The Friendly Confines

There's good news. The Cubbies are coming home. Let's take some time to remind you a little bit about our home ballpark.

Wrigley Field broke ground on March 4, 1914 and opened on April 23, 1914. It has always been located at 1060 West Addison Street, but it has not always been called Wrigley Field. The first name of the stadium was Weeghman Park. It was named after part owner Charles Weeghman. The name lasted until 1920, when "Cubs Park" took over. That title hung around for about six seasons, until the park was renamed Wrigley Field in 1926. That name stuck.

The current capacity of the ballpark is 41,160. It held just 14,000 back in 1914. In case you've forgotten, the field dimensions are as follows:

355 feet to left, 368 to left-center, 400 to straight away, 368 to right-center, and 353 to right.

From 1914 to 1915 the park was home to the Chicago Whales of the Federal League. The Cubs took over in 1916, but they haven't been the only team to call Wrigley home since. Two Chicago football teams, the Tigers (1920) and Bears (1921-1970) occupied the park during the winter. The Chicago Sting soccer club played their games at Wrigley from 1977 to 1982 then again in '84. Most recently, the Chicago Blackhawks played a game there on New Year's Day 2009 against Detroit. It was the NHL's Winter Classic.

Here are ten things that you probably love about our home park:
1. The Ivy
2. The Rooftops
3. The Wind Patterns
4. The Scoreboard
5. The Bleachers
6. The Atmosphere
7. The 7th Inning Stretch
8. The Day Games
9. The Playing of "Go Cubs Go"
10. The "W" Flag

None of those thing will change this season, but there are a few things that will. Let's take a look.

1. A Player's lounge with a new 60-inch flat screen TV
2. New Weight room and upgraded batting cages
3. Bison Burgers Available at Concessions
4. Changes to Restrooms
5. A brand-new kitchen for Otis Hellman to cook
6. Banners and photos of players covering the facade of the field
7. Six skyboxes have been converted into a private club
8. Sheffield Grill will now be open to the public.
9. Of course, they'll be four Cubs fans roaming around the park again this year. The change? This year, they own the club.

Ryan Dempster is set to face the Brewers at 1:20.

"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"
-Bert Wilson, Cubs broadcaster 1944-1955