Brilliant at the Basics – Episode III – Bulgarian Split Squats AND McKenna’s First Experience at Wrigley (Wrigley vs Fenway)……
June 19, 2012 by danny · 5 Comments
Today’s post is the 3rd and final installment of “brilliant at the basics.” But before we get into that, I want to quickly recap my trip to Wrigley Field this past Friday. If you read episode II of brilliant at the basics, you’ll recall I mentioned that one of my best friend’s was in town from Omaha for his first visit to Wrigley. Now, he’s a BIG Red Sox fan, so I was curious to get his thoughts on Wrigley compared to Fenway Park (a place that I still haven’t been). McKenna had A LOT of good to say about Wrigley in the days to follow his first experience in the ball park. But I’m going to let him recap Wrigley and Fenway’s similarities and differences in the comments section below. Note to McKenna, sorry about the mustard “situation” (you’ll get it when you read McKenna’s summary).
A view from our seats.
If you’ve been to both stadiums, please add your .02 in the comments section below as well. I can’t wait to join McKenna at Fenway the next time the Cubs play there, so I too can compare the two ball parks. I just hope that my first visit there will be Cubs vs Red Sox in the World Series (I know, I know, I won’t be holding my breath!). By the way, at the end of the game, we were waving the W flag! Cubs win! Cubs win!
A lovely sight for Cubs fans!
Brilliant at the Basics
Alrighty then, with that out of the way, let’s get to the last installment of brilliant at the basics. I used the bulgarian split as the exercise of choice to get my point across. But you can apply the points that I make to any exercise in the weight room. Check out the video below…
So, if you have any thoughts about my whole brilliant at the basics series, leave a comment.. And, remember to check out McKenna’s summary of Wrigley vs. Fenway in the comments section below. Is he on the money? Do you have different thoughts? If so, let us hear them…
About danny
As a Massachusetts native I love Fenway park. Danny being a son of the Land of Lincoln of course loves Wrigley. Here are the important factors in the argument of which iconic park is best.
Bars – I mean there is nothing like getting to the park early and stepping into a local establishment to have a pop or two and stretch out before the game. Chicago and Boston are famous bar towns and I must admit I thought the edge would go to Fenway but it was just as cool outside Wrigley. I refuse to give publicity to the many we have both frequented over the years because $50 for two beers and two shots is criminal. Tie!
Vendors – Having countless vendors outside the stadium is also a great highlight for me. Regardless of who you support being able to buy t-shirts, hats and whatever else your heart desires is awesome. However, not being able to buy a Jeter drinks wine coolers t-shirt is a problem. Edge Fenway!
Iconic Statues – Fenway has the great Ted Williams statue and while not perfect it is a cool gesture to such an amazing ballplayer. Wrigley’s tribute to Haray Caray is phenomenal. I mean “Holy Cow” it is so disturbing you can’t turn away. Those glasses put Erkel, Dwayne Wade and Russel Westbrook to shame talk about swag. Caray to me was one of the funniest dudes ever and the statue follows suit I absolutely loved it. Edge Wrigley!
Ballpark/Field – The atmosphere at both parks is so amazing. The nostalgia for many and the excitement of the first timers just oozes out all over and you can feel it in the air. Boston and Chicago are legit sports towns and I feel for anyone who doesn’t have that in there respective cities. However, Wrigley did have a slight problem. The powers that be thought it was ok to have Miranda Lambert or Martina McBride have a concert the night before and the outfield had a terrible looking stretch of grass. Danny was irate he couldn’t get over how bad it looked. Obviously they will get it fixed but it was an eye sore. I mean Fenway will have the Dropkick Murphy’s stop buy and play a song or two but we still get the field looking right the next day. I mean cutting the Red Sox symbol, a pic of JFK or Larry Bird is no problem. Edge Fenway!
Food – The final measuring stick is of course the goodies that you can get inside. I know this fitness sight is hardcore so some of you may want to skip a sentence or two. We walked by pizza, pretzels, sausages and ice cream, but the absolute truth of any ballpark is the classic hot dog. We ordered two and headed for the condiment table to finish this classic American experience. I however was shocked and angered to find that Wrigley does not provide spicy mustard. Danny had to talk me off the ledge I just couldn’t fathom not having spicy mustard in a ballpark. Shame Wrigley SHAME! Edge Fenway!
Well, there you have it an unbiased opinion of the two hallowed grounds. All joking aside though I loved Wrigley Field. Great fans, great food (minus the mustard incident), great history and overall a magical place that any sport fan should visit if they have the chance. Seeing my beloved Red Sox against the Cubbies was an amazing event and one I will never forget.
While I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited both historic parks, granted I was just a teenager when I visited Wrigley, I wasn’t able to appreciate the historic sense of it that I would today. When I think of Wrigley, I instantly think of Haray Caray, the games on WGN as a kid, and Ferris Bueller. And when it comes to Fenway park, my initial thought is the Monster. Danny, as a sports fan, you need to get to Fenway, even if its a non-Cubs-Red Sox matchup. I’d put Fenway and Wrigley up there with needing to see the Indy 500, a Super Bowl, a Boxing title bout, etc. on the Mount Rushmore of sports experiences. I’ll share just a few thoughts on my experiences at Fenway..
Having experienced a handful of baseball games with McKenna over the years, I can only imagine the experience Danny had. My first trip to Fenway in 2005 involved Kenny Rogers’ first start back after his “Cameraman” incident. I had high expectations heading to Fenway, and those were exceeded. Whether it was the abundent amount of overpriced beer, or the Fenway Franks, or being in great company with best friends, or the 35,000 McKenna’s with Boston accents, or the east coast heat and humidity, it was one of the best baseball game experiences in my life and it brought out the East Coast in me. Rogers got shelled and took the L in the game. What I love about Fenway, and what Wrigley has as well, is the complete fan support of the team. Living in Denver, I’ve adopted the Rockies as my team. In Denver, there are many transplants from many areas of the country. While nothing beats sitting in the outfield bleachers in seats made for individuals larger than 5′2″ and 100 pounds, it sickens me when major market teams like the Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees, etc. come in and convert Coors Field into Wrigley Field West, or Fenway West. Do not take what you have at Wrigley and Fenway for granted. Great history, and great fans.
Not a huge BB fan BUT I was born in Boston so…..
McKenna – Great breakdown! You and my good buddy Jeff Rinaldi are the best at this kind of thing and have made a few great contributions to my site!!!
I can’t wait to get to Fenway someday, and I’m glad you enjoyed your Wrigley experience so much. One thing I must say that Wrigley gets extra points for, that you left out… the rooftops. They are a unique touch to the stadium that add to the awesomeness that is, Wrigley Field!
Jason – Well done, sir! And you’re right, even I am never able to make it for a Cubs/Red Sox game in Boston, I still need to find a way to get out there no matter who they are playing.
Jody – Booooo!
I enjoyed McKennas breakdown also. Hopefully, he was able to get a glimpse of Ronnie Woo Woo to make the Wrigley visit complete.