the basket was installed at wrigley field in 1963.
when was the basket installed at wrigley field?
1963
the "basket", an angling chain-link fence that runs along the top of the outfield wall, was installed at the start of the 1970 season. during the 1969 pennant race, there were several incidents of fans interfering with fly balls and even falling onto the field. there was also the first and only incident of a fan running the field and escaping without prosecution. a famous photograph was taken of the incident and published in the "chicago sun-times". the basket was intended to deter or prevent that kind of problem. security cameras were also installed at that time. the "basket" angles away from the wall, and is also higher than the wall in order to provide some balance for the pitchers. however, over the years a number of baseballs have been hit "into the basket" for home runs that previously would have been outs, or off the wall, or possibly interfered with by fans. the basket only exists where there is seating. during the 1980s, when the bleacher seating was extended over the "catwalks", i.e. the bleacher ramps in extreme left and right fields, the basket was likewise extended.
history of wrigley field
the red line stop at addison is less than one block east of wrigley field. (the stadium was originally built for proximity to the train tracks.) at the conclusion of games, the scoreboard operator raises to the top of the center field scoreboard either a white flag with a blue "w" to signify a cubs victory or a blue flag with a white "l" for a loss. this is done to show the outcome of the game to passengers on passing "l" trains, and also to anyone passing by the park. the basic flag color was once the exact opposite of the colors used today (the rationale being that white is the traditional color for surrender). in addition to rail service, the cta provides several bus routes which service wrigley. cta bus routes #22 clark, #152 addison and #154 wrigley field express all provide access to the ballpark. pace also operates the #282 schaumburg-wrigley field express from woodfield mall in schaumburg and the #779 yorktown-wrigley field express from yorktown shopping center in lombard. biking to the field is also a popular alternative. as halsted, addison, and clark streets all have designated biking lanes, getting to the field via bicycle is a widely used way to avoid hectic pre- and postgame traffic; wrigley field offers a complimentary bike check program to accommodate for them. cyclists may check their bikes up to 2 hours before games at the bike racks off of waveland ave, and may pick up their bikes up to one hour after games end.
wrigley field