Day 43 -- Friday, June 12

After many years of hearing the praises of Chicago's Wrigley Field sung, today I finally got to see the place. As I mentioned earlier in these pages, my father has been a Cubs fan for some time but he's never before had the opportunity to see them in person. Dad's had a tough time the last few months; he's struggled with back trouble, requiring two surgeries, so he hasn't gotten to have much fun of late. My mom, my siblings and I put our heads together and came up with this little excursion as a Father's Day present. I used my pull as a journalist to score some good tickets (14 rows back just to the first base side) and we took advantage of the cheap airfares that cropped up a few weeks back. When Dad got the news, he was quite pleased and more than a little surprised. All that was left was for me to make it to Chicago in time and that I did.

My father is more than worthy of all this trouble. I can honestly say that I believe I was blessed with the greatest father in the world. If I am ever half the man he is, I'll consider it quite an accomplishment. He is exceedingly gentle, incredibly patient, emotionally open and available. He taught me the value of a good laugh and a heartfelt tear and is generous with both. Owning his own business for more than 30 years, he had the trust of his customers and the respect and affection of his employees. I don't think any businessman could hope for more. He has taught us as much by example as with words and his words are always worthy of heed. A man of quiet faith and inherent decency, he is, in short, my hero and I couldn't have been happier to have him here in Chicago for a couple of days.

We took the train from the western suburbs where we were lodging and got to Wrigley with plenty of time to spare. We picked up our ducats and sat at a sidewalk cafe to enjoy a sandwich and a beer before going in. Once inside, I could appreciate the fabled charm of this ancient ballpark but, from the outside, it's not much to look at. The exterior of Boston's Fenway Park has the look of an old park but Wrigley is rather non-descript until one is inside. Our seats were great, the weather was perfect, the game was close and well-played and, most importantly for Dad's sake, the Cubs beat the Expos, 5-2, on a late-inning three-run homer.

After the game, we headed downtown to enjoy some of that famous Chicago deep-dish pizza at Pizzeria Uno. It's where this style of pie was born and it's still a very popular establishment. We waited over an hour for a table and another good half an hour for our food but it was worth it. Mighty good pie. Totally bloated, we made our way back to the train and our motel to watch the Bulls take care of the Trail Blazers in Portland.


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