57 Extra Innings
Here’s what Cubs experts have to say about their experiences at Wrigley Field. Roberts Ehrgott, author of Mr. Wrigley’s Ball Club, on his first game at Wrigley Field… “[My grandmother would] take me to Ladies’ Day. I was seven. [I remember] the green in the ivy, and the Cubs’ white home uniforms and the blue caps. Of course, the big hero at that point was Ernie Banks. He was everyone’s idol. He carried the team on his shoulders.” Pat Hughes, Cubs radio broadcaster since 1996, on the atmosphere… “Even if we are out of the race, there are those moments that are just kind of frozen in time. It’s as if the past doesn’t matter, the future doesn’t matter, it’s just, ‘this moment is fun, the Cubs are leading the Cardinals, we don’t care where we are in the standings, let’s just win this game and have some fun.’”
Ed Hartig, writer for Vine Line (Cubs’ magazine) and lifelong fan, on his first game at Wrigley Field… “[It was] July of 1970 and I was five years old. I pressured my dad and he finally took me to a game. Wrigley Field seemed like it was so far away. It was a Ladies’ Day, so there were about 35,000 people. I still remember coming up the stairway behind home plate, coming up and seeing the scoreboard, just all the people and color and all the movement. My favorite player was Billy Williams. He hit a home run and a triple that day.” Al Yellon, managing editor of Bleed Cubbie Blue, on the atmosphere… “It’s the kind of atmosphere that’s hard to describe unless you’re there and you’ve seen it or felt it. There hasn’t been the winning to celebrate, [so] you have to find other things to enjoy about the game.”
Meanwhile ... Three hundred Chicago theaters participate in “War Bond Free Movie Day.” Patrons who bought a war bond were admitted free.
Jan. 23 & 30, 1944 The Norge Ski Jump Club hosts its annual ski-jumping competition at Wrigley Field due to profit loss during the war.
Meanwhile ... State Street sees a large holiday crowd. Chicago consumers buy cameras, radios and projectors.
Dec. 17, 1933 The Chicago Bears win the first-ever NFL East vs. West Championship game over the New York Giants 23–21 at Wrigley Field.
April 23, 1914 The Chicago Whales, who would later merge with the Cubs, play the first major league game at Weeghman Park. Meanwhile ... Fifteen Northwestern freshmen are thrown into an icy Lake Michigan after a dispute with sophomores.