Cubs announce Wrigley Field restoration, expansion
By Matt Fisher
The oldest National League ballpark in baseball is going to be undergoing a facelift.
Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts released a video on MLB.com, explaining the reasoning and purpose of the intended renovation. Wrigley Field, built in 1914, has been notorious among all clubs for its out of date facilities and poor player accommodations.
That’s not to take away from its mystique and historical significance, however. As Ricketts says in the video, Wrigley is a huge driving force in the economy of the state of Illinois, and its tourism value alone drives millions of dollars. The team, however, is in deplorable states. Ricketts doesn’t blame the state of Wrigley Field as the sole reason for the Cubs’ worse-than-pitiful seasons of late, but he acknowledges that their Spring Training facility in Arizona and their Dominican Republic training facilities are in far superior conditions.
Ricketts also mentions the ongoing litigation that has been going on between the club and the rooftop business owners that have been in place behind the stadium for years. Those businesses are against the expansion and renovation plans for Wrigley, as they include plans for signage and video boards that would block the view of those patrons that enjoy Cubs games from those rooftop seats. Ricketts says, though, that the time is now to put the team and fans first and they will fight the lawsuits being filed against them by the rooftop businesses.
The proposed renovation would include an expanded dugout, complete with an actual pitching and hitting tunnel; currently, Cubs hitters who have to warm-up for pinch-hit appearances have to lower a net in the clubhouse and hit off of a tee. A video board is being planned for left field as well as a “Wrigley Field” sign in right.
The intent is not to replace Wrigley, but to expand and renovate its facilities, not just to provide a better ballpark experience and improve player conditions, but also to increase team revenue. Ricketts says that the Cubs are constantly millions of dollars behind the other teams in the Naitonal League Central Division, and this expansion and the continued development of Wrigleyville will provide Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer additional revenue to build a championship caliber team.