Cubs, fans gear up for Game 3 Monday at Wrigley Field

Monday, October 12, 2015

Cubs, fans gear up for Game 3 Monday at Wrigley Field

The Chicago Cubs and their fans are gearing up for Game 3 of the National League Divisional Series against the Cardinals Monday.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago Cubs and their fans are gearing up for Game 3 of the National League Divisional Series against the Cardinals Monday after evening up the best-of-five games series in St. Louis Saturday night.

The Cardinals and Cubs are tied at one game apiece heading into the first playoff game at Wrigley Field in seven years. The Cubs will have pitching ace Jake Arrieta on the mound on Monday night (5 p.m., Chicago time) for his first start since he shut out Pittsburgh in the wild-card game.

All around Chicago, support is on full display as fans stock up on anything and everything sporting Cubs blue.

"Getting a hat, a tank top, and one of these shirts here; might end up getting them all," said fan Ali Baer, who traveled from Texas for Monday's game.

Employees at Sportswear in Wrigleyville say they are hiring extra security for the game and making sure to stock up on the "Mission October" shirts.

Business is good now, and it's only going to get better as they go farther," said Josh Sklar, Sportswear.

Tickets available for a steep price

For fans interested in buying tickets for Game 3, StubHub had about 3,000 of them as of Sunday evening, but even the cheap seats aren't so cheap. Tickets start at $150.

Ticket broker Steve Buzil said that for a better view you'll be paying a lot more.

"Then prices go on up to about $1,300-1,400 dollars apiece," he said.

If the Cubs win Monday's game, Buzil says tickets on Tuesday will climb up to $400 for standing-room-only seats.

"I'd probably do it in the World Series, but at that point it's going to be thousands, not hundreds," said Cubs fan Howard Abrams.

Experts say fans looking to purchase tickets should do it through a broker, not from someone on the street.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon enjoys breakfast at Wrigley Field Sunday morning.

Breakfast was served at Wrigley Field

Cubs manager Joe Maddon's calm cool approach to his first October with on the North Side was on display Sunday, with breakfast, batting practice and the Bears-Chiefs game all a part of the team's Game 3 preparation.

A classic breakfast buffet set up on Wrigley Field's warning track Sunday morning included a roasted pig, as well as a bacon station. Maddon made batting practice optional as the team watched the Bears pull out a win in Kansas City on the big board.

Maddon has encouraged his team to take a mental break from baseball all season and this group is totally buying into it.

"That was nice, that was the first time I've ever had breakfast on the field, that's for sure," Cubs catcher David Ross said. "That was a lot of fun. A beautiful day out there. It's nice to get out there on the grass and just lay around and watch a little football, eat some breakfast."

"It was outstanding, our guys killed it," Maddon said. "It was spectacular, exceeded expectations. To get back home and be able to play in front of our fans is really a unique experience for me, obviously, and for a lot of our players. I could feel the excitement within the city. Again, I probably say it too often, but I feel really fortunate to be part of this moment."

David Ross tweets ticket offer for memories

If you can't find a ticket or don't want to cough up the hundreds of dollars for Monday's Game 3 of the NLDS, Cubs catcher David Ross is offering an alternative.

Ross tweeted out a message telling fans to tweet their favorite Cubs moment from the past season with one fan earning two tickets to Monday's game.