Sonstiges » like tonight. Maybe it will come soon, next October, or maybe D

CHICAGO -- The game ended less than an hour ago and Ive already made my way back through the smiling, singing crowds around Wrigley Field. From my hotel room on the 18th floor, I can hear the dull thump of celebratory music from somewhere down below, and as soon as I finish writing this column, Im headed back out into the madness. Chicago feels like a South American capital after a big World Cup win. Right now, I can hear a driver laying on his horn.Its a great night to be alive, whether youre a player on a baseball team going back to Cleveland, or a person who believes deeply in what that teams success might mean to them and their family. Of course, it felt that way even before the sun went down and the stadium filled up, the potential end of a magical season layering the party atmosphere in the streets with a sense of dread and stress. The drum machine patter and synth riffs of In the Air Tonight floated out into Waveland Avenue as I passed through the gates into the Wrigley Field bleachers.Writing this, I just put that song on repeat, and a few images returned immediately. The man singing Frank Sinatra as he checked IDs and handed out the over-21 pink wristbands. My kind of town, Chicago. The smiles of people clutching World Series tickets, which evoke long buried nostalgia in a way that a Super Bowl ticket never does. The neon green of the sweet relish on the hot dog -- the green of a muscle car paint job -- and the strip of yellow mustard, and how the father and son sitting to my left both ate theirs that way. Ketchup is for communists and Cardinals fans. The strange and beautiful halogen glow hanging over the field, from the six banks of floodlights perched atop the grandstands. Years from now, long after I forget the score, or who played well and who played poorly, I will remember how the lights looked. And years from now, after the laughter and sense of community forged during three and a half long hours in the bleachers have faded away, I will remember the tension of the last three outs.Mark and Dustin Columbatto sat next to me, freaking out. Mark is 60 and wore a Billy Williams jersey. Dustin is 28 and wore a Alfonso Soriano jersey. They hugged when Chapman headed back out to the mound for the ninth.One more inning, Mark said. Its what we came here for.The bleachers had been loose and fun the whole night, cracking on the opposing pitchers, people being careful not to crowd their neighbors. But during the commercial break before the ninth inning began, that easy vibe evaporated. The stadium speakers played Eminems Lose Yourself and many of the people around me sang along, making the hair stand up on each others arms. It was 3-2, with one half inning to go. The bleachers rapping got louder -- This opportunity comes once in a lifetime -- and the air didnt feel as cold anymore.The man behind me kept score carefully, and the man in front of me checked his Twitter. They felt like nervous tics. The guy whod been cracking jokes all night didnt have any more jokes. People got quiet, with lots of crossed arms.I have hope, Mark said, even if they lose. Theyll be back.Chapman got two outs on nine pitches, a ground ball and a fly ball to right field.Dustin held up his index finger.One more, he said.Mark and Dustin held onto each other, hoping, waiting. Trying to describe how the ballpark felt in those long minutes seems a little goofy now, because everything I type feels overcooked on the page and yet somehow still doesnt properly convey just how f----- nervous everyone got. People packed in close together, someone saying a Hail Mary, another just growling. Mark texted his wife. Dustin looked out at the field with hope. On this night, his faith was rewarded with one final out, a dramatic swinging strikeout that shook the stadium.The first chord of Go Cubs Go rang out, and people smiled and floated down the ramps into the street. Wrigley Field emptied for the final time this year, with the ivy on the walls just a few days from changing, and soon the stadium will slip into hibernation, waiting until spring to either welcome home the world champions, so many ghosts finally at rest, or to start the long grinding wait for another night like tonight. Maybe it will come soon, next October, or maybe Dustin will be an old man the next time he sits in the bleachers for a World Series game, explaining to his son how, a long time ago, he and his father believed.Matt Williams Jersey .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Diamondbacks Jerseys China . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. https://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.us/ . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting qua