The ivy that adorns the outfield walls at Wrigley Field in Chicago is primarily common Boston ivy, a clinging woody vine of the grape family. Native to eastern Asia, this import is the ivy that covers the walls of many colleges. It is the ivy of the Ivy League. The story of how the ivy got planted began when Bill Veeck was hired to work for the Chicago Cubs. Veeck’s father, William Veeck, Sr. had been the President of the Cubs and young Bill grew up working for and with the Cubs during school vacations. When his father died unexpectedly in 1933, Bill dropped out of college and was hired by Phil Wrigley, who had taken over the club after his father, William Wrigley, died in 1932. His role with the Cubs was more and more directed at putting fans in their seats and making them happy. One of his early jobs was to roam the stands and talk with fans to determine their wishes and bring back suggestions that would make coming to the ballpark more enjoyable. New seats, new concessions, and new ivy. Veeck wanted to plant the ivy for the 1938 season but his assistants decided to plant the ivy against the red brick immediately. They strung five strands of copper wire, draped with Boston ivy, 1.5 feet apart across the wall. The outfield wall covered 1,003 feet so they used 5,015 feet of wire. They then planted more ivy at the base of the wall inter-mixed with faster-growing Japanese bittersweet vines.  This is Past Ball Podcast and as the Great Bob Uecker said Get Up Get Outta Here! 

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