The Cubs playing in their first World Series since 1945 has Chicagoans feeling lucky. Karen Michel of Evanston, Ill., was brought back to reality Tuesday evening in Cleveland.
She trekked to Progressive Field with the hope of grabbing a last-second ticket at the box office. Being as this was a World Series game, and the Indians had a chance to clinch their first title since 1948, all tickets were sold out.
So Michel walked away from the ticket window, down on her luck. She then ran into the Cubs' Evanston-born human mascot: Bill Murray.
"He turns around and says, 'Here, here's a ticket,' " Michel told MLB.com. "And he kind of shuttled me into the door. I thought it was just a ticket to get in. But it was a ticket to sit right here."
For Michel, "here" was a box seat a few rows behind home plate next to Murray.
"I watched five games at home, and they're showing Eddie Vedder, [Chris] Chelios, whatever, and I'm like, 'I wonder if I'll see any of those people,' " Michel said. "Now I'm here, and I see all kinds of people."
Vedder, the lead singer of Pearl Jam, and Chelios, a former Chicago Blackhawks star, sat a few rows in front of Murray and Michel. Indians fan Al Roker cheered from a seat directly behind them.
Michel, who wore a No. 18 Geovany Soto jersey, said she and Murray shared stories of their long Cubs fandom.
"I asked, 'When you went to the Cubs game, who did you go with?' " Michel said. "He said his brother and his father. I have all sisters, and me and my dad would go to the baseball games. We talked about stuff like that."
Music, please
Expect the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship to be a little bit louder in January.
At least before the first shot is struck.
Giles Morgan, the global head of sponsorship for HSBC, plans to have music on the practice range at Abu Dhabi. Players would choose the playlist. Music also was blaring on the range at Hazeltine during the Ryder Cup.
Morgan wants to create a little more of an atmosphere as players approach the first tee.
"We want to celebrate the moment," Morgan said. "We're looking at them coming from the putting green with the soundtrack they choose, and that sound feeds up from the hill when it's their time to go up. They've chosen their walk-up music. It happens in other sports, and it seems to work. It allows them through their choice of music to connect with the fans, and it humanizes them."
No positives
"The San Francisco 49ers are allowing the most points per game, and are averaging the fewest yards in the NFL," wrote Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com. "Talk about a well-balanced team."
Sports on 11/03/2016