Cubs weren't the only show at Wrigley

The Cubs and Pirates got themselves quite a buzz Friday.

It was practice day for the Chicago Air and Water Show, and the jets were out in full roar.

Starting in the Cubs' 10-run second inning, jets flew over and around Wrigley Field, providing the crowd of 41,619 a few thrills and the players on the field a few chills.

"They were loud, weren't they?" marveled Cubs manager Lou Piniella. "What a pretty sight. So fast, so graceful."

And so loud.

"The first time, I was on third (base), and I jumped," said Cubs catcher Koyie Hill. "I can't remember ever being actually scared for a second like that for a long time. They get your attention. I was glad when they stopped."

They didn't stop in time for Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton, who came out of the game in the second. If the aerial show disrupted Morton's concentration, he wasn't blaming the planes for his poor outing.

"Everyone out there had to play through it, so I'm not looking at it as anything that affected my performance," he said.

Ryan Theriot was at the plate when the first planes came out of the clear blue.

"I was on deck the first time it happened," said Theriot's teammate, Sam Fuld. "I heard that roar from the bleachers. They were the first ones to catch sight of it. I thought maybe there was some more action out there in the bleachers, a brawl or something. When I heard it, I almost jumped."

Being relatively new here, right fielder Kosuke Fukudome seemed more surprised than anything else.

"I was really shocked, and I don't think it's going to happen in Japan," he said. "I wasn't sure what was coming at first."

So the Cubs got to be participants in one event and spectators in another.

"Yeah, it was a little distracting," said Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee. "It was cool to watch, but it's hard to hit when you're expecting some bomber flying over your head. It was pretty fun to watch."