Cubbies in for a Whale of a celebration
A fan takes a photograph with his cell phone outside of Wrigley Field before the Chicago Cubs take on the Mets on April 22, 2008 in Chicago. Credit: Getty Images / Jonathan Daniel
Ever hear of Weeghman Park?
The ancient structure was built for the Chicago Whales of the Federal League back in 1914.
Whales? Federal League? Both are long-faded memories.
But Weeghman Park stands strong on the corner of Clark and Addison streets in Chicago. And the ballpark known as Wrigley Field since 1926 becomes 100 years old on April 23, when its longtime tenant, the Cubs, host the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cubs plan to "Party Like It's 1914" in a season-long celebration of the Wrigley centennial, starting with Chicago Whales jerseys to the first 30,000 fans at the milestone game.
But the old ballpark is in for some changes. The team has plans for some serious state-of-the-art improvements, including a ginormous Jumbotron, new brick walls and signage that has had the team-owning Ricketts family battling with owners of buildings with the popular rooftop bleachers that overlook the outfield.
But for now, all Cubs fans are interested in having a Whale of a time at the Friendly Confines, and maybe, just maybe, that World Series championship that last happened six years before Weeghman Park was built.
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