The First Games at Weeghman

By David Marasco

In cities such as Baltimore and Cleveland baseball enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the 1990s, in no small part due to the new "retro-style" stadiums that have been erected in recent years. Cubs fans can look at this and nonchalantly shrug, "Sure, Camden Yards might be a nice ballpark, but I watch baseball in Wrigley Field." Cubs fans need to brag about something, and it certainly isn't the team.

Fans from other cities talk of their new "old" ballparks, but what was it like when Chicago's old ballpark was new? As many Cubs fans know, Wrigley Field was not built for the Cubs, but for the Chicago entry of the ill-fated Federal League. While they would later go on to be known as the Whales, when they first played they were known by a simple but descriptive moniker. They were the ChiFeds. The park also had a different name. It was not named after a chewing gum magnate, but instead after its creator, the owner of the ChiFeds. He was Charlie Weeghman and it was Weeghman Field. While some things were different, there was at least one constant. Weeghman Field created a little friction with the locals. Consent of two-thirds of the property owners within 1000 feet of the ballpark was needed for city officials to approve the ballpark for play. The ChiFeds almost dropped the ball, assuming that only the owners on the facing street needed to be involved. At the last minute representatives of the team had to smooth out community relations. In any case baseball was played on April 23, 1914 and has been played at Clark and Addison ever since.

On that day in April manager Joe Tinker brought his ChiFeds to Weeghman. Their opponents were the Kansas City Packers. The North Side had come out 21,000 strong to support their team (then, as now, the White Sox represented the South Side; the Cubs at the time were a West Side team and played before roughly 1000 fans in Chicago that day). It was cap day, and since the ChiFeds gave out caps of different colors, the grandstand looked like "a huge floral horse shoe." Many fans didn't get inside as management had closed the doors a half hour before the game. Like today, many watched from the rooftops of buildings across the way. Chicago natives won't be surprised that the April date did not feature baseball weather, "A chilly wind was coming off the lake and one needed Winter furs to be comfortable." A group of ChiFed rooters tried to stage a bullfight, but the bull was disinterested. More succesful was the presentation of a huge American flag by the Daughters of the Grand Army of the Republic. It was flown to the song "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean." The Star Spangled Banner didn't become part of baseball and Americana until it was played at Comiskey Park (Wrigley was deemed to small) during the Cubs-Red Sox World Series of 1918. After the patriotism flowers were presented to Joe Tinker and Weeghman was given a large silver loving cup. John Sexton, representing Mayor Harrison, threw out the first pitch to Tinker.

The game itself wasn't that interesting. Chief Johnson (in the days before Political Correctness, all Native American baseball players were named Chief) was the starter for the Kansas City Packers. With 21,000 in attendance some of the crowd had to be allowed on the field restrained behind ropes, for Weeghman Field only seated 18,000. Dutch Zwilling took advantage of this when he poked a ball into the crowd for a ground rule double. An infield out moved the runner to third. Zwilling came home on Farrel's single and scored on former New York Giant Artie Wilson's home run.

When the inning closed the ChiFeds had a 3-0 lead. Chief Johnson didn't come out for the third. Was Kansas City's manager George Stovall a quick hook? No, the story is more interesting than that. Johnson had just jumped his Cincinnati Reds contract to play for the Federal League's Kansas City franchise. The Reds went to court and got an injuction from judge Foell of the Superior Court. The papers were served after the second inning and Johnson had to be removed from the game. The management of the Packers was ordered not to tamper with any other Cincinnati players.

Dwight Stone replaced Johnson, but his spitter wasn't effective in the Chicago wind. The ChiFeds would score a total of nine runs one the day. The hitting hero was Artie Wilson who hit a pair of home runs. Claude Hendrix, the starter for the ChiFed, did know how to throw a spitter in Chicago. He allowed only one run and posted the first win in Weeghman Park.

The Federal League didn't last very long. But things were not that different when the Cubs moved into Weeghman Park in 1916. The Cubs were owned by Charlie Weeghman, he had bought them from the Tafts of Ohio. The manager was once again Joe Tinker and the home starter was the spitballer Claude Hendrix. Over 20,000 came to see the game and they overflowed onto the field. For opening festivities a parade of motorcars over a mile long was presented. Once again there were flowers for the players and the raising of the flag. This time there was a donkey from the 25th ward Democrats and a small bear cub. There was one difference, this time there was a good game.

Claude Hendrix started for the Cubs and the Reds countered with Pete Schneider. Both gae up a pair fo runs in the first, but after that things went downhill for the Cubs. Going into the bottom of the eighth the Cubs were on the short end of a 6-3 game. Vic Saier was able to knock out a double and then singles followed from Mike Doolan, Will Fischer and Jim Archer. That lead to two runs. In the ninth Flack doubled, was sacrificed to third, and scored the tying run on Zim's double. At the end of nine it was 6-6. Neither team did much in the tenth. WIth one out in the eleventh Cy Williams got a ground rule double by putting a ball intot he on-field crowd. Zim was walked to set up the double play. Saier was the hero that day, sending the fans home happy with a run-scoring double. The final score: Cubs 7 Reds 6.