04/24/24
December 13, 2005
Is nothing sacred at Wrigley?: Having lived in Wrigleyville just a few blocks from my beloved Wrigley Field for many years, it breaks my heart to watch as the Tribune Co. continues to alter the status of Wrigley as a mecca of the National Past-time. Now they are altering the Bleachers in their never ending quest for revenue! I am saddened to think my children won't have the opportunity to feel 1st hand the awesome joy of of a summer day spent watching my beloved Cubbies from the Bleacher Seats. This Peek Hole thing smells of a gimmick! I shutter to think of losing the sense of intimacy with the players and fellow "Bleacher Bums". It's Evil I tell you! Pure Evil!
posted by skydivedad to baseball at 08:48 AM - 52 comments
Hey man, I know how you feel - they're turning the Old Maple Leaf Gardens into either condos or a supermarket. I've been to Wrigley and it is an awesome place to watch a game - but it is subject to the same rules as everything else: Everything changes, nothing stays the same forever.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:49 AM on December 13, 2005
Wrigley is a great place and it should be preserved for all time. As a MLB ballfield, it should be replaced. Lets face it, its out of date . Wrigley would make a great baseball museum. I will always remember the games I watched at Wrigley. However, it time for a new ball park.
posted by daddisamm at 09:53 AM on December 13, 2005
skydivedad, i know the feeling sir...and im sorry for what us MLB fans have to go through in a changing AMERICA $$$..the true novelty of the game is gone. i too miss the great days of SHEA STADIUM and the sounds of ORGANIST JANE JARVIS gives me chills to see old games from the past, and wish i can dive through my tv set to be back in those days. now we get brain dead hip-hop music between innings! next thing you know good ole' WRIGLEY will be called HERTZWRENTAWRECKPLEASEBYMYPRODUCTWHENYOULEAVESTADIUM.COM//NET PARK like these shithead CEOs who never played the game in their lives have the balls to name a ballpark after the buisiness...im so tired of it. so im sure its only going to get worse since its a "buisiness". it doesnt have to be that way..only we have money hungry assholes running americas past time. the fans?? who cares....just want to know how much money we have in our pockets when we enter the ballpark. bring back the real men of the game!
posted by no band waggon at 10:00 AM on December 13, 2005
I also grew up blocks from Wrigley and have seen her get old over the decades. And yes, I think it's time to lay her to rest. Nothting hurt like seeing the black netting trying to keep chunks of wrigley together in the 04 season. That and the fact that it's turned into the worlds largest gay bar in the last couple of years. Is it me or do the people running things care more about wrigley that the actual Cubs? It has been a very long time since that last win, and maybe they should invest in an actual winning team instead of trying to make Wrigley "better".
posted by Nibo at 10:11 AM on December 13, 2005
Having never been to wrigley, I do not have an arguement to make either way. However, a few years ago I sat in Three Rivers Stadium for the Steelers final game there thinking how unbeleivable was that they were tearing it down. Though, the first time I went into Hienz Field and PNC Park, I was amazed. They are both beautiful parks and make watching the games so much more enjoyable. (Theres a beautiful veiw of the city to take your mind off the pirates score)
posted by steelcityguy at 10:30 AM on December 13, 2005
If they were to build a new stadium for the Cubs, where would they put it? Last I checked, there wasn't a whole lot of open space on the North Side. I realize that Wrigley is falling apart, but what can they do? Apart from relocating them to Schaumburg, that is. I think I'd rather see them play in a dusty lot rather than relocating to the suburbs. /shutter
posted by NoMich at 10:35 AM on December 13, 2005
The Tribune has been steadily losing money for years now with WGN and it's newspaper. With that being said and the fact that tradition don't fly with companies anymore, does this shock anyone at all? Unfortunately times have changed in every sports town due to the type of owners each sports team has. With owners, it's not about fans but for the almighty dollar. I have spent endless summers at Wrigley seeing at least 4 or 5 if not more games a year, and it seems there is always something new there with each and every game. Still the most beautiful ball park there is { Go Ahead with your arguements!}, changing it may change the wonderful and storied history of Wrigley. With a memory We are taken back to certain times in our past. The tribune company doesn't care about that, nor do any other team owners in any sport. The GREEN is what it's all about.
posted by melcarek69 at 10:42 AM on December 13, 2005
Look at Boston. They built seats on top of the "Green Monster", and they are awesome. Read "Who took my Chese", and don't fear change!
