Cubs Gone Hollywood?

CHC @ LAD

It was the only way that I could have ever been coaxed back.

Being back in the City of Big Shoulders last week made me really question why I had left it for the City of Angels. I knew this would be a problem even before I went home, which is why I was lucky to have something to force me to board that plane from ORD to LAX. That incentive to come back to So Cal was the very enticing prospect of watching my Cubs play 4 games in Chavez Ravine against the venerable LA Dodgers.This series was my introduction to Dodger Stadium and I must quote a good friend here who said it best:

"Dodger Stadium is almost the exact opposite of Wrigley in every way, and that's not a bad thing"

Now he didn't mean it in that Wrigley rules and Dodger Stadium sucks, but just look at the facts:

-Wrigley is surrounded by a thriving neighborhood and countless pubs, bars, and the occasional "cantina", while Dodger is surrounded by tree-covered parkland and concrete parking lots (the closest bar is a place called "The Short Stop", and it is as much of a sports bar as Cedric Benson is an upstanding citizen.)

-Each night, Dodger fans arrive late because of traffic and leave early to avoid it. Cubs fans get drunk for all 9 innings and either walk or take the 'L' home.

-Dodger, with a capacity of 56,000, was built in the post-war era and caters to the casual fan with spacious seating and a bevy of concession stands offering everything from California Pizza Kitchen to Panda Express, while Wrigley was built in 1914, serves hot dogs and Old Style, and if you don't like it you can sell your soul and take the Red Line to 35th street.

Although the arrive late/ leave early thing is totally true for Dodger fans (the stadium was most crowded for innings 3-7) I will say that the fans themselves are not only passionate, but knowledgeable as well.

Of course, Cubs fans, being the dedicated people we are, were all over Dodger Stadium. I'd say it was 30% Cubs - 70% Dodgers, roughly. Boths ides were loud, supportive and everyone I had talked to in the stands were pretty legit fans.

The LA sports scene is certainly interesting. The one thing I can say unequivocally is that LA is a LAKERS town, through and through. Everyone here is Kobe-crazy and the biggest way to tell that this town bleeds purple and gold is to see the countless Laker car flags that furiously flap from the windows of cars whizzing along the endless freeways.

It's also clear that if your looking to have a quick chat with a stranger the Lakers are no doubt a topic that will resonate.

And in case you were wondering, yes, I am pulling for Phil Jackson's squad in this series. I hope the Lakers take the next two at Staples and go back to Boston and beat Paul Pierce and his little acting troupe. F*#% Boston.

And before I'm done, I wanted to have a little fun and put on my Ari Gold suit for a second. Forget about the ivy, at Wrigley. I want to take you to the Ivy, in Beverly Hills. It's the restaurant for celebs to be seen and for suits to make deals. It's often at the Ivy that a director may pitch a script to a producer. I've got a script that I haven't done a lick of work for (and probably won't) but I'll pitch it anyway, it's called:

"What the...? : The Story of the 2008 Chicago Cubs"

it's a movie about this interesting team we have playing first place baseball right now. And though it something that's been done by sports radio personalities and bored Tribune staff writers alike, I'd like to throw you some casting ideas that I think would work well for both sides:

Denzel Washington as Derrek Lee:
Denzel could easily trade in those gold chains for Gold Gloves and bring great emotion to the role of a man attempting to regain the glory days when one could hear the soft whispers of "triple crown"....

Leonard DiCaprio as Kerry Wood:
In The Departed, Leo played a cop who went undercover only to have the pressure of his new occupation drive him to the brink of panic and hysteria. In real life, Kerry Wood is a starter who went to the bullpen only to have his new occupation drive Cubs' fans to the brink of panic and hysteria.

Brian Dennehy as "Sweet Lou" Piniella:
I know that Dennehy could nail Piniella's screaming intensity, but could he also capture the subtle beauty of Lou's mumbly, stream-of-consciousness, straight-from-the-gut, post-game "interviews"?

Chewbacca as Carlos Zambrano:

It's so perfect it's almost scary.

I don't have anymore casting ideas that that because, believe it or not, I've got better things to do.

That's a lie.

Cubs in '08!*

*coming to a theater near you