On the outside looking in

People-watching outside of Wrigley on game day can be nearly as entertaining as a box seat inside

By Michael Wigman

Whether it’s the ivy that winds its way up the outfield walls or the organist who provides the game’s soundtrack, Wrigley Field oozes tradition and mystique.

Everything about the old stadium makes it unique, including the surrounding neighborhood of Wrigleyville. Filled with sports bars and souvenir shops, the neighborhood comes alive when the Cubs are in town.

Take a stroll around the stadium, and you will meet some interesting people with interesting stories to tell. From the souvenir salesman on the sidewalk to the kid hoping to catch a home run on Sheffield Avenue, Wrigley Field would not be the same without them.

And without Cubs games, their lives wouldn’t be the same either.

Hector the souvenir stand guy
If there is anyone who can remember the highs and lows of the Cubs over the last three decades, it’s Hector Lopez. Hawking souvenirs on Wrigleyville street corners since he was 12 years old, Lopez, 42, has seen it all.

“I grew up around here, so I love it,” said Lopez on a recent cloudy afternoon before a night game versus the Milwaukee Brewers.

Lopez’s souvenir stand has been towering over the corner of Waveland and Sheffield for the last 20 years. The 12-foot tall stand is a homemade contraption of construction mesh fencing and lumber.

“We started out little, and we just kept on adding and adding… it just got bigger,” said Lopez with a chuckle.

As a mini Cubs emporium, the stand features everything a fan could want, from jerseys to sunglasses.

Lopez has no plans to stop selling merchandise outside the bleachers of the Friendly Confines. He said his only wish, though, is to have Harry Caray back.

“Harry was the best. When Harry was here, he was the man,” said Lopez with a huge smile on his face.

The batting practice home run kid
Around game time, a crowd congregates on the corner of Kenmore and Waveland Avenues. The group’s one and only goal: catch a home run as it sails over the bleachers and onto the streets of Wrigleyville.

Get there earlier than that, and you will see Matthew Villanueva, 14, staring into the sky waiting for batting practice homers.

“It’s just exciting seeing the ball come up and knowing you might have a chance to get it,” said Villanueva as his eyes darted back and forth from the wall, always mindful to keep watch for balls.

Villanueva has come to the corner for just about every game the last season and a half, and this was his first time ever having the coveted piece of pavement to himself. The position already had paid off this day, as he clutched a ball inside the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt. He has caught a dozen balls since his first game, and he plans to keep coming to the corner every day he can.

“I caught one in the air. There was someone on the bike passing by, and I just caught it over their head,” said Villanueva. “It was pretty cool.”

Richard the t-shirt guy
Amid the rush of commuters and Cubs fans exiting the Addison Red Line stop, Richard Flores, 28, stands at the corner hawking unique Cubs wear. Flores sells shirts to make extra cash and enjoy the atmosphere of a Cubs game day.

“I am a Cubs fan, so just being out here is first and foremost, and making some extra money is just a bonus,” said Flores while he stood at the corner of Addison and Sheffield.

Flores is unique because his wears are displayed on a huge posterboard he holds high above his head, and his shirts don’t just display the Cubs’ logo.

His selection today includes a white t-shirt with a huge picture of Carlos Zambrano doing his patented fist pump. Around the picture are the words “Zambrano is my Paizano.”

“Last year, at the end of the season, I’d say I would sell myself about 800 to 1,000 dollars worth of shirts (per game),” said Flores.

At $15 a shirt, it’s no wonder Flores says he will keeping coming back to his corner for as long as he can.

The Connie’s Pizza delivery guy
Ever wonder how the Cubs are able to make enough pizza before game time to feed 40,000 hungry fans? The answer is, they don’t. Connie’s Pizza does it for them.

Stand outside of the window on Sheffield Avenue that provides a free look into Wrigley Field, and a delivery truck will eventually pull up. What unfolds after a few minutes is a pizza lover’s dream.

Two flatbed dollies are wheeled from the stadium as Eric Pierrittz, 24, hops from the truck. As he swings open the side doors, a bystander could be floored by the sight of hundreds of neatly stacked pizza boxes.

“We make 300 pizzas for every game,” said Pierrittz, as he and other workers hurriedly stacked the pizzas onto the dollies.

Connie’s cooks the pizzas halfway at a nearby location. The boxes are then loaded into the heated delivery truck, specifically used only for Cubs games, to be brought to the stadium where they will finish cooking.

By game time, fans get a nice hot slice of pizza thanks to Pierrittz and his delivery truck.

The Cubs’ Dixieland band
Five older gentlemen decked out in Cubs gear standing in front of Wrigley Field is usually not an odd sight. When those gentlemen are each holding a different musical instrument and belting out Dixieland music, however, it raises an eyebrow on newcomers.

Perched next to Harry Caray’s statue at the southeast corner of the stadium, the band entertains the crowd as it pours in. The Dixieland band has been part of the Cubs’ experience for over 30 years.

It all came about when bandleader Ted Butterman attended a game in the 1970s and thought to himself, “The Cubs need a Dixieland band.”

The team found it as odd a request as everyone else and denied Butterman numerous times. Never one to give up though, Butterman kept calling until the Cubs finally said yes.

Thirty years later, Butterman is the only original member left.

“I will keep showing up as long as they keep paying me,” said Butterman, laughing as the band broke into another tune.

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