Ballpark Journeys: Wrigley vs. Busch
Stacey and Paul Dobbins at Wrigley
In the last 8 days, my wife and I have had the opportunity to see the Cardinals play the Cubs twice – once at Wrigley (4/18) and once at Busch (4/26). Unfortunately, the Cardinals lost both games we attended. Despite the poor results, the experiences were – as always – entertaining. At Wrigley we witnessed several heated verbal arguments and even a classic fist-fight in the stands. In all cases, drunk Cardinal fans were tossed, and rightly so. At Busch, we did see a few Cubs fans being sternly talked-to by security, but well before anything significant happened. I was actually surprised at the lack of a security presence at Wrigley. So the edge in security goes to Busch.
Additional ratings and observations about Wrigley and Busch:
Neighborhood
Around Wrigley, parking is the weak spot with some spots costing upwards of $40, but the bars and restaurants in Wrigleyville are plentiful and priced more reasonably than the parking. Downtown St. Louis needs much more than just Ballpark Village to even come close to thinking about creating this type of atmosphere.
Advantage: Wrigley
Affordability
First, St. Louis doesn’t have the dominant presence of ticket brokers at every street corner, which has been a sore subject in Chicago in recent years. And while neither club’s ticket office prices are great for Cubs/Cards games ($32 for a bleacher seat at Busch which is 45% higher than regular games costing $22), at least at Busch you can still buy tickets for Cubs/Cards games (albeit standing room or nosebleeds) during the season. Don’t think you have to use the ticket office though; good last minute deals can usually still be found via Craigslist, eBay and StubHub – especially in this economy…
Advantage: Busch
Views
While Wrigley has unique views from rooftops and their seats are closer to the action, a large percentage of tickets in the 200 level seats have semi-obstructed views courtesy of the lovely metal poles holding up the upper level. Luckily our seats were far enough back in the 200 level section that the views were ok. But if you do sit in the 200 level down the road just know that your chances of having a completely obstructed view decrease the farther back you sit in the section. I’ve sat in other sections at Wrigley and had great views, but at Busch there’s not really a bad view in the house.
Advantage: Busch
Comfort & Amenities
Most people think Wrigley is extremely small, but if judged by seating capacity, that’s not really the case. And therein lies the problem. There are 41,118 seats at Wrigley putting Wrigley in the lower third of MLB ballpark seating capacities, but that’s still only a few thousand less than new Busch (46,861). Missing in those Wrigley numbers, however, are about 1,700 rooftop seats, (the Cubs get a 17% cut of the revenues so I’ll count them as seats). That brings the total seating capacity to nearly 43,000 which would put Wrigley in the dead center of all MLB ballparks for seating capacity. The problem is that Wrigley was not originally built vertically and has limited space to expand so no matter how you cut it, Wrigley is cramped compared to Busch. Not as bad as Fenway, but close…
Advantage: Busch
History & Traditions
Wow, does Wrigley have some history! That ivy-covered wall has been a solid part of losing teams for generations! (sorry, I had to put at least one jab in) More seriously, the seventh inning stretch at Wrigley remains the best in baseball and seeing an opposing team’s home run ball thrown back is a Wrigley classic moment!
Advantage: Wrigley
Overall, my opinion remains that Wrigley is a great place to visit for a game or a series and a must-visit ballpark for anyone who loves baseball, but I am very glad it is not my everyday, home ballpark. The amenities and comfort of Busch trumps the history and neighborhood atmosphere of Wrigley as an everyday ballpark. Carlos Zambrano might have been onto something earlier this year when he suggested the Cubs should get a new home after visiting the new Yankee Stadium. Maybe a new ballpark would reverse the 100+ year losing streak…
Nah.
Agree? Disagree? I’d love to read your ballpark ratings and stories of memorable Cards/Cubs game experiences – make sure you leave a comment below.
Safe travels,
Paul Dobbins
www.ballparkjourneys.com
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Filed Under: Ballparks
About the Author: Paul is an avid baseball fan and traveler. As President of BallparkJourneys.com, he helps busy baseball fans on a budget fulfill their dreams of seeing Ballparks across America by customizing Ballpark Journeys to fit any schedule, all personalities, and budgets of any size. Visit www.ballparkjourneys.com today and fill out a traveler profile to begin your own unique Ballpark Journey!
Pretty fair evaluations of both.
I might be inclined to compare the “why most folks are there factor” as well.
Busch – most everyone is there to watch the game, cheer for the Cardinals.
Wrigley – half are there to watch the game and cheer the Cubs, another quarter treat Wrigley like just another bar, and the final quarter are the see and be seen group (stilettos and mini-skirts in the bleachers? really ladies?).
I definitely agree with your assesment. Wrigley’s surrounding areas, Ivy covered walls and bleachers trump Busch Stadium, but all other seats, the scoreboard, concession, statues outside, retired numbers, parking, traffic and amenities all favor Busch.
You did forget about one thing though. The Go Cubs Go song is annoying, but a fantastic tradition. The whole stadium stays and sings the song after a Cubs win, which is alternatively cool and terrible at the same time.
Concrete that’s been soaked in beer and urine for more than 100 years just does nothing for me. I can’t stand Wrigley.