Ben makes rooftop Cubs games more like basketball

Plus: Palacios para la gente [View this email in your browser]( [READER Logo]( Daily Reader | June 25, 2024 On Friday, my friend Norm and I went to a Cubs game, courtesy of the Bulls, in appreciation for buying Bulls season tickets. Again. We sat on a Sheffield Avenue rooftop with an obstructed view. We baked in the heat as the Mets shellacked the Cubs’ best pitcher. I realize what I just wrote sounds worse than it was. We actually had fun up on that roof, obstructed view and all. Norm and I even invented a game called “Home Run or Double.” If you’re ever on a rooftop and you want to play, here’s how it goes. A batter blasts a ball to the outfield, where it vanishes behind the big right-field scoreboard that creates the aforementioned obstructed view. If the runner stops at second, it’s a double. If he rounds third . . . you get the idea. To spice things up, you can make bets between the time the ball leaves the bat and the batter reaches second. Alas, we mainly played that game when the Mets were at bat, as the Cubs barely hit the ball out of the infield. The right-field scoreboard also ignited a passionate debate. Did the Ricketts (who own the Cubs) put the scoreboard there to provide more entertainment for the Wrigley faithful? Or was it their gangster move, oblivious to the fan experience, to block the view of rooftop owners who dare to make a buck off of the Cubs? Consensus verdict . . . It’s a gangster move! No doubt about it. After four innings of gasping in the heat, we retired to an air-conditioned room on the second floor, which had no view of the field (even an obstructed view). We sat at a table and watched the game on TV with our new best friends: Zach and his mom. They are also die-hard Bulls season ticket holders. To entertain everyone, I converted the Cubs score into a basketball one. This is like figuring out a dog’s age in human years. I came up with 110 to 11, which sounds worse than 11 to one. So you might say things were looking up. On a hunch, Norm whipped out his phone and bet that the Cubs would lose by no more than ten runs. And with that our conversation turned to the Bulls. They recently traded one of their grittiest defenders, Alex Caruso, for a guy named Giddey (who seems washed up at age 21). The general consensus was that it was an awful trade that would only lead to gloom and doom for our beloved Bulls . . . which prompted Norm to note . . . As much as we love Caruso’s gritty defense, he, at best, averaged ten points a game. So, it’s not like we traded Kobe Bryant! That got a good laugh from one and all. Then back we went to more gloom and doom. Somewhere in the middle of it all, Cubs pinch hitter Tomas Nido ended the game by striking out a pitch out of the strike zone. Sigh. The final score was: Mets 11, Cubs one. The good news is the Cubs bullpen held ‘em scoreless for the last five innings, meaning . . . Norm won his bet. Go, Cubs, Go. [Logo with text: The Ben Joravsky Show. Features man wearing a cap and headphones, and Chicago flag stars.]( 🎙 [Listen to The Ben Joravsky Show]( 🎙 ◈ The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by [Brady Udall]( an often hilarious and picaresque novel about a Native American teenager who endures years of hardships without a drop of self pity. Bravo, Mr. Udall! ◈ [Michael Spencer]( on the 1896 elections. ◈ [Ben Joravsky]( (from 2018) on Yosh Kawano, a Cubs legend. ◈ Journalist [Monroe Anderson]( radio host Charlamagne tha God sings a new song. ◈ Communications strategy consultant [Joanna Klonsky]( on an editor’s note from the Sun-Times. ◈ Chicago School Board candidate [Jason Dones]( school board elections and handouts to the Bears. [Palacios para la gente]( Most of Chicago’s dedicated Spanish-language movie theaters have disappeared, but the histories and cultures that they encompassed are worth remembering. by [Daniella Mazzio]( | [Read more]( → [Legacy, love, and hair]( Black Ensemble’s The Salon celebrates community in stories and songs. by [Amanda Finn]( | [Read more]( → [A book of penis drawings sparks a deeper conversation]( For artist Rashel Gordin, public fascination with Dick-tation highlights the male-dominated society around her. by [Sonal Soni]( | [Read more]( → [The Devil Is in the Detours takes us away from the numbing news]( Second City’s latest mainstage revue mostly focuses on our foibles and follies. by [Kerry Reid]( | [Read more]( → Take a look beneath our Pride issue cover with Reader Art Director James Hosking - this issue featured incredible creature creations by [Bill Crisafi](. Crisafi discusses the inspirations and history behind his creatures and how that intertwines with his queerness. [UNDER THE COVERS - PRIDE ISSUE]( Get the latest issue of the Chicago Reader Thursday, June 20, 2024 [READ ONLINE: VOL. 53, NO. 20]( [VIEW/DOWNLOAD ISSUE (PDF)]( [Donate to the Chicago Reader.]( [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [Twitter icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( [YouTube icon]( [Website icon]( [Logo] You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Chicago Reader. Want fewer emails from us? [Click here to choose what you want us to send you](. Or, [unsubscribe from all Reader emails](. We’ll miss you! [Sign up for emails from the Chicago Reader]( | [Forward this e-mail to a friend]( © 2024 Chicago Reader. All rights reserved. Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616