Being a Cubs season ticket holder doesn’t just mean tickets to every game and postseason ticket privileges.
There are a number of “experiences” that are available to many season ticket holders. A couple of years ago I was the guy who brought the “first pitch” ball to the mound for a game against the Mariners.
Last Friday, I was chosen to be an honorary member of the Wrigley Field grounds crew. And this experience is more than just “honorary,” as a member of the grounds crew escorts you around the field and explains how preparations are done for a game.
And then… you actually participate in some of those preparations.
I couldn’t have asked for a nicer day to have this experience — last Friday was gorgeous and sunny with temps in the 80s. Oddly enough, on the day I did the first ball delivery, April 12, 2023, it was also in the 80s. I told my season ticket rep, jokingly, they should choose me for more of these as I always seem to bring great weather.
A little more than an hour before game time I was met by Art, a member of the grounds crew. He showed me around the field and explained some of the preparations the grounds crew does for every game, some of which I’ve seen just by watching them every day. For example, if you are at the ballpark early enough you have no doubt seen the grounds crew rake the warning track all around the field. After they do this they are very careful in walking on it, because they don’t want to disturb what they’ve just made pristine for the players.
I mentioned to Art that I had watched them sweep off the foul line. If you don’t know this, the foul lines beyond the dirt part of the infield are actually old fire hoses, flattened and painted white.
And so, I went to work sweeping [VIDEO].
As I learned, you have to be careful sweeping that too — because you don’t want to leave anything on either side of the line, the dirt should be flat on either side.
The other parts of the foul line and the batters boxes and catchers box used to be set by chalk. Now they are painted. And so, I was enlisted to paint part of the foul lines on the third-base side [VIDEO].
Lastly, I got to be part of the crew that holds the hose that waters down the infield before the game [VIDEO].
That doesn’t look easy and it’s not! You have to walk in tandem with the rest of the guys holding up the hose and make sure you’re going in the direction they are. And it’s heavy — it takes them a while to get all the water out of it after they’re done before they can roll it up.
I also saw the rooms underneath the bleachers where they store the batting cage (they call it “the turtle” because of the way it folds up) and other screens, as well as the John Deere carts you’ve seen on the field. It’s hard to believe they can get all that stuff in some very small spaces, but they do it in precise fashion each game.
I also peeked into the Cubs bullpen, before any of the players arrived:
Al Yellon
Art and I also walked right past Cade Horton stretching in center field.
Plus, I got a look into the grounds crew room, which is down the left-field line in the corner. If you’ve been a fan for a while, you know that used to be the Cubs clubhouse before the one behind the dugout was built in 1984. Cubs players used to have to walk across the field after games to get there.
Here are some other photos from the field before Friday’s game:
Al Yellon
Al Yellon
Al Yellon
Al Yellon
I was introduced to Dan Kiermaier, the head groundskeeper (and brother of former MLB player Kevin Kiermaier), and I’m pretty sure he’s a BCB reader, so, hi, Dan! Thanks to you and your crew for being so kind to me and generous with your time. Thanks also to my season ticket rep, Kevin Enerson, for arranging this amazing experience for me. I’m glad to have been even a very tiny part of helping prepare Wrigley Field for an actual MLB game… which the Cubs won 13-3.