ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
How Madigan Left the Cubs in the Dark
by Joe Kaiser
October 21, 2016
The Chicago Cubs will have two chances to clinch their first National League pennant since 1945. If they win a fourth game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Oct. 22 or 23, World Series games against the Cleveland Indians will be under the lights at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were the last Major League baseball team to install lights when they did so in 1988. But most people don’t realize one reason for this delay was a powerful Springfield politician: Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. After the Tribune Company purchased the team in 1981, a push to illuminate Wrigley Field began with pressure from Major League Baseball. READ MORE