The Bud Light Bleachers

I ran into a scalper acquaintance with whom I'd done previous business last week outside the bleachers. I'm aware of their tactics--buy low, sell high always--and leery. He asked if I had any tickets to sell for remaining games. I told him No, I'd given up my partial season package for a variety of reasons and was glad I did--and suspected I could get good seats for most remaining games. "You might've made a smart move,'' he said, indicating a buyer's market.

What else would or could it be the way this team is going?? I thought I'd outgrown the bleachers but yielded to check out the newly christened beer garden. Overall, it's nice; I sat in the RF "bleacher boxes'' supported by a back for the last game vs. Washington (Kerry Wood's '06 debut). There's more space to move around, although you can't watch the game from behind the seats anymore except in the corner. Concessions and yes, restrooms have been upgraded, but the "Batter's Eye'' restaurant area was closed. I thought it was going to be an area open and accessible to all bleacherites. Instead, it's for corporate fat cats.

You almost felt as if you're in a separate section in that RF corner, not as rowdy which was to my liking. One big negative is the PA system they've added out there, announcing the batter and other details along with snippets of organ music. It needs to be ratcheted down about a third of the way--it's just too loud, unnecessarily, an annoyance on the ears. And the announcer is no Pat Piper. I wonder if they'll fix it or if this is part of the "enhancements'' to the section, permanently? I always liked the fact that Wrigley did not blast you out of your seat with rock music and other extraneous noise. Dowstairs, there are some large posters celebrating the history of the park and the bleachers that aren't particularly well done. They could have done a better job here, and it feels like a rush job.

As for the game and the team, there was a lot of excitement over Wood to begin with and he looked good, but then gave up those 3 gopher balls (I missed Soriano's). The Cubs tried to rally--three runs!!--but their offense is so futile, it is painful to watch. They lost 5-3 and have only won once since to drop to 8 games below .500. Or is it nine? I've lost count and getting back to .500 seems highly implausible if not impossible.

Memorial Day always marks a traditional "check point'' on the season, to see if your team is going to be in it or not. The way this team has stumbled, it seems clear the answer is a resounding, depressing "no.'' They looked so promising the first three weeks, winning tight games, but now everything has unraveled. It looks and feels pretty hopeless, like a lost season.

Of course the Cubs if they get Lee and Prior back are capable of a streak of 7-8 wins in a row to get back to respectability (which in my mind, equals .500). But the lack of offense and power is startling; look who they DH'd vs. the Chisox. They have nothing at 2B or CF right now; I've never seen a player make so many easy outs as Juan Pierre. If Barrett gets a lengthy suspension, expected shortly, they will be even more handicapped. The failure of the farm system to have any reserve power for this crisis is pretty alarming; surely they should have someone with some pop ready to come up, but we're still trying to get by with an infield of Perez, Walker and Hairston up the middle. Hairston hasn't hit in two years; let's try a kid, please!!

Someone on the radio was talking about the Tigers and the Brewers and the "plans'' they had for putting together young teams. This involved some pretty bleak seasons. Maybe that's what the Cubs have to go through now to get back on track. I don't see many cornerstones on this team now aside from Lee and Ramirez and maybe Murton (the pitching is acceptable but no longer exceptional). We've given up a lot to acquire the team we've got. I don't see many tradeable pieces.

So, the bleachers are still fun in the sun but I don't expect it to be a particularly "hot'' ticket this season for understandable reasons. The addition of those 1,800 seats changes the dynamics and the Cubs have had very few SRO crowds so far of 41,000. I hope I'm wrong, but it looks like "wait til next year'' time. It'll be interesting to watch, yes, but not a lot of fun for those who are getting increasingly fed up with the disappointments of this cursed franchise.