Bill Murray Was Bill Murray, For Better Or Worse, At Wrigley Field
By Samantha Abernethy in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 6, 2012 8:20PM
Bill Murray threw out the first pitch of the season at Wrigley Field yesterday, but before making the throw, he took off to run the bases and slide into home. Murray, a treasured Cubs fan, is known for these kind of goofy antics — remember when he heckled a Packers fan? — but some folks didn't take too warmly to it this time.
The McNeil and Spiegel show on 670 The Score said "the eighth inning was terrible with him in the booth" and Murray's base-running antics were annoying "because it's being a clown for sake of being a clown." Apparently Murray was clowning around at the Bulls game last night, too.
There was the once famous and formerly funny comedian, Bill Murray, serving up his usual tiresome brand of shtick, running around the bases like a hyperactive kid and throwing out the ceremonial first pitch like an old woman. He would later bellow out a loutish version of Take Me Out To The Ballgame during the always excruciating 7th inning stretch before joining TV broadcasters Len Kasper and Bob Brenly for some uninspired banter that lasted into the 8th inning.
Honestly, how could Bill Murray ruin a Cubs game more than the Cubs? An unscientific poll by CLTV yesterday showed that ZERO percent of Cubs fans polled believe the Cubs will make it to the playoffs. If you're not in it to win it, you might as well have some fun. The Tribune asked Murray about his stunt.
“I knew I wanted to slide because I knew he was going to try to put the tag on me,” Murray said jokingly about Kerry Wood, who stood at home plate to accept the opening pitch. “I don’t know if that was a true slide. It wasn’t really a pop-up slide. I was thinking about a pop-up slide. I wasn’t able to perform the pop-up slide. I wasn’t even able to keep my hat on my head. And it might not have been a slide, it may have been a collapse.”
Murray autographed that ball he threw, wrote "Good Luck, Ryan," and gave it to Ryan Dempster, who threw it away. Seriously. Apparently Dempster didn't notice the message and the Nationals' Ian Desmond found it later.
Watch Murray's run below. Then listen to CBS's McNeil and Spiegel show to hear what they had to say about it, starting at 16:30.
The McNeil and Spiegel show on 670 The Score: