Bill's Journal Entry #29

Wrigley Field

Date: September 11, 2002

Location:  Chicago, Illinois

Opponent: Montreal Expos

Travel companion: My sister, Cyndy Miklasz; my brother-in-law, Matt Miklasz; and my brother-in-law, Todd Hein

Link to my photos

Game Result: Mark Bellhorn of the Cubs hit Masato Yoshii's first pitch of the game over the right-center field fence, to start a four run Cubs first inning, and the home team never looked back. Two of those first-inning runs scored when Expo shortstop Orlando Cabrera committed two errors on one play-first botching the fielding attempt of a grounder hit to him, then throwing it wildly to first. Sammy Sosa went 3-for-4, including his 495th career home run. Trailing 6-0, Montreal cut the lead in half with three in the sixth, but that was all they could muster, and the final score was 6-3. Cubs win!

Stadium Summary: There's a definite reason that there has never been serious thought given to replacing the second-oldest stadium in the Majors, despite the retirement of many parks less than half its age. Wrigley is simply a one-of-a-kind classic. So much so that many parts of the stadium are nearly as famous as the park as a whole. The outfield ivy, the sign outside the home plate entrance welcoming you to "The Friendly Confines", the manually operated scoreboard, the flags over the scoreboard indicating current standings, as well as whether the Cubs won or lost that day -- they're all part of baseball mythology. Wrigley is also great for what it lacks:  there's no video scoreboard; there's no interstate running by the park (although there is an "el" train that can be heard rumbling by from time to time); and there aren't acres of concrete parking lots as far as the eye can see.

But the fact that the park is approaching its second century of baseball does have a few drawbacks. Like Fenway, Wrigley does have a large number of seats with views that are obscured ... by the support poles holding up the upper deck, by the upper deck's overhang, or both. But the obstructions don't seem quite as severe as those at Fenway. Also similar to Fenway, some of the aisles and concourses are narrower than you see in most recently built parks, but again, this problem is far worse in Boston. Because these two parks are so similar in age, with no other current stadiums being from that era, it is quite natural to directly compare the two. Both are true classics, and both have their own unique, incredible features.

But if I have to pick a favorite, I'll take Wrigley, by a hair. I liked Fenway's neighborhood and irregular shape better, but Wrigley wins on its less-obscured seats, and its ivy.

Most unusual stadium aura: This had nothing to do with Wrigley itself, but there was a very unusual feel to the ballpark this day that was very different than any other stadium I had visited. The reason: this day was the one-year anniversary of the 9/11/01 tragedies. There just wasn't the feel among the crowd that you would normally expect, even for a relatively meaningless Cubs-Expos game. There were several pre-game activities to commemorate the date ... there was a group of bagpipes playing "Amazing Grace" ... schoolchildren reciting the "Pledge of Allegiance" over the PA system. Also, everyone at the park (and at all MLB games played that day) received a "We Will Never Forget" t-shirt. But as the game grew older, the tone did lighten somewhat, and the ballpark "feel" gradually returned.

Worst community relations stadium modification: Prior to the 2002 season, screens were erected behind the bleachers around the Wrigley outfield. The reported intent of these nets was to add safety to people in the streets beyond those bleachers, as home runs would routinely clear those walls and go into traffic. But the net effect (no pun intended) of the screens -- and likely the real reason for their presence -- was that they obscured the view of the game for many of the rooftop and apartment window game observers, meaning that in order to view the game, they now needed to buy a ticket. Needless to say, the public reaction was very negative, and around the time of my visit, the Cubs announced that the screens would be coming down before next season.

Most noteworthy absence of a "Walk of Fame": The last time I was to Wrigley Field, a few years ago, there was a "Walk of Fame" that the Cubs had built into the sidewalk outside the stadium. Cubs greats from years past had plaques extolling their accomplishments embedded in the concrete for visitors to see. But now, all that could be found is a plain sidewalk. To the best I could tell, the "Walk" was replaced by banners in the main concourse, as the same names were displayed there. That, and Harry Carey, who was on the Walk of Fame, now has his own monument, located outside the southeast corner of the stadium.

Best ivy recovery: Earlier in 2002, a section of the famous ivy on the outfield wall appeared to be dying. That section, a patch about six feet wide and running the full height of the wall, started going downhill shortly after the Cubs and White Sox played a series at Wrigley this spring. I never did hear if the allegations that a White Sox fan poured bleach on the ivy turned out to be justified, or simply urban legend. Regardless of the cause, the ivy growth in that section is back, although possibly just a slightly lighter shade of green than the rest.

Best stadium music: Between innings, there wasn't a single commercial played over the PA system at Wrigley -- the first time on my tour that I could say that. They just played music ... both organ tunes, and pre-recorded music. I'm not sure if this is the regular way of things at Wrigley, or if this was simply because it was 9/11, but whatever the reason, it was a very welcome change. Although I do wish that they would have played "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch, in addition to "God Bless America." All previous stadiums I visited that played "God Bless America" played both songs.

Stadium grade: A+  There are some obstructed-view seats, and the screens behind the bleachers are ugly ... but that's about all that can be said negatively about this park.

Overall grade of my experience at the game: A  A beautiful day, a great stadium, and Sammy hit one out!

-- Bill Verkuilen  biggbill@hotmail.com 

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