JasonMath

I'll be in the bleachers for opening day! For anyone is going to the game or to Wrigleyville tomorrow night, bring an umbrella or rain gear - thunderstorms are likely in the late afternoon/early evening.

FYI: Cubs Club membership for 2017 is now available. It includes: - Personalized membership card - Welcome letter - Cubs Club sticker - 10 percent off a single eligible order at MLBShop.com* - Subscription to 2017 MLB.com® Gameday Audio for your computer - Exclusive email newsletter - Access to members-only website with exclusive content and special offers The package is priced at $19.95 per year. The gameday audio subscription alone is $19.99/year, so if you're looking to buy that subscription, it makes more sense to sign up for Cubs Club. Any automatically renewed memberships in 2017 may come with premiums (e.g., hat, sticker) of equal or greater value to the items provided as premiums in 2016. I signed up for the package yesterday, so I will be getting my official membership card in 4-6 weeks. The e-mail from the Cubs looks like it was copy-and-pasted from last year (complete with the membership expiring on December 21, 2016), so I called the Cubs fan service number to let them know about this.

I decided to try visiting the website on Internet Explorer, and was able to access the presale website - apparently, there were problems accessing the website on Firefox. For some of the games, StubHub is actually cheaper than the Cubs presale price. Right now, the Mets game on September 14 is $68 for a bleacher seat on Cubs.com, but $47 on StubHub. On the other hand, the Pirates game on April 15 is $98 for a bleacher seat on Cubs.com, and $102 on StubHub. As long as the game isn't in high demand, the Cubs.com ticket prices should be going down with the general on-sale (especially if StubHub prices fall as well). Tickets for the high demand games were cheaper with the 14-game ticket packs (around $25 cheaper in the case of the June 11 Rockies game bleacher seats), so I definitely saved some money vs. buying single game tickets.

That's awesome, UMFan83! That is so exciting. I have been really bummed that they blacked out Opening Day when I ordered my 14 game pack. I haven't missed Opening Day since I moved to Chicago in 2008 and I don't want to miss 2017. But I didn't want to mess around with this Mastercard thing because the 20% premium thing just seems so ridiculous. Although at this rate, I'll probably wind up paying 200% premium when I don't get tickets on Friday and have to go thru StubHub :( I decided to visit the website today, and it was definitely a game of "Press Your Luck". I was on the site at noon, and I had to wait 15 minutes to get to the ticket selection screen; by that time, the website was having difficulties due to the high volume of transactions. I tried selecting various games, and the website kept giving me that error message (this was between 12:15 PM and 12:20 PM). I'm definitely thankful that I decided to buy the ticket packs so that I could get to almost all of the games that I wanted to attend. As for StubHub, at least prices have definitely gone down with the presale. I was tracking the price of bleacher seats over the past few days for opening day. The least expensive seat went down around $120 (from around $350 to $226 including fees). If any more tickets are released for opening day on Friday, I'm sure the secondary market prices will decline even more. Interestingly enough, the bleacher seat prices on StubHub for the September 14 Mets game were actually slightly cheaper than what the Cubs were charging; I'm sure the Cubs are looking at the StubHub prices and adjusting their own ticket prices accordingly.

I took advantage of this nice weather to go on a long walk and see Wrigley Field for the first time since November! I stopped by around 5:40 PM. - The entrance at Clark & Addison is still fenced off - the marquee is lit and still says "World Series Champions". There's still a guy on the NW corner of Clark & Addison selling Cubs merchandise. - The new western plaza (including the adjacent sidewalk) is also fenced off. - The W Flag is still flying high on the Wrigley Field scoreboard, and it still says "Cleveland - Cubs". - The Waveland Ave bleacher wall is uncovered and has been thoroughly cleaned. There are ticket windows along that wall next to the main bleacher gate. - The Sheffield Ave bleacher wall is still fenced off. - There is a view into the stadium from Gate 8.5 (near the right field foul pole). Construction equipment is still on the field. - The SE corner along Addison & Sheffield is still fenced off along with the sidewalks. Also stopped by Wrigleyville Sports to see if they had any merchandise that I wanted. Select hoodies (NL champions and black parade ones) are $20, and select postseason/NL championship t-shirts are $5.

Since it's only one bleacher ticket, I'm willing to pay an extra $5 to the game to avoid the hassles of the VWR and secure my ticket. The game did "sell out" when I was purchasing my flex packs at 12:05 PM the day they went on sale (December 14), so I suspect that any remaining tickets will sell at a decent rate.

