Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field has been in Chicago since 1914. On that date it housed the Chicago Whales which was a baseball team that belonged to the Federal League. This team disbanded and in 1916 the Chicago Cubs became the home team for Wrigley Field. At this point in time the ball park was known as Weeghman Park. It would keep this name until 1920 when the ball park became known as Cubs Park. It wasn't until 1926 that the owner, William Wrigley Jr, changed the name of Cubs Park to Wrigley Field. This name would stick with the Cubs to this day.
William Wrigley Jr was not only the owner of the Cubs but also the owner of America's favorite chewing gum, Wrigley Company. Since the gum was so popular Mr. Wrigley thought it would be a great selling point to put the Doublemint Twins out on top of the scoreboard, one as a pitcher and the other as the batter. Mr. Wrigley was one of the first to promote ads in his ball park. The Doublemint Twins would stand atop the scoreboard until 1937 when the bleachers and scoreboard was rebuilt. It would be 45 years later until ads returned in the outfield scenery at Wrigley Field.
The name Wrigley Field is a sacred part of the Chicago Cubs. It has lasted throughout most of the Chicago Cubs history and continues to be the staple name of most major league ball park. The name Wrigley Field could have been changed at any point in time by the different owners of the Chicago Cubs. One such owner, the Chicago Tribune, became pressured to find ways to bring in more revenue to the team but refused to sell corporate naming rights which would change the name of Wrigley Field. The name Wrigley Field has been tested by time and still stands today.
Wrigley Field's history is unprecedented when compared to other ball parks. Fenway and the recently demolished Yankee Stadium are close in comparison with rich history. Wrigley Field was the place Babe Ruth called his shot. There would continue to be a sign posted at the exact spot in which he pointed for many years. They would go on to take down the sign when the bleachers where renovated. Ernie Banks hit his 500th home run at Wrigley Field. Ernie hitting his 500th at Wrigley Field was the ultimate prize as he is one of the best Cubs to ever walk on the field.
When Wrigley Field is mentioned everyone always thinks about baseball but it has been home to different sports as well. From 1920 to 1970 Wrigley Field was home to professional football. 1920 was the only year the football team was one other than the Chicago Bears. This team was known as the Chicago Tigers and would become the first NFL team to fold. The Bears even changed their name to the Bears from the Stanleys so they could be related to the Chicago Cubs. For five years ( 1977 to 1982 and 1984) Wrigley would host a scocer team. Yes that is right a soccer team played at Wrigley Field for five years. The Chicago Sting would win two Soccer Bowl Championships at Wrigley (1981 and 1984). In the most recent addition at Wrigley Field the Chicago Blackhawks played the second annual NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. This turned out to be a huge success and we might see more of this in the future.
Another unique fact about Wrigley is its White Flags that are flown there. In the 1930's the owner, P.K. Wrigley, would fly a white flag with either a W or an L to indicate the result of the days game. If it were a double header he would fly a different flag for each game. This tradition would lose its luster for a while until it would pick back up in the last 10 years. The W flag is a historic site for all Cubs fan as they love to fly it with pride when the Cubbies win. The L flag has not shown its face around Wrigley Field in recent history due to the lack of appeal to losing. Many families across the United States have purchased their own W flag and fly it just as they would at Wrigley Field.
The ivy at Wrigley Field is another history item one could see. It was started by Bill Veeck in the 1937 renovation of Wrigley Field. He planted a quick growing ivy to cover up the solid brick wall but also planted Boston Ivy which would slowly grow and eventually take over the whole wall. The ivy at Wrigley has been a pain for outfielders through the years due to balls getting stuck in it. The MLB made it a rule that when a ball gets lost in the ivy that it be ruled a ground rule double. In one incident a ball hit off the wall and two balls then fell out of the ivy. Fortunately the umpires did not penalize the Chicago Cubs outfielder for this and play resumed.
Wrigley Field has been renovated many times throughout its history in order to expand its capacity. Weeghman Field started out with a capacity of only 14,000 fans, and through numerous renovations Wrigley Field now has a capacity of 41,118 screaming fans. Wrigley Field received the nickname the Friendly Confines from Mr. Cub himself, Ernie Banks. This is due to the ball parks wonderful atmosphere that draws any baseball fan to it from near or far. Wrigley Field is one reason the Chicago Cubs have one of the biggest fan bases in the MLB.