Chicago's South Side Team

“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.