Written by Drew V.
Set against the bustling Polish neighborhood of Buck Town in the Wicker Park District, the Packers of Powers Field play against a noisy and bustling working-class community near the newly-constructed Wicker Park train line.
Hand-selected from the best city meat-packer baseball organization, local politician and banker Horatio Powers bankrolled the formation of the Chicago Packers in 1891 and secured several lucrative contracts with the city to construct a crude and unappealing ballpark amidst the dim and coal-swept brick neighborhood lined with factories and church towers.
The Packers are a tough, mean, and unforgiving lot–just like their diehard fans, who leave work an hour early for home games to line the stadium seats often still adorned in their bloodied aprons and coveralls. This is quite the sight to visiting teams, and generates the sort of intimidating air the Packers pride themselves in producing each home game.
As the legend goes, long before Wicker Park incorporated into the municipality of Chicago, “Buck Town” was so-named for the many goats who would wander the Polish shacks and alleyways. In this tradition, each home game begins with a parade of “The Great Goat of Bucktown,” a goat selected by Mr. Powers each spring to be spared the factory. The goat has it’s own booth near center field, and is indiscriminately named “Bucky.” So, in north Chicago, the Packers and their fans are often affectionately referred to as “Buckies.”
A struggling contender in the Great Lakes Division, the Packers have some reason to be hopeful in the LBL’s best Catcher, Celistin Robley. The 1897 Greenhorn Cup Winner is a 2-Time Golden Bat behind the plate and well on his way to a third in 1899. Likewise, RF Gary Johnson is a bastion of the Buckies–a solid offensive producer with a bright future.
Aging team captain Tommy Hershey, 45, refuses to quit–though most acknowledge it is only a matter of time. Will Hershey’s departure make way for up-and-comer Leopoldo Polk? The Packers seem poised to lift themselves out of the Great Lakes rut and make a run for the pennant.