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After The Flood
So now that the Cubs have a new owner, what's next for their home, Wrigley Field? Included in the sale of the team, the iconic stadium may be in for some renovations soon. In question is the Wrigley 2014 plan which would account for $250 million in upgrades and fixes to the stadium that would - hopefully - spruce the Friendly Confines up enough to host the 2014 All-Star Game. And the reason for stressing 2014? That's the ballpark's 100th birthday. What's going to be fixed? According to the Sun-Times: "new concourses, washrooms, concessions, skyboxes and a club seating lounge." Not on the menu: clearing the bleachers of annoying drunk frat boys and girls in pink Cubs hats that have no idea what's happening on the field (full disclosure: I'm the lone die-hard Cubs fan on staff, or, rather, the only staff member brave or stupid enough to publicly claim that).
Fans could also be in for a pedestrian stretch similar to the very popular Yawkee Way next to Fenway Park.
Adjacent to the ballpark, the team would finally develop the so-called triangle building and turn the street in between into a Fenway Park-style pedestrian promenade bustling with shops and restaurants.The five-story triangle building promised to Wrigleyville residents in exchange for a bleacher expansion was supposed to house a 400-space garage, upscale restaurants, retail stores and rooftop garden and below-ground batting cages, pitching mounds and player workout facilities.
New owner Tom Rickett hasn't signed off on the renovations and the family may be a bit gun shy on the cost after shelling out $900 million for the deal. Ricketts family spokesman Dennis Culloton said, "Presuming Tom and the family get this deal done and Major League Baseball approves them, then they'll sit down and look at all of the Wrigley plans and see what they want to do going forward."
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Where will the Cubs come up with all the money?
Oh that's right, they can slap a cubs logo on a turd and charge $49.95 for it.
My uncle has a cubs sticker on his "fisherman's urinal" which is basically a portable hospital pisser he brings out on his boat. I gave him the sticker as a joke -- told him he could put it on his truck. We talked about making a few of the fisherman's urinals and selling them on ebay. You could take advantage of every rivalry in baseball. "All it takes is one million dollar idea," he said. :)
http://netninja.com/images/lj/calvin_circle_piss.jpg
Really no need for the snarky comments about stereotypical cubs fans, is there?? Just as many idiots and clueless folks at other parks, including the Cell (Can you say Ligue?) . . .
Have to say that a few modern amenities would be nice, but I'll miss the troughs.
I refute that there is not a need for snarky comments about Cubs fans.
And Ligue? Really? That the best you got? I seen worse than that any game night rolling down clark street.
Sure, every stadium has its jerks. But the bleachers at Wrigley are such a potentially great experience gone awry by what is essentially the world's largest frat party. Maybe it's a context thing? I've been to games at Fenway, (Old) Yankee Stadium, both Atlanta Stadiums, and (Old) Busch Stadium to name a few and while they had their share of jerks, nothing quite reached the level of douchery of Wrigley. I love the Cubs and I love going to games but...yeah....
And there's kind of a pride in it, that's what always bugs me. Like it takes effort to get wasted and act like an entitled asshole in public? All the bars spilling into the street, it's an ugly scene and not one I'd take kids to, which is one of the best parts of a a ballgame.
Go to a Sox game and if someone's being an ass they get shouted down or tossed by security. Last time I was at a game a guy was dropping f-bombs loud and proud. Two big dudes leaned over and had a quiet word. Message received.
Wrigley's a big old frat bar. If you dig that, great. I'll take the Cell.
Have you ever actually been to a Cubs game? People get tossed out of the bleachers ALL THE TIME. It happens multiple times throughout every game. I've noticed this new trend among Sox fans where they act like Wrigley Field is Thunderdome and The Cell is a church picnic. The Cell has a holding cell for a reason, it's not just because they had some extra room and thought a room locked from the outside would look great there.
I've been to Cubs games, and been nice and drunk at a couple.
Again, if you want to drink some beer in the sun, yell like an ass while some kind of sporting event happens, y'know, over there, it's a fine place.
It's not somewhere I'd take kids. It's a 20-30 something fratmosphere, especially in the bleachers. If you can't take a kid to a ballgame, that just ain't baseball.
Wrigley security is a joke. Working those poor usher kids like they're gonna stop from jackhole on a bender? The copshop at Addison and Broadway gets a heck of a workout on game days.
The Cell ain't perfect, but it's a damn sight better run than Wrigley and I'd rather have a big old nothing around the park than some ugly street trash that fills Clark and Addison.
Like the viagra triangle, I'm just happy to avoid the whole thing.
I'd say that there's a direct correlation between the popularity of one particular thing and the number of douchebags, douchenozzles and douchechills associated with said thing. The Douches of this world like things that are popular because it means less thinking for themselves and more opportunities to be with other Douches. As Lollapalooza has gotten bigger and more popular, so has the percentage of Douches who attend it every year. As the Cubs got more popular, the percentage of Douches at games increased.
observation well put
The problems at Wrigley mainly occur after the game, outside that the bars (which means it's not the Cubs fault, but still...). As a semi-regular at the Gingerman I've seen numerous fights, so many that I refuse to go down there on days the Cubs are in town. In fact I made the mistake of going there a few weeks ago when the Cubs were in town and (you guessed it) a fight broke out between some brodudes and one of the doormen from the Metro next door. Cops were called, bartenders were interviewed. Say what you will about "The Cell", but when the game is over, everyone pretty much just goes home with few incidents since there's nothing to do around the park. That may suck and make the ballpark "lame" but so be it.
You'll miss the troughs? Don't half the current users already do that?
I'm a Cubs fan and I'd honestly rather sit in a seat than in the bleachers. In my opinion, there are too many "fans" in the bleachers that can't tell you who's at bat with the help of a program, the score board and a life-line to Len & Bob. Plus, a bleacher ticket should not set you back $60!
That said, what's all the crabbing about? This is not a new phenomenon -- at least the d-bags aren't, the price is. And all you Sox fans (I'm looking at your jess_nevins), I'm glad you're able to keep your fans in line; now what can you do about your manager? Though in all fairness, a little tirade now and then isn't necessarily a bad thing -- but I do agree that it's best left to the professionals, not your run of the mill bleacher bum.
Oh Ozzie is a big ol' peach he is. He's a big mouth but I give the guy a wide berth, as he's usually pretty entertaining.
That bleacher bum video is EXACTLY the shit I saw at Cubs games. You hear the guy "Fuck the cubs, fuck you". Class act. And the dipheads around him, are they booing security for tossing the jerk?
Season before last I was at a Sox game and some a couple sections down got into it with someone. Security popped up and the guy was over and out in about 2 minutes. The fans cheered.
That's the difference to me. Sox fans are there to watch the game and have a good time. Cubs fans are out to "PAR-TEE!" and anyone who tries to slow their roll for the benefit of everyone else is some horrible buzzkill.
Hey, again, enjoy it all you like, but when it comes to a proper baseball experience Wrigley is less and less the "friendly confines".
Key word, ANOTHER.
I guess to a cub fan 6 years must seem like just yesterday.
I mean, shit, it's been like 100? 101?
This is your year though. I can feel it.
If six years was too far back for you, this one will really bug you, but I can't help myself.
Sox Infamy
I'm just having fun by the way, no harm intended.
I was at a game against the A's earlier this season. Some guy throw a home run ball back. The crowd booed (although there were some cries of "Throw it back" ...?), security came over and tossed the guy out. It was a good day...till Jenks imploded in the ninth.
Sox fans always talk about the Cubs or Cubs fans or Wrigley.
I almost think they're more anti-Cubs than pro-Sox which is quite pathetic -- as pathetic as the drunk dude bros in the bleachers, but probably not.
Sox fans just have a chip on their curmudgeon shoulders and never seem to have fun without being a dick or rambling on about the Cubs.
Anyone remember in the 2005 when the Cell couldnt even fill the seats? Yeah, that's quite telling about Black Sox Nation.
The attendance argument is one of the weakest a team can make. Lots of dumb things have been popular. Just look at George Bush.
Average game attendance for the White Sox in 2005 was 28923, only 1954 fewer people than the 30877 average for last year. The Sox did have a spike to 36511 in 2006, but those were mostly northside bandwagon jumpers who wanted to see what kind of party you could throw with a championship team. I, for one, am glad to see them gone.
so, during the run up to the 2005 playoffs and WS, Sox fans couldnt be bothered to see their team play.
maybe they were too busy bitching about the cubs.
I hardly think an average attendance of 28,923 for a season total of 2,342,834 translates as fans not being bothered to see their team play. And as I said, lots of dumb things are popular ... though if it makes you feel better to follow the drunken crowd, have at it.