Please, Mr. Comiskey, May I Have Some More?

On July 1, 1910 thousands of enthusiastic baseball fans entered the "Baseball Palace of the World," White Sox Park, for the very first time. Located at 35th Street and Shields Avenue, the team's new home would soon be known as Comiskey Park, after White Sox owner, Charles "The Old Roman" Comiskey (1859-1931)and was a far cry better than the South Side Grounds where the team had played the previous nine years.

The new ball field, designed by architect Zachary Taylor Davis, was the "greatest ball park in the land" said 1919 Comiskey biographer, Gustaf W. Axelson: (See The Chicago History Online Library for a link to the book)

Grand stand and bleacher were of concrete and steel and were arranged to seat 28,500. Later these were enlarged to take care of 32,000, which was the capacity at the world's series games in 1917. Surrounding the entire field is an ornamental brick wall. Only one field in the country exceeds it in size, the Boston National League park, which is deeper. The Polo Grounds in New York has the depth but lacks the distance in right and left fields.

The cost of the park measured Comiskey's wealth at the time, which was well over the half million mark. To-day the plant could not be duplicated for less than $1,000,000. Time and again when it was suggested that improvements at the old grounds would be appreciated Comiskey would always reply that as soon as he could pay cash for land and stands he would build a park which would be a monument to the game. He made good his word when the new park was thrown open on July 1.

The Chicago Tribune, in their own distinctive style, recounted the festivities on July 2:

“Charles A. Comiskey’s big housewarming party went off without a hitch yesterday, unless the subsidiary fact that the St. Louis Browns were ungracious enough to beat our boys, 2 to 0, in the first game at their splendid new home was construed into disappointment by some of the throng which gathered from all parts of the baseball world to do honor to the occasion.

"Success crowned the tremendous efforts which have been put forth in the last few weeks to get the mammoth plant ready for its christening and it passed through its baptisms as if to the manor born, while tens of thousands of the Old Roman’s friends cheered at every possible opportunity to show their appreciation of the gift he had prepared to them.

"Twenty-four thousand and nine hundred fans paid their way to the party, according to the official announcement...the great stands smilingly held out their bunting clad arms and gathered them all into their capacious laps without crowding anywhere.

"Unfinished as the plant was in spots, its decorations of bright tri-colored bunting and potted plants and ferns distracted attention from everything except the giant proportions of the structures themselves. In fact the size of the new palace was what most forcibly struck all visitors who were making their first call. As each emerged from the sloping inclines which led to the rear of the main stand he or she stopped for a moment in silent awe, gazing at the broad, sweeping lines of the stands and at the seemingly endless rows of seats.”

It was indeed a momentous moment in baseball history and the festivities would continue long after the ballplayers hit the locker room. That evening, Comiskey held a banquet at the Chicago Automobile Club; a "fitting climax to the day." Over 150 notable guests gathered to raise a glass to the "Old Roman's continued good health and prosperity." Most of Chicago's dignitaries and notables were there and the toastmaster was none other than B. Bancroft "Ban" Johnson, co-founder (with Comiskey) and President of the American League, which included the Sox. (Note: The American League Champs that year were the Philadelphia Athletics who went on to beat the National League Chicago Cubs 4 games to 1 in the World Series. Some things never change.)

At the conclusion of the great feast, "an incident occurred showing that President Comiskey never forgets the least of his friends even in the moment of greatest success." Nine years later, in 1919 there would be many who would disagree with such praise, but on this night Comiskey was the toast of Chicago and baseball. To prove his generosity, bighearted Charlie ordered that all the leftovers be sent to the Newsboys' Home.



What a guy, that Charlie Comiskey!


My thanks to Arne Christensen of Misc. Baseball for graciously allowing me to reprint a portion of his post, "Opening Up Comiskey Park in 1910."

Recommended Reading:
Memories of Old Comiskey Park (great photos of construction and opening day)
Charles Comiskey and the White Sox (Chicago History Files)


Photo credit:
Opening Day, July 1, 1910 Sports Encyclopedia; White Sox
Charlie Comiskey: School is Cool