The online-only presale is over, and the general sale will start at 10:00 AM on Friday, February 24 with the virtual waiting room for online purchases opening at 9:30 AM. Any customers in the VWR by 10:00 AM will be selected randomly to purchase tickets. Tickets can also be purchased on the MLB Ballpark app or by calling 800-THE-CUBS (800-843-2827) at 10:00 AM on Friday. The Budweiser Bleacher ticket window will be open on Monday, February 27 at 8:00 AM for in-person ticket sales. Press release: http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/216132908/cubs-announce-2017-mastercard-presale-and-single-game-ticket-on-sale-dates/

If the score was tied 0-0 entering the 10th with one pitcher (or pitchers) throwing a perfect game, would that go away since there is now a runner on base? Would the runner who gets to go to 2nd have an official at bat, and would their on-base percentage increase? This opens up an unneeded can of worms. Besides, part of the fun of baseball is all the quirks of extra inning games. If this is seriously on the table for MLB, I would rather see the game end in an official tie after 15 innings rather than introduce gimmicks like this. The "no pitch" intentional walk proposal is also another gimmick that I don't like, since it would eliminate plays like this:

2016 seats are now sold out. There are still seats from the 2015 offseason available.

Thanks for the tip! Got a few more Cubs t-shirts, and they were $8.40 each (plus tax).

The 2017 Promotions and Giveaways schedule is now available. No replica ring game on the schedule - there is a replica championship banner giveaway for the ring ceremony game (April 12), as well as a replica World Series trophy giveaway for the game on April 15. http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/schedule/promotions.jsp?c_id=chc&y=2017

FYI - This change in ticketing is only for single-game tickets. Season ticket holders will still get traditional paper tickets mailed to them. I purchased two 14-game ticket packs, and I will be receiving them in the mail in February. (I also had the option of picking them up at the box office in March.) The 14-game ticket pack had no instant, print-at-home, or mobile options.

Same here. Next year is here, and it's going to be awesome! I can't wait to go see the Cubs at Wrigley Field without that huge weight on my shoulder as a fan. Already got a bleacher seat for the ring ceremony game, and I have a smile on my face as I'm typing these words. Last year was fun, let's win two (World Series championships)! :flythew:

Bought one of the 2017 Cubs calendars today at Costco.

The special features include regular season and postseason highlights, along with parade highlights. There is also an interview with David Ross. As for the second disc, it's just a DVD copy of the film. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Tapatalk

I had a fun time watching the Cubs at Miller Park on July 24, and had even more fun at Wrigley Field for game 2 of the NLDS cheering on the Cubs from the bleachers! After the NLDS game, I decided that I wanted to go to many more games at Wrigley Field in 2017. I couldn't narrow down my games to fourteen and I hoped to go to many Sunday games, so I got two 14-game flex packs in the bleachers to cover all of them. I am looking at going to 18 games at Wrigley, and I'll sell the other tickets to family and friends at face value. Here's the regular season games that I will be attending: Wednesday, April 12 - Cubs vs. Dodgers (Ring Ceremony) - 7:05 PM Sunday, April 16 - Cubs vs. Pirates - 1:20 PM Monday, April 17 - Cubs vs. Brewers - 7:05 PM Wednesday, May 3 - Cubs vs. Phillies - 7:05 PM Thursday, May 4 - Cubs vs. Phillies - 1:20 PM Sunday, May 7 - Cubs vs. Yankees - 7:05 PM Sunday, May 21 - Cubs vs. Brewers - 1:20 PM Tuesday, June 6 - Cubs vs. Marlins - 7:05 PM Sunday, June 11 - Cubs vs. Rockies - 1:20 PM Tuesday, July 4 - Cubs vs. Rays - 1:20 PM Sunday, July 23 - Cubs vs. Cardinals - 7:05 PM Monday, July 24 - Cubs vs. White Sox - 1:20 PM Wednesday, July 26 or Thursday, July 27 - White Sox vs. Cubs - TBD (at Guaranteed Rate Field) Sunday, August 6 - Cubs vs. Nationals - TBD Sunday, August 20 - Cubs vs. Blue Jays - 1:20 PM Tuesday, August 29 - Cubs vs. Pirates - 7:05 PM Sunday, September 3 - Cubs vs. Braves - TBD Sunday, September 10 - Cubs vs. Brewers - 1:20 PM Sunday, October 1 - Cubs vs. Reds (Last game of regular season) - 2:20 PM TBD - Brewers vs. Cubs (at Miller Park) The only teams that I don't get to see at Wrigley are the Giants, Padres, Diamondbacks, and Mets. The only teams that I'll see more than once at Wrigley are the Brewers (3 times), Pirates (2 times), and Phillies (2 times), so I'll see many different opposing teams (14) in my visits to Wrigley. :flythew:

You can always get Cubs books and DVD's/Blu-Ray's over there. I got the Cubs WS Blu-Rays at Costco when they were available ($24.99 for the film, $49.99 for the 8-disc set), and they're now the same price on Amazon. I got a flex-pack and thus will be attending several Cubs games next year, so I got plenty of clothing to wear to Wrigley Field. I definitely stocked up on memorabilia, and bought whatever I felt that I would want several years down the road. My condo is definitely much more blue than a few months ago! Here's the final list: - Four t-shirts - two generic Cubs sweat-wicking shirts and two licensed World Series championship shirts (non-locker room) - "Raise the Flag" NL championship hoodie - 3-in-1 Cubs jacket - Cubs hat with WS Champions patch on side - Cubs knit cap, scarf and gloves - Several Cubs books (the WS coffee-table book and other Cubs reference books) - Several Cubs commemorative magazines (Tribune, Sun-Times, Sports Illustrated, Life, and the official MLB magazine) - Official World Series program - Four WS tumbler glasses and coasters - Chicago Tribune & Sun-Times papers from the day after NLCS Game 6 win, and Thursday-Sunday after WS Game 7 win - Three World Series champions posters - Two 20" by 16" framed pictures (#1 - Team posing with "W" flag after winning NL pennant at Wrigley; #2 - Pictures of West Side Grounds and Wrigley Field) - WS Blu-Rays (Cubs film and 8-disc set) - Ronnie Woo Woo DVD documentary and two Wrigley Field Blu-Ray documentaries - A big 3' by 5' W flag In addition, I have been reading some Cubs books from the local library to pass the time. Go CUBS !!

670 AM (Chicago) is replaying the game where Montero hit the walk off home run (September 16) as part of 12 Days of Cubsmas. There will be daily full game broadcasts of pivotal 2016 Cubs games until Christmas! Broadcast schedule: http://sportsradiopd.com/2016/12/670-the-score-introduces-the-12-days-of-cubsmas/ Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Tapatalk

Those two plays are in the World Series highlights bonus feature, but they should have been included in the film. Still, this was a great film, especially since it came out only a month after the World Series ended. I bought a copy and watched it last night. When watching the film, my emotions from the World Series came flooding back to me, and I was cheering and praying during the film just like I was when watching the games back in October - November. The extras were also great, and I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who's a baseball fan.

Just went to my local Chicago-area Costco, and there are several dozen copies of the Blu-Ray combo version of the film. $24.99 plus tax. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Tapatalk

Got the MLB official 2016 Chicago Cubs championship paperback book today, and I'm still waiting on the hardcover official coffee-table style book (temporarily out of stock on Amazon). I also recently bought four of the World Series championship tumbler glasses from my local Jewel-Osco, along with matching coasters. As for MLBShop, some of my items came very quickly, but my 3' by 5' Cubs W flag took 3 weeks to arrive after I ordered it. No tracking information or updates until a few days before I got the item, and even the tracking number was the wrong one. At least I got all my merchandise...

Weekend passes are on sale beginning at 10:00 AM tomorrow. Link: http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/chc/fan_forum/cubs-convention/

Costco now has new Cubs merchandise: - Chicago Tribune commemorative magazines ($9) - Chicago Sun-Times book ($15) - Commemorative LIFE magazine ($9) - Two Cubs childrens books (one by Ryan Dempster) ($9) - Sports Illustrated commemorative issue ($11) - Cubs World Series youth hoodie ($23) All of the magazines and books are 30-40% off retail price.

The prices on all those items are correct. It's not the locker room apparel, but it is officially licensed World Series apparel. I did like the t-shirt, and bought one of them. Costco also has many commemorative magazines ($4-$10) as well as 20" by 16" framed Cubs-related pictures ($50). I also just bought Cubs gloves, a Cubs scarf, and Al Yellon's book. With the 3-in-1 coat and a winter Cubs hat I bought earlier, I'll definitely be warm in Wrigley no matter what temperature it is! :flythew: let me know if that costco shirt shrinks. I hate gambling with t-shirts and my belly I just bought the Cubs World Series Costco shirt, and have not yet washed it. It is 100% cotton, so it might shrink in the wash. There was also a sweat-wicking 100% polyester Cubs t-shirt ($18) with no World Series branding, which I bought a month ago. The polyester shirt still fits after at least one wash. FYI, I just got an e-mail from the RedEye (a free Chicago Tribune-affiliated paper). They have a 15% discount on all merchandise for today and tomorrow. The store includes Chicago Tribune and RedEye press plates, t-shirts, and other Cubs items. Use promo code "SORRY" at checkout for the discount. Link: http://store.redeyechicago.com/sports/mlb/chicago-cubs.html

The prices on all those items are correct. It's not the locker room apparel, but it is officially licensed World Series apparel. I did like the t-shirt, and bought one of them. Costco also has many commemorative magazines ($4-$10) as well as 20" by 16" framed Cubs-related pictures ($50). I also just bought Cubs gloves, a Cubs scarf, and Al Yellon's book. With the 3-in-1 coat and a winter Cubs hat I bought earlier, I'll definitely be warm in Wrigley no matter what temperature it is! :flythew: