“Comiskey Park, however,
appeared grand, as you would expect from a place that by 1911 billed itself the
Baseball Palace of the World” (ix).
The Book
Baseball
Palace of the World: The Last Year of Comiskey Park by Douglas Bukowski is a fan’s reflections on baseball,
the White Sox, and the last season in Comiskey Park.
Comiskey Park was built in 1910, by White Sox
owner Charles Comiskey, and enlarged in 1926. According to Bukowski, “Comiskey Park
is not just some bricks and grandstands […]; it is a design meant to fit the
working-class neighborhood of Bridgeport”
(11). Designer Zachary Taylor Davis created a park that would fit the
neighborhood and provide closeness between the players and fans. Comiskey Park was the host of the first All-Star
Game and was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. However,
the decision was made in the late 1980s to build a new stadium.
Baseball Palace of the World is a result of this decision to demolish Comiskey Park.
The chapters are broken into months from October 1989 to September 1990. Each
chapter provides information about the White Sox’s seasons, Bukowski’s
reflections on the history of the park, and his cynicism towards the new
stadium. Throughout the book, Bukowski discusses the difference between a
ballpark and a stadium. The ballpark provided a connection between the players
and fans; a stadium does not allow for that connection. The reader can’t help
sympathizing with the Sox fans that fought to keep the park and its unique
history.
The Place
Having visited both Wrigley
Field and US Cellular Field (the White Sox Stadium), I
understand the difference between a ballpark and stadium. I would have to agree
with Bukowski that a stadium misses an aspect that the ballpark provides.
Today,
a parking lot sits on the land Comiskey
Park once occupied and US
Cellular Field is across the street. The Home Plate from Comiskey Park
is on display by Gate 5, Lot B. Statues of famous Sox players and Charles
Comiskey are located around the stadium. According to the White Sox website, US
Cellular Field includes an exploding scoreboard and arches, both nods to the
original Comiskey
Park. Even though it is
not Comiskey Park, it is still fun to attend a White
Sox game; US Cellular Field
provides great views of the Chicago
skyline and surrounding neighborhoods.
