Turning of Wrigley ivy adds another shade to Cubs' World Series quest
Chicago Tribune
October 20, 2015
by Paul Sullivan
The ivy hasn't peaked yet at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs hope they haven't either.
Trailing 2-0, the Cubs will have to hang in against the Mets in this National League Championship Series if they want to play in front of outfield walls at peak color.
Wrigley is the only park whose look changes dramatically from April to October. The ivy is still mostly dark green, though dappled now with red, yellow, light green and purple leaves.
A longtime Wrigley employee said Monday the colors won't be at their finest for another week at least, meaning the Cubs would have to outlast the Mets and advance to the World Series.
Perhaps the best ivy display we've seen at Wrigley occurred during the 2003 postseason. Former Cubs Doug Glanville and Josh Paul dubbed the team the "Red Ivy Cubs" because they were the first team in decades to play deep into October, when the ivy turns.
"We're starting something new," Glanville said. "Maybe it can become a tradition."
Of course, it didn't become a tradition. The Cubs lost to the Marlins in the NLCS after leading 3-1 and didn't win another playoff game at Wrigley until beating the Cardinals in Game 3 of the division series last week.
Tuesday's game will be the latest the Cubs have played at Wrigley in the ballpark's 101-year history.
In 2003, they played Game 7 of the NLCS on Oct. 15. Their latest home game was during the 1910 World Series, when they lost Game 5 to the Philadelphia A's on Oct. 23 at the West Side Grounds.
If the Cubs make it to the World Series this year, their home games will take place Oct. 30 and 31 and, if necessary, Nov. 1.
The ivy has been granted landmark protection, and groundskeeper Roger Baird once said it's the favorite part of Wrigley for many Cubs fans.
"The ivy is the hottest item during the course of the season," Baird said. "Everybody wants a piece of ivy. If I had given everyone a leaf who had asked me during a season, we would have no ivy."
Republished from ChicagoTribune.com
Photo Credit: Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune
