Wrigley Field is the home of the Chicago Cubs of the National League.
People have their own images of Wrigley Field, I think. Losing baseball.
Wind. Ivy. Seventh Inning Stretches. Old style.
I have been to Wrigley many times and grow to love it more with each visit. It suddenly appears out of nowhere while driving through the North Side neighborhoods. Once you reach it, though, the festive atmosphere and optimism of Cub fans for the day's battle surprise you even more. One must go through the front gate at Wrigley, under the big sign that welcomes you to the "Home of the Cubs" (unless you have bleacher seats). This isn't a stadium rule, merely a suggestion. The walkways beneath the stadium are not wide, but they aren't a maze, either. In fact, there is very little navigating to do at Wrigley. You do not have to climb many escalators or ramps.
The only bad seats at Wrigley exist in two sections. If you have a lower deck ticket on either the first or third base side, make sure you are not more than 30 rows from the field. Any deeper finds you under the upper deck, and your visibilty of the scoreboard and pop flies is now zero. I recommend getting tickets in the upper deck if you can not get into the first 30 rows. The second bad section at Wrigley is the "Family" Section of the bleachers. Located right next to each foul pole, the family sections do not allow beer. I realize that not everyone drinks beer at baseball games. But at Wrigley, 95% of the crowd does. As a result, the family sections are usually the last seats filled with fans. I think you miss a little of Wrigley's atmosphere when you are not sitting among Cub fans.
You see Cub fans help create Wrigley. They can make a 8-0 first inning deficit be an exciting game. They have constant optimism and hope and a non-violent attitude toward losing. I have often heard, "Maybe next game."
Anyway, the game depicted in these pictures was a match-up between the Cleveland Indians and the Cubs. My two favorite teams. A sold-out crowd cheering every pitch. The Tribe won 3-1 that night and Sammy Sosa went 0-4. I sat in the bleachers, though, and had as much fun bantering with the Bleacher Creatures as I did watching the game.
Wrigley can never be replaced. It is timeless and part of the team. It's clean and fun and stands for baseball. I will cease to be a baseball fan the day they tear this one down.
