Monday's Unexpected Evening

Well, Monday night ended up being a completely unexpected night for several reasons. Around 5:30 I got a call from a supplier I have worked with in the past and he said he had an extra ticket for a rooftop outing for the Cubs/Bluejays game that night if I was interested.

I walked straight to my truck while still on the phone and began heading downtown to park my truck and get over to Wrigley. I ended up riding my bike to shorten up the time it took to get over there...bad idea. I would have been better off walking than wiating in the line at the bike check, but whatever, I only missed the top of the first inning.



We were at 1010 Waveland, just to the east of the Budweiser house for the game (see Eye of the Beerholder for the rooftop pictures). Great time and the food and beer were flowing as to be expected on the rooftop. Anyway the game ends and I say my goodbyes and hop on the bike to head home. I manage to make it home without incident. I then talked my buddy that was visiting from out of town into joining me a the local bar that is fast becoming a favorite hangout. We walk down the street and continue the drinking where I had left off at the game.



After sitting there for a while a guy and girl came in and sat down next to me at the bar and nobody really paid any attention to them. As my friend Mike and I were discussing Nirvana versus Pearl Jam and quality baseball parks, I mentioned that Pac-Bell, or whatever they call it out in San Francisco these days, was a pretty cool place to watch a game. The guy next to me pipes in that he hasn't been to Pac-Bell yet, but was at Petco in San Diego last week and it is pretty cool. In fact, he mentioned "the locker rooms were really sweet and there were plasma screens everywhere you looked." This comment piqued my interest, but probably due to drinking for several hours I could not place the guy. Judging from the build I guessed he was one of the young pitchers on the Cubs. My friend Mike thought I was crazy. To put the issue to rest, I asked the bartender who it was and he told me it was none other than TODD WELLEMEYER! I had actually watched him pitch a nice 6th inning and record three outs with two strikeouts a couple of hours earlier.



Well, being in the rather friendly sort of mood, I proceeded to chat things up with Mr. Wellemeyer for a while and have come to the conclusion that he is a pretty cool guy to hang out with. I found out he lives with Michael Wuertz right around the corner from my new apartment and stops by for a beer on occasion especially when they have days off.



The conversation had many funny moments that I will try and recall for the enjoyment of others:



KJM "Hey, I was thinking about getting another Cubs jersey, maybe I should get a Wellemeyer jersey."

TW "Good luck finding one of those...but if you do and bring it down here some night I will sign it for you."



KJM "Do you know Brian Reith who used to pitch for Cincinnati and now pitches minor league ball for Pittsburgh? He went to my dad's high school and is friends with one of my sisters."

TW "Yeah, I knew his wife from Louisville, I think they just built a house in Florida. Your sister knows Reith who knows my wife, that makes only three degrees of seperation for us."



TW "Nice play" (referring to Darrin Erstad colliding with Johnny Estrada at home)

TW "In little league I once jumped over a catcher blocking the plate to score, one of the greatest moments I had in baseball."

KJM "Did you guys win the game?

TW "I don't remember."



KJM (about 2:00 a.m.) "Hey I got to get home I still have to finish some work for tomorrow, do you want to do a shot, I'll buy?"

TW "Sure, how about jager."

KJM "All right, a round of jager shots."



KJM "I should get a picture with Wellemeyer. Oh crap, I think I lost my camera after the Cubs game, its not in my pocket."

Mike "You left it on the coffee table when you got home."

KJM "Sweet, here is the plan, I will keep talking to Wellemeyer and you run back to my apartment and get it."

Mike "Okay"



The leads into where I asked Wellemeyer if I could get a picture with him to post on my friend's website about the Cubs.

Todd was really cool and besides a picture signed my bar coaster. If I get around to it, I will scan it and post it for people that think that kind of thing is cool. I have a new appreciation for Todd after hanging out with him for a while. He was very approachable and even though it seems cliche when people talk about meeting athletes, he was very down to earth. It probably helped that it was a little local bar and they crowd was pretty small (go figure on a Monday night after a Cubs loss). I can envision having another shot with Todd should I run into him again.



Oh, yeah, one last parting shot, my roomamtes and I are hosting a bachelor party for one of our friends this weekend. I can't remember for sure, but I either invited Wellemeyer or the bartender to the bachelor party. It was one of those nights!