Blog Header Ball Park

So what is that ballpark in the header of my blog?

If you look closely you can read that it says National League Park Chicago.  That is what it is, but it was known as West Side Park and was the home to the Chicago Cubs for many years. 

It was built in 1893 and looked a bit different than how it looks in the photo in my header.  There were no upper seating sections going down the first and third base side in the beginning.  There was a small covered grandstand behind home plate at the start of the 1900's. 

When the team started playing better ball they expanded the seating in 1905.  You can see the slightly extended grandstand in the image to the right.

Notice the uncovered stands extending past third base at this time.

The park was estimated to have sat up to 12,500 spectators.

In 1908 the club expanded the seating further covering the bleachers on the first and third base sides with more private box seating. 

 

Here is a shot of the 1909 World Series and you can see the upper deck has been extended even further past the third base foul line and into left field. 

 

Here is a nice color postcard of the park which shows what it would've looked like back then.

 

 

The West Side Park was the home of the best Cubs teams of the twentieth century and hosting two back to back World Series championships both against the Tigers.  It was also in 1908 when the Cubs beat the NY Giants to get the World Series after the infamous Merkle Boner play required a replay of a game to determine who won the pennant.  

 

The park was getting older in the teens and eventually the team was moved to the newer steel and concrete park named Weeghman Park. Weeghman Park was originally built for the Federal League Chicago Whales in 1915 and was named after their owner Charles Weeghman.  After the Federal League folded the next year, Weeghman bought a large interest in the Cubs and moved them to Weeghman Park in 1916.  Weeghman Park can be visited today but it is now known as Wrigley Field.

 

So that's the short story of West Side Park and the image used at the top of my blog.

 

Enjoy the hobby all...it's a great one.