Vendor At West Side Park
Pieper (pronounced “Piper”) was born February 17, 1886 in Hanover, Germany. His family, including ten siblings, settled in Denver, Colorado. In 1904, 17-year old Pat left for Chicago in search of a career. He was hired as a popcorn and peanut vendor by Dan Ryan, then the concessions boss at West Side Park, the home field of the Cubs. He later recalled that Ryan told him that “the first fifty years are the toughest. After that, it’s easy.”
By 1916, the Cubs had moved into Weeghman Park, soon to become known as Wrigley Field. The team did not bring along their field announcer, and Pieper talked himself into the job with Cub President Charles Weeghman.
Pieper also worked in the World Series of 1918, wherein the Cubs used Comiskey Park as home due to its greater capacity. There, he had the unusual task of announcing a pinch hitter for Babe Ruth, who was then a young pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. "The Babe," says Pieper, "was always tough for my Cubs."
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