Wrigley Field

LEFT -- Is there any place more stately than Wrigley Field?  Is there anything more fun or more American than a day game at Wrigley Field?

RIGHT -- Sometimes watching the antics on the rooftops across the street is as interesting as watching the game.  Here, you see the yellow rightfield foul pole rising in front of the onlookers from the roofs across Sheffield Avenue from the bleachers.

Fireballer Kerry Wood came back from major surgery to regain his spot as the Cubs' number-one starter.  Here he is throwing some heat at the cross-town-rival White Sox in an inter-league game in 2001.

LEFT -- A view from the upper deck facing east.  Yes, that's Waveland Avenue running along the left edge of the photo.  Many of Sammy Sosa's homers landed there.

RIGHT -- Yes, that's me in front of The Friendly Confines.  I'm wearing my BASEBALLPARKS.COM polo shirt while standing at the intersection of Clark and Addison.

LEFT -- As a sports fan, it's fascinating to me to see the bond that exists between some cities and certain players -- and how quickly that bond can erode.  There was a genuine love affair between Chicagoans (especially the rightfield bleacher bums!) and Sammy Sosa.  Here Slammin' Sammy appeases his legion of fans by throwing a ball into the bleachers. Of course, just as quickly as the two-way affection developed, it also dissipated, leading to Sammy's departure from Chicago after the 2004 season.

RIGHT -- A trip to Wrigley isn't complete without stopping in the world-famous Cubby Bear bar.  It sits caddy-corner (at the southwest corner of Clark and Addison) from the main entrance to the park.