ChicagoSmarts.com Blog

For baseball fans, March is an exciting month. Spring training is underway and the regular season looms on the horizon. In some cities, baseball is life, particularly when it comes to rivalries. The feud between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees dates back over 100 years as they battle it out in the American League each season.

At least, though, they have 200 miles between them. That’s not the case in Chicago, where only 10 miles separate Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field (formerly Comiskey Park). So fierce is the rivalry between Chicago’s two hometown teams – the Cubs and the White Sox – it is known by monikers such as the Crosstown Classic and The Windy City Showdown.

To be sure, loyalties in Chicago run deep. Respective fans are dubbed “North Siders” and “South Siders” to distinguish them. On the North Side of town (and in the National League), are the Cubs; to the South (and in the American League), the White Sox.

Much like the Red Sox/Yankees kerfuffle, the Cubs/White Sox match-up dates back to 1900 when Charles Comiskey brought his Saint Paul Saints from the minor league up to Chicago. After threats of a lawsuit from the Cubs owner, it was determined that the new team could set up shop below 35th Street, but couldn’t use Chicago in their name.

And, so, the White Stockings were born, a tag actually used by the Cubs from 1876 to 1889. With that settled, the two teams faced off in the 1906 World Series. The Cubs, who had been strongly favored, lost in six games to “The Hitless Wonders” as the White Sox were known thanks to their formidable pitching staff.

These days, the teams play each other six times a year. In terms of their ongoing regular season meetings tally, the Sox are also up 41–37.

Another point of contention between the dueling factions is their stadiums. Though the White Sox lost the sentimental value and personality of their beloved Comiskey Park when they moved into the new U.S. Cellular field, they gained an updated, contemporary facility. Meanwhile, the Cubs still hang out at legendary Wrigley Field. Spurring things on, Sox manager Ozzie Guillén once said of Wrigley, “But one thing about Wrigley Field, I puke every time I go there”

As with most embattled sports franchises, talk of curses shadow both teams.For the Cubs, the tales date back to the 1945 World Series in which they had a two games to one lead over the Detroit Tigers. On October 6, 1945, loyal Cubs fan and local bar owner Billy Sianis was not allowed to take his seat because he had his pet billy goat in tow. The story goes that Sianis put a curse on the Cubs preventing them from ever again winning a World Series. Because they have yet to be victorious, the Cubs do, on occasion, bring goats to the stadium as a mock apology/promotion.

Others site the curse of Johnny Evers and the 1908 World Series as the source of all things troublesome for the Cubs from the Hack Wilson missed fly ball to Babe Ruth’s called shot and more.

On the other side of the fence, fans of the White Sox point directly to the 1919 World Series when eight players conspired to puposely lose the series. They were banned from baseball the following year leaving behind the Black Sox nickname. While more a scandal than a curse, the Sox have still had a hard time overcoming the cloud of the incident.

Wrigley Field, U.S. Cellular Field: Cubs’ Venerated Venue vs. White Sox’s Championship Stadium

The city of Chicago has two Major League Baseball teams and that means they have two Major League ballparks. And these two ballparks, Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field, are polar opposites of one another.

The venerated Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, is a baseball shrine. It’s the second oldest park in the majors and the oldest park in the National League. It’s the one ballpark that every baseball fan (from the hardcore to the causal) wants to visit to see a game. Basically, Wrigley Field is the quintessential ballpark that provides the quintessential baseball experience.

Meanwhile, U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, was built after the cookie-cutter ballparks of the 1970s and prior to the “retro-classic” trend of the 1990s and 2000s. Despite its modern amenities, many fans derided the ballpark for a number of aesthetic reasons. Mike Veeck, son of former White Sox owner Bill Veeck, summed up the stadium perfectly when he described it as having everything “but a soul.”

Wrigley Field
It only took six weeks to build Wrigley Field. Of course when it first opened the park was a lot smaller than it is now. Originally, Wrigley Field had a seating-capacity of 14,000. Fast forward about a century and it can now accommodate more than 42,000 Cubs fans. The ballpark opened in April of 1914, but it didn’t start selling Chicago Cubs tickets until 1916. Wrigley Field was also the home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears from 1921 to 1970.

