So, as a native Chicagoan, I cannot help myself. Although the Chicago Cubs have nothing whatsoever to do with expats in Mexico, they are all about this week’s blog.
Like most expats in Mexico, I was born somewhere else. I didn’t leave the city until I moved to Mexico nearly 27 years ago. I grew up watching the Cubs and Jack Brickhouse on Channel 9 and my first night game ever was in 1988 (I went to the first Cubs night game!). I knew that you NEVER sat in the left field bleachers (because as everyone knows, “Left Field Sucks”). And yes, I drank Old Style.
My mother wrote my notes excusing me from school if there was a particularly good reason to spend the afternoon at Wrigley. I know how to keep a scorecard, I met Ernie Banks and had my picture taken with him and I collected baseball cards of all the greats: Jose Cardenal, Fergie Jenkins, Rick Reuschel, Ryne Sandburg, Mark Grace, Billy Williams, Randy Hundley, Don Kessenger, Glenn Beckert, and of course, Ron Santo.
After I moved to Mexico I would take in a Cubs game on nearly every visit back to the city, always hopeful that they might win, never surprised when they did not. In recent years I have been able to follow my Cubbies at local sports bars and on the Internet through streaming services like mlb.tv A question I often get from many friends, clients and new arrivals to Puerto Vallarta is: “Where can I watch the (fill in the blank) game?” Thanks to technology, that is no longer an issue, no matter where you live, as long as you have a broadband connection.
I had planned my trip to Spain and Italy prior to spring training this year and before we knew how amazing the 2016 Chicago Cubs were going to be. I suppose it was bad timing, but after 108 years, who knew? I watched most of the playoffs and series games in the middle of the night, huddled in front of my computer, live streaming the nail-biting and heart-attack inducing innings. When victory came for the northsiders late last Wednesday in Cleveland, it was 6:00 a.m in Madrid and I was exhausted! In typical Cubs fashion, they blew a substantial lead in late innings, made questionable pitching choices and even took the game into extra-innings after an excruciating rain delay. But I would not have had it any other way. It was epic.
I raise my glass of fine Spanish wine to the 2016 Chicago Cubs, World Series Champions for the first time since 1908. Congratulations guys, you deserve it all!
