American Baseball in the 1930s

by William Ryan (13)

One thing I miss most being at Hardacre is baseball. And Chicago, where I lived, is the best baseball town ever! We even have two teams. The White Sox, which I never really liked that much, especially because it was found out that they actually fixed the 1919 World Series!!! They were bought off by a gangster named Arnold Rothstein from Chicago. It was a sad day in baseball. 8 members of the team were kicked out of baseball forever including Shoeless Joe Jackson who was the best White Sock ever.

But the other team in Chicago is the Cubs and they are THE BEST. I used to go to their games ALL the time and when I couldn't go to a game my dad and I would listen to them on the radio. The Cubs play at Wrigley Field. It was built in 1914 but it was called Weegham Park back then, after the owner Charles Weegham. Then in 1920 the Wrigley family who is famous for their chewing gum bought the team. In 1927 the Wrigleys added a whole upper deck and they renamed the ball park Wrigley Field. And now it can seat 40,000 people!!!

In 1932, the year before I came here, my dad took my sister and I to one of the World Series games at Wrigley Field. Like always, we rode the "L" to the game. The "L" is our subway in Chicago, which is not really a subway because its elevated, that's why we call it the "L". The "L" is great because we can ride it from State Street all the way out to the ball park for only a nickel. And on game days its always filled with lots of fans going out to the ball park.

We went game 3 of the series. The Cubs were playing the stupid New York Yankees, and we had already lost the first two games that were played in New York. Although I've been to lots of Cubs games before I'd never been to a World Series game. The Cubs were great all season winning the pennant over the 7 other National League teams. The Yankees won the pennant over the other 7 American League teams that year. But that was nothing new for the Yankees because in the 1920's they played in 6 World Series and won 3 of them. They've been good ever since the dumb Boston Red Sox traded away Babe Ruth to them in 1919. People say that he's the best player ever, but I don't think so. I think he's just big and fat and is only good at hitting home runs. But my dad told me that he makes $70,000 in one year!!! That is even more than the President makes. Even stranger, my dad also told me that they are thinking about someday putting lights in the ball parks and playing at night. I couldn't EVER imagine that.

Well our tickets for the game cost $3.50 each, my dad told me that was even less than in the 1929 World Series when the Cubs lost to the Philadelphia Athletics. He says the ticket prices are lower because of the depression and they have to keep them low so people will still go to the games. Both my sister and I got some hot peanuts and cracker jacks at the game for a nickel. And my dad bought me a 1 cent score card so I could keep score. It was a great game. All day we were cheering for our Cubs and booing the Yankees. We were tied 4-4 in the fifth inning when fat ol' Babe Ruth came up and hit a two run homer. Then a new guy for the Yankees named Lou Gehrig, who is supposed to be real good, hit another home run right after that. Well we lost 7 - 5 that day.

The Cubs lost the next game too. So we got swept in that series 4 games to none. But it was a great day anyway with everyone cheering the Cubs. I even caught a foul ball hit by Hack Wilson who is the best Cub EVER, well except for maybe Rogers Hornsby. My dad took me down to the dugout after the game and Hack himself even signed it for me!!! The ball is back home in my bedroom in Chicago. After the game dad took my sister and I for a malt then we took the "L" back home. Even though we lost it was one of the best days EVER!!!!

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