Only in Wrigleyville

It turns out I'm not alone. 

Countless New Yorkers were already spilling in and out of Wrigleyville's bars and pubs by the time I got outside, some boasting Yankees jerseys and others siding with the Mets. Unlike at Yankee Stadium or Shea Stadium, where fans don't generally linger too long before heading inside to take their seats, the fans outside of Wrigley relax here for hours.

"Wrigley Field is the world's biggest beer garden," Alex Peters, a bouncer outside of Harry Caray's Tavern told me. "You can't beat a town that loves baseball this much." 

I couldn't argue. Instead, I headed inside the tavern, where Cubs fans were everywhere. Some sat at tables, while others stood behind the bar, gazing at one of nearly 30 flat screen televisions, each of them showing baseball highlights from the previous night.

Harry Caray's opened just a few weeks ago, changing its name from Hi-Tops to honor the legendary Cubs broadcaster. It's a Chicago destination in its own right, though while I weaved through the bar, I couldn't help but notice some East Coast representation. Plenty of New Yorkers had made the trip out here, too, and I stumbled across one of them -- Justin Shibilski, 31 of Aurora, Ill. -- staring at some Cubs paraphernalia on the wall. 

"I'm a huge Yankee fan," he said, while his girlfriend, Amy Chatt, walked up by his side. Chatt was a Cubs fan born and raised in Illinois, so for one day, they both could be pleased.

"When I first saw the schedule come out, we noticed this date right away," Shibilski said. "I said, 'Honey, we've got to go.' It's great because I hate the Mets, and she loves the Cubs." 

Back in the center of the room, a group of nine New York fans -- some for the Yankees, others for the Mets -- gathered for the third day of a three-day bachelor party.

Dave Piacente, 30, of Montauk, N.Y., was the groom-to-be. Despite having few connections to the city, he knew exactly how he wanted to spend his Tuesday morning.

"Tell Major League Baseball that doing things like this gets people to go to games," one of his friends, Jake Williams, 31, also of Montauk, said. "We could have gone anywhere for this bachelor party, but this made us want to go to Chicago." 

They were everywhere, in every corner of every bar, from Harry Caray's to Murphy's Bleachers to the Cubby Bear on Addison St. Even adding to the excitement was the knowledge that while the Yankees and Mets each continued to hold legitimate hopes of playing into October, the White Sox and Cubs were also thriving. Entering Tuesday's play, those two Chicago teams sat in first place simultaneously for the first time since May 23, 2004.

Suffice it to say, there was more was at stake here than simple civic pride. 

That's why when another pair of fans waltzed out of Harry Caray's, one of them -- Nick Giampietro, 50, of Howard Beach, N.Y. -- drew attention for all of his Mets attire.

"I'm the pin man," he said, rather proudly. 

I took the bait.

"The pin man?" I asked.

He opened his wallet, producing a picture of the jersey he wears to about 40 Mets home games each season. It was covered with pins depicting Mets past and present -- 220 of them in all -- in a tribute he's been wearing on his shoulders for three years now.

"He's a budding celebrity," cracked his brother, Robert Giampietro.

Perhaps in New York. But on this day, here in Cubs country, he was the enemy.