One Giant step for Fan-Kind! (c) J.Pritikin

So here we are at the tail end of the 2012 season, and my first game. I only went to one game last season... and broke one of my commandments and l left the game in the 3rd inning after witnessing 2 a-round-the-park- waves. So I'm looking forward to enjoying another game. My head may not be in the game. I hardly can tell you any of the players names and seldom watch a whole inning on the tube. I'll be going with my brother and his girlfriend and faithful companion. And my friend Kari who is in a battle with cancer. I'll be there with my camera and in the meanwhile I'll post some of my S.F. images...

There used to be a Ballpark : By Jerry Pritikin the Bleacher Preacher

When I was a kid,and you paid 10 cents for a bag of P-nuts... the vender told you a story and made us laugh. (c) J Pritikin



The old marquee, I remember when it was green in the 1940s.



Bill Veeck, boycotted Wrigley for all but 2 games in 1985. This is the last picture taken of him in the bleachers (c) J Pritikin



My side-kick and good friend Carmella. She had great Chicago stories to be told. Our old seats have been replaced by the Bud-Lite Bleachers. Took 2 buses to and from the park and once went 7 years without missing a game. (c) J Pritikin

I have been going to Wrigley Field since the summer of 1945, when my dad gave me a crash course in baseball 101 and Cubs history. He was my Baseball Rabbi. Then took me to my first game... and I have been back to the Friendly Confines over a thousand times since. In the late 40s, I often worked after a game to help clean the grandstands and received a free pass to the next game. In 1945, there were only 8 teams in each league. Post season play consisted only of the World Series. Baseball was the official language around the Pritikin kitchen table between my dad Hank, older brother Allen and myself. When the Cubs clinched the N.L. Pennant, I asked my dad to take me to the World Series. He felt I was too young at 8 years old. He made me a Promise, he would take me the next time.

Since then I have seen all of changes in and around the ballpark and on the field. Yet for many generations the Ball Park never seemed to change until new traditions were changing at a faster pace. I always felt young in Wrigley. Traditions stop and start almost at the same time. The faces in the stands, the voices on the mic, and the players on the field always changing at a snails pace.

However, it was when Wrigley sold the ball club, lock,stock and Ivy to the Tribune Company. The new owners had a catchy little slogan"Building a New Tradition" and forgot to tell the fans it came at the expense of many old traditions. First to go, the Andy Frain Ushers,selling tickets in February. Building Sky boxes that eliminated much of the grandstand fans view... and they had to watch tv sets to see what happened. Advertising signs in the Friendly Confines were popping up more then the Cubs players! Then the lights, the family section, the forest in center field... and of course,the scorecard going from 50 cents to 75 cents and 2 to 3 pages... the extra page was all advertisements. The cheap seats became the hip place to be and each year they kept raising the price of of a ticket, the beer and the eats. My dad always talked about his good old days, and always comparing teams of his era with that of mine or my brother.
I remember when the Trib raised the price of their evening paper from 2 to 3 cents, and he yelled "it's not worth 2 cents NOW!"


The changes in the bleachers really hurt mostly the old fans... who remember when the Cubs Radio announcer (before TV) would repeat often "Wrigley Field, The most beautiful ball park in the world!" For me it was the Grand Canyon of Baseball. I have sat in various areas of the old bleachers over time, but it was the time my good friend Carmella and we sat at the top row of the LCF Bleachers. From there, we could see most of the visible changes... The Holy Grail has become the Bud-lite Bleachers. Beers are now $7.00, I remember when they were a quarter and came in glass bottles. And 50 cents got us in the bleachers, and those seats are now $48. for either an adult or kid!

When I am walking near the ballpark on a day of a game... the rustic feeling of Old Wrigley is completely gone, the Grand Canyon of Baseball has been replaced by a Giant Cash Register.
The roof tops look like the tops rows of the Big-Top at a circus. Most of the friends and old neighborhood that helped Wrigley to become known as the "Friendly Confines"... are gone.
I do not go to games anymore... I have been priced out of the ballpark at face value of a ticket. So how do I feel about the new right field signage and make-over. FRANKLY, I do not care!
Every so often, when I am in Wrigleyville... I hear a voice in my head... it's Frank Sinatra. And he singing... "There used to be a ballpark" except this time it's Wrigley.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4YQkrUCE80

Carmella/Dutchie & Harry Caray/ Dave Kingman and The Bleacher Preacher

For some reason these images disappeared from this story when it was originally posted....J.P.

