My Son's First Cubs Game (updated)

Go Cubs and have a great time.

Enjoy and stay warm! (I know it can get cool at night in Vegas this time of year.)

I’m well past that now, and the place is still one of the most beautiful spots on earth to me.

Get him there as soon as you can – it’s vital for his development!

One of the first games I remember taking my son to was a Rockford Reds minor league game in 1999. Brandon Larson sees him standing there with his little league hat on and reaches up to him and gave him a bat. It was pretty cool. We mainly only went to minor league games when our kids were little because we couldn’t really afford taking the whole family to Wrigley. The Kane County Cougars had this great deal where the kids got in free if they read for 600 minutes within a certain period of time. We loved going to those.

walk into the stadium like it was your first time to a game, and watch it that way to. Be in wonder at every play, every at bat and astounded at the good ones! Buy him hot dogs and snow cones and anything else he wants. You never get to have a first game again. Enjoy!!

Mike Tyson hit a pinch-hit 3 run bomb off the left field screen off of then-phenom, Fernando Valenzuela.

That gave the Cubs a 13-26 record. Thank God for the strike!

Cashman Field can be a little dumpy, and 2 years ago when I was there the concessions sucked. Hopefully they roll out better food, souveniers, etc when the Cubs are in town. Get there early and see if you can get a ball signed for your boy – he’ll never forget it.

…but if they have a pennant with a roster on it, buy it.

At my first Cub game in Wrigley Field in ’85, my dad bought me a pennant (maybe it was a game day giveaway) that had the players names and “1984 NL East Champs” on it. I was 6 years old. Because I had the players listed, I asked my dad who each player was. That day I learned about the players and the game. Knowing the players lets your kid pick a favorite. You gotta have that player you root for just a little bit harder than everyone else. Hopefully, your son picks an everyday player so he can follow how that player does for the rest of the season. (For the record, my 1985 favorite player was Larry Bowa. To this day, I still have a soft spot for the guy.)

I had a broken leg, had to hobble to the last row of the upper deck (crutches and toddler in one arm, a death grip on the railing with the other), and the Cubs got clobbered by the Phillies. It was the best day of my life.

He ate an entire hot dog, sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame at the top of his lungs, got an autographed ball from Henry Blanco, told the elevator operator that I was silly because I “hurted” my ankle, and still sleeps with his Cubs Build A Bear. The tickets stub and pictures from the game are framed in his bedroom.

I have twin sons (9 mos) old, and I can’t wait until their big enough to know what’s going on.

 I am well into my Cubbie days by now, been to Wrigley a couple times (live in Texas), Houston and when they came here a couple years ago went all three days, going all three days this year also. Now I have grandbabies 1 and 6 years old, we got our picture made a month ago in our Cub’s jersey’s. I am taking the oldest one this year, she has been only one time so far, so she is’nt sure who she likes, untill we go this year. We will go early to the Friday game, scream and yell our heads off, eat to much, drink too much and stay late. I understand what you mean about being excited, have a great time,just be a kid again.

I think it was back in 1995, because the Oakland Coliseum was being renovated for the Raiders coming back that fall (which is why the game was being played in Las Vegas).

What I remember most about that game was 1) the unbearable heat, 2) the mini-tornadoes in the parking lot, and 3) Cecil Fielder hitting an absolute bomb that had to have gone at least 450-500 feet.

I was 11 years old. The Cubs lost, but the Mets’ Manny Alexander hit a HR that was prompty thrown back on the field, and the Cubs bullpen retrieved it. We were sitting 9 or 10 rows behind 3rd base, and the bullpen guy called me up and gave me the ball. From then on, I was hooked.

I have it in a nice baseball display case that hosts some other Cubs autographs I’ve obtained over the years – at the field, at the parking lot, or at the convention. I’ve often wondered if I would’ve become such a huge fan had I not gotten that ball some 15 years ago…

based on the tidbits I can remember it was definitely before 89 and possibly as early as 87.

by my guess I was probably about 3 or 4 first time I went to a game there.

We had a great time at the game. When we walked in, the Cubs were warming up and my sons face just lit up. He said it was the coolest thing ever. We ended up sitting at the very last seats on the right field side(its a small ballpark), but in the front. Within about five minutes of standing there Micah Hoppauir nodded to me that he had a ball for my son, so he throws it to me from right center and it was a pretty good distance away, so he throws it to me and I stinking dropped it. After Micah got done laughing at me he was nice enough to run and get the ball and toss it back to me, which I thankfully caught cause I don’t know if my boy would have forgiven me for dropping it twice. We were about ten feet from the bullpen catchers and it was awesome to hear the pop of the glove. That was definitely the closest I’ve ever been to a big league pitcher, and those boys throw hard. At about the seventh inning one of the minor league catchers walks over to my boy and hands him a baseball, so we ended up with two baseballs that we will have for life. It was a great experience to share with my dad and son. Some other notes from the game. There is no way that Fontenot is 5-8, that dude is short. Sam Fuld is even more amazing to watch in person, that guy dove for two straight foul balls with no regard for his body. I was watching my son more than the game so thats about all I got. I’m struggling trying to get the pictures on here but I have some good ones of Geo.