Snead followed that shot with a 2-iron that cleared the board and sailed into the street. Cincinnati Reds manager Luke Sewell wasn’t too impressed with Sam, reportedly saying, “Yeah, but can he hit a curveball?” The lights that illuminate the scoreboard aren’t remarkable, except for the fact that the Cubs sure took their time installing them. It wasn’t until 1988 that Wrigley Field was lit, and it was only because MLB officials told the Cubs, “No lights, no hosting postseason games.” And thus there was light. More than a few games would have benefited from illumination, not least those played at Wrigley by the NFL’s Chicago Bears, from 1921 to 1970, before they moved to Soldier Field. For the first few years of the Bears at Wrigley, football fans had only the existing seating, which stuck a large portion of the crowd out of the action. Later, temporary bleachers were installed, but these squeezed the pitch. Set up for football, the field ran from left field to the foul side of first base, putting the southern end zone directly into the visitor’s side baseball dugout and slicing off a corner of the field. A special rule was installed at Wrigley and the dugout was filled with padding to make things legal and safe— well, safer. On the north end zone, the end line was just inches from the ivy-covered left field wall. On one unfortunate play, with his head down, Bears fullback Bronko Nagurski charged down the field, blasted through the defensive line and ran smack into the bricks. As legend has it, he returned to the bench and told coach George Halas, “That last guy gave me quite a lick!”, supposedly prompting the installation of padding on the wall during Bears games. White flag means a Cubs’ W, and the board that only Sam hit
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Finally They sing “Take me out to the Ball Game” during the 7th inning stretch, and Bill Murray and Ozzy Osbourne have both lead the singing, along with a few others. The white flags still go up when the Cubs have won— that started in 1937, with the “W” and “L” flags, to let people outside the park know what had happened. Hall of Famer and longtime Cub Ernie Banks called it “The Friendly Confines,” and that fits. It’s a rather compact place, with roughly 41,000 seats tucked into the Wrigleyville neighborhood and with easier homeruns compared to other parks (as long as the wind is “blowing out,” as they say). It’s been a long time since it’s seen a championship trophy, and even longer since it’s seen a Federal League game (it’s the last surviving Federal League park). In 1998 it lost the voice of famed Cubs radio announcer Harry Caray, and that’s a shame. But the “Goat Riders of the Apocalypse,” as the Cubs are sometimes called, soldier on. And no matter whether the fans are watching from the bleachers or the rooftops, no matter whether it’s a pre-season exhibition or a chance at a pennant race, everyone who’s peered over the ivy-covered walls knows that though it may not be the oldest, the biggest or the most decorated, it is one of the most beloved, and deservedly so.