Here are a few images moments from the "Old Friendly Confines", before they had a sponsor. The#5, photo is that of Carmella Hartigan. She was to Wrigley, what Mrs. Miller was to the early "Tonight" Show. She once went on a streak of 7 Season's without missing a game. She took 2 buses, to get to the park, and most days I drove her home, after stopping at the Zyphr. I was introduced to her when she was in her 80s.... she became my sidekick for over 15 years. The late Stephanie Leather's, arranged for her to toss out the first ball prior to the Sept. 12th game. The week prior to her taking the mound, I took her over to Wells Park, and tought her how to pitch underhand. While practicing, a cub fan noticed us, came over and thought that Carmella was the Cubs next Rookie Pitcher. That game on Sept.12 WGN-TV opening shot of Carmella throwing out the pitch... A Strike! The phot was shot by Lee Balterman.

The #4, shot , at the same event... first waving to her friends in the Bleacher's,then throwing a strike, when Sammy Sosa, called her over, with a motion of his finger from her, towards himself. Carmella, waves her finger at Sammy, like a teacher a young student, to come over to her... and she won out! These images were taken by Lee Balterman. The 3 of us "Old-timers" were the Tinkers, To Ever's to Chance of Cubs baseball fans. Lee, spent many years shooting all kinds of sporting events for Sports Illustrated. Carmella and I were among the most noted "Bums" in the crowd.

#3, Dutchie and Harry Carry, spend a day in the Left Field Bleachers. Note Harry's Hawaiian Shirt. I gave Dutchie the Cub's Interstellar Propeller Beany Cap... and she wore it throughout the game. On several occasions I also put Beany's on Steve Stone, and Chip Carry, and again with Dutchie, when they graced the Left Field bleachers for a broadcast. .

#2,This was during Carmella's Centennial year, I made the sign for her... she was the true Matriarch, blessing kids, to me, in all my years as the"Bleacher Preacher",she was my favorite Cubs fan of all times! I was able to get her tickets, for the first night game and many more events, and post season games over 20 years. She was often sought out for print and broadcast media for her wit and charm. The Cubs finally gave her a "Free Pass" for her last season.

#1 My father was not a Dave Kingman fan... who he described as striking out when you needed him, and hitting Home Runs when the Cubs were leading most of the time. My dad became part of the Cubs lore, when he slipped into a coma for the last30 day's of his life. He was at the St. Francis Hospital in Evanston. He came out of the coma only once, when I was visiting him. His eye's opened and he took hold of my arm and directed me listen to him. And then uttered "We gotta get rid of Kingman!"There is no doubt, that my Dad passed on his love of the game, to me and my brother Allen. The Kingman story opened up an article about Cubs fans. The following year, at a Cubs Charity softball game... I was able to get Kingman to sign my SI, and then former Cubs and media people played a slow-pitched celebrity game... and it drizzle for the later part of the game. On a 3-2 pitch with runners in scoring and winning position... Kingman struckout swinging... and I thought I heard my Dad say" He be shit!"

A Salute to Lee Balterman 3/31/11 by:Jerry Pritikin

Top Picture and 2nd Lee Balterman with Nurse Misha, 3rd Lee at the Apollo 11 Astronaut Parade and 4th Lee Between friends and Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Billy Williams






(Chicago March 31,2011) I spent time with my good friend Lee Balterman today, on the eve of the 2011 Cubs Baseball Season. I first met Lee on the last day of the 1984 "ALMOST" Cubs season, and today we spoke about the good times we have had since. Many of times we spent New Years, Opening Days and 4th of July and often with our sidekick Carmella Hartigan. After Carmella died in 2002, we have hardly spent time at Wrigley. A few years ago, Lee had a stroke and it looked like he might be meeting up with Carmella, Jack Brickhouse and Harry Caray and my dad in the Heavenly Confines. However, be that as it may... he has bounced back like a cat with nine lives. He gets around with a wheel chair, but his mind is a sharp as a Ginsu Knife! In the past few years he has spent much of his times putting his thousands and thousands of negative and slides in order. He has had shoots with several Presidents,Astonauts, Movie Stars, Athletes and street people. Over the last 40 years he has spent many shoots on Milwaukee Avenue, showing the great changes during that time. Lee has had several succesful shows at Chicago's Daiter's Gallery. At 90, he does not use glasses and still takes his camera with him whenever he leaves his apartment at the Kenwood Senior Assistant Living on Sheridan Road. I have noticed that over the past few years, that Lee gets more hits then most of my postings, and for sure, more than the Cubs on most days. If you have any questions or comments that you would like me to give to Lee, please do. I am one lucky fellow, over the years Lee has documented many years of me as the Bleacher Preacher in and around the Friendly Confines. Tomorrow, along with Lee, we will not be at the Cubs Opener... but I'm not complaining. I spent on the avaerage 5 hours at each of the thousand games I witnessed since the mid 80s. Please come back and spend some times in my archives, and later this year... I will be featured in an upcoming documentary about my photographs of San Francisco in the 1970s.
Cheers for Now... Jerry