In
my mind, there are four baseball stadiums that have a certain
reverence… a majesty of sorts… a mystical, legendary quality about
them. Three of them are classics, with one a bit more modern.
Wrigley
Field, Fenway Park, and Yankee Stadium – I think most people will
understand why I’d mention these three. Enough said.
Oriole
Park at Camden Yards – It was Camden Yards that triggered the
“new park with great amenities, a classic feel and some thought
given to the surrounding property” building craze. It’s the one
consistent reason and inspiration involved in all of the new baseball
parks built across the country in the past ten years.
Before
the 2005 season began, I had visited two of them, and both on
multiple occasions. Something funny happened in 2004 though…
Like
many baseball fans, I had always toyed with the idea of seeing
a game played at every major league stadium. Was it realistic?
Probably not. At least that’s the way I thought about it. So it
stayed in the background. In August of 2004 though my father and
I were talking about it… he had the same dream, which I knew before,
but we both just dismissed it. Other things to do. But on a wonderful
summer evening at McCoy Stadium (the AAA home of the Pawtucket
Red Sox), the two of us were at a game with Tigg when he mentioned
that the Red Sox were heading to Wrigley Field in June of 2005.
Well…
that took the dreams out of the background, dusted them off, and
spurred us into action. We were able to get tickets to two of
the games at Wrigley Field… and Chicago didn’t disappoint.
In
ten, fifteen, maybe twenty years, I hope to be able to tell you
about every one of the thirty places a major league baseball team
plays. I want to tell you about the green grass. I want to mention
the special aspects of the building… the field… the neighborhood
around it. I want to talk about hot dogs and special concessions.
And I want to tell you how fun it was to see them all… with my
family… with my father.
But
you have to understand that I’ve been spoiled. I grew up seeing
games every year at Fenway Park. I can’t possibly imagine that
Tropicana Field or Dolphins Stadium today… or even Memorial Stadium
or the Kingdome in the past… could compare to having Fenway as
the regional home field experience. Because as much as it is the
field, it’s the neighborhood as well. It’s more than the Green
Monster or the golf cart designed to look like a baseball that
used to bring the relievers in. It’s the Citgo sign. The original
Lansdowne Shop.
So
having been to Fenway so often and Camden Yards twice for games,
I was worried about heading out to Wrigley Field.
It
turns out there was no cause for concern at all.
You
know Wrigley has the ivy.
You
know Wrigley has their bleachers… and decorated foul poles… and
Waveland Avenue… and the throw back the home run ball tradition.
And
they have something else…
Wrigleyville.
While
I don’t think I will ever see a baseball field of play as amazing
as Fenway’s… I’m sorry to say Boston fans… I’m otherwise happy
to report that Wrigleyville will likely never be topped as a home
for a ballpark. This place is a part of the family for these people…
even more than Fenway is for Boston.
One
interesting side note about the trip to the field. We got off
of interstate 90 and drove along West Addison to get to the park.
Both of us felt as though the road was quite similar to Veterans
Parkway (which you can use to drive in to Fenway). Haven’t done
the research to prove it, but we wondered if that had anything
to do with the age of the parks and how they were placed into
their locales so many years ago.
The
outside of The Cubby Bear, with the sign saying it all...
"just named the best neighborhood bar in America..."
When
it comes to Wrigleyville, let’s start with The Cubby Bear. It’s
located on the corner of North Clark and West Addison, and it
is a great sports bar. Dad and I went to visit the grounds around
Wrigley on Thursday evening, the day before the first game of
the series. We stopped to eat at The Cubby Bear and had a great
time. Food was good and the staff was friendly. Say hello to Jennifer
if you see her… she was our waitress.
We
walked around Wrigley and were stunned at how short the walk seemed.
One thing that immediately hit us as we turned onto Sheffield
Avenue was the stands built on top of the buildings across the
street. It’s one thing to know they’re there… another thing entirely
to see them in person.
The
view of the stands next to right field... you can see
the stands on top of the buildings along Sheffield Avenue
As
we passed a gate outside the left field area, a man walked past
a staff member that was taking a break with a cigarette. After
exchanging pleasantries, the first man said something that made
my Dad and I smile… “World Champions are in town.” Dad walked
up to the man with the cigarette a few moments later and mentioned
that he had waited 50 years to get to Wrigley. “You must be from
Boston,” came the reply. We spoke to him for a few minutes, and
he said they expected a huge percentage of the fans to be supporting
Boston. He went on to say it would likely be alot like when St.
Louis comes to town, but without the bad feelings about the opponent.
Around
the park are stores and bars and food. Just incredibly easy to
navigate. Another note… amazingly clean and well maintained. Just
beautiful surroundings. Gorgeous. You can sense how proud these
people seem to be about being on display when visitors come to
Wrigley.
Get
there early and enjoy on of the pleasures of a day at
the ballpark... batting practice...
On
Friday we got to the field several hours ahead of game time. We
watched batting practice and walked around the park. I’ll hand
it to you Wrigley… and the Cubs organization… I doubt if there
is any way I will meet friendlier people at a ballpark. The whole
city was full of fantastic people in every direction we turned
and in every place we went to. But at Wrigley… amazing. Great
people.
The
first day we sat down the right field line, in aisle 239. A metal
support beam was directly between me and the pitcher’s mound.
Ah… the old ballparks! And yet, having been to Fenway so often,
I wasn’t shocked or put off by the obstructed view. It was a part
of it. No problem.
Do
you see the beam off to the left of this picture? Good.
Do you see first base? Neither did I.
Out
in center is a huge old-time scoreboard. Most of the games were
at night… (What? A game at Wrigley during the day while basically
every other major league team was playing at night? You have to
be kidding… I’m stunned…) but the hand operated features were
still on display. I hadn’t paid much attention to the way opposing
pitchers were listed, so Dad had to explain the references in
the program. Yup, a father explaining how to score a game to his
son moment. This trip had it all.
For
those of you that favor the American League game… a note from
Friday’s action…. 20 combined runs scored… 7 home runs hit. The
Cubs had 14 runs and 20 hits. Game time? Not even three hours…
officially it was two hours and fifty-two minutes.
For
the Saturday game we were in aisle 226, significantly closer to
the action and in between home plate and first base. In fact,
turning our heads to the right, first base was obstructed by a
beam.
A
slightly different view on Saturday's game
One
thing was absent from Wrigley… and we didn’t miss it. There were
no prize patrols or specialized groups out there firing off air
cannons to shoot T-shirts into the stands. And while there were
some sponsored prizes flashed across the scoreboard occasionally,
it seemed that the favorite announcement for the fans was “Old
Style here!”
Old
Style… that’s the beer. Old style… that’s Wrigley Field. Full
of charm and class and fun, it was packed with those experiences
that create lifelong fans of teams and the game. Just a bunch
of people enjoying the food, the company, the weather… and yes…
even a ball game.
As
of right now, Fenway Park is still the best field I have ever
seen a baseball game played on. But Wrigley Field… Wrigleyville…
made me feel right at home.