Yesterday, Cubs owner Tom Ricketts gave a giant middle finger to the rooftop owners that he feels are holding up the renovations of Wrigley Field by announcing a new plan that greatly increases the amount of outfield signage.  The revised plan includes a slight reduction of the JumboTron in left field, a video board in right field, four LED advertising boards, additional outfield lighting, expanded bleacher seating and “open spaces”, expanded home and visitor clubhouses, and moving the bullpens from the field to under the bleachers.

It seems that Ricketts has decided that the time for negotiating with the rooftop owners is over.  The renovations were originally scheduled to begin this past offseason, but the threats of lawsuits from the rooftop owners put the kibosh on those plans.  These revised plans, aside from putting the screws to the rooftop owners, seems to hinge on a loophole in the revenue-sharing contract that the rooftops have been using to keep the Cubs at bay.  That agreement states that “any expansion of Wrigley Field approved by governmental authorities shall not be a violation of this agreement.”  By tying the new signage to a bleacher expansion, the hope is that the Cubs can violate the spirit of their contract while staying within the letter of the law.

Lawsuits seem to be a foregone conclusion at this point.  The Cubs claim they cannot afford to put a competitive product on the field and pay for the renovations without the additional income streams the new signage will provide.  The rooftop owners claim they have a right to unobstructed views of the Cubs product, thanks to that contract signed in January of 2004 by the team’s former owners.  At the end of the day, it seems the big winners will be the lawyers.