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Daniel_12:10

Aug 8 2004, 03:18 PM

Aug 8, 1988 the lights went on in Wrigley Field.

The game was rained out - many die hard Cubs fans said
even God didn't want night games at Wrigley!

QUOTE

The first night game scheduled for Wrigley Field was on August 8, 1988. However, it rained after four innings of baseball, and the game was postponed until the next day.

http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/nl/WrigleyField.htm

unapecora

Aug 8 2004, 07:48 PM

Baseball is meant to play during the day. Well, that's my thoughts anyway.

Daniel_12:10

Aug 8 2004, 09:05 PM

Ahem, Dodgers, move to L.A. - O'Malley - more night games than anybody else at the time.

I agree with you on the day games, but it went to nights just to sell more tickets - including the World Series. Progess they call it. Not always, huh?

unapecora

Aug 9 2004, 10:16 AM

I understand why it happened. With people working it's harder to fill the stadium and with the price of tickets going up, it became less of a "family" event. No way my family could afford to go to a game when we were growing up.

Had it not been for the fact that my Dad's cousin played MLB we would not have been able to attend the games we did. But my memories of baseball are mostly outside, listening to the game while my dad barbecued.

And as we got older, the LA Times used to give away tickets to the high school "A" students: 2 tickets each for three games. My dad hauled in at least 6 games a year and, at one point, 9 games a year (depending upon how many kids he had in high school at one time).

A chance to do something with Dad without everyone else and we jumped at it.

Daniel_12:10

Aug 9 2004, 01:43 PM

My father worked for Ford for awhile, and then Oldsmobile...
thus he occassionally got freebie tickets....
In those days, Sunday games were quite often doubleheaders

for two or three seasons we made it to every home doubleheader at
Yankee Stadium, and every weekend the Orioles were in town.
I'd come home from those games hoarse after cheering for Brooks Robinson
and Jim Gentile.
(It wasn't a good idea to ask Yogi Berra for his autograph while wearing an Oriole hat, I found that out when he signed his autograph for me, then took my hat off and beat me over the head with it).

When the Mets came into being we saw them the first season in the Polo Grounds, and then at Shea. While the Yankees were confiscating noisemakers from fans going through the gates, the Mets were giving them out.

My uncle was in his 40's at the time, and his son, my cousin in his late teens. Neighborhood kids would show up with bats, gloves, and balls and when my cousin answered the door they'd ask if his father could come out and hit some fungos

In the 82nd Airborne at Ft Bragg part of our riot control duty was going to Griffith or RFK Stadium in riot gear and watching the Washington Seantors play.

When I was in the Army hospital at Valley Forge, PA on the weekends the American Legion used to send buses up to bring us down to Connie Mack to watch the Phillies, tickets all paid for. The Phillies were pitiful back then but so what.

unapecora

Aug 9 2004, 01:50 PM

Hey, my Dad's cousin played for the Senators. Gee, you're kinda old.

Daniel_12:10

Aug 9 2004, 04:26 PM

Ah, yeah, I guess so.
Well, you see there were the Washington Senators from way back when.
Then the American League expanded, and the Senators folded, but the expansion beought the Minnesota Twins.
Then, a "new" team was created, the Washingon Senators, but after a short stay in Washington, they moved and became the Texas Rangers.
(something like that).

There was a team in Seattle, the Seattle Pilots, for one year (anything that says Seattle Pilots on it is worth something to collectors). They moved and became the Milwaukee Brewers.

ps
The NY Jets (football) were originally called The New York Titans.
A lot of that logo stuff is really worth a few $$$$$.

Daniel_12:10

Aug 8 2006, 07:41 AM

unapecora

Aug 8 2006, 09:26 AM

Gee, it's been a year already?

Daniel_12:10

Aug 8 2006, 03:44 PM

Hard to believe, huh?

unapecora

Aug 8 2006, 03:55 PM

Yes. Time is flying.

Daniel_12:10

Aug 8 2008, 10:39 AM

Oh marrone, it's been 20 years now! Mama mia!

unapecora

Aug 8 2008, 10:40 AM

You just had to remind us, didn't you?

Unbelievable because I remember when they were all day games like it was just a few years ago.

Daniel_12:10

Aug 8 2009, 03:13 PM

unapecora

Aug 8 2009, 06:38 PM

You kill me!

Daniel_12:10

Aug 8 2009, 07:29 PM

Well it's a very historic day in sports.

The Statler Brothers even had a country song they did called
When the Lights Come On In Wrigley Field That's When I'll Come Back To You

Guess that guy in the song had to get back with his ex!

unapecora

Aug 10 2009, 12:32 PM

I don't remember that song, that's pretty funny. I liked those guys, they were very good.

Daniel_12:10

Aug 10 2009, 12:52 PM

Here you go, turns out the name of the song is Don't Wait On Me:

QUOTE

Don't Wait On Me
lyrics:

When the sun wakes up in the west, and lays it's head down in the east
When they ordain Madlyn O'hare and she becomes a priest
When a San Diego sailor, comes home with no tatto
When the lights go on at Wrigley Field , I'll be comin' home to you

But don't wait on me (little darlin'), Lord can't you see (little darlin')
I only go (no farther), No guarantee
Don't wait on me (And when you), That's somethin' I (Just can't do)
Never have and don't (Intend to), Don't wait on me

When the wind don't blow in Chicago, and L.A. is cold and clear
When they unfurl Old Glory, and no one stands to cheer
When my brother in law phones me, and the charges aren't reversed
When the cabbie don't want a bigger tip, I'll be slidin' home from

So don't wait on me (little darlin'), Lord can't you see (little darlin')
I only go (no farther), No guarantee
Don't wait on me (And when you), That's somethin' I (Just can't do)
Never have and don't (Intend to), Don't wait on me

When you load up on a long shot, and you win by half a nose
When the Fourth of July parade, is called because it snows
When the waiting room is empty, and the Doc says,'come right in'
When Christmas comes before New Years, I'll be commin' home again

But don't wait on me (little darlin'), Lord can't you see (little darlin')
I only go (no farther), No guarantee
Don't wait on me (And when you), That's somethin' I (Just can't do)
Never have and don't (Intend to), Don't wait on me

Don't wait on me, Don't wait on me, Don't wait on me, Don't wait on me
http://www.top40db.net/Lyrics/?SongID=8057...Year&Match=

On one of the sites where I searched for this it said the song has been redone with a new line since the lights;
"When they put a dome on Wrigley Field"

unapecora

Aug 10 2009, 01:51 PM

Unfortunately, this line may be more true than false these days:

QUOTE

When they unfurl Old Glory, and no one stands to cheer

I like it, though, it's pretty good!

Daniel_12:10

Aug 10 2009, 06:56 PM

Yeah, I wondered the same thing about the Old Glory line.

I was in Vegas when this song came out and we got such a big kick out of it because at the time saying "When the lights come on in Wrigley Field" was the same thing as saying "Never going to happen..."
In fact, when they announced there would be lights at Wrigley, a DJ on a country station said, "Oh no! That guy in the Staler brothers song will have to get back with his ex!"

unapecora

Aug 10 2009, 09:04 PM

Now that's funny! I wonder how many people even remembered that line from the song.

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