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#142 ·
Soccer at Wrigley

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/05/17/wrigley.field.friendly.ap/index.html

AS Roma, Zaglebie Lubin to play at Wrigley Field

CHICAGO (AP) -- Italy's AS Roma and Poland's Zaglebie Lubin will play a friendly in July at Wrigley Field in the baseball park's first football match since 1984.

The July 22 game will serve as the opening match of AS Roma's United States Tour, with additional stops scheduled for Boston and New York.

Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs' home ballpark, last hosted a football match when the then Chicago Sting played the Vancouver Whitecaps.

AS Roma has won three Serie A titles, nine Coppa Italia titles and two Supercoppa Italiana titles.

Zaglebie Lubin competes in Poland's top division, the Ekstraklasa.
 
#143 ·
Politics and Sport

This may be inappropriate to post here but with the Ricketts patriarch's involvement in a anti-Obama Super PAC, is it wise of him to ask for any public assistance in any Wrigley renovation, especially since the mayor is Obama's former chief-of-staff. Questionable timing for sure.
 
#149 ·
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...gers-wrigley-field--20120715,0,2933983.column

Willing to work with state, city and club to generate All-Star income that could make it work

Phil Rogers

On Baseball

7:31 p.m. CDT, July 14, 2012

While the stadium issues in Oakland and Tampa Bay are viewed as the most critical in baseball, Commissioner Bud Selig quietly is trying to help the Cubs secure funding for a public-private partnership that would allow Wrigley Field to be updated along the lines of Boston's Fenway Park.

The State of Illinois rebuffed the Cubs two years ago, and talks with the City of Chicago have appeared stalled, in part because of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's displeasure at Joe Ricketts' opposition to President Barack Obama's re-election. But Selig is dangling a carrot he hopes can bring the parties closer to a solution...........

The round figure being thrown around for Wrigley updating is $500 million, with $300 million going to the ballpark itself and $200 million going to the long-proposed "triangle building'' adjacent to the park. It has been reported that the team will construct the building itself but would like about $150 million in public funding to help pay for the ballpark improvements.

You can argue about economic-impact studies all day long and not find a method acceptable to all. But MLB has found that the bigger the market, the bigger the impact.........
..
 
#157 ·
Wrigley Field is a great place to catch a game.

The neighborhood is quite vibrant and going to Wrigley is like stepping back in time. That has both positive and negative aspects: no jumbo-tron, no electronic plate music, obstructed sightlines, etc.

As much as I liked Wrigly I prefer some of the more modern ballparks such as Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles).
 
#164 ·
mrakbaseball said:
This is bad. This is really bad. This is happening too often in our country. How did this become acceptable and commonplace?
I always laugh when people act shocked that soccer has become popular in this country after parents have been letting their children play the game for the past few decades. It was bound to happen sooner or later.
 
#166 ·
Maybe mrakbaesball's concern isn't so much regarding that, but the fact that they are using baseball stadiums when there are equally capable rectangular stadiums of doing the same job. Chicago has its very own SSS that would have been far more suited to this game for Roma to play some unheard of Polish team. A bigger match up? Soldier Field. But Wrigley Field? Jesus.

Yes money talks, but it seems crazy to use baseball stadiums. Also with Fenway the link with Liverpool/Roma exists, so I understand that, but the point remains. Baseball stadiums are horrible for soccer, and for anything else that isnt baseball. Its such an unnatural looking structure and field.

Also seroiusly, who the f*** are that Polish team? I've never heard of them before. Wouldnt even be in the top 10 most popular Polish teams.
 
#167 ·
I thought the ivy looked pretty cool behind the goal. I'm not a diehard cubs/wrigley fan, so I can't say it would hurt my feelings that there was a soccer game at a baseball field. I thought it looked great. Maybe not the best views from some of the seats, but, that's because it was built for a different game.
 
#168 ·
Guys, they're using baseball stadiums because of the novelty factor. I think the organizers are well aware of the poor sightlines and other limitations the venues bring.

Having a game at Wrigley or Fenway is cool as a one off event.

It's ok. The games don't matter. Take a breath.
 
#170 ·
Agree. As long as the it doesn't make a mockery of the game that is having the one off event or the baseball diamond/grass for the next time the Cubs use it then it is perfectley fine to have Wrigley be put to other uses.
 
#172 ·
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-hotel-near-wrigley-20130117,0,4608342.story

Wrigley Field: Hotel planned near Cubs' ball park
Development hinges on deal to renovate ballpark


By Ameet Sachdev

Tribune reporter

12:24 p.m. CST, January 17, 2013

The owners of the Chicago Cubs said Thursday that they plan to develop a hotel on property they own across the street from Wrigley Field that they acquired from McDonald's Corp. more than a year ago.

