{"id":267913,"date":"2025-10-01T01:17:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T01:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/267913\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T01:17:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T01:17:15","slug":"visiting-fans-relish-wrigley-field-eddie-vedder-shows-true-colors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/267913\/","title":{"rendered":"Visiting fans relish Wrigley Field, Eddie Vedder shows true colors"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO \u2014 Del Mar residents Grant and Jacqueline Larson had never been to Wrigley Field before Tuesday, when they attended Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series between the Padres and Cubs.<\/p>\n

Their first impression?<\/p>\n

\u201cAmazing,\u201d Jacqueline Larson said. \u201cI\u2019m so glad to be here to cheer on the Pads.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Larsons were among a smattering of brown-and-gold-clad fans who traveled to watch the start of the Padres\u2019 latest playoff push. As 90-game winners, the club traveled to play the Cubs, who won 92. The Cubs took Tuesday\u2019s opener of the best-of-three series, 3-1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For Grant Larson, Tuesday\u2019s trip brought his Padres fandom full circle. He first started following the club in 1984, when \u2014 while working for Triple L Enterprises, the company that handled operations at the old Jack Murphy Stadium \u2014\u00a0 he witnessed the club\u2019s come-from-behind NLCS series victory over the Cubs.<\/p>\n

Larson stood with Cubs ace Rick Sutcliffe late in Game 5, when visiting clubhouse attendants took the celebratory champagne out of the visiting clubhouse and to the home side. it wasn\u2019t long before the Padres were popping bottles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have history with 1984,\u201d Larson said. \u201cThat\u2019s when I became a Padre fan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Every time is special<\/p>\n

Michelle Frost fell in love with the Padres in 1974, when she relocated from Los Angeles and enrolled at UC San Diego.<\/p>\n

Tuesday, she was among the first fans through the gates when Wrigley Field opened to fans. She walked along the plaza level before finding a spot on the first-base side of home plate, where she took in batting practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis could be the year,\u201d said Frost, who calls herself a Padres superfan. \u201cI didn\u2019t think it was for the longest time, but now they seem to have found their way, found their bats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike many of the Padres fans in attendance Tuesday, Frost is a Wrigley Field veteran. She lived in nearby Evanston in the late 1980s \u2014 \u201cI came out here for a job and a relationship,\u201d she said \u2014 and spent many afternoons in the upper deck of right field.<\/p>\n

Frost married into a family of Cubs fans. She loves games at the \u201cFriendly Confines.\u201d But her loyalties never changed. Frost sported a Padres City Connect-themed Hawaiian shirt and matching visor to Tuesday\u2019s sun-soaked game.<\/p>\n

\u201cWrigley is good,\u201d she said, \u201con any day.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said it:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t put a price on your experiences sometimes. I\u2019m retired; what else am I going to spend my money on?\u201d \u2014 Frost, who said she spent about $350 to attend Tuesday\u2019s game<\/p>\n

\"FILEFILE \u2013 In this Oct. 14, 2003, file photo, Chicago Cubs left fielder Moises Alou\u2019s arm is seen reaching into the stands, at right, unsuccessfully for a foul ball along with a fan Steve Bartman during Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against the Florida Marlins in Chicago. The Cubs went on to lose the series. As the Cubs take on the Mets in the hopes of getting to the 2015 World Series for the first time since 1945 and winning it for the first time since 1908, Cubs fans swear that this team will win, because of the way they play and not because a curse was lifted. (AP Photo\/Morry Gash, File)
\nBartman, meet Ferris<\/p>\n

A $575 million renovation completed in 2019 slightly altered the layout of Wrigley Field, moving the bullpens from foul territory to underneath the bleachers and adding much-needed player and fan amenities.<\/p>\n

Which means the seat that Cubs fan Steve Bartman sat in during Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS doesn\u2019t actually exist anymore.<\/p>\n

But if you walk down the third-base line concourse, sweet-talk a few ushers and tell them you\u2019re a visitor from sunny Southern California, you\u2019ll be escorted to the spot where Bartman interfered with Cubs outfielder Moises Alou as he tried to catch a foul pop during that fateful game.<\/p>\n

The Cubs were ahead 3-0 in the eighth inning during what became known as \u201cThe Bartman Game\u201d; the visiting Marlins went on to score eight runs in the inning to win the game and even the series. They won 9-6 the following day to continue the Cubs\u2019 championship drought.<\/p>\n

Once located in Aisle 4, Row 8, the place where Bartman sat is now a gray concrete step.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not all. The famed Ferris Bueller seat, the spot where the titular character and his friends took in a game in the 1986 movie, \u201cFerris Bueller\u2019s Day Off,\u201d is located just steps away. Look for the only No. 19 in the section \u2013 every other row ends with seat 18.<\/p>\n

\"EddieEddie Vedder gestures to the crowd before performing during the seventh inning stretch during game one of the NL Wild Card Series between the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Meg McLaughlin \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\nWhere Vedder\u2019s loyalties lie<\/p>\n

Eddie Vedder grew up in Encinitas and made his fame in Seattle, which is why the Padres\u2019 annual interleague series with the Mariners is now called The Vedder Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So why was Vedder sporting a powder blue Cubs jersey and leading fans in \u201cTake Me Out to the Ballgame\u201d on Tuesday?<\/p>\n