posted by zippinglou at 10:53 AM on December 13, 2005
**+ say cheese!
posted by zippinglou at 10:54 AM on December 13, 2005
I agree with Nibo. I have much nostalgia for Wrigley, love it, love going there, everything. But it's seriously a dump, a relic from the past. Build a new park, no more "renovations" in the offseason. New parks can be nice and still retain some of that old school charm. Keep the ivy on the walls, and please try to keep it named Wrigley, but change is good.
posted by corpse at 10:57 AM on December 13, 2005
I spent my entire childhood at Wrigley field and I hope that it never goes down.Ten or fifteen times a summer my dad and I would catch the Ravenswood and go there.Good times,fer sure. It seems to me that there isn't really much revenue in seating,all the really big bucks is in media,so I never understand the addition of sky boxes,etc. chump change isn't it? By the way--NOBANDWAGON---even tho it's been around for a long time Wrigley is REALLY a brand name itself
posted by Tubby Fan at 10:59 AM on December 13, 2005
Yea, they added seats on top of the "Green Monster" they didn't tear it down! Go to the Photo Gallery section of the link I provided and you'll see a photo showing they have actually removed completely the left field bleacher seats. That's absolutely intolerable as far as I'm concerned. Needless change is not an excuse!
posted by skydivedad at 11:02 AM on December 13, 2005
Needless to whom? Do you own the park and/or team? Change is inevitable. At least they aren't pulling the whole thing down and putting a cookie-cutter McStadium in.
posted by jerseygirl at 11:09 AM on December 13, 2005
I felt that way when they replaced Memorial Stadium in Baltimore with that candy-ass Camden Yards and the candy-ass wine bars and luxury boxes built for Washington lobbyists who couldn't give a shit about the O's to entertain senators from Wyoming who care even less. And really, who could give a shit about the new-look O's? They used to blend working-class with classy play. Now they're owned by the greediest, ugliest son-of-a-moneygrubbing-bitch on the Eastern Seaboard, and they're most of them cut from the same mold. Primi donni. Fuck 'em. I learned to swear at Memorial Stadium, and now some fur-coated bitch is gonna tell me to watch my tongue, I might upset her chardonnay? At least you still have a stadium and a team in Chicago. And people who will fight to keep it that way. The O's have been gutted, razed, and replaced with an empty luxury high-rise. Nothing to see there, move along.
posted by Hugh Janus at 11:10 AM on December 13, 2005
Been to all the ballparks until the last 2 years. Fenway, yuck. Wrigley nice but the best of the older parks was Tiger Stadium. They didn't tear it down (yet) but did replace it. In St. Louis they tear down a forty year old park for a smaller one that only looks old. Tear Wrigley down and build a ballclub instead.
posted by rchugh at 11:15 AM on December 13, 2005
Updating the stadium is one thing, but getting rid of it completely may be a big mistake. If getting a new stadium somewhere means the actual team can shed their embarrassing history on the field and actually win a championship, then they'd better do it immediately. Right now the stadium and the tradition of the Wrigley area and the fans is the only thing the franchise has, and that tends to make some forget the ridiculous track record the Cubs have. If they're just going to throw up a boring stadium like the White Sox have, then they'd be better off sticking with and fixing up Wrigley.
posted by dyams at 11:17 AM on December 13, 2005
tubby, i realise that WRIGLEY is a company name.. but todays game they change the name of ballparks every other year, just because someone puts up a higher bid or the lease runs out... ENRON FIELD...that was the name originally leave it that way... BRENDEN BRYNE ARENA...oh hes not around anymore..so lets call it CONNTINENTAL AIRLINES ARENA... SAN DIEGO STADIUM...i mean JACK MURPHY STADIUM.. oh MURPHY only woke up SAN DIEGO and brought sport franchises to the area...oh, hes dead now..so lets make some money and call it whatever the hell they called it.. so what happens if PETCO goes out of biz..name it another cooperate name ? how about save yourself the trouble and name it ROLLIE FINGERS/TONY GWYNN PARK or better yet back to JACK MURPHY STADIUM... c'mon...dont you see the point....the charm is gone. WRIGLEY is the given name...stay that way til its gone.. not sure a company will be able to keep lease or buisiness itself? then name it after the city..or someone who is a part of the city or a icon of the city...
posted by no band waggon at 11:34 AM on December 13, 2005
I think they should tear Wrigley down, it's a terrible place to watch a baseball game. There is no parking, it's uncomfortable and the bathrooms stink! Half the people there don't know anything about baseball, just there to get drunk.
