Perhaps the oldest and greatest ballpark of our generation
is Wrigley Field. As a baseball
enthusiast I have traveled to over 35 MLB stadiums in my lifetime, including 28
current stadiums and 7 stadiums that are
not a memory. When it comes to stadiums
Wrigley always has been and always will be my favorite stadium of all
time. Let’s look at the reasons
why.
Wrigley Construction
Originally named Weeghman Park in 1916, the place that they call Wrigley was built by over 100 masons, painters, landscapers, and other construction crews previously. The original walls at Weeghman were hand painted by 15 local workers over a 4 month period.
The Bleachers
Despite having some of the worst teams of the last 25 years,
the Bleachers are still standing room for all of the Cubs games. Getting a standing room only ticket to any
other baseball stadium in the world, besides perhaps Fenway, is something that
no one really wants. At Wrigley this is a great find and something
that any true baseball fan must do at least once in their life. I remember the first time I went to Wrigley
Field was on my girlfriend’s 21st birthday and they were playing the
St. Louis Cardinals. We bought some
overpriced tickets outside of the stadium and told the old gentleman that we
traveled all the way from Ohio to be in bleachers. He let us in and it was the greatest game I
have ever witnessed live. This was 1998
and the heart of the Sammy Sosa vs. Mark McGwire home run chase. Luckily both Sammy, Mark and a few others
hit homeruns that day as we got there on a day the wind was blowing towards
Waveland Avenue.
The Stadium
When compared to other stadiums, the amenities are not that
great, but that doesn’t mean that this place isn’t great. Wrigley Field food is as American as it gets
and they have some of the best hot dogs/ pizza that you can ask for. The stadium is old, but it gives the feeling
of an old historic graveyard where many crazy things have happened.
The Atmosphere
Walking around the ballpark on game day in Chicago is one of
the greatest feelings on earth. While I
have never worked in Chicago, a day Cubs
game is pretty much equivalent to a day off work as businessmen have made the homage for years to back their
Cubs. The bars around the stadium and
the feel that you get as you approach Chicago are crazy.
The Cubs
The Cubs are one of the teams that you just like in general
partly because you feel bad for them and partly because they have such a rich
history. The curse of this franchise is
like no other and each year adds lore to it.
While they have been close in the 1980s and the early 2000s, they really
have not had a dominant team during the last 30 years. The Cubs are the last of the old teams to
not have a recent World Series as the Red Sox broke their curse. Both of these teams use to be cheered by
fans, but the Red Sox have become a somewhat cocky version of the Yankees that
are easy not to like.
Wrigley History
The history of Wrigley Field only adds to the lore. With countless crazy things that have
happened at this historic stadium, Wrigley has become synonymous with baseball.
Like Fenway Park, Wrigley remains one of
the few venues left form the early 1900s and this only adds to its charm each
and every year.
