers. Neither jeers, nor wind, nor slump (0 for 21 coming in) could stop him. It made for a surreal afternoon for this reporter, who picked a decent time to attend his second Cubs game.
The day began, like it always seems to, with food. The concessions at Wrigley may lack the breadth of the Fenway Park menu (who wants ballpark sushi anyway?), but I can't complain.
Soon after I wolfed down a Chicago-style dog (topped with about a pound of condiments on a poppy seed bun) and a pretzel, Bonds turned on Ted Lilly's first-pitch fastball and sent it soaring toward Sheffield Avenue beyond the right-field fence. Dave Davison, a veteran ballhawk who has collected a combined 931 batting practice and game balls over the past seven years, reportedly snagged the specially marked ball.
It's currently up on eBay. As of yesterday, the highest bid was $3,500. With the "Buy it Now" option, you can have it for the low price of $44,000. Yikes.
The crowd, including my fiancÉe's brother, booed. The vitriol toward Bonds, however, was not nearly as focused as it was at Fenway Park last month. After all, the 40,198 fans were astonished at the homer, the first to hit Sheffield all season.
For the next few hours, I watched the home team pile up runs and took in the sights.
Aesthetically, Wrigley is quite an impressive place.
The Ivy is even brighter in person and the lack of advertisements is startling. The only ads I spotted were two "Under Armour" signs painted on the outfield doors, where the grounds crew emerges from during rain delays. The bleachers located on Waveland and Sheffield's buildings are a neat touch, and the "755 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" Miller Lite sign beyond the right-field fence is perfect, especially with Bonds in town.
The 93-year-old park is still a great take, with its vivid scenery and close-to-the-field seating. Tradition, though, only goes so far. The place needs a face-lift.
Barry Bonds hit No. 752 and No. 753 last Thursday. I guess surprise and bewilderment were appropriate reactions.
From my seat in Section 406 - high above third base at Wrigley Field - I watched the embattled slugger drive in six runs with a pair of homers. Neither jeers, nor wind, nor slump (0 for 21 coming in) could stop him. It made for a surreal afternoon for this reporter, who picked a decent time to attend his second Cubs game.
The day began, like it always seems to, with food. The concessions at Wrigley may lack the breadth of the Fenway Park menu (who wants ballpark sushi anyway?), but I can't complain.
Soon after I wolfed down a Chicago-style dog (topped with about a pound of condiments on a poppy seed bun) and a pretzel, Bonds turned on Ted Lilly's first-pitch fastball and sent it soaring toward Sheffield Avenue beyond the right-field fence. Dave Davison, a veteran ballhawk who has collected a combined 931 batting practice and game balls over the past seven years, reportedly snagged the specially marked ball.
It's currently up on eBay. As of yesterday, the highest bid was $3,500. With the "Buy it Now" option, you can have it for the low price of $44,000. Yikes.
The crowd, including my fiancÉe's brother, booed. The vitriol toward Bonds, however, was not nearly as focused as it was at Fenway Park last month. After all, the 40,198 fans were astonished at the homer, the first to hit Sheffield all season.
For the next few hours, I watched the home team pile up runs and took in the sights.
Aesthetically, Wrigley is quite an impressive place.
The Ivy is even brighter in person and the lack of advertisements is startling. The only ads I spotted were two "Under Armour" signs painted on the outfield doors, where the grounds crew emerges from during rain delays. The bleachers located on Waveland and Sheffield's buildings are a neat touch, and the "755 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" Miller Lite sign beyond the right-field fence is perfect, especially with Bonds in town.
The 93-year-old park is still a great take, with its vivid scenery and close-to-the-field seating. Tradition, though, only goes so far. The place needs a face-lift.
Fenway Park is still outdated, but at least the new ownership group is trying to make it better. The concourses at Wrigley are unbearably tight (understandably, it opened in 1914). And getting in and out of there is not a fun experience. Lines were long before the game, and afterward, crowds walking down ramps from the upper deck moved slowly.
But in the end, all that stuff didn't matter much.
The actual game stood on its own. The Cubs held on for a 9-8 victory, but not before Bonds drove a ball into the left-center field basket for a three-run homer.
It was a strange moment. My fiancÉe started laughing, my fiancÉe's brother booed, and their parents stood up and watched.
My future father-in-law's take made the most sense. At this point, it's not a matter of if Bonds is going to break Hank Aaron's record. It's just a matter of when. Might as well watch it unfold if you can.
Alan Siegel is a sportswriter at the Eagle-Tribune. E-mail him at ASiegel@eagletribune.com.
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