Wow. Lots of commentary on today's game, I see.
I watched the game from the bleachers for the first time maybe 25 years, or more (thanks, Robb). I exclusively sat in the bleachers for probably the first 10-15 years of going to games. But it took sitting there again after all these years for me to remember the unique subculture of the bleachers.
It really is a party atmosphere, kinda like being in a bar watching a game on tv. The play "Bleacher Bums" really did capture the spirit of the place. There clearly were regulars who knew each other, including a guy dressed in a green jacket with shamrocks, a green fake beard and Notre Dame paraphernalia. He posed for photos with a number of people. But until the 5th inning, people mostly paid attention to the game.
However, with the Cardinals taking a big lead, someone near me started stacking plastic beer cups (an age old tradition in the bleachers late in the game). Pretty quickly, just about everyone was focused on that, and paying no attention whatever to the game. Eventually the stack was probably 10 feet long at least. I said to my daughter, who had never been in the bleachers before, "at least they aren't chanting left field sucks." So, of course, within two minutes the chant began, again, with no one paying any attention to the game.
In the bottom of the 6th inning, when the Cubs started coming back, most of the crowd shifted to watching the game (mostly). After the game, I remembered how different it felt when I first began sitting in the stadium - where pretty much everybody pays attention the game.
I don't begrudge the folks in the bleacher their fun, but I learned that I like watching games in the stadium more.