Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field

We have taken various modes of transportation to the baseball fields we have visited. We have walked, taken the Bart, the El, the New York trains and subways, the subway in DC, and now we can officially say we rode bikes to a game. No parking charges here!

Divvy bike stand outside Wrigley

Many people take the subway right to Wrigley, really convenient!

Grounds crew getting ready for the game

Old fashioned scoreboard

 Wrigley Field is a special place. Up until recently they did not even have the big screen (installed for this season) above the outfield fences. I would have loved to see that. There are not a lot of gimmicks here, just fans and baseball. Although we enjoyed all the features of the new ballparks, this was really nice. Wrigley is the second oldest ballpark in the nation and first opened its doors in 1914 as Weegham Park. It was built for $250,000. Initially it was home to the Chicago Whales. The Cubs played their first game here in 1916. It was the last ballpark to welcome night baseball, adding lights in 1988. Wrigley is right in the neighborhood of Wrigleyville on the north side of Chicago. It is surrounded by restaurants, bars and housing. This is the way we like it. The big parking lot fields are just not the same. We enjoyed a Chicago pizza before the game, but I have to say although not partaking, the hotdogs looked the best at Wrigley, with peppers and onions on them. We had to chuckle at the seats outside the stadium. People think of everything to make a buck and buck the system at the same time!

Seats outside the ballpark!

Seats in and out of the park with Chicago in the background

 The “curse of the Chicago Cubs” goes back to The Legend of The Billy Goat. In 1945, a Cubs fan man named Billy Sianas tried to take his goat named Murphy into a 1945 World Series Game at Wrigley. The goat was denied access to the game and Sianas appealed to Pete Wrigley himself, who upheld the ban on the grounds that the goat would stink up the park. When the Cubs lost the Series to Detroit in 7 games, Sianas sent a telegram to Wrigley asking “Who smells now?” Sianas then put a hex on the Cubs. “Goatless, they will remain winless” The Cubs have not even won a National League pennant since. Bill's nephew, Sam Sianas, who owns several Billy Goat Taverns in Chicago tried to lift his uncle's curse in 1984. He paraded a goat onto the field on Opening Day. The Cubs won the NL East, but fell to the Padres in the NLCS. At tonight's game, the football coach of Notre Dame, Brian Kelly threw out the first pitch. It is also tradition at Wrigley to have the guest lead the fans in “Take me out to the Ballgame”, so at the 7^th inning stretch, Brian Kelly led us all in the song.  There was also a delay in the game after a lightning strike hit the bank of lights.  Must be the baseball gods talking.  There was discussion on whether to continue play but eventually play was resumed and the Cubs were the victors over the Dodgers.

Discussion of the lightning strike