Another LBS Fun Fact
In anticipation of the coming Major League Baseball season, we take a moment here at LBS to offer up a bit of baseball trivia that is remembered only by the oldest baseball fans. The year was 1914 and old Weeghman Park was being renamed Wrigley Field (it would now serve as home to the Chicago Cubs, rather than the Chicago Whales). Opening day was full of excitement, but the excitement was not as much for the Cubs as it was for a now forgotten all male dance troop that was to perform at the 7th inning stretch. The troupe had been a staple of Whales games for years and hoped to carry over into the new Cubs era, albeit with a new name and sensibility as well. Under the whales, the group had been known as the Chicago Crushers. They had performed rigorous and visceral routines that pumped up the crowd to levels of enthusiasm that sometimes bordered on violent. As the 7th inning stretch began, however, this time the new incarnation of the troupe took the field. They came from the up-and-coming Lakeview neighborhood near the ballpark which had a distinctive feel from the rest of urban Chicago, and they were called The Ballpark Franks (presumably because they were all named Frank, though this is unconfirmed). Taking the field in what could be considered forerunners to modern cheerleading outfits, these men pranced about, pirhouetted, and giggled their way through a twelve minute set. The performance was fierce but the crowd balked at this new style. It was to be their only performance with the Cubs. The troupe subsequently disbanded, many taking on wives and families in the area, but it is said that they and their male offspring have continued to meet in a sort of secret society fashion over the years in numerous Lakeview bars, parks and public restrooms to practice their routines in hopes that one day they will be able to strut their stuff on the field once again.