The ballpark was originally called Weeghman Park after Chicago businessman Charles Weeghman. He built the park for his Federal League baseball team. When that league folded, Weegham led a group of investors that bought the Chicago Cubs. At the time, the Cubs were playing at the West Side Grounds, but Weegham moved them to his brand new stadium. In 1926, the park was renamed Wrigley Field after chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr., who took over full ownership of the club in 1921.

Wrigley Field is located in the community area of Lakeview although the blocks immediately surrounding the park is known as Wrigleyville. Dubbed “The Friendly Confines” by former Cubs player Ernie Banks, Wrigley Field is known for several unique features: the outfield wall is made of brick and is covered in ivy, players must deal with swirling winds produced by Lake Michigan, and the stadium is served by a hand operated scoreboard. Over the stadium’s main entrance hangs a large, art deco style marquee that reads, “Wrigley Field, Home of Chicago Cubs.” The iconic red marquee is one of Chicago’s most indelible images.

All games at Wrigley Field were played during the day until 1988. That’s when the team finally added lights (MLB wouldn’t allow the ballpark to host postseason games without them). Even so, there are very few night games scheduled at Wrigley Field. This is partly due to tradition and partly due to an agreement with the city. So if you have Cubs tickets bring plenty of sunscreen.

During the seventh inning stretch of every Cubs game, a famous figure leads the Wrigley Field faithful in the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” The practice was started by legendary Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray. Since his death in 1998, the tradition has been kept alive by celebrities, famous musicians, well-known athletes, and former Cubs players.

U.S. Cellular Field
U.S. Cellular Field is located west of the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago’s Armour Square neighborhood. The park was built directly across the street from Comiskey Park—the White Sox’s home from 1919 to 1990, and prior its demolition, the oldest ballpark in the majors. The venue was originally called Comiskey Park II but in 2003 naming rights were purchased by U.S. Cellular. The first game played at “The Cell” was April 18, 1991. It was one that White Sox ticket holders would like to forget, they lost to the Detroit Tigers 16-0.

When Cellular Field first opened its doors in 1991, the ballpark was immediately greeted with scorn and ridicule. Fans with White Sox tickets objected to the height of the upper deck, a roof that didn’t cover enough of the stands, and an overall lack of character and charm. The team listened to their fans and they have since renovated the stadium several times; the franchise has spent over $100 million on improvements and additions. The ballpark now has some of the appeal of old Comiskey Park while still maintaining the modern amenities everyone appreciates.

Cellular Field has several attractions that visitors can check out if the game isn’t going the way they want. There’s the Comcast Fundamentals Deck, the Miller Lite Bullpen Sports Bar, the Jim Bean Club, and the Majestic Custom T-Shirt Shop. There are also a couple of places fans can visit to cool off during those hot afternoon games under the sweltering summer sun.

The Cell also features several monuments to prominent White Sox teams and players of the past. On the concourse are several statues of former White Sox greats and then there’s the Champions Brick Plaza, a monument that celebrates the White Sox’s 2005 championship team.

And that brings us to the one big difference between Wrigley Field and U.S. Cellular Field. While “The Friendly Confines” is a beloved American landmark that has been immortalized in film, television, and popular song—a holy sports stadium oozing with charm—it has never hosted a World Series game (the Cubs moved to Wrigley Field long after winning World Series titles in 1907 and 1908). U.S. Cellular Field hosted Game 1 and 2 of the 2005 World Series—a series in which the White Sox swept the Houston Astros.

As for the Cubs, they haven’t won a World Series in over a century.

WRIGLEY FIELD
1060 West Addison Street
Chicago, Illinois 60613
Opened: April 23, 1914
Architect: Zachary Taylor Davis
Construction Cost: $250,000
Capacity: 42,157
Dimensions:
Left field – 355 feet
Center field – 400 feet
Right field – 353 feet

U.S. CELLULAR FIELD
333 West 35th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60616
Opened: April 18, 1991
Architect: Populous
Construction Cost: $167 million
Capacity: 40,615
Dimensions:
Left field – 330 feet
Center field – 400 feet
Right field – 335 feet