View Full Version : 20 years of artificial light at Wrigley Field
Jim Vaz
08-07-2008, 01:19 PM
I still can't believe its going to be 20 years ago tomorrow that lighting first made its way into historic Wrigley Field. I don't see any other thread on this but if there is then I apologize. I can still remember all the rain pouring down that night. It's as if the baseball gods tried to eak out one more night. :)
I figured if anyone wanted to share some pictures of that historical night or stories put them here.... :homeplate:
bleacherbum73
08-07-2008, 01:25 PM
I still can't believe its going to be 20 years ago tomorrow that lighting first made its way into historic Wrgley Field. I don't see any other thread on this but if there is then I apologize. I can still remember all the rain pouring down. It's as if the baseball gods tried to eak out one more night. :)
I figured if anyone wanted to share some pictures of that historical night or stories put them here.... :homeplate:
I remember watching that game on TV. Even though I am a Cards fan and HATE the Cubs :banghead: :eek: I knew it was an historical moment. I can't believe tomorrow it will be 20 years, and guess what, I will be at Wrigley for the Cards-Cubs game. I wonder if there will be any celebrations of it.
Go Cards !!! :highfive:
ZeoBandit
08-07-2008, 02:13 PM
I wonder if there will be any celebrations of it.
They will be celebrating 20 years of night baseball at Wrigley with..... a day game. :banghead:
schnu
08-07-2008, 04:09 PM
They will be celebrating 20 years of night baseball at Wrigley with..... a day game. :banghead:
If I recall correctly, wasn't the first game scheduled for 8/8/88 rained out?
I remember the Mets and Cubs played the first official game on the next night on NBC - and the Cubs won.
Greg B.
08-07-2008, 04:15 PM
I still can't believe its going to be 20 years ago tomorrow that lighting first made its way into historic Wrigley Field.
Me neither. I remember watching it on TV.
Damn, I feel old. :(
eatabagel
08-07-2008, 04:16 PM
I also remember watching that game on TV (or was it on the news-- I don't remember if it was nationally televised). Didn't one of the Chicago outfielders lose the ball in the lights? Who was it? That's my enduring memory of that game.
Chevy114
08-07-2008, 04:50 PM
Don't the cubs play the least amount of night games still or is that my imagination?
Aviator_Frank
08-07-2008, 05:23 PM
Don't the cubs play the least amount of night games still or is that my imagination?
Yes. I think they're limited to 18 or so night games a year by Chicago muni code, and only Tues and Wednesday or something like that.
The Splendid Splinter
08-07-2008, 05:36 PM
Yes. I think they're limited to 18 or so night games a year by Chicago muni code, and only Tues and Wednesday or something like that.
I think it's Mon thru Thurs (I know they had it on Mon/Tues at night and yesterday was a day game because I was there) and then Sunday only if it's nationally televised... I know it's banned on Fri and Sat night... I remember that because they have started talking about trying to get that ban lifted so they can more night games recently.
swbredbaronfan
08-17-2008, 08:14 PM
I still can't believe its going to be 20 years ago tomorrow that lighting first made its way into historic Wrigley Field. I don't see any other thread on this but if there is then I apologize. I can still remember all the rain pouring down that night. It's as if the baseball gods tried to eak out one more night. :)
I figured if anyone wanted to share some pictures of that historical night or stories put them here.... :homeplate:
I remember that the Cubs opponent for that game was the Phillies.
I live in NE Penna and remember the historic significance of night baseball at Wrigley and taped that game. It only went 3 innings or so but somewhere in my collection of video tapes, I have a copy of that 3 innings or so that were played before the rain came. My tapes have been packed away in boxes, (I've moved several times in the ensuing years) but I'm sure if I could get off my lazy butt and go looking, I would probably find it.
Aviator_Frank
08-17-2008, 08:27 PM
I'll always remember watching Met games on channel 9 in NY in the 1970's and sometimes you'll hear Lindsay Nelson say something like, "It's very dark and overcast here right now at Wrigley Field. If we were back at Shea Stadium the lights would be on of course but here at Wrigley . . . there are no lights."
Games called on account of darkness. Ah the memories. The strangest thing about that first night game was seeing the Wrigley manual scoreboard on top of the pyramid lit up. It was like visiting your schoolyard at night shooting hoops under the streetlights for the first time.
jimmyjimjimz
08-17-2008, 09:22 PM
wait................
wringley field only had lights for 20 years? Honestly, that's really hard to believe. What if a game went into extra innings and it was 9:00 at night and still tied? How would they see if there were no lights?
DiggerODell
08-17-2008, 09:26 PM
wait................
wringley field only had lights for 20 years? Honestly, that's really hard to believe. What if a game went into extra innings and it was 9:00 at night and still tied? How would they see if there were no lights?
They asked the patrons to light up their lighters, and hold them out.
Aviator_Frank
08-17-2008, 09:37 PM
wait................
wringley field only had lights for 20 years? Honestly, that's really hard to believe. What if a game went into extra innings and it was 9:00 at night and still tied? How would they see if there were no lights?
The boxscore would read "Susp, darkness" and they would resume at a later date from the point of suspension.
I heard/read something somewhere that wrigley did have lights before WWII but donated them to the war cause....
It sounds ridiculous but is there any chance of that being true?
:confused:
Aviator_Frank
08-18-2008, 07:02 AM
I heard/read something somewhere that wrigley did have lights before WWII but donated them to the war cause....
It sounds ridiculous but is there any chance of that being true?
:confused:
Yes. They had the lights bought (but not installed)
Shbmets
08-18-2008, 07:37 AM
If I recall correctly, wasn't the first game scheduled for 8/8/88 rained out?
I remember the Mets and Cubs played the first official game on the next night on NBC - and the Cubs won.
You are absolutely correct. They definately played the Mets in the first night game. The game before was rained out. I have a vivid memory of Lenny Dykstra going back against the ivy for a fly ball and getting doused with beer from the bleacher bums. He dropped the ball.
Larkin
08-24-2008, 11:49 AM
In 1984, I remember arguing with a Cubs fan (we were in 7th grade) because he said that the reason the Cubs lost the last three games in the '84 NLCS was because "they broke a Cubs tradition" by playing at night. I reminded that the first two games were played at Wrigley in the daytime. He said "Right, but one of the games in San Diego was played at night".
He somehow thought that ALL Cubs games were played in the Daytime. Either that or he was one very fairweather fan. Anyway, I certainly thought of him when the lights were finally installed. You know, some folks were upset when they brought in the lights, but hey, it probably helped keep the Stadium going, you know? At some point MLB was going to put a stop to that.
JohnCropp
08-24-2008, 12:04 PM
At some point MLB was going to put a stop to that.
On behalf of TV, of course.
mets16
08-24-2008, 10:18 PM
Here is a protesting sign:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/2735820031_f49e0af906.jpg
Chevy114
08-25-2008, 06:28 PM
Its a shame to me that a stadium would be so oppossed to night games, night games are so much more fun to me. But if your a history kind of guy, I can see your point too.
six4three
08-26-2008, 07:54 AM
At some point MLB was going to put a stop to that.
On behalf of TV, of course.
We tend to forget that the major proponent of lights at Wrigley was the team. How much of MLB's advocacy was on behalf of the Cubs?
If they hadn't been allowed to install lights, the Cubs would have moved to the suburbs.
Fans tend to think of places like Wrigley and Fenway as somehow sacred and inviolable, but the teams sure don't.
Tribune bought the team with night games on WGN in mind. Dallas Green was the frontman for the demands, talking about Schaumburg and such.