Well, here\u2019s the dirty little secret behind the Vedder Cup: The Pearl Jam frontman is, in fact, a die-hard Cubs fan. He was born in Evanston and attended Cubs games at Wrigley Field with his grandfather. Later in life, Vedder befriended Cubs greats Ernie Banks and Jose Cardenal.<\/p>\n

Banks, whom Vedder met at a Cubs fantasy camp, encouraged the singer to write a song about the favorite team. \u201cAll the Way,\u201d released in 2008, became a cult hit among Cubs fans.<\/p>\n

The song goes, in part:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re born in Chicago you\u2019re blessed and you\u2019re healed\/The first time you walk into Wrigley Field<\/p>\n

\u201cOur heroes wear pinstripes, heroes in blue\/Give us the chance to feel like heroes too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Cubs have honored Ryne Sandberg outside the bleachers at Wrigley Field. (Ryan Finley, U-T)
\nFor Ryno<\/p>\n

Baseball memories linger around every corner at Wrigley Field, some more raw and painful than others.<\/p>\n

Tuesday marked the Cubs\u2019 first playoff game since franchise icon Ryne Sandberg died from cancer on July 28. As such, a plaque honoring Sandberg in left field was adorned with red, white and blue flowers before Tuesday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

These sorts of memorials are commonplace in and around Wrigley. Fans often place green apples on the statue of Harry Caray located just outside the stadium.<\/p>\n

Why all the fruit? It\u2019s a nod to the legendary announcer\u2019s saying that: \u201cSure as God made green apples, someday the Cubs are going to be in the World Series.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caray died in 1998; 18 years later, the Cubs indeed made \u2014 and won \u2014 the Fall Classic.<\/p>\n

Really?<\/p>\n

There were, indeed, plenty of good seats still available for Game 1.<\/p>\n

Two hours before first pitch, the Cubs\u2019 website offered seats starting at $99 for the 400 level (upper deck). Club-level seats were pricier, at $400. Plenty more tickets were available on the secondary market.<\/p>\n

Would that have happened if Wild Card Series games were played at Petco Park? Unlikely. The Padres sold out a franchise-record 72 of their 81 regular-season games at their downtown ballpark.<\/p>\n

Manfred, man<\/p>\n

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred watched batting practice and schmoozed with Padres chairman John Seidler behind home plate before Tuesday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t what Manfred said but what he wore that fascinated us: Manfred\u2019s low-top Nikes had tiny MLB logos below the swooshes and red baseball seams over the top. The MLB logo was also visible above the back-left pocket of his gray chinos.<\/p>\n

Talk about a company man.<\/p>\n

\"AA T-shirt for sale in a Wrigley Field gift shop shows the stadium\u2019s iconic clock. (Ryan Finley, U-T)
\nTeam shopping<\/p>\n

Walk into Wrigley Field\u2019s many team stores or any of the shops in the nearby neighborhood, and you\u2019ll see all manner of jerseys, caps and T-shirts honoring every Cub from Ron Santo to Michael Busch.<\/p>\n

Sticking out in the sea of blue is a logo that only those in the know can explain: A green clock, with hands set to the 1 and 4 positions.<\/p>\n

The Cubs have traditionally played day games at 1:20 p.m. The clock logo, which mirrors one atop the stadium\u2019s manual center-field scoreboard, is an insider\u2019s love letter to day games \u2014 which, we have to admit, are the best.<\/p>\n

We saw more than a few fans snag a green hat with the clock logo on it for $44.99 down the first-base line. White T-shirts with the green clock logo were $34.99 at a stand near the bleachers.<\/p>\n

\"AA trio of Padres fans, bottom center, look on as Cubs fans celebrate after game one of the NL Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Meg McLaughlin \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\nBy the numbers<\/p>\n

$27.98: Cost for a Chicago dog and an Old Style beer, the Wrigley Field bleacher bums\u2019 lunch of choice.<\/p>\n

9: Elements that make up a Chicago dog: A poppy-seed bun, sport peppers, celery salt, tomato wedges, sweet relish, sliced onions, yellow mustard, pickle spears and a Vienna beef hot dog. Absolutely no ketchup allowed. Ever.<\/p>\n

25: Consecutive scoreless innings in the playoffs for the Padres before Xander Bogaerts drove in Jackson Merrill with a no-out double in the second inning.<\/p>\n

0: Runs scored by the Padres after the second inning.<\/p>\n

18-8: Pitcher Jake Arrieta\u2019s record (with a 3.13 ERA) when the Cubs won the 2016 World Series.<\/p>\n

0-3: Pitcher Jake Arrieta\u2019s record (with a 10.85 ERA) when the Padres missed the playoffs in 2021. It may explain why Arrieta was wearing a Cubs jersey when he threw out the first pitch before Tuesday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

21 seconds: Amount of time national anthem singer John Vincent held the word \u201cfree\u201d \u2014 or maybe it\u2019s \u201cfreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee\u201d \u2014 while singing Tuesday\u2019s national anthem. A famed local singer, Vincent was the in-house act at Ditka\u2019s Steakhouse (you can\u2019t make this stuff up) from 2011 to 2018.<\/p>\n

Originally Published: September 30, 2025 at 4:34 PM PDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHICAGO \u2014 Del Mar residents Grant and Jacqueline Larson had never been to Wrigley Field before Tuesday, when…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":267914,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,276,1370,1266,3549,1306,7264,62,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-267913","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-latest-headlines","12":"tag-mlb","13":"tag-san-diego","14":"tag-san-diego-padres","15":"tag-sandiego","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115296275594991200","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}