The Brooklyn Trolley Blogger: A Gust of Windy City Baseball in Brooklyn: UNO Chicago Grill

TROLLEY RIDIN' Chicago Style: PIZZERIA UNO Brings Chicago's Rich Baseball History to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

All this snow is the pits! Today in the city, our Baseball Diamonds are Fields of White. So I hitched up a plow to the 'Ol Trolley in order to bring you a warm sunny day; some Baseball History; and a little something for those hearty appetites that you no doubt built-up shovelling all that snow Mother Nature dumped on us last night.

We're Trolley Ridin' to the corner of 92nd Street and 4th Avenue in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, where Chicago's own PIZZERIA UNO is satisfying the appetites of some of the most hardened Native Brooklynites, deli connoisseurs, and pizza experts, while surrounding them with a comfortable sports atmosphere filled with Chicago Themes and the Windy City's great, rich and lengthy Baseball History.

Brooklyn is the supreme place to marry two of my most favorite joys in life; good food and Baseball. When ever I come across an opportunity to partake in these two joys together and present them to you, the reader and faithful Riders of my neighborhood Trolley, I respectfully ask permission from these establishments for an opportunity to photo essay them. I have not been denied yet and the good people at PIZZAREIA UNO were more than happy to oblige. Chalk another one up for having Good Neighbors!

I usually stick to Brooklyn Dodger themes with my Trolley Rides; pulling up on places where the spirit and essence of Dem Bums still remain alive and well. But because Chicago's Baseball history is so long, rich and varied, and UNO's does such a great job presenting a near complete photo history display in their restaurant, the decision to ask them for permission to feature their collection on my Blog was a no-brainer.

I visited The Friendly Confines once in my life; back in 1991. It was one of the better Baseball experiences I've ever had despite my old Mets' hatred for the Cubs. But, I am a lover of Baseball as a whole and can appreciate any team for a day. I'm just happy to be traveling around and being able to see teams in their own parks. And the Cubbie's home is quite special. Old Weegham Park was a Baseball Park built to house Chicago's team in the Federal League back in 1914-15. That park survives today as Wrigley Field.

I also have a little personal connection with the SouthSiders; Chicago White Sox. My cousin is a coach on that team. Six years ago the ChiSox won the World Series. It was their first title in 88 years. Another other cousin who went to all the World Series games against the Astros mailed me all her ticket stubs. My other cousin played for the Red Sox that same year and taking the drive to Boston to see them face off against each other in the ALDS was pretty damn cool. And if you were wondering, I drove to Boston with yet another cousin of mine.

So that's my small connection to ChiTown. But this is really about Pizzeria Uno and their fine collection of Chicago Baseball History In Pictures. I actually had this planned for late summer. With their permission, I took the pictures on a stellar Saturday morning. Then work started taking more of my time, and this escaped me.

So, with all the bad weather we've been getting and being that Giants and Jets fans having nothing left to do but wait for Baseball, I figured this would be a good way to start getting that Baseball Feel back in your fingers after shovelling snow.