No trip to Chicago is complete without a visit to historic Wrigley Field.
First opened in 1914, "The Friendly Confines" (as Mr. Cub Ernie Banks liked to call it) is the second-oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball.
Fenway Park debuted in 1912.
Yesterday's journey to the near north side of Chicago sparked flashbacks to a more innocent time in life when my late father would haul his four young children to watch players like Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo, a trio of Hall-of-Famers whose likenesses are now bronzed outside the storied ballpark.
It was comforting to see the iconic red marquee over the main entrance on Clark and Addison still in place.
As are the ivy-covered brick walls inside the park, the only outfield walls in the big leagues without protective pads.
But the rest of Wrigley Field is newly-built, remodeled or under construction.
Wrigleyville has undergone major changes in recent years with new ownership -- The Ricketts family -- investing $750 million in park improvements after purchasing the team in 2009.
Previous Cub owners, The Wrigley family and Tribune Company, maintained the ballpark's original feel with no night games until 1988 and few structural changes, a situation which placated influential neighborhood committees and pleased baseball traditionalists.
Welcome to 2018 where a newly-opened boutique hotel named "The Zachary," located adjacent to the ballpark, charges $200-$600 per night, not including $55 parking fees on event days.
Food options have multiplied with traditional fast-food joints like Taco Bell and McDonald's now being overtaken by a high-priced Mexican restaurant and a higher-priced barbecue eatery.
Nothing much to report on the Cubs' four-game sweep of the hapless Reds.
The 2016 World Series champs are finding their groove as the final month of the regular season approaches.
Recent acquisitions like Cole Hamels and Daniel Murphy are providing the team an embarrassment of riches.
Kyle Hendricks, a poor man's Greg Maddux, went seven shutout innings on Sunday and allowed only two hits to lead the Cubs to an easy victory before a crowd of 40.000-plus.
At game's end, MLB's forfeit score of 9-0 was displayed on the iconic hand-operated centerfield scoreboard.
But let the record show: the Reds competed for nine innings despite the look of wanting to leave work early in a game which lasted only two hours and 36 minutes.
My favorite Sunday moment came during a visit with a gentleman on the corner of Waveland and Kenmore Avenues, a familiar location for those who watch Cub games on television.
The white man in his 40's was wearing a Rawlings glove and looking toward the sky during batting practice 90 minutes before first pitch.
His name is Dave Davison and he's better known as "Ballhawk Dave."
He's part of a larger group of mostly older white gentlemen who gather outside the left-field stands at Wrigley Field to catch home run balls which extend beyond the bleacher section.
Some see the group as a friendly, tight-knit fraternity while others don't understand their fascination and claim arrested development.
Either way, Dave cleared up for me questions surrounding Dave Kingman's legendary home run ball against the Phillies in 1979.
The wind was blowing out to left field that day and Kingman hit a ball which landed near the third house from the corner at 3705 Kenmore Street, an estimated 550 feet from home plate.
Dave Davison tells the rest of the story:
"A lot of people claim that's the longest home run in the history of Wrigley Field. But I saw Sammy Sosa hit a home run which landed a few feet farther than Kingman's shot."
Davison then pointed to a black sign beyond the property line at 3705 Kenmore.
"Kingman's home run was wind-aided. Sosa's home run had a different kind of help."
There are no bronze statues of Dave Kingman or Sammy Sosa outside Wrigley Field.
But to the small group of ballhawks on Waveland Avenue, the pair of home-run titans maintain mythological status.
First opened in 1914, "The Friendly Confines" (as Mr. Cub Ernie Banks liked to call it) is the second-oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball.
Fenway Park debuted in 1912.
Yesterday's journey to the near north side of Chicago sparked flashbacks to a more innocent time in life when my late father would haul his four young children to watch players like Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo, a trio of Hall-of-Famers whose likenesses are now bronzed outside the storied ballpark.
It was comforting to see the iconic red marquee over the main entrance on Clark and Addison still in place.
As are the ivy-covered brick walls inside the park, the only outfield walls in the big leagues without protective pads.
But the rest of Wrigley Field is newly-built, remodeled or under construction.
Wrigleyville has undergone major changes in recent years with new ownership -- The Ricketts family -- investing $750 million in park improvements after purchasing the team in 2009.
Previous Cub owners, The Wrigley family and Tribune Company, maintained the ballpark's original feel with no night games until 1988 and few structural changes, a situation which placated influential neighborhood committees and pleased baseball traditionalists.
Welcome to 2018 where a newly-opened boutique hotel named "The Zachary," located adjacent to the ballpark, charges $200-$600 per night, not including $55 parking fees on event days.
Food options have multiplied with traditional fast-food joints like Taco Bell and McDonald's now being overtaken by a high-priced Mexican restaurant and a higher-priced barbecue eatery.
Nothing much to report on the Cubs' four-game sweep of the hapless Reds.
The 2016 World Series champs are finding their groove as the final month of the regular season approaches.
Recent acquisitions like Cole Hamels and Daniel Murphy are providing the team an embarrassment of riches.
Kyle Hendricks, a poor man's Greg Maddux, went seven shutout innings on Sunday and allowed only two hits to lead the Cubs to an easy victory before a crowd of 40.000-plus.
At game's end, MLB's forfeit score of 9-0 was displayed on the iconic hand-operated centerfield scoreboard.
But let the record show: the Reds competed for nine innings despite the look of wanting to leave work early in a game which lasted only two hours and 36 minutes.
My favorite Sunday moment came during a visit with a gentleman on the corner of Waveland and Kenmore Avenues, a familiar location for those who watch Cub games on television.
The white man in his 40's was wearing a Rawlings glove and looking toward the sky during batting practice 90 minutes before first pitch.
His name is Dave Davison and he's better known as "Ballhawk Dave."
He's part of a larger group of mostly older white gentlemen who gather outside the left-field stands at Wrigley Field to catch home run balls which extend beyond the bleacher section.
Some see the group as a friendly, tight-knit fraternity while others don't understand their fascination and claim arrested development.
Either way, Dave cleared up for me questions surrounding Dave Kingman's legendary home run ball against the Phillies in 1979.
The wind was blowing out to left field that day and Kingman hit a ball which landed near the third house from the corner at 3705 Kenmore Street, an estimated 550 feet from home plate.
Dave Davison tells the rest of the story:
"A lot of people claim that's the longest home run in the history of Wrigley Field. But I saw Sammy Sosa hit a home run which landed a few feet farther than Kingman's shot."
Davison then pointed to a black sign beyond the property line at 3705 Kenmore.
"Kingman's home run was wind-aided. Sosa's home run had a different kind of help."
There are no bronze statues of Dave Kingman or Sammy Sosa outside Wrigley Field.
But to the small group of ballhawks on Waveland Avenue, the pair of home-run titans maintain mythological status.