posted by bobshal at 11:35 AM on December 13, 2005
There is a difference between Three Rivers/Atlanta Fulton County and Wrigley. If Stell City was grying over Forbes Field, then yes, I could see it. Three Rivers, Jack Murphy, Busch, Atl FuCo, were cookie cutters. No real personality. I was glad to see Atl FuCo go. Wrigley, Ebbets Field, The Polo Grounds, Forbes Field, etc should be/have been saved to some point. Wrigs
posted by Wrigley South at 11:40 AM on December 13, 2005
I think they should tear Wrigley down, it's a terrible place to watch a baseball game. There is no parking, it's uncomfortable and the bathrooms stink! Half the people there don't know anything about baseball, just there to get drunk. posted by bobshal at 11:35 AM CST on December 13 Good point. They should put in recliners and gold/pearl bathrooms. Charge $1,000 per seat and not serve any alcoholic drinks just sparkling flavored water. While they are at it lets not play baseball there but have poetry readings. Now that's what I am talking about!
posted by skydivemom at 11:43 AM on December 13, 2005
I agree with dyams. C'mon, nobody goes to Wrigley just to watch the Cubs play. They go for the whole experience...Wrigleyville, the bars, the ivy and, yes, the bleachers. Until the Tribune Company can commit to fielding a winning ballclub, the aura of Wrigley is the only thing that keeps the fans coming back. Sure, I catch the games on the tube or even attend a few every summer, but I'm not naive enough think "this is the year" going into every spring training. If Wrigley drops, so does the attendance. Maybe not right away, but eventually. Update Wrigley and leave it where it is. It's really the only thing Cub fans like myself have to look forward to every year. Besides, does Chicago really need another Cell or fucking disaster they call Soldier Field? bobshal-doesn't even deserve a response.
posted by willthrill72 at 11:49 AM on December 13, 2005
The Cubs should (& will) continue to try to squeeze every dollar out of the original Wrigley Field - it's all the franchise really has. Half the people who attend the usually sold out stadium don't pay attention to the game - it's a social event, a primer before hitting the bars. If the Cubs were to change stadiums or alter Wrigley in a significant way, they would lose the real draw for their fan base. Although I would argue that the current configuration of Sox Park is a huge improvement over what it once was, I still contend that if you put the Sox in Wrigley and the Cubs at US Cellular, the Sox would easily outdraw the Cubs based largely on the ballpark and it's surrounding area. The Cubs won't ever leave Wrigley - they'll just keep trying to squeeze a little more from the field each year.
posted by ChiSox1977 at 12:05 PM on December 13, 2005
An open letter to Chicago Cubs fans: Dear Cubs faithful, It has come to our attention than many of you are dissatisfied not only with the level of play of your baseball team, but also with changes being made to venerable Wrigley Field. We cordially invite you to stop by our local ballpark and partake of our club. While we don't exactly have the history or tradition of the storied Cubs franchise, there's good news -- we don't exactly have the history or tradition of the storied Cubs franchise. Feel free to come by anytime, have a bratwurst and see something you'll never see at Wrigley -- a World Series trophy. Love, The Chicago White Sox
posted by wfrazerjr at 12:18 PM on December 13, 2005
We cordially invite you to stop by our local ballpark and partake of our club. I'd rather slide down a 40ft. razorblade into a pool of iodine!
posted by skydivedad at 12:21 PM on December 13, 2005
Tear down Wrigley? Are you people really sports fans?
posted by Masked at 12:21 PM on December 13, 2005
Spofi, December 13, 1936. Is nothing sacred at Wrigley? Veeck is talking about planting ivy along the outfield wall. What the heck? Only grass should be on the field of play. Balls or players could get stuck in this ivy suff. Weeds!
posted by gspm at 12:34 PM on December 13, 2005
Did I see someone bemoaning the fact that they renamed the Brendan Byrne Arena? Yikes. That twig you're standing on is about to break. Look, as has been said, change is constant and inevitable. If the White Sox can win a world series, then the Cubs risk obsolescence. And if those extra bleacher seats mean the Cubbies can afford another good arm or two so it's not Wood-&-Prior-&-pray-for-rain, then you'll do cartwheels over their foresight.
posted by chicobangs at 12:36 PM on December 13, 2005
Although I would argue that the current configuration of Sox Park is a huge improvement over what it once was, I still contend that if you put the Sox in Wrigley and the Cubs at US Cellular, the Sox would easily outdraw the Cubs based largely on the ballpark and it's surrounding area. The Cubs won't ever leave Wrigley - they'll just keep trying to squeeze a little more from the field each year. Man I tell ya, you guys win a world series and are still worried about debating the stadium drawing more fans to wrigley. I would like to think that there are plenty of fans who go to baseball games to actually watch them, instead of just getting drunk. I've been to U.S. Comiskullar park and see the same amount of people drinking as i do in wrigley. It's a lame & tired excuse sox fans use to make themselves feel better that more people don't show up to watch the sox. The Tribune has been steadily losing money for years now with WGN and it's newspaper I guess the mighty Tribune company has brainwashed you to into thinking that they don't make money, c'mon who you crappin. They are a multi-billionare corporation which does nothing but make money hand over fist.
