Cubs vs. Cardinals rivalry: Something to experience |
Whether it be pro, college, or even high school, every fan has a rival that it gears up for every year. It is a date that fans circle on their calendar as soon as the schedule is released, and you get fired up for it as it gets closer.
This past weekend, I was able to experience the Cubs vs. Cardinals rivalry for the first time in Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. I have seen the Cubs play the Cardinals seven times at Wrigley Field. Those games were always fun and intense, none better than in 1998 when I went there and saw Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire battle to break Roger Mari's 37-year-old single-season home run record, and in 2008 when the Cubs beat the Cardinals to win the National League Central Division Championship. But I always wanted to see and feel it from the visitor's side. I have been able to go to a couple of cross-town rivalry games on both sides of Chicago between the Cubs and White Sox, but I had never seen the Cubs take on their longest and bitter rival from the visitor's side, and boy, it didn't disappoint, this weekend. You saw Cubs and Cardinals fans everywhere you went, and most of them were either friends or family sitting and talking together. It didn't matter if it was before the game, at the game, or on the elevator at the hotel. It is, what you say, a friendly rivalry. Every few innings, the scoreboard would show pictures of Cubs and Cardinal fans, and after each promo, it said, "The Best Rivalry in Baseball". Fans of the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Giants might disagree, but it is for my money. There was no better way to describe it than the bottom of the ninth inning of Friday's game with the Cubs leading 3-2 and Mike Tauchman robing the Cardinals of a game-winning home run. All the Cardinal fans were ready to celebrate while all the Cubs fans were saying oh no and then, in a matter of seconds, it was reversed. The best part after was there wasn't a bunch of gloating by Cub fans, and there wasn't a bunch of Cardinal fans being mean to Cub fans as it seemed pretty friendly. This was the 12th different Major League stadium that I have seen the Cubs play in. I have experienced some of the best stadiums in baseball in Guaranteed Rate Field, Fenway Park, and Yankee Stadium. No matter where I go, I always see Cubs fans, and it is always lovely to chit-chat and hear stories about where they are from and why they love the Cubs. This past weekend I met a fan from Arkansas, and it was fantastic to hear his stories about going to Wrigley Field, being at this game, seeing that play, and getting a player's autograph. Cubs fans are everywhere from coast to coast, and it never gets old talking to them and hearing how they grew up watching the Cubs every day on WGN and hearing about how the World Series win in 2016 meant not only so much to them but their family also. So, if you get a chance, go to the greatest place in world-Wrigley Field, to watch a baseball game. If you have already been there and are looking for another place to go, Busch Stadium isn't a horrible place to catch a game.
