I never even hit a home run in Little League, mostly because I was too chubby to leg one out. But that didn't stop me from going down to Wrigley Square in Millennium Park to try to knock a wiffle ball over the makeshift fence the Cubs set up in a ticket giveaway event Tuesday at noon.
The Cubs teased the event Monday night, tweeting...
Who wants to win #Cubs tickets? Hint: You may want to practice your swing! #HitForTix pic.twitter.com/2yTQ2cJDrI
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) February 23, 2016
The teaser photo in the tweet shows Terrace Reserved 200 level tickets. Not bad.
@Cubs then tweeted Tuesday morning...
See you at noon in Wrigley Square. First come, first served (a few pitches). Don’t be late! #HitForTix pic.twitter.com/NG4B1CQJdj
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) February 23, 2016
So, I rode my bike with the wind, next to the lake downtown. By the time I found Wrigley Square, the line had already wrapped around the footpaths, putting my place in line in obstructed view. But as fans hoping for free Cubs tickets swung and missed or popped wiffle balls over the fence, the queue wound down, giving me a better view of the home run derby action. Check out all of the swings (good and bad) in the gallery.
Watching fans attempt wiffle ball home run power in front of hundreds is wildly entertaining. At first, we cheered the homers, but when you witness the dwindling pile of envelopes full of Cubs tickets in Clark's furry hands, you find yourself hoping the hitters ahead of you fail. And there were as many failures as home runs.
Or these guys who connected for the long ball. (The second one looks like a young Tom Ricketts)
The jocks sometimes swung too hard and missed, going home empty-handed. But then a young woman, who couldn't weigh more than 100 pounds, would connect for a fence clearer. It was all so dramatically entertaining. And being Cubs fans, there was no shortage of hilarious comments from the peanut gallery.
As we got closer and closer, and the pile of ticket envelopes drew to the last few, I signed the Cubs' event release form without reading it. Something about using my image and probably some fine print about not suing the team if I throw out my back swinging. (Which is bloody likely.)
I stepped into the on-deck circle with only one envelope remaining in Clark's claws. Here's what happened.
I was initially disappointed at not getting to swing the bat, but the Cubs gave me a pink hat I'll never wear and a water bottle I'll never use, so I'm happy! The best part, we are playing baseball in Chicago in February. That right there is lucky enough.
So, congrats to the Chicago Cubs on a wildly successful event! I had a great time, but next time I'm showing up early and bringing my own bat.