But the development will be contingent on striking a deal with local governments to renovate Wrigley Field.

"Once we know how we can save Wrigley Field, the Ricketts Family is looking forward to the opportunity to build a hotel across the street. It could complement the neighborhood and its establishments while also serving fans and tourists," said family spokesman Dennis Culloton.

The family said it has an agreement with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide to develop a boutique hotel........

The Ricketts family also owns a triangle parcel next to Wrigley Field but said the development of that property also hinges on a proposal to renovate Wrigley Field.

The family has been seeking state and local taxpayer incentives to help finance more than $200 million in renovations to Wrigley Field, which will be 100 years old in 2014.

Their original plan, which included the use of amusement taxes paid on Cubs tickets, received little political support. But the family continues to have conversations about public financing with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and members of the General Assembly........
 
#175 ·
More renders.......


new Cubs clubhouse


ideas for the batting tunnels


ideas for new club seats and concessions


scoreboard and center field seating


Shown here is the left field deck


ideas for the new center field


ideas for the Marquee Restaurant and Suite/Club seating entrance


ideas for the home plate club


ideas for the new Cubs locker room


ideas for the entry and ticketing/marquee restaurant/marquee bar


ideas for the upper level seating and concessions area


http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-wrigley-20130120,0,1111924.story

Selling of Wrigley Field renovation plan begins

By Paul Sullivan, Tribune reporter

6:02 p.m. CST, January 20, 2013

The Cubs put on a full-court press Saturday, revealing their renovation plans at the team’s convention with a slideshow and presentations from representatives of the marketing, baseball and business departments.

Now the ball is in Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s court. The Cubs have spoken to Emanuel’s representatives, and business President Crane Kenney said he believes he’ll be amenable to the new proposal.

“The mayor has been terrific in our conversations about understanding what’s at stake here,” Kenney said. “He appreciates as much as anyone, given we were in his (congressional) district, how important Wrigley Field is. He wants to protect the taxpayers. We understand that.”

Here’s a rundown of some renovation-related issues:

Cubs clubhouse: Kenney said the home clubhouse would be the top priority in the first season of the rebuild. General manager Jed Hoyer compared it to a Double-A clubhouse the first time he visited. “It was eye-opening, to say the least,” he said. Why do the Cubs players need a cushier clubhouse? “We’re paying them a lot of money to preserve their bodies,” Hoyer said. “We’re expecting them to go out and entertain us every single night over the course of the summer. This is the way we should treat them — as first-class athletes.”

Batting tunnels: The Cubs will have batting cages underneath the park for the first time. Unfortunately for the Cubs, an artist’s rendering of the cages had home plate facing the wrong way.

Signage: The Cubs did not say where they would like to place signs, but the outfield is the most lucrative spot in terms of revenue. Purists might complain that more ad signage mars the vista, though the real complaints could come from rooftop owners whose views might be blocked by a large sign, like the Toyota sign in left field.

Patio areas: After creating a premium-priced patio section in the right-field bleachers last year, the Cubs plan to create a similar patio in left field, left of the foul pole.

Triangle area: The plans for a so-called “Triangle building” on the parking lot west of the ballpark was scrapped for an open-air area that can be used for a farmer’s market, ice rink, movie-watching and other activities. Mike Lufrano, executive vice president/community affairs, said “on game days, fans like me with small children, wanted more interactive spaces.” The previous option, which included parking there for 400 vehicles, also was scrubbed.

LED boards: The Cubs will remove the LED board that has been under the center-field scoreboard since 1983. They hope to add one above the wall in left field. Alex Sugarman, vice president of strategy and development, said surveys of season tickets holders showed 80 percent of fans liked the LED board installed last year in right field because of the game-day information and stats.

Jumbotron: The Cubs are considering a mini-Jumbotron. “We found 60 percent would actually be in favor of a video board as long as it didn’t interfere with the historic scoreboard,” Sugarman said. The location would be important, since it probably would block the view of one of the rooftops, unless the Cubs can get an agreement to put one on a rooftop.

Seats: With 50 million pounds of concrete and steel removed and replaced, and new seats installed, will they be properly angled down the lines to watch the game without craning one’s neck? Kenney said the re-pouring of concrete will give them an opportunity to “adjust some of the seat levels and angles toward the field.” The Cubs also will install new handrails.

Posts: One thing that won’t change is the posts that obstruct some fans’ views in the grandstand. Vice president of ballpark operations Carl Rice said “to keep the historic charm and the overhang of the upper deck being so close to the lower deck, we really need to keep all of those columns in place.”

