Catch a Chicago Sports Bar this Summer!

Forget the 80s and 90s, when the summers in Chicago meant you could score easy tickets for games pitting the hometown squads against the perennial contenders from Atlanta and New York.

At least for this season, MLB's balance of power in both leagues has rotated to the Windy City, and that means hot tickets and sellouts have become the norm at Wrigley and U.S. Cellular.

Up on the North Side
The excitement level here hasn't been this high since 1984, when a lean, mean second-sacker named Sandberg led a ragtag group of veterans to within one game of the World Series. The surge of energy and optimism is almost tangible, and you can certainly feel it when you walk in the doorways of sports bars in Wrigleyville.

At crowded, stadium-area gathering spots like Cubby Bear, pint-glass debates that once focused on blown saves, "close-but-no-cigar" rallies, and disappointing player transactions now head in the other direction. And that's not just because of the summer-long, $4 special on Cubby Blue Bombs.

Cub fans (and many Cubs as well) have been ducking into the building that houses Murphy's for a long time, and it continues to be THE spot on game day. You can earn friends (and a few pink vodka lemonades) quickly if you make a good case for Carlos Zambrano winning 20 games and bringing home the city's first Cy Young award since Jack McDowell did it in 1993. Take it easy, Cub fans – Maddux won in 1992.

Down on North Clark, Sluggers plays up the baseball theme every night. If the Cubs are on, rest assured that every plasma screen in the house is tuned in; otherwise, attention turns to the batting cages and other sports games upstairs. An added boon: after every Cubs home game this summer, Slugger's presents fun (and often rowdy) dueling piano shows.

In Lakeview
The upscale confines of Schoolyard Tavern draw a more metro brand of sports fan. Between noshing on fish tacos and downing Hoegaardens, though, most of the crowd still pays attention to the pitch-count. There's also a lot to be said about a kitchen that's not afraid to put tater tots on the menu!

Lincoln Park Quality
Due to the eclectic vibe of this neighborhood, it's not surprising that loyalties begin to even out a tad. That's what you'll find at Raven's, but it never stops folks from relaxing in the beer garden and having a great time ... as long as there's not an "El series" going on, that is. At the intersection of Lincoln, Armitage and Sedwick, Gamekeepers definitely has a "college feel," but it's still a great place to watch MLB. And just to toss this out there: Derrek Lee and Jermaine Dye appear scary-huge on the massive HDTV DLP projector screens. They're open until 4am, too.

Closer to DePaul, is McGee's. Sufficiently tapped and TVed (they have more than 30 of both), this pubby place is especially packed in August when it hosts an all-you-eat-for-$20 event called Pork Fest. Right next to the Armitage El stop, Kincade's 40 HD plasma TVs make it yet another solid place to catch a game. They sweeten the pot by offering free Wii on Tuesday nights. So now you can show everybody how you'd turn on that big league curveball.

Down on the South Side
Despite winning the World Series in 2005, South Siders are as desperate as ever for a winner. Credit Ozzie Guillen, the Sox's oh-so-candid field general who makes it seem like the season hangs in the balance every game. Like him or loathe him, he's got half the city convinced the mountain is climbable.

The most "decorated" sports bar on the White Sox side of town is a blue collar joint on South State called the South Loop Club. Most folks either really love or really hate the SLC – testimony that the place is loaded with character (and characters). Inflatable beer-stuff, old helmets, and countless posters give it plenty of man-room charm, and the tasty grillwork and plentiful brews make sure the testosterone levels are always high.

Expect a little less attitude at Alcock's on South Wells, where they serve tasty Reggie's Pizza by the slice, and the traders wedge themselves in for Karaoke Fridays. Like the SLC above, the regulars take the hometown teams seriously, so have fun but be mindful of your manners.