(ballpark music) - Just like at every other ballpark, the hardworking grounds crew at Wrigley Field mows the grass, (mower grinds) grooms the infield dirt, (broom scratches) and stripes the field.

(can sprays) But Wrigley Field might be the quirkiest ballpark in America.

So here, the grounds crew takes care of a few other things (bat clunks) (crowd cheering) (glove huffs) like an outfield wall covered in ivy or a scoreboard from 1937 still operated by hand.

(upbeat music) In this age of electronic razzle-dazzle, workers inside the old scoreboard still keep fans informed the old fashioned way.

And there's really only one way to learn how it's done.

I'm inside the scoreboard.

In here, workers update the score of the Cubs game in real time, along with scores of all the other major league games in progress.

Scrambling up and down catwalks on three levels, each with three rows of scores under the watchful eye of the chairman of the board, Darryl Wilson.

This is a lot of work.

- Oh yeah, man.

- [Geoffrey] How long you been doing this?

- I've been on this since 1991.

- [Geoffrey] Was this like a dream come true to do this?

- Well, when you start in the ground crew, you start off with tarp, rain delays, rolling out the tarp.

- [Geoffrey] Getting soaked got old after a while.

So when a scoreboard worker retired, Darryl jumped at the chance to work inside and stay dry.

How many people are in here now?

- [Darryl] Five.

- Geoffrey, you wanna peek?

- Oh, absolutely.

- Take this.

This is for the.

- Up there.

- Pull it like that.

Pull it and just turn it around.

- Okay.

So that's a zero.

- Yep.

- So you flip it.

That's okay.

Yep.

Set it in there.

- So they're in the five and up.

- You're good.

Now lock it down.

You might have to push on it a little.

There you go.

- Did it.

- You don't know if it's upside down.

You can make a mistake.

We have done that before.

- You have?

- Oh yeah.

I had twos upside down, skipped innings.

You're moving around so fast.

- Yeah and it's backwards too.

Oh yeah, right, you gotta be careful about that too.

- Now I'll just slide my left finger over to whether it'll be three balls or two strikes.

- [Geoffrey] One scoreboard worker isn't in the scoreboard.

He's up in the press box.

Quick Rick Fuhs, the fastest finger in baseball, updates the balls, strikes, and outs the instant the ump calls them.

Although my fingers are nowhere near as fast, Rick did allow me to put up the number of a new batter stepping up to the plate.

Okay.

- And this number's 13.

Hit the one and then hit the three.

You see how.

- Hey, there we go.

Yeah.

(upbeat music) When the Cubs aren't playing Quick Rick slows down to lovingly care for another unique feature of Wrigley Field.

(clippers snap) - [Rick] Now I've got some clippers for you.

- [Geoffrey] Oh nice.

- Try to cut it on this brick line here.

- Oh, right on the.

- So I pull it out.

Yeah, I pull it out a little bit.

Watch your finger.

- Yeah!

You don't do this at other ballparks in America.

The famous ivy on Wrigley's outfield wall was the brainchild of another Chicago baseball legend, Bill Veeck.

Bill Veeck, we know Bill Veeck as the owner of the White Sox.

- Yeah, well he worked there though.

He worked under PK Wrigley here.

- At the Cubs.

Yep.

He was 23 years old.

He was the architect of putting this ivy up.

- Back in the 1930s, Veeck was helping Cubs owner, PK Wrigley realize his vision to make his stadium almost park-like.

Is this the ivy from 1930s?

They haven't ever replanted it?

- We've done some replanting in troubled spots, but this is the original from 1937.

- [Geoffrey] Because of the ivy, there are some special ground rules at Wrigley.

- So if the ball goes in the ivy, the outfielder have to raise his hands up.

- [Geoffrey] You raise, literally raise your hands.

- Yeah.

Raise his hands up, said, "I can't see the ball."

It's a ground rule double.

- That is the only ball park in America where you got a rule like that.

- But if he touches the ball - Oh.

- he touches it, it's in play.

- Still in play.

Even if he's like trying to get it outta the ivy.

(rousing music) They may never swing a bat or catch a ball, but Rick and Darrell have been part of some of Wrigley's greatest moments.

Were you up here for the World Series?

- Yeah.

Oh yeah.

- [Geoffrey] How did that?

- Going nuts.

The energy was so strong.

This whole place was shaking and the scoreboard was rocking actually.

- Maybe the best job of all is another tradition that dates from an earlier era, flying the W after a Cubs win.

- Hold on the ropes, waiting for that last out.

And the thing is to get it before the song says, "Go Cubs go."

- They don't like to see the L.

- Oh, no, no.

My L it's like a funeral home in here.

It's quiet and you don't have to rush to do the L. You can take your time.

You can take your time.

(crowd cheers) (ballpark music)