Hall of Fame executive Bill Veeck would have been 100 on Feb. 9, 2014. He planted the ivy at Wrigley and owned the White Sox twice. His continued influence on Chicago baseball is undeniable. Chicago Tribune story here: bit.ly/1iCXNDa.
The exploding scoreboard, Veeck told us, was inspired by the 1960s pinball explosion in America, with an allusion to "Pinball Wizard" played by the Who. He imagined that when a pinball player hit the jackpot according to some comedy he read years ago (although I do not know what it was), he imagined that the pinball player hit the jackpot, leading to flashing lights everywhere, and imagined that not only bells and hoots and hollers came out of the pinball machine - but also he imagined fireworks going off above the pinball game apparatus. That is why he loved the bells and whistles of the so-called "monster scoreboard." Another illusion is likely not Bill Veeck's thought - but an indirect one - is the fireworks going off at Disney's Cinderella Castle in Orlando, FA at night, which likely could be an indirect inspiration for Veeck to want that scoreboard in place. Bill Veeck wanted Comiskey Park to be a magical paradise for baseball not only for the exploding scoreboard - but everywhere else in that iconic park. So sad that park had been demolished after 80 years of service......
Comiskey Park was indeed a magical place in my early teen years of the early 1960's, and Bill's scoreboard was my favorite thing about it. All those flashing lights and a hallelujah chorus, a mooing cow, etc. Wonderful sights and sounds all around that amazing stadium! Those between-games promotions on Sunday double-header afternoons were hilarious, with Veeck giving away, among other things, 500 cases of beer to one fan who would win the lucky chairs game! Fun! The organ music was great, the smells of beer and hot dogs were amazing, the roar of the crowd was thrilling. Oh man, it was just so uniquely Chicago. I really miss it.
It's sadly ironic to think that while Bill Veeck is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, his father William, a former sportswriter turned Cubs President, is largely forgotten.
Because he was trying to brighten the place up. He viewed Comiskey as a decaying pit of a ballpark and would've replaced it had he access to the resources to do so. So he did what he perceived as the next best thing - first he repainted, then to the degree he could he renovated.
So, I listened to this part and listened over and over again to make sure I didn't misunderstand but some Chicago writer on audio say "the Sox, its Chicago's 1st team in 40years to make the world series." Um, the Cubs have made it to the World Series several times since 1919. 1919 was all about the Chicago Black Sox. Most recent at the time visit was 1945 for the Cubs
