West Side Grounds where the Cubs last won the World Series in 1908 is still a park. Or at least on Google Maps it looks like a park. It’s only a couple blocks from the Polk stop on the CTA pink line. I’m gonna have to swing by there sometime.
What should I do when I go there? Some ideas:
1) Re-enact the Cubs winning the World Series
Dress in period attire and start cheering about the Cubs being world champions.
2) Ask people if they know where to find Joe Tinker
Or if they know where Heinie Zimmerman is.
3) Survey people if Orval Overall was a better pitcher than Three-finger Mordecai Brown
Mordecai Brown: 29-9, 1.47 ERA, 27 complete games, 123 strikeouts (3.5 SO/9)
Orval Orverall: 15-11, 1.92 ERA, 16 complete games, 167 strikeouts (6.7 SO/9)
4) Leave a 1908 pennant in the ground
Mark the turf!
5) Ask people how in the world Joe Tinker got 39 errors in 1908
Tinker is part of the infamous fielding double-play combo that inspired the song lyrics, “Tinker to Evers to Chance.” Yet Tinker biffed it 39 times? Yipes. (for the record Evers had 25 errors and Chance with 15).
To get an answer to this question, i’ve asked the premeire Chicago Cubs expert, Kenneth Hunt. —————— West Side Grounds where the Cubs last won the World Series in 1908 is still a park. Or at least on Google Maps it looks like a park. It’s only a couple blocks from the Polk stop on the CTA pink line. My question is, when I visit this park, what should I do there? 1) Re-enact the Cubs winning the World Series. 2) Ask people walking by if they know where to find Joe Tinker. 3) Survey people if Orval Overall was a better pitcher than Three-finger Mordecai Brown. 4) Leave a 1908 pennant in the ground. 5) Ask people how in the world Joe Tinker got 39 errors in 1908. —————— I hope he responds.
A couple comments from the facebook post:
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Brla: It’s in the middle of the UIC medical school campus (where I went for school). It’s a very unassuming location, and I found out when I was in my third year there, and spent some time looking for landmarks…very disappointing.
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Spudart: Brla, you should do one of the five suggestions at the West Side Grounds!
I visited this park a few weeks ago, (on a Sunday) a security guard came asking me what was I doing there, and I told him about the Cubs last place where they won the world series. He was perplexed.
We visited there. It’s more of a courtyard surrounded by University of Illinois medical buildings. When we walked in a maintenance guy said, “You looking for home plate? We’re pretty sure it’s in the men’s room.”