Lakeview in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Harry Caray
“Let me hear ya… a one… a two… a three…”
Photographed By Sean Flynn, November 4, 2023
1. Harry Caray Marker
broadcast voice of the Cubs for
16 seasons.
In honor of his significant
contributions to baseball, Harry was
presented with the National Baseball
Hall of Fame and Museum's
Ford C. Frick Award in 1989.
[West-facing panel:]
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at both
Comiskey Park and Wrigley Field, Harry Caray
began radio broadcasting in 1945 for the
St. Louis Cardinals. Caray also did play-by-play
radio coverage for the Oakland A's, Chicago
White Sox and Chicago Cubs. He broadcasted
over 8,300 games during his 53-year career in
the major leagues.
Scribes and Mikemen Exhibit,
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Erected 1999 by Chicago Cubs.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1989.
Location. 41° 56.939′ N, 87° 39.269′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Lakeview. Marker is at the intersection of Sheffield Avenue and Waveland Avenue, on the left when traveling north on Sheffield Avenue. The statue sits in
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Wrigley Field (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ernie Banks, "Mr. Cub" (about 800 feet away); a different marker also named Wrigley Field (about 800 feet away); Josephine Baker (approx. ¼ mile away); James Baldwin (approx. ¼ mile away); Marsha P. Johnson (approx. ¼ mile away); Sylvia Rivera (approx. ¼ mile away); Audre Lorde (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
More about this marker. The Harry Caray statue was first located near the third-base entrance into Wrigley Field, near the intersection of Addison and Sheffield, before being relocated to this spot in 2010.
Artist Omri Amrany completed this statue with Lou Cella in 1999. Amrany along with his wife and business partner Julie are responsible for several other famous sports artworks in Chicago, including the "Championship Moments" sculpture in front of Guaranteed Rate Field (home of the White Sox) and the Michael Jordan statue that sits in front of the United Center, home of the NBA's Chicago Bulls.
Regarding Harry Caray. By the time Harry Caray arrived
Photographed By Sean Flynn, November 4, 2023
2. Harry Caray Statue, south-facing panel
In 1981, the Sox were sold to new owners who planned to broadcast games locally on pay cable, a move that Caray opposed. The Sox—whose feathers were often ruffled by Caray's boisterous personality and his criticism of the team when it wasn't playing well—allowed him to move to the Cubs, where games were broadcast free locally on WGN (channel 9) and also available on cable around the country. As the Cubs became nationally popular—and fielded some of their best teams in decades—Caray became a beloved figure in Wrigleyville and beyond. Carrying over a tradition he started with the White Sox, he led the crowd in the 7th inning stretch from the broadcast booth at every game. He also called the occasional game from the bleachers (above where his statue
Photographed By Sean Flynn, November 4, 2023
3. Harry Caray Statue, west-facing panel
Also see . . .
1. Harry Caray sings Take Me Out to the Ballgame". In the final Cubs home game he would broadcast from Wrigley Field before his death, Harry Caray leads the Wrigley Field crowd in the 7th inning stretch on September 21, 1997. (Submitted on November 5, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. Harry Caray biography (Society of American Baseball Research).
Excerpt: “'The taxi driver, the bartender, the waitress, the man in the street, those are my people,' Harry Caray once said. Caray was a larger-than-life figure who loved the game and broadcast it with enthusiasm."(Submitted on November 5, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed By Sean Flynn, November 4, 2023
4. The Wrigley Field bleachers
The bleachers entrance and Harry Caray Statue, at the corner of Waveland and Sheffield avenues. The Chicago Cubs flag, which lights up at night in neon, is the rear of the stadium's famed manual scoreboard. On this November morning (when, incidentally, a Northwestern-Iowa college football game was to be played at Wrigley Field), the wind was blowing out to right field.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 5, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 65 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 5, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
