April 20--Few things better epitomize a Chicago summer than knocking back a couple of belts in the Wrigley Field stands while watching another Cubs attempt at relevancy.
But this past weekend, in our storied North Side yard, baseball and beer came together in an unprecedented, and potentially pioneering, way.
We might all be witnessing the birth of #ChugBall. Allow us to explain.
As the Cubs aimed to close out a win against the Padres on Saturday, a foul ball careened smack dab into Krista Dotzenrod's overpriced cup of beer, and the video went viral.
"I did not see it coming at all," the 24-year-old Old Town resident said Monday. "I was in a conversation, just holding my beer. I look down, and my cup of beer is foaming like crazy."
Like any great fan, she held the now-overflowing baseball-laden brew high to the sky as those around her cheered.
"That beverage just got a little foamier," one announcer quipped.
Dotzenrod then reared her head back and downed the beer like a boss.
"The people behind me are like, 'chug it, chug it, chug it,'" Dotzenrod said, "so that's what I did."
One commenter on the sports website Deadspin claimed to be sitting two rows behind the woman.
Dotzenrod said multiple media outlets and admirers have reached out to her since Saturday.
"Of all the things to go viral for," she tweeted Sunday. "I thank Beer for my 15 minutes."
Her foul ball made it home safe and sound.
"It's in a stack of Wrigley beer cups, sitting in my apartment," she said.
That wasn't it for foul ball-related beer feats this past weekend.
At the Cubs game Sunday, a foul ball appeared to drop, again, into a fan's beer. The fan proceeded to chug his brew down.
"That one ended up in the beer as well," the announcer said, "and a new tradition is born."
While it was being debated online Monday whether that guy actually caught the ball in his beer, there is no doubt that we are bearing witness to the arrival of #ChugBall.
Chicago, let's make this a thing.
If a foul ball is lucky enough to come your way, even if it doesn't land in your beer, you must plunk it into your beer and then chug said beer. With any luck, #ChugBall will become a part of the iconic Wrigley and U.S. Cellular Field experiences.
As a pioneer of the phenomenon, Dotzenrod supports the #ChugBall campaign.
"I would totally support that policy," she said.
Not that we care too much about any St. Louis Cardinals-related news, but also Sunday, a fan appeared to catch another foul ball in his cup of beer at a Cards game. But he just dumped out the beer and pulled the ball out. Because The Cardinals. Whatever.
geoffz@tribpub.com