posted by sadsadcubsfan at 12:36 PM on December 13, 2005
going through a similar heartbreak at dodger stadium. a buddy of mine actually bought a pair of the seats they tore out this winter and we plan on sitting in them while watching games this spring. what everyone has said so far is true... can't stop change. wfrazerjr = hilarious. nothing better than having scoreboard.
posted by ninjavshippo at 12:37 PM on December 13, 2005
Hey sky, No need to slide down a razor blade, the 'HOOD around Comiskey Park should provide numerous chances for you to get cut, maybe even stabbed or shot. Hey best case scenario you could get beaten with a bat by the Thugs around Comiskey. That adds more of the baseball feel to the US Cellular Field experience Wrigley South
posted by Wrigley South at 12:38 PM on December 13, 2005
a buddy of mine actually bought a pair of the seats they tore out this winter and we plan on sitting in them while watching games this spring im just picturing two large men in a big room sitting an inch away from each other drinking beer after beer
posted by steelcityguy at 01:04 PM on December 13, 2005
Attendance wouldn't suffer in a new stadium, maybe on a temp field, but if you put a shiny new stadium right where it is now, and have tons of old school charm, the cubs are still going to have near sellouts every game. Also, I think no parking is a good thing. Fuck all those assholes driving in from places where they could easily take metra/cta. I also like the new Soldier Field. Yes, I am a sports fan.
posted by corpse at 01:49 PM on December 13, 2005
Also, I like the idea of sitting in the bleachers, but holy shit are they uncomfortable. I always take out of towners to the bleachers, but when going to games for myself, i'm getting a seat.
posted by corpse at 01:50 PM on December 13, 2005
You'll pardon me if I don't take such aggressive badmouthing of Comiskey, the White Sox and the surrounding neighborhood seriously coming from someone named "Wrigley South."
posted by chicobangs at 02:16 PM on December 13, 2005
If you are really serious that the sacred Wrigley Field should not be changed or updated, then we should go back to the way it was when it was built. Get rid of the lights. Tear down the upper deck. Rip the Ivy off the walls. Take out the center field scoreboard. Take out the bleachers... Wrigley Field has undergone changes every couple of years for my entire lifetime, and I'm sure for years before that! If they don't keep updating the park, they'll have to move! If you truly love Wrigley Field, you should be happy that the Tribune keeps putting money into the park. I remember what happened to the Old Comiskey Park and Tigers Stadium, when their owners stopped spending money on those stadiums. Quit your whining!.
posted by dickjnsn at 02:28 PM on December 13, 2005
Hey! When they updated the Statue of Liberty they didn't remove the torch or change the look of her face. This has nothing to do with upkeep and everything to do with more revenue! I have absolutely no problem with removing the lights by the way. That's fine with me, they we're added to increase the revenue from Prime-Time Television and nothing to do with creating a winning team! The Cubs are 147-131 in home night games. Spread over 17 year thats less then a game a year!
posted by skydivedad at 02:39 PM on December 13, 2005
Why did my comment, the first on this thread, get deleted? Former Cubs Coach Lee Elia on Cubs Fans: They're really, really behind ya around here...my fuckin' ass. What the, what the fuck am I supposed to do, go out there and let my fuckin' players get destroyed every day and be quiet about it? For the fuckin' nickel-dime people that show up? The mother fuckers don't even work. That's why they're out at the fucking game. They oughta go out and get a fucking job and find out what it's like to go out and earn a fuckin' living. Eighty-five percent of the fuckin' world's working. The other fifteen come out here. A fuckin' playground for the cock suckers. Rip them mother fuckers! Rip them fuckin' cock suckers like the fuckin' players! We got guys bustin' their fuckin' ass, and them fuckin' people boo. And that's the Cubs? My fuckin' ass. They talk about the great fuckin' support that the players get around here. I haven't see it this fuckin' year.
posted by Bill Lumbergh at 02:48 PM on December 13, 2005
caution, somebody might want to read that to his granddaughter. Perhaps a sound file woulda been better?
posted by gspm at 02:59 PM on December 13, 2005
Why did my comment, the first on this thread, get deleted?
