Game 15---Braves 6 Cubs 5

Product---Jumbo hot dogs
Temperature---73 degrees, sunny

I’d like to provide you, my loyal readers, with a brief history lesson.

Exactly one year ago, May 27, 2005, was my last day of high school. After four grueling years of study halls, semester exams and final projects, I was done. It was my final day being with some kids that had been my classmates since kindergarten. I consider that 8:00 to 3:35 one of the greatest memories of my four years at 1600 Dodge.

On that very same day, the Cubs were taking on the worst team in the worst division in baseball, the Colorado Rockies. Mark Prior, who five days earlier had pitched a complete game over the eventual World Series champion White Sox in a 4-3 Cubs win, was on the hill for the North Siders. After three innings, Prior had allowed only two hits and one run while striking out three Rockies. What happened after that changed my life almost as much as my High School graduation.

The first hitter due up for Colorado in the top of the forth inning was right fielder Brad Hawpe. Hawpe, who had been walked in the second inning, had never gotten a hit off of the Cubs right-hander. He fouled off the first few offering’s from Prior, took a couple of balls, and in the fifth pitch of the at-bat, he took Prior’s fastball right back where it came from. Literally. The 94 mile per hour pitch was hit by Hwape off of Prior’s right elbow, and the ball was moving so hard that it flew from the pitchers mound, where Prior was standing, all the way to foul territory beyond the third base line, where Cubs third-baseman Aramis Ramirez had to make a diving catch. The Cubs went on to win that game, but Prior missed a month, and his right arm is still hurt, one of the reasons he has yet to pitch this season for the Cubs.

Yesterday afternoon was eerily similar. It was the last day of class for the ETHS Class of 2006, and again, a Cubs pitcher was pitching a beautiful game. Carlos Zambrano had a no-hitter going with two outs in the seventh inning when a fly ball hit out to right fielder Freddy Bynum was lost in the sun and two innings later, the lead and game was lost too. Just like ’05 was, two thousand and six will be a miserable summer to be a Cubs fan.

Observations:
While the Cubs bats are getting colder and colder, the weather is getting hotter and hotter. On Friday, the sun was scoring, as was my forehead while listening to the ninth inning on the radio…Again, I saw many fellow Evanstonians at the ballpark…Surprisingly, there wasn’t too many vendors showing up, so even with a bellow-average spot in line, I was able to get right field jumbos. I did a bit over three loads ($68 in commission) and tips were not too shabby ($60.75)…Saturday’s game will be the first of the year at Wrigley to be on FOX Saturday Baseball, meaning a 12:20 start. In 2005, I made an average of $97.91 during games that started at that time…There were a bunch of Braves fans at the park, which took me by surprise.