Tag / Chicago Wales

by admin

Ballpark Tour: Wrigley Field

WrigleyField

Stadium Name: Wrigley Field

Location: Chicago

Home Team: Cubs

Years in Service: 1914 – Present

Visits: 313

Weeghman Park, home of the Chicago Chifeds (soon to be the Whales) of the Federal League, opened on April 23, 1914.  In December of 1915, when the Federal League folded, team owner Charles Weeghman was allowed to buy the rival Chicago Cubs and immediately moved them from the dilapidated West Side Park and into his Weeghman Park for the 1916 season.  The Cubs played their first game at Weeghman Park on April 20, 1916, besting the Cincinnati Reds 7–6 in eleven innings.

Also in 1916, Weeghman sold a minority interest in the Cubs to chewing gum magnate William Wrigley.  As Weeghman’s financial fortunes started to decline, Wrigley acquired an increasing number of shares in the club and took on a growing role in the team’s affairs until November 1918, when Weeghman gave up his remaining interest to Wrigley, resigned as president, and left baseball for good. Wrigley would acquire complete control of the Cubs by 1921, and, prior to the start of the 1927 season, the park was officially renamed Wrigley Field.

William’s son, Philip K. Wrigley, had intended to install lights at Wrigley Field prior to the 1942 season.  However, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December of 1941 and the US entered World War II, Wrigley donated the materials for the lights to the war effort.  The Cubs eventually became the only team without lights, continuing to play day games at home exclusively until 1988, when lights were finally installed.  To this day, the Cubs are still limited in the number of night games they may schedule per season, though that number has increased significantly since the late 80s.

As Wrigley Field prepares to enter its second century, there are plans in motion to renovate the stadium and make it economically viable for the 21st century.  Those renovations were expected to start this offseason, but threats of lawsuits from the rooftop owners, who fear that new signage would block their views, have stalled those plans.

I’ve managed to identify 313 games I’ve attended at Wrigley Field, most of them since 2002, when I became a season ticket holder.  While it is hard to argue with the historical value of Wrigley Field, it is as hard to argue that the stadium needs work to satisfy the needs of fandom in the year 2013.  I hope that the bickering sides come to an agreement soon so that Wrigley Field can continue to be a viable home to the Cubs for the next 100 years.  Besides, they will need that time in order to bring their first World Series championship to the ballpark.

by jim

Rebuilding Wrigley

CTH Proposed renovations to Wrigley FieldThe big news coming out of last weekend’s Cubs Convention was the latest plan to renovate Wrigley Field.  Chairman Tom Ricketts said that the team would fund the renovations, expected to be around $300 million, without public assistance in exchange for the city lifting some of the restrictions related to the stadium’s landmark designation.  The renovations, expected to start following the 2014 season and continue over the next 5 offseasons, includes larger concourses, additional restaurants, more bathroom and concession areas, expanded suites, a new roof, and new seats.  Also included are new amenities for the players, including a larger home clubhouse, batting cages and additional training facilities.  From the outside, the façade would be returned to its 1930s-era luster.

Wrigley Field, built in 1914 for the Chicago Whales of the old Federal League, has been the home of the Cubs since 1916.  It is the second oldest park still in use, behind Boston’s Fenway Park.  The Cubs have been looking to renovate the stadium for years, but have been stymied by, among other things, the landmark status, the desire for public funds, and the bankruptcy of their former owner, the Tribune Company.  The renovations are badly needed if the stadium is to continue to be used as anything beyond a museum.  The players facilities are antiquated compared to the rest of the league, making it all the more difficult to attract top-flight free agents.  The seating bowl has had its own issues, starting with the multiple incidents of falling concrete in 2004 that led to netting being installed throughout much of the upper deck.

These planned renovations are still nearly 2 years away and the Cubs have had numerous plans go by the wayside in the past few years.  Unfortunately, time is probably running out on the viability of Wrigley Field as a long-term alternative if nothing is done.  Hopefully this plan does go through and Wrigley Field continues to be the home of the Cubs for years to come.