Throwback Thursday: Comiskey Park 1989

Have you ever been bugged by knowing you'd taken some photos -- but had no idea what became of them? Last weekend, I finally found the photos from my August 1989 visit to the original Comiskey Park. The South Side Chicago ballpark had a distinctive look -- take note of the openings all around the rear of the lower grandstand. Check out that upper grandstand. Thanks to the pillars, fans who sat upstairs were close to the action -- almost as cozy as the view from Tiger Stadium's upper deck.
Comiskey was known for his pinwheel-decorated "exploding scoreboard," one of many innovations brought in during Bill Veeck's first stint as owner in the late 1950s).

Much like the Mets did when they replaced Shea Stadium, the successor to Comiskey was built adjacent to it. Here's a one-of-a-kind look at how things looked 20 months before new Comiskey (now U.S. Cellular Field) opened. It's mostly concrete foundation and rebar; when I first found the snapshot, I had to look it over several times before realizing what it actually contained.

Comments

Dave Polaski said…
Never had a chance to make it to the old Comiskey, but I remember two things in particular while watching games on TV...1) The yellow poles that separated the box seat areas behind home plate, because it was such a contrast to the green. 2) The "Bullpen I" and "Bullpen II" markings on the outfield walls. Distinct and pretty cool yard.
December 18, 2014 at 8:19 AM
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