Palatine Cubs fan builds Wiffle ball Wrigley Field in backyard

PALATINE, Ill. (WLS) -- The Cubs may not be back on the baseball diamond yet, but there's a young fan in Palatine who's already in the midst of his baseball season in his own backyard version of the Friendly Confines.

"I just started it, it was a spot for me and my friends to come back here and play every summer," said D.J. Dick. "And this summer with everything and quarantine and COVID-19, I thought I could just make it into something that I really wanted to, cuz I've been a Cubs fan my whole life."

D.J.'s backyard is fully outfitted. The iconic red Wrigley Field sign hangs behind home plate, the Cubs logo spray-painted into the grass, and even the ivy-covered green walls surrounding a faithful replica of the scoreboard.

"Our neighbors have been great about it," said David Dick, D.J.'s dad. "D.J. and his friends will play out here until about 10, 10:30 at night with the lights shining and all of our neighbors will come and watch when they can. And some of them even come in and play. So it's been very communal in terms of how everybody approaches the field itself."

D.J. began work on his own Wrigley last year, putting up a less-detailed version of the scoreboard so he and his friends could keep score as they played. But the pandemic and its lockdowns gave him the opportunity to get more elaborate.

"The detail came as his creativity grew," said his mother Jennifer Dick. "I have to say, I wasn't on board at first with the ivy because he had to paint my fence, and change the look of our backyard, but I will say it is absolutely cool now that it's up."

And how much money did D.J. have to invest to realize his vision?

"Uhhh," he said through a bashful smile. "Probably more than my parents would have liked but I think now that it's all done they're alright with it. And that's all I'm gonna say."