Wrigley Field Is A Better Ballpark Than Fenway Park

Quinn Harris. Getty Images.

Fenway Park is far from the worst ballpark I've been to. Tropicana Field, Pro Player Park and Olympic Stadium have existed. The charm of Fenway is that's old but once you get beyond that and you've seen the Green Monster, it's much less appealing. The ten thousand or so uncomfortable wooden seats that face left field as opposed to home plate. The narrow and hideous concourse that feels more like a basement than a ballpark. There might not be a seat worse in all of baseball than the grandstands in the deep right field corner.

I went to Wrigley Park for the first time this weekend. It does all of the historic things that Fenway does…just better. You still feel like you have entered some type of time machine while you watch the game. There is something comforting about sitting in the same place watching the same thing as someone else a hundred years ago. James Earl Jones said in Field Of Dreams that the one constant through time has been baseball. 

He's right.

Quinn Harris. Getty Images.

Wrigley just seems to do everything as well as it can. The park is spotless with a sleek cleanliness that you even see in the concourse signage. Every piece seems to be in the right place. The ivy looks like it belongs even more than it does on television. I almost understand why it took so long to put lights up. It feels like Wrigley Field has been there forever and Chicago just was created around it.

The fans at Wrigley get an unfair reputation. All I've heard is that they go there to have fun and don't care about the game. I've only been to two games there but I didn't feel that was the case at all. Both games were blowouts and the fans stayed pretty engaged the whole time. Also, very few left early.

I'll say this: Cubs fans are the nicest fans I've ever seen at any ballpark in any sport. No one has said a negative word these past two games. When I was leaving after the Cubs beat the Mets 8-1, I was wearing a Mets jersey and Cubs fans were apologizing to me for winning. Just sincere and kind people. Makes me think every fan base should be more like this. Maybe they are meaner to Cardinals or White Sox fans?

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I really liked the Cubs Hall Of Fame. It was set up down a long hallway from the regular seating to the bleachers. I really enjoy the little touches of having the accomplishments set up in logos on the bottom right of the plaque. The team hall of fame plaques in Baltimore are too high up to even read but in Wrigley, they were right there and you could even touch them. Always great seeing very good players like Mark Grace and Shawon Dunston get recognition. Every team in every sport needs to have special area or even building to honor the guys that were so important to a franchise even if they weren't MLB Hall Of Famers.

Most of the Cubs statues are great but this Harry Caray one is scary as fuck. Why are there screaming faces coming out of his knees? He's also a giant that seems to be crushing Wrigley Field. Very disturbing. The other statues of Ron Santo, Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins and Billy Williams look amazing and today they are unveiling the Ryne Sandberg one. I wonder if anyone from the 2016 team would get a statue? Other than maybe Jon Lester, no one else from that team will make the MLB Hall Of Fame.

This giveaway on Saturday made me laugh. I think this instantly becomes the worst bobblehead player I've gotten as a giveaway. Keep in mind that I already own a Juan Lagares bobblehead. Alzolay has been horrible this year before getting hurt but it's not like he was even that impressive last year. So weird.

All in all, I liked Wrigley a lot. The tickets are wildly expensive (was even $100/each in the 300's which is in the balcony) but it is a beautiful park that lives up to the great reputation. I do still have Camden Yards and PNC Park easily ahead of it. I'd probably like Wrigley less the more I went. The novelty of the ivy and manual scoreboard (which still doesn't show every game) would wear off but the tiny concourse and seats facing away from home plate would aggravate me more and more. But I am so happy I came here and I'm excited to back to the park tonight.

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This is hardly a hot take or breaking news but Wrigley Field is a special place. Just because something is a popular opinion doesn't make it wrong. The Beatles are great. The Godfather is a masterpiece. Wrigley Field is a wonderful place to watch a baseball game.