New stadium or stay at Wrigley?

[David]

Renovated Wrigley (leave the bleachers, scoreboard, marquee, light stantions, and newly redone playing surface), 26 years old.

 

I think they should just tear down the entire grandstand (everything except the Bleachers), rebuild the stadium pretty much exactly the same without the stupid poles in everyones way and just add luxury boxes and make the upper deck a bit higher with a few extra rows to compensate for the crappy terrace reserved seats that you will lose with the addition/expansion of the luxury boxes. I'm not an architect, but if they could create an open concourse that you can see the field from (ala the newer stadiums), I'm all for it.

 

They could then redo the outside of the stadium in the same style of brick & green fencing that they used in the bleacher expansion. Then put the same marquee back where it is now.

 

Build some state of the art underground clubhouses/batting cages/weight rooms under where the players currently park. The visitors may have a longer walk to their clubhouse, but that's still better than that POS they have now.

 

On top of that, go ahead with the proposed "triangle" building with an official Cubs gift shop, hall of fame/museum (where the 2008 WS Championship trophy will go), and a few levels of premium parking above. Make this building look exactly like the stadium with the brick/green fencing look.

 

Add the proposed walkway from the premium parking to inside the stadium so all of the season ticket holders/luxury box people can just walk from their cars to their seats (because, lets be honest, most of them aren't going to Murphy's for an Old Style anyways).

 

This is basically what I hope winds up being done. Basically a new Wrigley with a few notable aspects conserved.

[Sammy Sofa]

Even with renovations, however, I demand the troughs remain. Just more bathrooms with longer troughs. It gets me back to my seat much quicker than urinals or stalls.

[SouthSideRyan]

So you'd be all for it if it meant making the area completely sterile and free of anything not related to the Cubs game going on that day.

 

I'd be all for anything that meant the Cubs wouldn't be beholden to crappy local politics.

 

In short, I'm all for something that'll never happen. And no, I wouldn't miss the awful bars and shops at all.

 

I'm not exactly a Wrigley bar person, I'll go have a drink or 2 before a game if I have time, and then move somewhere less crowded afterwards, but you can't deny that the surrounding area is part of the appeal of Wrigley Field to people. Wrigley is unique because of its location and surrounding area. You want it to be a cookie cutter Miller Park clone.

[Sammy Sofa]

You want it to be a cookie cutter Miller Park clone.

 

Not at all. I go to parks like PNC and Camden and think, "man, outside of the ishtty baseball, this is livin'."

 

I also don't place stock in what's around Wrigley when it comes to me actually liking Wrigley Field. I like the stadium...I don't give a crap about the bars and stores around it.

[SouthSideRyan]

But you clearly do care about the area around the park. You want a parking lot instead of a neighborhood.

[CarolinaCubFan]

You want it to be a cookie cutter Miller Park clone.

 

Not at all. I go to parks like PNC and Camden and think, "man, outside of the ishtty baseball, this is livin'."

 

I also don't place stock in what's around Wrigley when it comes to me actually liking Wrigley Field. I like the stadium...I don't give a crap about the bars and stores around it.

 

 

I agree. I'm a product of WGN and Harry. I have no ties to the city of Chicago, I love the Cubs and I love Wrigley Field. I'd like to see a newly renovated Wrigley Field, more out of town Cub Fan friendly.

 

Has their been any talk of what the TV situation will be after the sale? The Cubs will loose a lot of fans if they aren't broadcasting nation wide. The complaining from the Brew Crew made me laugh. Granted, it wasn't a home game for them at Wrigley North, but tell me where outside of the state of Texas? Cub fans are in every market.

[Banedon]

I'm guessing that this thread is borne of my comments in another thread a couple days ago...heh...so I should probably post.

 

New Stadium/Rebuilt Wrigley - 31

[Sammy Sofa]

But you clearly do care about the area around the park. You want a parking lot instead of a neighborhood.

 

No, I wouldn't MIND a parking lot instead of a neighborhood. I don't actively WANT one, mainly because I live downtown and don't have a car. I just wouldn't care if they flattened much of the surrounding Wrigleyville for parking.

