Posted by Harlin S. Neal There's a big rift here in Chicago between the Cubs and the people who live in the neighborhood which surrounds the park; mainly the owners of the rooftops across the street. The Cubs want to expand the ballpark by putting about 2,000 more bleacher seats in the outfield, and putting special seating behind home plate. Many of the neighborhood residents don't want the expansion because they're afraid of the more raucous crowds that will come to the park. Along with more seats, the Cubs want to play more night games...they currently play 18 night games per season. As of now, any negotiations between the Cubs and neighborhood representatives is at a stalemate. Even Chicago Mayor Richard Daley is in on the act...as he is facing making Wrigley a "landmark" in the city. "Landmark" designation in Chicago means anyone who wants to renovate such a place has to get permission from the city government. I have a question about Fenway Park...will there be a new stadium built for the Red Sex or not? The last thing I learned was that there would be 3 rows of seats put behind the Green Monster. I'm not against that, but I'm curious as to whether there will be a new stadium built at all, or are all the talks about the place at a standstill? Thanks.
on 2/9/2003, 3:48 pm, in reply to "Re: Wrigley-Fenway"
66.185.249.192
I've been to Wrigley Field many times as a reporter, and I can tell you that in spite of the history of that ballpark, that place either needs some major renovations, or get dumped. That's "fighting words" to Cub fans here in Chicago, but they know that if it weren't for Wrigley Field, the Cubs wouldn't get half the money they get from all the attendance they pick up. Wrigley is nice on a sunny day when you can sit and see the apartment buildings across the street and all the other ambience, but the concourses are narrow, crowded, and dark. Also, there are many obstructed views of the field there; especially behind poles, under the upper deck, and under the row of skyboxes hanging under the U.D. The smell of the ballpark is another rough note to consider...there's nothing like the scent of stale beer and urine after a Cubs game, huh? The fan base at Wrigley isn't too cool. While there are namy people who genuinely want to go to the park to see the Cubs play, a lot of the people who attendard either out-of-towners wanting to see the place (Wrigley is marketed well as a popular tourist attraction), or folks who want to drunk out of their minds, sing the 7th inning stretch with a celebrity who can't sing, and then go to a bar across the street to get even more drunk.
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