A Real Crappy Night At Cubs Season Opener

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Apr 6, 2015 5:50PM

Wrigley Field Opening Night 2015 by Joshua Mellin

The real losers of the Cubs’ season opener Sunday night may have been the diehard fans who resorted to peeing in cups at the under-construction Wrigley Field when faced with multiple out-of-order bathrooms and long lines.

Twitter user cubbies2014 tweeted the above photo during the game of more than half a dozen plastic cups, strategically placed in a corner of the stadium and supposedly filled with urine. That tweet joined a chorus of complaints from fans at the stadium, who lamented missing multiple innings while waiting in bathroom lines that were almost as bad as much of the Cubs’ lackluster performance.

The Cardinals beat the Cubs 3-0 in the opening game, with some critics noting that the Cubs’ loss was the only thing typical in a night plagued by plumbing problems.

Cubs spokesman Julian Green apologized to fans for the bathroom situation in a statement after the game, noting that two upper deck bathrooms "went down temporarily" and exacerbated already long lines at the stadium's downstairs bathrooms. "Opening Day at Wrigley Field has always brought challenges with wait times," Green said in the statement reported by the Tribune, "and tonight was particularly extreme."

The Cubs began a series of large-scale stadium renovations during this past offseason and plan to continue renovating the stadium over the next three years. The Cubs showed off one of their most significant changes to-date, a new 3,900 square-foot video scoreboard, at the game. The game was also a chance for the team to showcase its new manager Joe Maddon and ace Jon Lester; but Lester was pulled during the fifth inning with just one out.

A thoughtful touch did at least kick off the evening, with a moment of silence in honor of legendary Cubs player Ernie Banks, who died in January at the age of 83, and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras, who was killed in a car crash last fall.

Many fans took out their frustrations throughout the night at Wrigley Field on Twitter. Among the tweets we found most illustrative:

Well, the only way at this point is up, right Cubs fans?