8/8/88: Cubs Opening Night At Wrigley Field
August 8, 1988. Chicago Cubs vs Philadelphia Phillies. First home night game in Cubs history.
Twenty eight years ago tonight, the Cubs and Phillies tried to play a night game at Wrigley Field. Doesn't sound so unusual now but for many decades Wrigley Field was the home for day baseball. When you're a kid, you loved day baseball.
My parents cut me loose to go to Cubs games when I was twelve. Pretty trusting considering my mom freaked when I went to the park and didn't come home before dinner.
In the mid-1960's, it was pretty easy to go to a Cubs game. I'd get a bag lunch and $2. You'd get on the train in Skokie, transfer to the B line train that stops at Addison Street and you'd be at Wrigley Field in less than an hour. The cost of the ride was 30 cents. Then you'd decide if you wanted to sit in the bleachers or the grandstands. Plenty of seats were available in both areas. The cost of the ticket was 75 cents. There was enough change left over to get a Frosty Malt (chocolate ice cream) and a Coke.
Baseball games were also played faster back in the olden days. Two hour games were the norm. You'd get on the train at 4pm and be home in time for dinner. It was better and cheaper than a babysitter.
I'm pretty sure that's how and why I became a Cubs fan. The White Sox had better teams during this era but their games were played at night and the chances of going to their games as a twelve year old were 0%. If the Sox had played day games, I'm pretty sure I'd be screaming for Robin Ventura to be fired instead of not giving a damn.
So it's 1988 and I'm living in Southern California. The word on the street is the Cubs are getting lights. They're going to play eighteen night games each year. I know I need to be there for the first one. Road trip to Chicago.
On the day of the game, the friend who I'm going with has to work so I head down without him to find some tickets. Same ride from Skokie that I took as a twelve year old. Deja Vu. I find someone who is selling tickets. Fifty bucks each. Deja Vu, not so much. What the Hell happened to those 50 cents tickets?
It's gametime. The lights are on. Some 90ish year old lifelong Cubs fan helped turn them on. This guy was old enough to see the Cubs win the World Series. I hate him.
Phil Bradley of the Phillies hits a home run. Cubs are losing. What else is new. Ryne Sandberg of the Cubs hits a home run. Cubs take the lead. Little did I know that four years later my daughter would be named after Ryno.
And then it starts raining.....
Man, did it rain. On and on and on. The tarp is on the field. Some of the players come out and start sliding on the infield. Greg Maddox. Jody Davis. A few others. It was fun and entertaining. Cub management hated it.
Two hours of rain was enough. Game cancelled. Fifty bucks down the drain! Time to go home. My friend drove to the game and parked about a mile away. The rain continued and we were drenched.
The next day was another night game and it's officially the first home night game in Cubs history. I was there that night, too. I can't remember anything about that game other than the Cubs beat the Mets. I only know the score was 6-4 because I saw it posted online. I always think of the rained out game against the Phillies as the first one.
It's twenty eight years later and night games are the norm at Wrigley. There's a generation or two that don't think night games there are anything special. Why should they?
I'm going to see the Cubs play the Angels tomorrow night. I'm long past the time of having a sense of awe at night games or even at being at historic Wrigley Field. But every once in a while, I look around at the park. I check out the ivy, the old green scoreboard and then look at the lights. It brings me back to my twelve year old days. Tomorrow it will bring me back to 8/8/88.
I didn't remember today was the anniversary until I saw it mentioned by a couple of blogging colleagues. So here's a shout out them and links to their blogs. Mysteries of Life and Little Merry Sunshine
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