[David]

I'm guessing that this thread is borne of my comments in another thread a couple days ago...heh...so I should probably post.

 

New Stadium/Rebuilt Wrigley - 31

 

 

I think it actually stemmed from Z's comments about Wrigley and the ensuing debate Old Style and I had in the no-no thread.

[rynefan]

Maybe I should reconsider for selfish reasons. Let's build it in the suburbs, Joliet area. There's some great open land they just cleared, right down the road from a casino, minutes from I-80 and I-55. Just happens to be basically in my back yard, how sweet.

[SouthSideRyan]

Maybe I should reconsider for selfish reasons. Let's build it in the suburbs, Joliet area. There's some great open land they just cleared, right down the road from a casino, minutes from I-80 and I-55. Just happens to be basically in my back yard, how sweet.

 

It'll be a raucous 20,000 out there every night.

[chuckywang]

New stadium, perhaps closer to downtown?

 

25

[David]

I always say this when the subject comes up, but a lakefront stadium would be absolutely amazing, maybe like on Northerly Island.

 

It would never happen, though, and it would be miserable in April.

 

So, outside of that, Wrigley re-build, plz.

[Sammy Sofa]

I always say this when the subject comes up, but a lakefront stadium would be absolutely amazing, maybe like on Northerly Island.

 

It would never happen, though, and it would be miserable in April.

 

Not if they did the smart thing and built it with a retractable roof.

[mjohnson71]

New stadium on current location. - 37

 

While I don't want some huge, ugly $1,000,000,000 ultra-luxurious oner-the-top mallaprk: I wouldn't mind a new Wrigley. There's just too many obstructed/poor view seats

[SouthSideRyan]

Wrigley has a tiny footprint. You cannot rebuild a stadium on the same grounds. You can't rebuild the grandstand in the same spot without poles. The poles make for great sightlines in the upper deck and keep the total area taken up by the stadium small.

 

You tear down Wrigley you either wind up with some nightmare like a stadium in Naperville or you spend a billion dollars building a stadium along with the cost of the property you have to buy in a high dollar area while buying out the current tenants.

[Fro]

Keep it (27), but slowly renovate it like they have been over the years.

 

It'd make the team a lot less special, and invariably the new design would be something stupid like the Solider Field wrecked spaceship.

 

There is nothing that a new ballpark like Great American in Cincy has that is glaringly missing at Wrigley.

[CubbieBum]

I really wonder about some of the Cubs fans here. I know they are Cubs fans but to me without Wrigley its not the same Cubs.

[MasterBlaster]

How much does your opinion change, no matter your stance, if the Cubs win the WS? To Me (33), that would completely change my position. If the Cubs finally win it at Wrigley, that completes everything and I don't care if they build a new park somewhere else. If the Cubs were to build anew before winning it all, that would be giving up to ghosts and curses IMO.

[CubbieBum]

How much does your opinion change, no matter your stance, if the Cubs win the WS? To Me (33), that would completely change my position. If the Cubs finally win it at Wrigley, that completes everything and I don't care if they build a new park somewhere else. If the Cubs were to build anew before winning it all, that would be giving up to ghosts and curses IMO.

 

doesn't change my opinion one bit ... Wrigley is home nothing else will do. Winning a world series = finally being okay with getting rid of a historic stadium? I will never understand that one. I know why people agree with it but I just will never be able to see it that one.

[SouthSideRyan]

I'll say losing Wrigley wouldn't affect my Cubs fandom at all. It's just a really unnecessary idea to replace it before it needs to be.

[Derwood]

I photoshopped this up last time the situation arose:

 

http://www.simleaguebaseball.com/derwood/wrigleycabrini.jpg

[David]

I really wonder about some of the Cubs fans here. I know they are Cubs fans but to me without Wrigley its not the same Cubs.

 

Yea, God forbid some of us are actually fans of the team, regardless of where they play.

[David]

I photoshopped this up last time the situation arose:

 

http://www.simleaguebaseball.com/derwood/wrigleycabrini.jpg

 

Are the Cubs moving to Gotham City?

[bukie]

Move the Cubs out of Chicago to Indy, build a new stadium similar to the one in Washington, and rename the team the Isotopes. - 30