7th Inning Retch…
Posted October 1st, 2008 by sean@bevx.com
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I love Chicago. It’s my adopted hometown and I love most everything about Chicago from its people to its bars & restaurants, the shows of every kind, and the Cubs. I even love the occasionally harsh winters that keep the timid and frail from taking up residence in the City of Big Shoulders. However, like any love, it occasionally baffles and in some circumstances it even disappoints. Lately, the political class has been a particular thorn in my backside.
A few years ago the city council banned the sale of foie gras. Luckily, the foolish act was later repealed but the entire incident revealed that these guys have too much time on their hands and since we know that time is money; they have far too much of my – and everyone in Chicago – money. Clearly, they disagree as the Stroger monarchy (yes, look it up) has raised the Chicago sales tax to the highest in the US. Chants of “We’re number one!” are not heard at the city’s check-out lines.
Recently, the mayor has got into the act and once again made the city the object of snickering that should be reserved for Berkeley CA and Muamar Kadafi’s headwear. Apparently, we have no greater issue facing the people of Chicago than the consumption of beer at and near Wrigley Field. Beer sales at Wrigley Field have long been halted at the 7th inning. Now the city is extending the ban to the bars near Wrigley Field. That’s right, if you can’t afford a ticket to the game – and few can – you can always go to Wrigleyville and soak up the ambience with like-minded Cubs fans at one of the many neighborhood bars. The reaction of local fans and bar owners is uniformly, “What a crock of $*#@!”
Wrigleyville bar owners are well accustomed to handling crowds. The Cubs are one of the few Major League Baseball franchises that sells-out each and every game. Fans who cannot get tickets take the next-best option and watch the games at neighborhood bars. Bar owners in the neighborhood are serious people with a very serious investment and much to lose. The last thing that any local bar owner wants is an out-of-control mob. To this end, they carefully train their staff to cut-off alcohol sales to patrons who misbehave or appear to be intoxicated. The bars overstaff on game days and hire security to help monitor the large number of guests. I live near Wrigley Field and I can tell you that when you consider the vast numbers that flock to the neighborhood in the summer months, troubling incidents are few and far between.
And then there are the unintended consequences. (A fancy way of saying the buffoons at city hall failed to consider the ramifications of their actions.) Now bars will have to deal with the patrons ordering multiple drinks leading up to the 7th inning to get them through the game’s final innings. So now instead of a careful and measured one drink at a time practice (monitored by bartenders, wait staff, managers, and security) we now install a system that has been known to promote binge drinking. Brilliant.
The mayor is working hard to bring the Olympic games to Chicago. Is this what fans of the summer games have to look forward to? Would we have had beer sales halted after Michael Phelps sixth gold medal? How about beach volleyball? Would beer sales stop if the match goes to three sets not to resume until the conclusion or would beer sales be resumed if the match goes to a tiebreaker?
It’s all too complex for me and in light of recent developments I raise a practical question, “Can I still order foie gras in the 7th inning?”
A few years ago the city council banned the sale of foie gras. Luckily, the foolish act was later repealed but the entire incident revealed that these guys have too much time on their hands and since we know that time is money; they have far too much of my – and everyone in Chicago – money. Clearly, they disagree as the Stroger monarchy (yes, look it up) has raised the Chicago sales tax to the highest in the US. Chants of “We’re number one!” are not heard at the city’s check-out lines.
Recently, the mayor has got into the act and once again made the city the object of snickering that should be reserved for Berkeley CA and Muamar Kadafi’s headwear. Apparently, we have no greater issue facing the people of Chicago than the consumption of beer at and near Wrigley Field. Beer sales at Wrigley Field have long been halted at the 7th inning. Now the city is extending the ban to the bars near Wrigley Field. That’s right, if you can’t afford a ticket to the game – and few can – you can always go to Wrigleyville and soak up the ambience with like-minded Cubs fans at one of the many neighborhood bars. The reaction of local fans and bar owners is uniformly, “What a crock of $*#@!”
Wrigleyville bar owners are well accustomed to handling crowds. The Cubs are one of the few Major League Baseball franchises that sells-out each and every game. Fans who cannot get tickets take the next-best option and watch the games at neighborhood bars. Bar owners in the neighborhood are serious people with a very serious investment and much to lose. The last thing that any local bar owner wants is an out-of-control mob. To this end, they carefully train their staff to cut-off alcohol sales to patrons who misbehave or appear to be intoxicated. The bars overstaff on game days and hire security to help monitor the large number of guests. I live near Wrigley Field and I can tell you that when you consider the vast numbers that flock to the neighborhood in the summer months, troubling incidents are few and far between.
And then there are the unintended consequences. (A fancy way of saying the buffoons at city hall failed to consider the ramifications of their actions.) Now bars will have to deal with the patrons ordering multiple drinks leading up to the 7th inning to get them through the game’s final innings. So now instead of a careful and measured one drink at a time practice (monitored by bartenders, wait staff, managers, and security) we now install a system that has been known to promote binge drinking. Brilliant.
The mayor is working hard to bring the Olympic games to Chicago. Is this what fans of the summer games have to look forward to? Would we have had beer sales halted after Michael Phelps sixth gold medal? How about beach volleyball? Would beer sales stop if the match goes to three sets not to resume until the conclusion or would beer sales be resumed if the match goes to a tiebreaker?
It’s all too complex for me and in light of recent developments I raise a practical question, “Can I still order foie gras in the 7th inning?”
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