On the first day of Cubsmas
My true love gave to me
One Anthony Rizzo retirement for the ages,
A $2 scorecard…
Like everything in society, the cost of going to a baseball game to enjoy America’s pastime in person has increased dramatically over the years. When I attended my first Cubs game at Wrigley Field in 2002 I spent about $40 total on the experience, including the train the the ballpark, a beer and hot dog at the game, a (relatively) pricey ticket by the old bullpens on the third base line and,
of course, a scorecard — that came with a pencil! Admittedly, the price of that ticket may have been influenced by the Cubs not being particularly good that year, but I was fortunate enough to see one of their 67 wins that season. Of course, I also had the best souvenir from my first trip to Wrigley Field: a record of the game using the system my parents taught me.
I must confess I don’t remember what a scorecard cost on that first trip in 2002, but I remember it wasn’t hard to find once I entered the park. I also remember becoming friends with the fans next to me who explained the Eamus Catuli sign (RIP), the flags above the scoreboard, the retired number flags and more to a girl who loved baseball more than just about anything. One of those friends kept half an inning of score for me when I needed to run to the concourse quickly during the game. I do know that that card cost less than $2 and came with a pencil. I’m sure of that, because 23 years later a scorecard at Wrigley Field can be purchased at any of the gift shops in the park or at the Cubs Store on Gallagher Way. It costs $2 and comes with a Cubs pencil.
While the cost of entry, beer, hot dogs and parking has skyrocketed, the cost of keeping score is still remarkably affordable. The Cubs have changed the design of the scorecards over the years, but the basics are the same with roster information on the side and a bit of a primer on scorekeeping somewhere in the card. Over the years they’ve added more space for pitcher changes and taken away space for the old NL double switch, but the basics of the scorecard have stayed the same. As a bonus, as the card has stayed affordable, the value of keeping score has only increased.
This April I was able to bring my oldest childhood friend and her daughter to Wrigley Field for the first time. We were the first people in the park at the Gallagher Way gate and definitely spent more at some stops at the Cubs Store before the game than I spent all those years ago during my first trip to the park. But one of the items I picked up was a scorecard and a pencil.
They were troopers through a long rain delay before we made our way to the left field bleachers. Bleacher Jeff got Ian Happ to throw the kiddo a ball, which she cradled in both hands like a mystical item. When she ran to the concourse later in the game she asked me to watch her ball with all the seriousness I’d asked that gentleman to keep an eye on my scorecard all those years ago.
I took my duty seriously.
It was a long day after the rain delay and I didn’t really think they’d stick out the whole thing. When my friend posed a choice to her kiddo in the later innings about staying at the game or changing around their dinner plans my heart filled with joy when she simply and definitively said “stay.” Later when I ran to the concourse I asked her to watch my scorecard.
She took her duty seriously.
A much better Cubs team than the one I first saw in person won 4-0 against the Phillies for this first game at Wrigley Field. As we headed towards the RedLine I handed her my scorecard from the game as a souvenir. She gave me a hug so fierce and wonderful I’m pretty sure we’re friends for life.
As prices escalate all around us, it’s nice to know the best souvenir at the corner of Clark and Addison still costs $2 — and comes with a pencil.
Here’s Al’s scorecard from the crazy game last April 18 where the Diamondbacks scored 10 runs in an inning — and the Cubs won anyway! (Click here for a larger version.)
