The Friendly Confines

The main entrance to Wrigley Field, Aug-1992.

The famous manual scoreboard is a backdrop for the almost-as-famous Bleacher Creatures.

Ryne Sandberg bats, as the light stanchions erected in 1988 make their presence known.

• Location: Addison and Clark Streets, Chicago, Ill.
• Opened: 1914 as Weeghman Park
• Additional names: Cubs Park (1916); Wrigley Field (1925)
• Home team: Chicago Whales, Federal League (1914-15); Chicago Cubs, National League (1916-present)
• Capacity: 38,884

Rating: 5 baseballs

While the Cubs haven’t been nearly as successful since, with no pennants since 1945, Wrigley Field (it assumed that name in the 1920s, from its owner, chewing gum magnate William Wrigley) stands as a tribute to old-time baseball.

The park features two decks, along with a sizable outfield bleacher said to hold the Cubs’ biggest fans, who invariably throw visiting players’ home run balls back onto the field. The scoreboard, expanded several times along with the major leagues, still features manually-posted innings for each game. Beyond the bleacher, fans stand on Waveland and Sheffield avenues, ready to retrieve home-run balls that clear the stadium.

Like many parks, Wrigley was ready to receive lights in the early 1940s. Erection stopped because of the second World War, however, and afterward residents of the neighborhood known as Wrigleyville conspired to keep lights out of the facility until 8-Aug-1988. Almost predictably, the first scheduled night game at the park was rained out. Today, Wrigley hosts 18 night games a year.