The first time I walked into Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, I knew I was someplace special — partly because no one was talking about it being a special place.
When I walked into Wrigley Field on Saturday, I knew I was once again in a special place — again, partly due to no one bragging about it being the greatest place on earth.
Everyone who’s gone there at least once knows what a hallowed place Wrigley Field became many years ago — long before arguments over millions of dollars and the ability to allow more generations of fans the same (or better) baseball experiences than those of their ancestors.
Saturday’s Chicago Cubs win over the Atlanta Braves not only gave the sellout crowd of 41,196 a lot to cheer about, but also gave newcomers like myself the chance to see what it looks like at Clark and Addison when the home team is victorious.
My hunger to visit Major League and other baseball parks was fueled by my early visits to Baltimore. We lived near Washington, D.C., so getting to Baltimore was sort of a haul on a weeknight, and a rare treat — most of what I know about baseball was learned through the voice of Jon Miller during his Oriole radio days.
From the hedges in center field, to Earl Weaver’s tomato plants, to the way the area behind home plate seemed right next to the fans, Memorial had its magic. It only had a slightly larger seating capacity than Wrigley, and many similar design elements as the Chicago park, and it brought several generations of fans a lifetime of memories.
Known to some as the “The Old Gray Lady of 33rd Street,” and, for Baltimore Colts games, “The World’s Largest Outdoor Insane Asylum,” Memorial won over hearts and minds quickly.
It was demolished in 2002, just 48 years after it had been expanded as the St. Louis Browns moved to town to become the Orioles. That’s a relatively short life span compared to Fenway Park, Tiger Stadium, the L.A. Coliseum or Wrigley (Yankee Stadium that opened in 2009 is on a different site than the one built in 1923).
Since 1914, the Cubs have been as much a part of Chicago and American culture as apple pie and domestically manufactured tires. Now, I can see why; despite all the decades of change in equipment, technology and the way folks view the game, the field basically delivers the same product.
Many argue baseball was meant to be played in the daytime, under a natural sky, on real grass. That’s what the Cubs had on Saturday when they came from four runs down to beat the Braves — and the fans seemed to appreciate a come-from-behind win as much as they appreciated the sunny, 78-degree, minimal-wind day.
When I say minimal wind, I mean only about 15 mph on the playing surface. The flags seemed be pretty stiff with a wind going out toward left field, and there were a combined six home runs hit in the game.
Four of those homers were hit by Cubs — the last two being eighth-inning, back-to-back shots by Miguel Montero and Jorge Soler that turned out to be the winning runs. The homer by Montero caused the crowd to make noise in the concrete bowl that was unlike anything I’d ever heard in the other nine outdoor MLB stadiums I’ve visited.
My girlfriend, Jacqui, was seeing her first game at Wrigley as well, having seen the magic of the field only in Dave Matthews Band concerts years earlier. We were able to take her 11- and 8-year-old nieces to the famed venue as well.
The trip was also special because we used the Red Line and to get to Wrigley — using the same train tracks that have taken millions of other fans to this sacred space.
Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com