Visitors clubhouse: The visitors clubhouse at Wrigley is the smallest in baseball and regarded by players as the worst. Some feel that’s a competitive advantage for the Cubs. Will the renovations change anything? Kenney said visitors will get new batting tunnels, but “they won’t get the other things.”

Exits: Congestion caused by the lack of entrances/exits should be relieved with a new gate on the west side of Wrigley Field. Currently the only entrance points are in the left- and right-field corners and at the corner of Clark Street and Addison Street.

Restaurants: Vice president of ticket sales Colin Faulkner said the team will introduce a club-level lounge under the press box, where the current patio overlooking Clark and Addison exists. They also plan to open a restaurant in the old administrative offices behind home plate, an area that has been empty for a year, and another behind first base.

Hotel: The hotel planned on the property housing a McDonald’s on Clark Street will be about 175 rooms, Tom Ricketts said. “Nothing overwhelming,” he said. Obviously it’ll be an in-season destination for tourists, but the Cubs also believe it will be good for the neighborhood in the offseason.

Special events: Lufrano said the neighbors “overwhelmingly” want more special events, like the concerts, the Northwestern-Illinois football game and the Winter Classic hockey game. “We want to continue to bring world-class entertainment events to Lakeview, and want to do it in a way that’s sensitive to our community,” Lufrano said.

Elevators: Rice said the Cubs will add six new elevators, in left and right field and behind home plate “to allow fans to be able to move up and down to the upper deck with ease.” Currently there is only one little-used elevator, in left field.

Bathrooms: The Cubs will increase bathroom capacity by 42 percent, they said, including more in the upper deck. “I never thought we’d have focus groups about troughs in the men’s restrooms,” Kenney cracked. He did not say whether the troughs would be replaced, saying fans were “evenly divided” on the issue.
 
#178 · (Edited)
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http://www.chicagobusiness.com/arti...9953/ald-tunney-rips-new-wrigley-rebuild-plan
Ald. Tunney rips new Wrigley rebuild plan
January 22, 2013

.........But Mr. Tunney made it clear he is against key elements of the new plan.


“I would oppose any of those signs that block views,” Mr. Tunney said, adding a moment later, “Signs that block rooftop views — you know I have opposed that.”..........But it's far from certain that would reap anywhere near the $10 million to $20 million a year that team sources say the Cubs could get from their own signage.........

The alderman was even more dismissive of closing off Sheffield Avenue and perhaps other streets on weekends for a game-related market and gathering area, somewhat like one adjacent to Fenway Park in Boston.........
 
#179 ·
More in story link....

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-wrigley-field-rehab-0125-20130125,0,2032646.story

Can Wrigley deal get done?

The latest plan to spend $300 million repairing the historic ballpark emerged this week, creating a sense of momentum even as competing interests continue to try to wring out the best deal

By Ameet Sachdev, Hal Dardick and John Byrne, Chicago Tribune reporters
10:25 p.m. CST, January 24, 2013

........University of Chicago economist Allen Sanderson, who does not support taxpayer subsidies to build sports stadiums, said the Cubs owners have a compelling argument. The city and the Wrigleyville neighborhood owe something to the Cubs because the team has a greater economic impact on the city than Chicago's other professional sports teams, he said.

"Whereas the other teams are largely recycling money in the area, with the Cubs there is a net benefit" because teams brings in legions of tourists every season, Sanderson said. According to Cubs research, nearly 40 percent of the people who attend games come from out of state.........

The law also protects "the generally uninterrupted 'sweep' and contour of the grandstand and bleachers," a provision that rooftop owners believe will preserve their bird's-eye view of the field......

Sources close to the Ricketts family say more signs could generate an additional $10 million to $20 million a year in revenue.

The rooftop owners have their own ideas about signs and plan to hold a news conference Friday to introduce a plan for the team to place signs on the buildings that house the rooftop businesses.

But Cubs spokesman Julian Green said, "We believe there is a significant reduction in value with signs being placed on rooftops, given the limited television exposure those signs would bring."

During the debate over the Toyota sign, Tunney and others suggested that the Ricketts family develop a comprehensive plan to address signs at Wrigley. The city suggested the Cubs come up with a "master sign program" in 2004 but the previous owners never did.........

While shelving the "Triangle" building, the family has offered to build a hotel on property it owns where a McDonald's now stands.

Many residents support the construction of a hotel, and the prospect of more night games and concerts, said Will DeMille, president of the Lake View Citizens' Council. But they don't trust the team and the city to cope with the issues that come with them, he added.......

DeMille acknowledged residents of Wrigleyville moved into the area knowing the ballpark was there, but said the Ricketts family likewise understood the situation when they purchased the team.

"The ordinances governing night games and other things were in place when they bought the Cubs, so they knew what they were getting," he said.
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