Measuring 17 inches across, 8 1/2 inches
down both sides and 12 inches on the remaining
two sides, the last location in At Play’s
“Find It!” series is home plate at old Comiskey
Park.
The etched marble plate, originally made of
rubber, is all that remains of the vaunted
South Side ballpark that was home to 80 years
of White Sox baseball,
three All-Star
games and the
72,801,381 fans who
passed through its
turnstiles.
We tried to throw
you off in our clue,
which mentioned that
browns once visited–we
were referring to the St.
Louis Browns. As for touching
it within 20 seconds to set off a light display?
That was a reference to hitting a home run,
circling the bases in about 20 seconds and triggering
the fireworks.
The plate is easy to miss. It sits in the vapid
north parking lot of U.S. Cellular Field, across
35th Street from the ballpark, where hundreds
of thousands of fans pass by during the Sox 81
home games each season. Where first base
once stood, a sign marks “Gate 5.” What was
once the infield, is now a black tar surface
with paint lines designating parking spots.
“It remains a game day destination for
White Sox fans, with parents and grandparents
sharing memories with their children
about the magical old ballpark,” said Brooks
Boyer, White Sox vice president of marketing.
Before Comiskey Park, there was South
Side Park at 39th and Princeton, a converted
cricket field that was home to the White Sox
between 1901 and 1910.Construction of the new
“White Sox Park” took five months during late
winter and spring of 1910, with costs reaching
$750,000. At that time, the stadium held 32,000
fans and featured wooden bleachers in the outfield;
it wasn’t until the 1927 season that a concrete
and steel upper deck was added.
The park’s famous feature was the 10 pinwheels
on the centerfield scoreboard. Installed
in the 1960s, they lit up and shot fireworks
after each White Sox home run.
http://bancodeprofissionais.com/media/flash/2005-08/18918555.swf
The White Sox only saw one world championship
during its time at old Comiskey–in
1917 against the New York Giants. The Chicago
Cubs also used the roomier Comiskey Park as
home field during the 1918 World Series, which
they lost to the Boston Red Sox. The first All-
Star game was held here in 1933.
In the ballpark’s final game on Sept. 30, 1990,
Harold Reynolds of the Seattle Mariners
grounded out to end 80 years of Comiskey Park
history. The White Sox won that game, 2-1.