I deleted it by accident; it'll be back.
posted by kirkaracha at 03:00 PM on December 13, 2005
You'll pardon me if I don't take such aggressive badmouthing of Comiskey, the White Sox and the surrounding neighborhood seriously coming from someone named "Wrigley South." I'm pretty sure the "South" in his username doesn't mean Chicago's South Side. Remember when the Cubs played the Braves in the playoffs a few years ago? Remember how Turner Field was overran with Cubs fans? They were calling it "Wrigley South" for the series. Remember? Remember when daddy threw that whiskey bottle at the referee?
posted by NoMich at 03:20 PM on December 13, 2005
kirk, you should have left it deleted. Now I'm not a prude or even offended by four-letter words, but that kind of swear word in every sentence post is just a waste of letters.
posted by squealy at 03:39 PM on December 13, 2005
If you are really serious that the sacred Wrigley Field should not be changed or updated, then we should go back to the way it was when it was built. Get rid of the lights. Tear down the upper deck. Rip the Ivy off the walls. Take out the center field scoreboard. Take out the bleachers... ...and don't let the black folks in. Y'know, if you want it to be true to the era and all.
posted by chicobangs at 04:00 PM on December 13, 2005
Remember? Remember when daddy threw that whiskey bottle at the referee? That is still one of my favourite Simpsons/sports moments. ...and don't let the black folks in. Y'know, if you want it to be true to the era and all. In the stands or on the field, if we are being absolutely historical. If I was a Wrigley fan, I'd be more upset if they changed the name of the field than if they changed the look of the field. As long as it remains "Wrigley" and not "Google Park" or "Haliburton Field", it's still a good thing. I'm a Toronto-area resident, and I still catch myself calling it "SkyDome" instead of "Rogers Centre".
posted by grum@work at 04:42 PM on December 13, 2005
While they are at it lets not play baseball there but have poetry readings Hey, don't drag poetry into it ;-)! You obviously haven't been to the same poetry readings as I have. Those beatnik dives would make Wrigley Field look like something in Dubai. It's pretty clear that the people who change sports stadium names into company advertising 'brands' are not fans of the written and spoken word.
posted by owlhouse at 04:55 PM on December 13, 2005
Actually, I agree, poetry is most likely more exciting. And did their flocking to Atlanta really help? I tell you it's trophy envy!
posted by volfire at 06:35 PM on December 13, 2005
that kind of swear word in every sentence post is just a waste of letters. In his defense, it's a direct quote from a former Cubs manager. See the sound file linked above for more . . . context.
posted by yerfatma at 06:42 PM on December 13, 2005
I didn't know that. I stand corrected. Thank you.
posted by squealy at 06:53 PM on December 13, 2005
ive never been to wrigley field, but im having similar feelings about yankee stadium, and i guess shea too. ive been to both of those ones. you cant get rid of a landmark, wrigley field is a chicago icon, and all these things like being old and never changing a name are what makes it so great. the lights are just a sign of the times, but the bleachers and the ivy and people on the street catching homers and the bars and the neighborhood setting (no parking) is nice because they dont build stadiums like that anymore. i will be heartbroken in 2009 when the new Yankee Stadium opens, and it will probably be really nice and all that, but i will miss sitting with the working class people in the upper deck, and it wont have the same little things that this one does, like tons and tons of history, and a courthouse in right field, or the sound of subways rumbling by every few minutes, or bob sheppard. it wont be the same stadium. if i was a cubs fan, i would feel the same way about wrigley field. i would rather have them make little changes to the existing stadium and keep that then build a new one, because regardless of what the execs say, it will not be the same.
posted by nyfan at 10:52 PM on December 13, 2005
That fuckin' Lee Elia has a fuckin' mouth on him.
posted by Desert Dog at 07:55 PM on December 14, 2005
As a lifetime White Sox fan, my hatred of Wrigley Field and of anything Cub runs deep. I have been to 2 games there in my life and the Cubs lost 'em both. Maybe I should go more often, huh? For the record, I agree totally with Lee Elia.
posted by wdminott at 10:04 PM on December 14, 2005
Congrats to Kenny Williams for acquiring Javier Vasquez from Arizona. Now let's go get Miguel Tejada from Baltimore for Garland and Uribe. Go White Sox !!
posted by wdminott at 10:06 PM on December 14, 2005
OK Bill, I can kind of see your point. Hey Leonardo, we're going to redo the paintings on the Sistine Chapel. Your stuff is out of style, we want something more modern. I think the loss of some landmarks are beyond the "change is going to happen so accept it as inevitable" charade. I lived in the neighborhood when the lights we're installed, it was supposedly going to help the Cubs become a winning team. Well, we see how well that worked out some 20 years later. I won't even get into how disruptive that became to the neighborhood. Chicago has a long history of making something beautiful, ugly. Just drive by the "New Soldier Field" to see what I mean. No Bill, this isn't about me, it's much more important than that!