With two Chicago teams as rooted in history as the Cubs and White Sox, there's bound to be a rivalry between the two. Explore this century-old feud by traveling between Wrigleyville and Bridgeport along the Red Line train and learn about the moments and landmarks that have made an impact on our great city!

Media Burn

Crosstown Classic

Mayor Daley, political power and the original "L" train

The Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line trains run north-south through dozens of Chicago's neighborhoods. The original L train lines were built in 1892, making the CTA the third oldest rapid transit system in America, and as the city has expanded and changed, the train system has grown to be the fourth largest in the country.

No expansion came about without a measure of labor and an extended commitment to find funding by Chicago politicos. No figure looms larger in the history of Chicago than Mayor Richard J. Daley. For 21 years, he was the undisputed boss of Chicago, always living in his modest home in Bridgeport less than half a mile from Comiskey.

This video vividly illuminates the lasting power of the first Mayor Daley. Congressman Dan Rostenkowski, interviewed in 1980 when he was the Chairman of Ways and Means Committee, tells the story of how Daley, through a single call to President Lyndon Johnson, was able to divert federal funds intended for the expansion of the Blue Line on the northwest side to a project to expand the Red Line to service his Bridgeport neighborhood on the south side.

“That was Daley, he loved his neighborhood, he loved his community, and he took care of his people.”

the Red Line

For The Love of The Ward

Wrigley Field and it's ivy-covered walls, an exemplar of a bygone era of ballparks

Wrigley Field is a historical landmark and lasting exemplar of a bygone era of ballparks. This was the last major league park to have lights installed for night games, finally lighting the field in 1988 despite years of resistance from the community. Among the most beloved features of Wrigley are the ivy-covered outfield wall and the hand-operated scoreboard, both of which were brought about by none other than Bill Veeck. 

Though never an owner of the Cubs (Veeck ended his career after two stints as owner of the White Sox), he had grown up as a fan, working odd jobs and learning about team management here in Wrigley where his father, a former newspaper columnist, was president of the team. In 1937, when Bill was in charge of construction, he planted the ivy and created the distinctive scoreboard.

In this unique 1984 video we are offered a tour of the inner workings of the manually operated scoreboard from scoreboard technician “Art Upstairs” and hear Veeck speak with pride of the virtues of the oldest surviving scoreboard. Enjoy the hand-crafted experience of one of the only two manually-operated scoreboards in Major League Baseball. 

ivy strong

Ideal For Sunset

Wrigley Field's bleachers and the world of diehard fans

“The most beautiful thing in the world is a ballpark filled with people. And the second most beautiful thing in the world is a ballpark half full of people.” - Bill Veeck

Bleacher culture at Wrigley Field is a world of diehard fans. For about 90 years, there were no reserved seats in the Wrigley Field bleachers, only general admission day-of-game. Fans would queue outside the stadium for cheap seats with no amenities. 

This video shows Bill Veeck at Wrigley on opening day 1985, a year before he died. We see him in the bleachers where his deep love of the game and the joy of being a fan are inspiring.  At that time, bleacher tickets cost less than $10 (the equivalent of $23 in 2016). This season, Cubs sell bleacher tickets for an average of about $75 each and resellers are getting more than $100. At those prices, obviously, the bleachers are no longer "the people's seats." 

“I have discovered in 20 years of moving around a ballpark that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats.” - Bill Veeck

Here we see Veeck in the bleachers with his wife, Mary Frances, and other friends and family singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Always a man of simple indulgences, we hear Bill declare:  “This is the epitome of pleasure.”

Wrigley Field

The old Ballgame

The Old Ballgame

The White Sox watering hole where ball players roam free

McCuddy’s tavern opened its door in 1910, just a couple months before the old Comiskey Park opened. For the next 78 years, it remained directly across 35th Street and served as a meeting place before, after, and even between games for some ball players.  

During his years as owner of the White Sox, the legendary Bill Veeck was a regular patron. In this 1984 interview, Frances McCuddy, daughter of the bar’s founders, shares memories of her parents and the days of Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio, who would come in for Ma McCuddy’s roast beef on homemade bread, plus a beer or two. McCuddy’s closed in 1988 and was torn down to make room for the new ball park. Many Sox fans will always miss the tavern, the owners, and the way of life it represented. 

“Before and after and when it was a double header, the Babe would run over to have a beer and a roast beef sandwich in his uniform.” - Bill Veeck

Neighborhood taverns are still a part of life in Bridgeport. You can see several quiet and unassuming bars on this residential strip of 33rd Street, two blocks away from 40,000 cheering fans. 

where ball players roam free

McCuddy's

Meet Minnie Miñoso, "the Cuban comet" and the first Black player on the White Socks

Built in 1910, old Comiskey Park was located here on the south side of Chicago. “The baseball palace of the world” was home to the White Sox for eighty seasons before being torn down in 1991 when the Sox moved into new Comiskey Park, now called Guaranteed Rate Field. 

It was here in 1951 that Minnie Miñoso, the Cuban comet, first came up to bat for the White Sox. Miñoso was the first black player on either Chicago team and in his first at-bat, he hit a homerun. In the parking lot across 35th Street from Guaranteed Rate Field, you will find a marker commemorating the location of home plate at old Comiskey Park.

Watch Miñoso, one of the most popular White Sox players of all time, return to that home plate and relive that moment, looking out where there was once a ballpark.

“I do everything for baseball, I do everything for baseball…I given my life to the game and I think the game give me everything I am.” -Minnie Miñoso

the Cuban comet

Mr. White Sox

Pushing the boundaries of tradition with home runs & fireworks at the home of the White Sox, from old Comisky Park to Guaranteed Rate Field

As a fan and an owner, Bill Veeck offered a view of baseball which was both romantic and practical. As “Baseball’s greatest maverick,” Veeck was a constant innovator for six decades, always pushing the boundaries of tradition, always bringing a new spectacle into the ballpark. Among them was the world’s first exploding scoreboard. With it Veeck found a way to emphasize and extend the excitement of home runs.

