Birthday Memories: Eureka College, Baseball and Greek Town, Part Two
As it turned out, several of my classmates who were staying in Eureka for the summer decided to join in my birthday celebration. We left early enough to make the drive into Chicago, find a place to park, and walk to the entrance of Wrigley Field, where Kevin was already waiting for us with our tickets. I have attended several Cubs games over the years, but there was something special about spending my twenty-eighth birthday sitting in the centerfield bleachers at Wrigley. Even before the first pitch, the place felt magical. The smell of hot dogs drifted through the stands. Vendors shouted over one another. Fans in blue caps packed the bleachers while the ivy-covered walls beyond the outfield reminded everyone that Wrigley was unlike any other ballpark in America. The Cubs were playing the Reds that afternoon, and there was an added sense of history in the air because Pete Rose was in the lineup. Rose was already forty-five years old and nearing the end of his remarkable career. We didn...
