let there be light! 8/8/88

On August 8, 1988, the great city of Chicago saw an event that had never happened before--the Chicago Cubs played a night game at Wrigley Field. The venerable old ball park had been the only park in the majors without lights, but that all changed in 1988. The Cubs played the Philadelphia Phillies on that historic night, but the game was rained out in the 4th inning. The first official game under the lights was the next night, Aug. 9, against those same Phillies. Some baseball observers thought that the Cubs had been at a competitive disadvantage because they had played all of their home games in the heat of the day. The theory was that being able to play more home games in the cool of the night would make the Cubs stronger and more competitive. Guess what? Lights didn't help! Oh, well, a day (or night) spent in Wrigleyville still ranks as one of life's great pleasures!