Diehard Chicago Cub fan, Dean Igaravidez of Norridge, never misses a game. He drives past Wrigley Field daily on his way to work. Twelve years ago he decided to create a personal tribute to the Cubs in his backyard.
Despite a lack of enthusiasm from his wife for the project, he converted the lawn into a mock baseball field complete with turf, clay dirt, pitcher's mound, bases, and warning tracks. Dean is often seen in his yard raking the infield.
His detached brick garage has been covered in Boston ivy simulating the brick outfield walls at Wrigley Field which have been ivy covered ever since 1937. The ivy was the idea of owner Bill Veeck, Jr. who helped the crew of groundkeepers set out 200 plants along the base of the outfield walls. The ivy walls became Wrigley Field's signature.
The garage window is converted into an announcer's box with a statue of legendary broadcaster Harry Caray at the microphone. Caray popularized the "Take Me Out to The Ball Game" singalong at the seventh inning stretch.
On the garage roof is a scoreboard that lights up at night. Measurements to the infield and pitcher's mound are posted in the ivy. An authentic green city street sign reading "WAVELAND AVENUE," the famous side street of the Field, hangs on the corner of the garage. Numbers of well-loved Cub players like Ernie Banks and Ron Santos are painted on the door. Cub memorabilia decorate the garden.
Wrigley Field has the tradition of hoisting a flag with a "W" after a win. Dean informs neighbors and passersby by doing the same above his garage following each victory.
Wrigley Field is a ballpark with three distinctive features: a museum of Cub history, a neighborhood pub, and a welcoming backyard. Dean has encorporated the trilogy in his garden tribute.
To assist in capturing the atmosphere and aesthetics of Wrigley Field and the surrounding neighborhood, Wrigleyville, a landscaper friend of Dean's gives him shrubs and perennials for the border of his field: peonies, hosta, phlox, coneflowers, butterfly bushes, climbing hydrangeas, and roses.
When Dean retires from the grocery business, he plans to work at Wrigley Field as an Andy Frain usher or in field maintenance. For the present he enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for his home team with friends, family , grandchildren and neighbors in the "friendly confines" of his backyard ballpark garden. Famed Cub shortstop Ernie Banks coined the phrase "friendly confines" for Wrigley Field.
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