The Final Moments of Comiskey Park – 1991

…the final moments of Comiskey Park.

On April 3rd, 1991, as so many others did that day, I traveled to Comiskey Park, to videotape the end of an era. Today was also the day I could really test out my brand new RCA full size VHS Camcorder.

It was a very exciting day with all the activity around Comiskey – the ongoing construction just a few hundred feet away, the arrival of community leaders, city officials, television and radio news, and the fans… the fans who shared their stories with one another through their tears and laughter.

Then there was me, a huge fan of the Jonathon Brandmeier show on The Loop – WLUP 97.9 FM and The Loop AM 1000. In the days after purchasing the camcorder, I started to go around town shooting WLUP events. Does anyone remember The Loop’s Bud Light Comedy Night in Grant Park, with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey?

The vibe in the city back then was that Johnny B, Buzz Kilman, and Jimmy ‘Bud’ Wiser, along with the entire cast of characters at The Loop AM and FM were the best kept secret in town. What I really learned was that the fans of The Loop were the best kept secret, and I wanted a gig shooting that secret from both perspectives. We all know life throws curve balls, and a few months later I found myself in Arizona. I never finished shooting the demolition of Comiskey… and the radio waves from the Loop couldn’t reach me that far west.

Now, 28 years later, here is a play-by-play description from WLUP-FM 97.9 Chicago morning host Jonathon Brandmeier, Buzz Kilman, Bruce Wolf, and Showgram producer Jimmy ‘Bud’ Wiser, as they try to stop the Speedway Wrecking Ball from tearing down Comiskey Park. This video story is a combination of the Jonathon Brandmeier radio showgram mixed with the video footage of the moments just before the Speedway Wrecking Ball struck Comiskey Park and changed baseball history forever.