By Ryan Kroll
The Chicago Cubs have struggled to a 1-5 record to open 2019, but they've played every game on the road -- until Monday, when they return to iconic Wrigley Field for a 104th season.
Wrigley Field, the oldest stadium in the National League, opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park, and the Cubs started playing there in 1916. It remains one of baseball's most instantly recognizable venues, full of unique and beloved traits.
Wrigley is best known for its ivy-covered brick outfield wall. MLB now requires all stadiums to have padded walls, but Wrigley Field was grandfathered into the rules. A ball that gets "lost" in this botanic decor may be ruled a ground-rule double. In 2004, the ivy was specifically included in Wrigley Field's Landmark Designation.
The park was also the last in the big leagues to add light towers to allow them to have night games, and baseball fans from Ferris Bueller on down recognize afternoon games as a clasic part of the Wrigley experience.
Wrigley Field’s hand-turned scoreboard -- the scores are changed manually from within the structure -- was installed in 1937 and is one of last of its kind. No player even has hit the scoreboard, which is mounted above the center-field bleachers, on the fly.
Directly above the main entrance sits a large red art deco marquee that reads: "Wrigley Field, Home of Chicago Cubs." The marquee was installed around 1934 and has remained largely unchanged (not counting that LED panel).
In April and May, the wind from Lake Michigan blows in, knocking down potential home runs and turning them into outs. In the summer, the wind often comes from the south and has the opposite effect: carrying normally harmless fly balls over the fence for home runs, sometimes into the waiting gloves of ballhawks stationed on Waveland and Sheffield Avenues.
Then there are the rooftop seats. Residents of the Wrigley Field neighborhood discovered they had a great view of the action on the field from the surrounding building rooftops. In the 1980s, building owners renovated the rooftops to include bleacher-style seating and staffed bars -- and they share the revenue from these unofficial seats with the Cubs.