We did go to the game at Wrigley last night. It misted, it blew and there was a lot of fog. We sat along the third base line, in front of the upper deck. The visibility was so poor I could not see the right field stands for most of the game. We finally gave up and went back to the hotel in the seventh inning. Other than the weather, it is a really neat place. The original stands were built prior to world war 1. The upper deck was added in the 30's. The place is immaculate. Very well maintained. In this era of "if it wasn't built yesterday, let's tear it down," nice to know there is no talk of replacing it. The bricks, the ivy, all very historic. Off the top of my head, I have seen MLB at Busch (St. Louis), Camden Yards (Baltimore), Fenway Park (Boston), and now, Wrigley. All are interesting and unique venues, but none compare with Wrigley. The seats are all close to the field. Very well maintained, rapid fans, the unique neighborhood setting, the history, all add up to the greatest venue in professional sports.

Some interesting footnotes. The bull pens are actually on the field. The relievers have to stay sharp to avoid getting hit by foul balls. The lower deck seats (on the ends) wrap around towards the outfield bleachers. The upper deck(s) are symetrical, an interesting contrast with the seats below. They do have a small "club section" underneath the upper deck. Very unobtrusive. These (no doubt expensive) seats end at about the base lines. The true upper deck extends to the outfield walls. The playing field itself is almost level with the front row seats. The dug outs are barely visible they are so "dug out." Behind home plate, the playing surface slopes down considerably. The base of the brick wall behind home plate is a good 3 to 4 feet lower than homeplate itself. Very interesting.

Sorry to bore you with such detail. I have always been fascinated with architecture. Sports stadiums especially. Public venues for sporting events have been with us since roman times. They will be with us for some time to come. And, in case you were worried, football is still my favorite sport!

This morning's cab ride was also interesting. This time I rated a guy from Pakistan. He knew the city very well. So well, we got pulled over by the cops! Nobody got arrested, but the cabbie cussing the cop with his accent was quite humorous. During our post cop part of the trip we both decided that his country and the Indians should stop fighting over the Kashmir and make peace. Interesting how geopolitical decisions can be made quite easily while trains pass overhead, and bluelights are flashing!