CHICAGO – Laurie Shaw heard the roar of the crowd and let out a laugh.The Chicago Cubs were about to open their season at long last against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, and it sure sounded like a packed house at Wrigley Field.Of course, no fans were allowed inside the famed ballpark.
The noise was piped in — one of many oddities in a season like no other. But the recorded cheer of the crowd and the crack of the bat were welcomed sounds for baseball-starved fans even if stadiums are off-limits to the general public.
In a delayed season condensed to 60 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they'll have to make do.“It's a little unusual to hear fake crowd noise, but we can hear the new organist and that's great,” Shaw said as she watched.