by Sierra

May 10, 2004

From journal Chicago for the Non-Tourist

Wrigley Field, one of the great icons of American Sports, opened April 23, 1914, and is home to the Chicago Cubs. The second-oldest major league ballpark in the country (second only to Boston's Fenway, 1912) holds a special place in the heart of many a ball fan. Chicago is one of the few cities that sports two major league baseball teams: the Cubs in the National League and the White Sox in the American League. It is one of the great Chicago dreams to see a cross-town World Series.

The Cubs are the "loveable losers" of baseball, having failed to win a World Series since 1908 (95 years and still counting). Will the "goat curse" ever truly be lifted from the Cubs?

It's easy to get to Wrigley Field -- just jump on the Red Line "L" and get off at Addison -- you can see into the field from the platform. There's no official parking at the field; local merchants and homeowners hawk their parking spaces for $5-20 on game days.

On the streets that flank the stadium, you can find all kinds of sports bars, memorabilia shops and ticket brokers (book your tickets online or buy them at the ball park, $14 and up). The 2004 season is almost sold out due to the near miss that the Cubs had with the World Series last year. You can tell if the Cubs won or lost their game today (home or away) by looking for the "W" or "L" flag atop the scoreboard.

The Wrigley Field tour (cost $15) runs on weekends throughout the summer and takes approximately 90 minutes. On the tour you visit a number of areas of the stadium, including the Cubs clubhouse, visitors clubhouse, dugouts, playing field, bleachers, mezzanine suites, press box, and security headquarters. Cameras are permitted on tours.

Wrigley has also been host to some of the most memorable moments in baseball. Among them is Babe Ruth's famous "called shot" in the third game of the 1932 World Series, when Ruth allegedly pointed to a bleacher location when he came to bat, and then hit the next pitch for a homer. Pete Rose also hit his 4191st career hit here, which tied him with Ty Cobb for the most hits in baseball history. On the trivia side, Wrigley still sports its original scoreboard from 1937, and in nearly 70 years of play, no batter has ever hit the scoreboard.

A die-hard Chicago tradition is partying on rooftops and nowhere is that more celebrated than the rooftops around Wrigley. After a lengthy battle where the park owners planned to construct obstructions to non-ticket-buying spectators, an agreement was reached and the Cubs-sanctioned Ballpark Rooftops organization was born. Member rooftops pay 17% of earnings to the Cubs, and in return, fans get one of the most unique experiences in major league ball.

Cubs baseball is as much about the fans as the players. Come see a game!

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