All Wrigley Field renovation thread

[Sunbiz1]

If you were to put odds on it, how likely do you think the Cubs would, or be allowed to, move away from Wrigleyville? It's a bit much to say it will never happen, but you have to admit it's extremely unlikely.

2 miles isn't exactly moving away, there isn't any other location without relocation in the area. Do you remember the proposal and drawings of the ST facility in Naples, FL that never happened?. That design basis would be perfect.

That park near Cal and Irving is huge, they could put a stadium, retail, restaurants, a museum, and a parking garage using less than half the available land.

 

[FirstTimer]

How in hell do you know this?...did little birdy Rory Sparrow chirp?.

Oh yeah, almost forgot...that was you.

It's called Logic.

Use it.

Rory and me are different people.

Swing and a miss.

Glad to see you psoting though over at VSD.

Great work.

 

[Rice Cube]

2 miles isn't exactly moving away, there isn't any other location without relocation in the area. Do you remember the proposal and drawings of the ST facility in Naples, FL that never happened?. That design basis would be perfect.

That park near Cal and Irving is huge, they could put a stadium, retail, restaurants, a museum, and a parking garage using less than half the available land.

I think your ideas are fine, but again, the issue is not whether they are feasible but whether they even want to or CAN move out of the neighborhood. That's not so easily resolved.

 

[Sunbiz1]

I think your ideas are fine, but again, the issue is not whether they are feasible but whether they even want to or CAN move out of the neighborhood. That's not so easily resolved.

Considering the current clubhouses are woefully inadequate, and there isn't room to expand them...I see no reason why the team wouldn't want to move.

 

[Rice Cube]

Considering the current clubhouses are woefully inadequate, and there isn't room to expand them...I see no reason why the team wouldn't want to move.

It's a multi-tiered problem. The team may want to move but the city/neighborhood won't let them. The team may want to continue setting up shop in the neighborhood because they want to be a good neighbor. I'm sure we all want the best for the Cubs, but I'm of the mind that the task isn't quite as simple as "Oh by the way, we're moving".

 

[Sunbiz1]

It's a multi-tiered problem. The team may want to move but the city/neighborhood won't let them. The team may want to continue setting up shop in the neighborhood because they want to be a good neighbor. I'm sure we all want the best for the Cubs, but I'm of the mind that the task isn't quite as simple as "Oh by the way, we're moving".

If this is the only objection left, then I would play hard ball w/the city and threaten to move the team to the suburbs...like the Bears did.

 

[Rice Cube]

If this is the only objection left, then I would play hard ball w/the city and threaten to move the team to the suburbs...like the Bears did.

I think you can poo-poo tradition etc. but it's still there. Uprooting the team isn't going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination, just as rebuilding Wrigley Field is running into lots of resistance. You have to deal with an indoctrinated fanbase who thinks the place is a cathedral and that you can't do the kind of work it would take to ensure that it lasts for a long time and is practical to play baseball in. I'm sure the owners and their staff realize how much of a challenge they have to modernize the park (and the team itself) while making sure they don't piss off their meatball customers.

Also, while moving the team to the burbs would make it more convenient for a subset of fans and those who elect to drive to games, that might be bordering on blasphemy as the Cubs have always been intertwined with that neighborhood. I don't think the objection is as trivial as you make it out to be. And the city and neighborhood knows that there aren't very many viable solutions for the Ricketts to use as leverage; they're very very unlikely to ever move away from Wrigleyville. It's not an absolute, but people are confident enough in that thinking to prevent that from being used as a strong bargaining chip.

 

[nwfisch]

I think Ricketts spending $20M on a parking lot across from Wrigley Field really took away whatever bluff he was going to pull on the Cubs moving or not.

 

[Sunbiz1]

I think you can poo-poo tradition etc. but it's still there. Uprooting the team isn't going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination, just as rebuilding Wrigley Field is running into lots of resistance. You have to deal with an indoctrinated fanbase who thinks the place is a cathedral and that you can't do the kind of work it would take to ensure that it lasts for a long time and is practical to play baseball in. I'm sure the owners and their staff realize how much of a challenge they have to modernize the park (and the team itself) while making sure they don't piss off their meatball customers.