“Home runs, strangely enough, are dull, except for the result...because they happen so fast, it isn’t like a triple with the bases full. It’s boom and it’s gone.” - Bill Veeck

When Comiskey Park was rebuilt in 1991, the new scoreboard was modeled on Veeck’s design, continuing the tradition of home run fireworks. While Veeck spent a lifetime creating entertainment for the fans, he came to regret the way stunts had grown to such excess. Comparing himself to Dr. Frankenstein, he lamented in this 1984 video that spectacle often distracted fans from “the greatest game ever invented” and that people forgot to watch the ballgame.

home runs & fireworks

The Exploding Scoreboard

Chicago baseball fans are traditionally loyal to either the Cubs or White Sox. It’s a classic North Side vs. South Side rivalry that has lasted more than a century. In this tour, follow the tracks across town between Guaranteed Rate Field and Wrigley Field on the CTA's Red Line and learn from Chicago legends Minnie Miñoso and Bill Veeck about the moments and landmarks that have inspired lasting emotions and allegiances.

Visit both ballparks and see some of Media Burn’s favorite videos of Chicago greats, plus a video to keep you company on the Red Line in between. After the tour, visit Media Burn online at mediaburn.org, where you can see dozens of videos preserved in our archive about the history and culture of Chicago in the 20th century, including more footage of Bill Veeck, Minnie Miñoso, and both the Cubs and the White Sox.


red line rivalry

nORTH sIDE VS. South Side

North Side vs. South Side

ANN ARBOR

AUSTIN

BALTIMORE

BOSTON

CHARLESTON

CHARLOTTE

CHICAGO

COLUMBUS

DALLAS

DETROIT

GRAND RAPIDS

HOUSTON

MILWAUKEE

MINNEAPOLIS

NASHVILLE

NEW ORLEANS

NEW YORK

ORLANDO

PHILADELPHIA

PHOENIX

RICHMOND

SAN DIEGO

SANTA FE

SAVANNAH

SEATTLE

TUCSON

VIRGINIA

WASHINGTON D.C.

INSPIRATION

Destinations

Explore the hidden gems and stories behind the places around you in Minneapolis.

Plan your next getaway

Where Do You Want To Go?

Welcome to SEMC! This guide will serve as your mobile resource for all things SEMC and Charleston from October 20th to the 23rd.

SEMC 2019

Explore SEMC!

Southeastern Museums

We are adding new cities every week!

Featured Cities

Explore the hidden gems and stories behind the places around you in Chicago

Top-rated stories told and curated by local experts.

Must-See in Chicago

See what's near you.

Local Things to Do in Chicago

Get lost in Chicago. 

All Experiences in Chicago

Experiences curated by official city guide partners.

Top Chicago Channels

Where to next?

Plan Your Next Getaway

Explore the hidden gems and stories behind the places around you in New York

Must-See in New York

Local Things to Do in New York

Get lost in NYC.

All Experiences in New York

Explore the hidden gems and stories behind the places around you in Tucson

Must-See in Tucson

Local Things to Do in Tucson

Get lost in Tucson.

All Experiences in Tucson

Explore the hidden gems and stories behind the places around you in Austin

Must-See in Austin

Local Things to Do in Austin

Get lost in Austin. 

All Experiences in Austin

Explore the hidden gems and stories behind the places around you in Virginia

Must-See in Virginia

Local Things to Do in Virginia

Get lost in Virginia.

All Experiences in Virginia

Explore the hidden gems and stories behind the places around you in Boston

Must-See in Boston

Local Things to Do in Boston

Get lost in Boston.

All Experiences in Boston

Explore the hidden gems and stories behind the places around you in Grand Rapids

Top-Rated Stories told and curated by local experts.

Must-See in Grand Rapids

See what's near you. 

Local Things to Do in Grand Rapids

Get lost in Grand Rapids.

All Experiences in Grand Rapids

Must-See in Inspiration

The most current experiences curated by staff.

New Experiences in Inspiration

Top Channels

Choose Chicago® is the official destination marketing organization for Chicago, Illinois. When you’re in Chicago, you’re home. With the countless experiences there are to have here, you're absolutely welcome to do any and all of them.

Top summer experience for Chicago 

Summer 2019

Check out the unique perspective 

Off the beaten path

Check out all other hidden gems

Know more about Chicago

Choose Chicago

Theatre is where Chicago bares its fearless soul. Home to a community of creators, risk-takers, and big hearts, Chicago theatre is a hotbed for exciting new work, storefront plays, musicals, improv, and more. Book your next show today at ChicagoPlays.com or find half-price theatre deals at HotTix.org.

All the unique Theatres in the Chicago

The Unique Theatres

Introducing all neighborhood Theatres in Chicago

Theatres in the neighborhood

2019 Year of Chicago Theatre

From historic lighthouses and the birthplace of the blues to Hemingway’s apartment and more, let Chicago’s museums take you around the city and discover its history and hidden gems.

Crosstown Classic

For The Love of The Ward

For The Love of The Ward

Ideal For Sunset

Ideal For Sunset

The Old Ballgame

The Old Ballgame

McCuddy's

McCuddy's

Mr. White Sox

Mr. White Sox

The Exploding Scoreboard

The Exploding Scoreboard

North Side vs. South Side

North Side vs. South Side

Download our app to experience the content you're previewing right now.

Watch, Listen, and Learn

Stories happen here

Find your inspiration