Out with the new and in with the old. Yes, I do realize that I said the saying backwards, but when it comes to the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley field sometimes older just might be a good thing – a VERY good thing.
The Numbers: Wrigley Field opened on April 23rd, 1914, and is one of the oldest stadiums in Major League Baseball, behind only Boston’s Fenway Park. The stadium had been renovated in 1937 and in 1988 and has since been expanded many times; 1922, 1927, 2006 and recently in 2012. The seating capacity is about 41,009 seats but can go up with standing room to 42,374. The Stadium is located on 1060 West Addison Street Chicago, Illinois. The stadium is surrounded by residential houses and streets with a mix of bars and restaurants, and this area is referred to as Wrigleyville.
So what makes it special?
Wrigley Field has many iconic pieces of history within it, but possibly the most iconic aspect to Wrigley Field is the ivy-covered outfield walls. Because of the location, Wrigley is very close to many buildings with high rooftops that could see the baseball field and the game itself. Many of the older stadiums decided to block the view, but the Cubs let it go for a while until people started to build bleachers. The Cubs management finally and peacefully went into talks with the city of Chicago and were granted permission to expand and make newer bleachers on top of the roofs; the Cubs also share some of the proceeds of the tickets with the building owners. The rooftop experience varies from building to building depending on the location and some have bars and serve food for the fans that go watch the game on the roof.
Wrigley’s location has unique wind patterns that can affect the game. Wind coming off of Lake Michigan can push a ball that was easily a homerun back into play. Sometimes wind from a different location can knock a fly ball out of the park and turn it into a homerun, which makes wind an uncontrollable factor at a Cubs game. Just like Fenway Park, Wrigley is one of the last parks that have a hand-turned scoreboard. The scoreboard is mounted behind the centerfield bleachers, which makes it much harder to hit during a game. There are 16 flagpoles representing the 16 teams in the National League (although one will be taken away because of Houston moving to the AL) and the order of the flag is determined by the current standings.
Over the main entrance of the stadium you can see another stadium icon; the red deco style marquee, which has been there since 1934. The marquee over the years has been changed a bit with different colors and by adding an electronic screen instead of manually changing the words.
There have been talks over the years of adding a video screen, but they cannot replace the hand-turned scoreboard because of the fact that Wrigley Field is a national landmark. The landmark status also prevents the stadium from having simple face lifts, although the new ownership in Chicago is trying to get the “ok” to make some of their own changes to the field itself. If they get to make the changes they want, personally I hope that it will not bare a heavy impact on the stadium because Wrigley is a beautiful field and is a representation of summertime and baseball in the afternoon. Could it get any better than that?
Oh, I forgot to mention a not-so-fun fact about the Cubs; the club hasnever won a World Series at Wrigley field, which is unbelievable in itself. It was said that the “Curse of the Billy Goat” was placed on Wrigley Field in 1945 when Billy Sianis was asked to leave a World Series game against the Detroit Tigers at Wrigley field when his pet goat’s odor was bothering fellow Cubs fans. I hope that the Cubs win soon because the curse of the goat is almost looking real – how else do we explain Steve Bartman’s fate?
Stadiums like Wrigley Field, AT&T Park, and Miller Park are all great examples of why baseball stadiums are so fantastic. Young or old, they have their own history to tell. Stadiums have different ways to draw in the fans and they have many great ways to give the paying fans a great time and an experience that makes them want to come back. They are great fun and target everyone in the family so that everyone can enjoy their time at the game.
As I have previously mentioned, Hockey arenas and Football stadiums have a great atmosphere and are really fun to be in, but in the summertime give me a baseball game in a gorgeous stadium and bring on the fun. As I have said more than once, I really hope that one day I will get to see these stadiums. It is the little effects that make things fun, but the big stadiums have that effect as well.
I hope you enjoyed these past articles on the baseball stadiums, and I invite you to share your experiences about any stadium that you have had the opportunity to visit, be it Hockey, Football, Basketball, Baseball, or anything really.
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