A veteran of the Chicago beat reporting scene, David Schuster regularly writes about the sights and sounds of Chicago sports from the press box and locker room for MOUTHPIECE Blog.

All week leading up it, various Cub players said they would be subdued once they clinched a playoff spot. Well, when push came to shove they were anything but. The champagne flowed and poured over anyone in vicinity. I happened to be in that vicinity, but being a veteran media member, I long ago learned to dress down for these events so as not to get the good clothing ruined.

With the players all acting like they were having a wild pajama party, the funniest sight might have been watching Kosuke Fukodome watch his teammates celebrate. Fukodome has had to get used to a lot of American traditions but this was one he had yet to experience.

Of course, the fans were even wilder then the players themselves and stayed as long as the security people allowed them. When we got back up to the press box some 90 minutes after the game, there had to be about 5,000 fans still in the park acting like it was New Years Eve. These diehards were cheering everybody and even the grounds crew was getting showered with love as they took a victory lap around the field.

But if it was wild in the park that was nothing compared to what was going on outside the ballpark. Clark Street was closed down and became an outdoor beer garden and the local saloons were packed like sardine cans.

And keep in mind this was just the warm up to what the Cubs hope will be a World Series winner. Now that’s a party that I can’t wait to see.