Tagged: St. Louis
THANK YOU CUBS FANS! Final Trip of 2012: Cards @ Cubs, July 27th-29th
Hey Cubs fans! We’re shouting a huge THANK YOU for travelling with us during the 2012 season! With many ups a downs during the 2012 campaign, one thing remained a constant; the dedication of the Cubs Destinations fans throughout! We also need to thank David DeJesus, Bryan LaHair, Tony Campana and Darwin Barney for taking the time our of their busy schedules to hang out with us! We hope to see them compete in 2013 as well as all of you Cubs loyalists who are keeping the faith!!
Our last trip of the year was at Wrigley hosting those dreaded St. Louis Cardinals. Game 1 was an impressive display of offense from both dugouts. The Cards had home runs in each of the first 5 innings but the Cubs matched that with 3 runs in the first and third. The Cards’ bats turned out too much in the end, winning the game 9 to 3. The Saturday contest changed styles and was a rubber match. Joe Kelly threw 6 innings and Jeff Samardzija went 7 giving up only 2 runs each. The winning run you ask? An RBI bunt off the bat of Reed Johnson in the 7th, the only pitch he saw the whole game. “That was all on his own,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. “Reed is one of them baseball players that has those things in his toolbox. He’s just an ultimate baseball player that you love having around,” he said. Sunday’s game was an even better treat, Anthony Rizzo’s first walk-off homer in his entire baseball career! He hit a two-run shot in the 10th causing what seemed like an explosion in Wrigleyville. “This is the best,” an elated Rizzo said. “This is something I’ve always dreamed of doing since I was a little kid. I’ve never done it before. Not in the minors, not in little league, not ever. This is awesome.” What a series at Wrigley!! Our fans enjoyed an awesome VIP tour of Wrigley, a breakfast reception with All-Star Bryan LaHair, and a slew of autographs during batting practice before the gates opened! We had great accommodations at the Westin Michigan Avenue and gift bags waiting for everyone at check-in. Check out the testimonial from one of our fans on the trip, and some more pictures below!
“Thanks to Cubs Destinations, three generations of die hard Cub fans had a wonderful experience. The staff was excellent, professional and very accommodating. If it could be done, it happened! Especially gratifying was my Grandson’s first trip to Wrigley. I wanted this to be a memorable event for him and Cubs Destinations definitely made that happen. It doesn’t get any better when you have a Wrigley VIP tour in the morning, breakfast with a very courteous Bryan LaHair, autographs for my Grandson during batting practice time and then sing Go Cubs Go at the end of the game, especially when you beat the Cardinals. Just a perfect day. We unanimously recommend Cubs Destinations!” –Tom, Jeremy and Drew Stines – Chicago ’12
All-Star Bryan LaHair with a young fan
First visit to Wrigley!
The Legendary Ivy!
- Some fans with “Mr. Cub”
Bryan with the group!
If you haven’t traveled with Cubs Destinations, scroll down to see some of the amazing adventures Cubs’ fans had for the past 4 seasons. You can also visit www.cubs.com/cubsdestinations to get more information. Feel free to call us at (617) 226-6550 or e-mail info@cubsdestinations.com if you have any questions!
See you in 2013! GO CUBBIES!
– Cubs Destinations
St. Louis August 13th – 15th
The Destinations crew headed to St. Louis this past weekend to take on the rival Cardinals! Fans stayed at the exceptional St. Louis Westin, literally across the street from Busch Stadium (some guest rooms face the ballpark!) The heat index was at or around 100 degrees for the weekend, however Busch Stadium filled to capacity as both Cubs and Cardinals fans poured in to catch the series.
Destinations travelers weren’t turned away by the St. Louis heat, but instead took the great opportunity to visit a new ballpark and cheer on their team. The weekend began with a tough loss on Friday night as the Cubs got behind early and couldn’t fight their way back into the game. After the loss, Destinations fans made the short walk back to the hotel to rest up for their busy day of events on Saturday.
The ballpark tour “beat the heat” on Saturday as fans got to explore the recently built (2006) Busch Stadium in the morning. Cardinals’ experts guided fans around while giving details on the new stadium as well as the extensive history of the Cardinals history (they refrained from gloating about the Cardinals’ World Series victories.) The Destinations crew made stops in the pressbox, party rooms, luxury suites, club areas, premium seating areas and made a final stop on the field! Check out a few of the pictures below!
Next, the group headed to the Champions Club where brunch and drinks awaited. Sean Marshall paid the group a visit. Sean signed autographs for the group as well as posed for pictures and met the group members. He sat down with the group for an informal question-and-answer session where he fielded all sorts of questions. Marshall highlighted his experiences in the League, with the Cubs and playing at Wrigley Field (which is his favorite park!) Check out a few of the pictures from the event!
The remainder of the series was all positive for Cubs fans as their team took the last two games of the weekend series. On Saturday afternoon, home runs by Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez led the Cubs’ offense. Carlos Zambrano pitched 5.2 innings giving up 2 runs to the Cardinals; the Cubs bullpen finished the game, shutting down the Cardinals offense completely. The Destinations crew was able to see Sean Marshall pitch 1.1 innings of shutout baseball! The Cubs ended the exciting win with a 3-2 final score.
There was more celebrating on Sunday as the Cubs finished the series with a win. The Cubs offense was hot (as was the weather) for this Sunday afternoon showdown. Ryan Dempster picked up his 10th win after pitching 6.2 innings and giving up 2 runs. A sixth run fourth inning gave the Cubs an 8-2 lead early in the game. Sean Marshall came in to pitch two scoreless outs where he gave up a walk and recorded two strikeouts! The Cardinals mounted a comeback in the ninth inning, scoring 5 runs and making the score 9-7. The Cubs were able to get out of the inning, avoided the scare and took the series!
Cubs Destinations travelers headed back to the hotel to pack their bags and head home. The series was a success; the Cubs battled against their rivals, winning two of three games, and Destinations fans got the chance to see a new ballpark and city while enjoying a baseball filled weekend vacation!
To learn more about booking your own Cubs Destinations trip or to sign up for our e-mail list for 2011, please visit www.cubs.com/cubsdestinations or send us an e-mail!
Cubs Destinations 