Also, while moving the team to the burbs would make it more convenient for a subset of fans and those who elect to drive to games, that might be bordering on blasphemy as the Cubs have always been intertwined with that neighborhood. I don't think the objection is as trivial as you make it out to be. And the city and neighborhood knows that there aren't very many viable solutions for the Ricketts to use as leverage; they're very very unlikely to ever move away from Wrigleyville. It's not an absolute, but people are confident enough in that thinking to prevent that from being used as a strong bargaining chip.

What is it with Cub fans and this shitty ballpark?. Never have I heard such trivial objections from a fan base. And the reason is, people have this weird connection to the dump that nobody else in their right mind can understand.

It's of little wonder why psychologists have written dissertations on this, fans act as though their relatives are buried under home plate. I could fully understand if this ballpark were providing a home field advantage, but in many cases it has done the opposite.

 

[Rice Cube]

What is it with Cub fans and this shitty ballpark?. Never have I heard such trivial objections from a fan base. And the reason is, people have this weird connection to the dump that nobody else in their right mind can understand.

It's of little wonder why psychologists have written dissertations on this, fans act as though their relatives are buried under home plate. I could fully understand if this ballpark were providing a home field advantage, but in many cases it has done the opposite.

Couldn't even begin to tell you. But it's a very powerful objection, and in many ways it will handcuff what the Cubs can do.

 

[brett05]

I disagree. Cub Nation is bigger than that

 

[MotorCityCub]

Wrigley Field: Fix Up Or Build New?

Aside from it being a ballpark, the place is a tourist attraction and the team knows it. I talked to an usher at a game last September and he told me that approximately 37% of fans at each game are from out of town. I know quite a few Tigers fans who are making the trip to Wrigley in June just because it's Wrigley and they've never been there.

 

[Rice Cube]

Aside from it being a ballpark, the place is a tourist attraction and the team knows it. I talked to an usher at a game last September and he told me that approximately 37% of fans at each game are from out of town. I know quite a few Tigers fans who are making the trip to Wrigley in June just because it's Wrigley and they've never been there.

That's really exact. That usher must keep excellent records :lol: But I think that's about right. For the big rivalry games or big name teams, almost half the fans are for the opposing team. I am guessing a bunch of them aren't from in town or even in state.

 

[Sunbiz1]

That's really exact. That usher must keep excellent records :lol: But I think that's about right. For the big rivalry games or big name teams, almost half the fans are for the opposing team. I am guessing a bunch of them aren't from in town or even in state.

Brett was correct, there is no way less than 1% of the total fan base can stop anything...no matter where they live.

 

[Rice Cube]

Brett was correct, there is no way less than 1% of the total fan base can stop anything...no matter where they live.

The most vocal group is the one that will most likely get things done. Guess who the loudest people are?

For the record, I don't live in Wrigleyville or even the North Side, but if I did, I would vote for a rebuild or a relocation. If you consider the input that the city council has, especially in that particular ward, it's going to be difficult for outsiders (who don't vote in that ward) to convince them to piss off their constituents.

 

[Sunbiz1]

The most vocal group is the one that will most likely get things done. Guess who the loudest people are?

For the record, I don't live in Wrigleyville or even the North Side, but if I did, I would vote for a rebuild or a relocation. If you consider the input that the city council has, especially in that particular ward, it's going to be difficult for outsiders (who don't vote in that ward) to convince them to piss off their constituents.

Forgot all about city politics, yeah that's a problem...aldermen in particular.

 

[Rice Cube]

A First Look at the New Bleacher Videoboard | The Wrigley Blog

 

[ZAN]

We has such a mild-ass winter...how is the ivy not even starting to come in?

 

[85Bears4life]

WTF

 

[Rice Cube]

WTF

It apparently is a giant mac and cheese noodle covered with Ronnie Woo-Woo's excrement.