The ballpark is far from perfect, but it remains one of Chicago's—and baseball's— treasures. Here are 7 things that make it unique.
Wrigley Field isn't for everyone.
The bathrooms are too crowded. The aisles are too narrow. It's always either colder than you would have figured when you left your house on a sunny day, or hotter that you would have figured when you left the house on a cloudy day.
Despite its drawbacks, Wrigley remains one of baseball's cherished treasures, even though it doesn't have that October aura of Yankee Stadium. The Cubs have played only five postseason games there since 1945, making Wrigley a bunting-free park more often than not. But with an absence of advertising and Jumbotrons, Wrigley is really the only old-school ballpark left in the major leagues.
Some of the things that make it so special are also some of the things Chicagoans take for granted:
Brick wall behind home
Because the center-field camera shot is the angle from which most fans get to see the pitches, thanks to the late WGN-TV director Arne Harris, most Cubs fans have spent more time looking at the brick wall than their own backyards.
But lately, Fox TV and ESPN have put virtual advertising screens on the wall for nationally televised games, showing computer-generated ads to TV viewers while those in the park see a bright green rectangular screen. It may be progress and vital to the economics of the game, but it's ruining the aesthetics of the brick wall background Cubs fans have grown accustomed to seeing for decades.
The shadows
In late afternoon games in the fall, like Game 4 on Saturday, the sun slowly creeps across the field, making it almost impossible for hitters to pick up the ball as it leaves the pitchers' hand.
Closer Lee Smith thrived on the shadows when he pitched for the Cubs in the 1980s, when 3:05 p.m. starts were prevalent. Where will the shadows be at the 3:18 p.m. start on Saturday?
"Not where they belong," pitching coach Larry Rothschild said.
The ivy
Bill Veeck and the groundskeepers planted the ivy, which gives Wrigley its unique flavor. The ivy is just starting to turn colors and should be in its peak colors in two to three weeks, just in time for a World Series.
The batting cage
A seldom seen batting cage exists under the right field bleachers, hidden from view behind a green door. Only one player at a time can hit in the cave-like atmosphere and the distinct sound of bat on ball makes an eerie echo in the confined space.
There's a green bench nearby for players to sit and wait their turn, an overhead heating lamp and a small stereo system hooked to the wall. On Thursday, an old hand-written fan's sign that read "PRIOR IS AN ESPY" was propped up against the wall for unknown reasons.
The marquee
The old neon sign outside the front entrance reading "Wrigley Field, Home of the Cubs" still looks great after all these years. The electronic message board underneath was a concession to modern times but just as easily could be taken down without anyone missing it much. Restoring the marquee to its old form would make Wrigley Field look that much better, but don't look for that to happen any time soon.
The 355-marker
The yellow marker measuring the length from home plate to the left field wall is an inviting target for even Punch-and-Judy hitters when the wind is blowing out. Anyone can be Dave Kingman for a day at Wrigley Field if the conditions are right.
Center-field scoreboard
When the man in the scoreboard placed a "2" for Milwaukee in the innings window during the third inning of Game 1 of last Saturday's Cubs-Pirates doubleheader, the Wrigley Field crowd let out a spectacular roar.
In this age of instant information, many in the park could have gotten the Astros-Brewers scoring update on their cell phones. But it wouldn't have meant anywhere near as much as watching the numbers change on that clunky, old scoreboard.
Sometimes it's better when time stands still.
@
Wrigley Field isn't for everyone.
The bathrooms are too crowded. The aisles are too narrow. It's always either colder than you would have figured when you left your house on a sunny day, or hotter that you would have figured when you left the house on a cloudy day.
Despite its drawbacks, Wrigley remains one of baseball's cherished treasures, even though it doesn't have that October aura of Yankee Stadium. The Cubs have played only five postseason games there since 1945, making Wrigley a bunting-free park more often than not. But with an absence of advertising and Jumbotrons, Wrigley is really the only old-school ballpark left in the major leagues.
Some of the things that make it so special are also some of the things Chicagoans take for granted:
Brick wall behind home
Because the center-field camera shot is the angle from which most fans get to see the pitches, thanks to the late WGN-TV director Arne Harris, most Cubs fans have spent more time looking at the brick wall than their own backyards.
But lately, Fox TV and ESPN have put virtual advertising screens on the wall for nationally televised games, showing computer-generated ads to TV viewers while those in the park see a bright green rectangular screen. It may be progress and vital to the economics of the game, but it's ruining the aesthetics of the brick wall background Cubs fans have grown accustomed to seeing for decades.
The shadows
In late afternoon games in the fall, like Game 4 on Saturday, the sun slowly creeps across the field, making it almost impossible for hitters to pick up the ball as it leaves the pitchers' hand.
Closer Lee Smith thrived on the shadows when he pitched for the Cubs in the 1980s, when 3:05 p.m. starts were prevalent. Where will the shadows be at the 3:18 p.m. start on Saturday?
"Not where they belong," pitching coach Larry Rothschild said.
The ivy
Bill Veeck and the groundskeepers planted the ivy, which gives Wrigley its unique flavor. The ivy is just starting to turn colors and should be in its peak colors in two to three weeks, just in time for a World Series.
The batting cage
A seldom seen batting cage exists under the right field bleachers, hidden from view behind a green door. Only one player at a time can hit in the cave-like atmosphere and the distinct sound of bat on ball makes an eerie echo in the confined space.
There's a green bench nearby for players to sit and wait their turn, an overhead heating lamp and a small stereo system hooked to the wall. On Thursday, an old hand-written fan's sign that read "PRIOR IS AN ESPY" was propped up against the wall for unknown reasons.
The marquee
The old neon sign outside the front entrance reading "Wrigley Field, Home of the Cubs" still looks great after all these years. The electronic message board underneath was a concession to modern times but just as easily could be taken down without anyone missing it much. Restoring the marquee to its old form would make Wrigley Field look that much better, but don't look for that to happen any time soon.
The 355-marker
The yellow marker measuring the length from home plate to the left field wall is an inviting target for even Punch-and-Judy hitters when the wind is blowing out. Anyone can be Dave Kingman for a day at Wrigley Field if the conditions are right.
Center-field scoreboard
When the man in the scoreboard placed a "2" for Milwaukee in the innings window during the third inning of Game 1 of last Saturday's Cubs-Pirates doubleheader, the Wrigley Field crowd let out a spectacular roar.
In this age of instant information, many in the park could have gotten the Astros-Brewers scoring update on their cell phones. But it wouldn't have meant anywhere near as much as watching the numbers change on that clunky, old scoreboard.
Sometimes it's better when time stands still.
@
