Tag / Cubs Convention

by admin

No Place To Sit

B7lCcWaCcAAeiq8To the surprise of nobody not wearing blue and red-colored glasses, the Cubs announced yesterday that the rebuild of the bleachers, being done to support the new video boards and outfield signage that is key to the renovations of Wrigley Field, will not be complete by opening day.  Or anytime soon after.

The current plan, announced during the Cubs Convention, is for the left field bleachers to be ready by the May 11 game against the Mets, the start of a 7 game homestand.  The right field bleachers are not expected to be open until late May.  While they are not part of the renovations, the center field bleachers will not open until the left field portion is available, due to safety concerns.

Assuming they meet the new deadlines, there will be 15 games, including the nationally broadcast opening night game against the Cardinals, that will be without any bleachers whatsoever.  If the right field bleachers open for the Memorial Day game against Nationals, that would mean the Cubs will play 22 home games, over 27% of the season, without their full capacity.

Season ticket holders in the bleachers will be given the option of getting a refund for the missed games, getting credit for future ticket purchases, or relocating to the main seating bowl.  Single game tickets will not be sold for those 15 games.

by admin

A Dog & Pony Show

cubseventOver the weekend, the Cubs put on a number of presentations for their season ticket holders reviewing the progress over the past year and the plans for the upcoming year.  I attended the early presentation on Saturday, which featured President of Business Operations Crane Kenney, general manager Jed Hoyer, and radio play by play man Pat Hughes.

Crane Kenney kicked things off with a review of that morning’s official ground breaking for the newly dubbed 1060 Project, the rehab and expansion of Wrigley Field.  He followed up on that with multimedia presentations covering, among other things, the new spring training facilities, the new baseball academy in the Dominican Republic, and the goals behind the renovations at Wrigley Field.

Jed Hoyer was next on stage, covering the baseball side of things.  His initial focus was on the development of the major league roster, including Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro, and, surprisingly, Luis Valbuena.  The pitching staff remains a work in progress and should be a focal point of this offseason.  Hoyer also went out of his way to point out that signing Edwin Jackson may have been a mistake.  Finally, Hoyer addressed the young future of the team, starting with Javy Baez, Jorge Soler, and Arismendy Alcantara, covering both the successes they had and the struggles they faced in the big leagues.  He followed that up with a look at the minor leagues, including Kris Bryant, Albert Almora, Addison Russell, Billy McKinney, and Kyle Schwarber.

When Hoyer was done, he was rejoined on stage by Kenney and moderator Pat Hughes for a brief Q & A session with the audience.  Nothing of much substance was covered during this part of the presentation.  Overall, it was a well put together event with only one downside: an audience full of demented Cub fans.

One older gentleman spent the time before the program began telling everyone who would listen that Theo Epstein has no business holding his job because he once attended a panel at the Cubs Convention wearing a red shirt.  While focusing in on red being a “Cardinal color”, this scholar has missed out on the fact that it is also one of the colors of, yep, you guessed it, the Chicago Cubs.  Another fun group of gentlemen were the mid-20s former frat boys sitting behind me who wondered 1) why there were so many women at an event for season ticket holders and 2) if throwing your wife down a flight of stairs should really count as domestic violence.  The Cubs spent the afternoon trying to convince their customers to renew their season tickets.  Some of their fans did their best to undo the efforts, just by being themselves.

by jim

Rebuilding Wrigley

CTH Proposed renovations to Wrigley FieldThe big news coming out of last weekend’s Cubs Convention was the latest plan to renovate Wrigley Field.  Chairman Tom Ricketts said that the team would fund the renovations, expected to be around $300 million, without public assistance in exchange for the city lifting some of the restrictions related to the stadium’s landmark designation.  The renovations, expected to start following the 2014 season and continue over the next 5 offseasons, includes larger concourses, additional restaurants, more bathroom and concession areas, expanded suites, a new roof, and new seats.  Also included are new amenities for the players, including a larger home clubhouse, batting cages and additional training facilities.  From the outside, the façade would be returned to its 1930s-era luster.

Wrigley Field, built in 1914 for the Chicago Whales of the old Federal League, has been the home of the Cubs since 1916.  It is the second oldest park still in use, behind Boston’s Fenway Park.  The Cubs have been looking to renovate the stadium for years, but have been stymied by, among other things, the landmark status, the desire for public funds, and the bankruptcy of their former owner, the Tribune Company.  The renovations are badly needed if the stadium is to continue to be used as anything beyond a museum.  The players facilities are antiquated compared to the rest of the league, making it all the more difficult to attract top-flight free agents.  The seating bowl has had its own issues, starting with the multiple incidents of falling concrete in 2004 that led to netting being installed throughout much of the upper deck.

These planned renovations are still nearly 2 years away and the Cubs have had numerous plans go by the wayside in the past few years.  Unfortunately, time is probably running out on the viability of Wrigley Field as a long-term alternative if nothing is done.  Hopefully this plan does go through and Wrigley Field continues to be the home of the Cubs for years to come.