Wrigley Renovation Thread

[jersey cubs fan]

I want to throw Beth Murphy off a rooftop

 

I didn't even know who she was prior to a couple of months ago but I agree.

 

Bar owners and landlords should not be known. Once they are, it's only for their horribleness.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

The day after threatening to move, all of a sudden she wants to play nice. Coincidence?

 

Yes.

[RynoRules]

The day after threatening to move, all of a sudden she wants to play nice. Coincidence?

 

That's why I have been arguing it is viable, if not likely. It is certainly plausible enough that it worried the idiot owners of rooftops who think they are going to intimidate Ricketts by threatening a breach of contract lawsuit. In reality, these guys have almost no leverage. Even if they won a lawsuit they'd spend millions to get there, and by then Ricketts will have banked millions more via a sweetheart deal with Rosemont.

 

I am very happy that the Cubs will stay in Wrigleyville. I love it there and have dozens of happy memories that run back to when I was 4 and saw Cliff Johnson homer to beat the Dodgers. That said, I don't balme Ricketts one iota for getting pissed enough to make the threats he did yesterday. These rooftop people should offer to felate him for all the money they derive from the product he produces.

[Banedon]

The day after threatening to move, all of a sudden she wants to play nice. Coincidence?

 

Yes.

 

http://thebabarazzi.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/239473_o.gif?w=710

[GammonsPocketTweets]

I want to throw Beth Murphy off a rooftop

 

I want to throw her off something higher.

[Andy]

I want to throw Beth Murphy off a rooftop

 

I want to throw her off something higher.

To be fair, SSR didn't specify that the rooftop had to be in Wrigleyville.

[BeerHere]

It seems like Tunney has been cut out of the entire process now. I love it.

[GammonsPocketTweets]

It seems like Tunney has been cut out of the entire process now. I love it.

 

He's moved on to other duties

[bigkid66]

 

The normal places? I don't know if it's been disclosed how Ricketts plans to raise the current $500M but I'm sure it's not coming out his bank account. If they can raise $500M to renovate Wrigley (with hotel) why couldn't they raise $500M to build a new ballpark, which may allow them even more flexibility in revenue streams?

 

The current money is coming from the jumbotron, increased signage, concerts and more night games. That's the *entire point* of all these negotiations. The Cubs don't have the cash to just do the renovations. They need to pay for it along the way with new revenue streams, which wouldn't exist if they were building a new stadium.

 

 

This is a moot point (no way they move) and I don't know why I'm bothering but...

 

You do realize a new stadium would have all those things also??? Hell, it could have a 12,000 sq ft Jumbotron, even more signage and a lot more night games and concerts. Maybe even receipts from parking that they don't get now. Probably a bigger hotel too and nicer restaurants (I love Wrigley but the food is crap). Heck, sell the naming rights (Boeing Ballpark?). To question how they could raise money for a new ballpark is nonsensical.

 

Also, you cut out the part where I said they could possibly get some public financing but Rosemont has since said they'd be open to just that.

[bigkid66]

On the other hand, Ricketts has already missed his self imposed deadline to have things finalized so baseball ops could have their new clubhouse, batting cages, weight room, etc. Watching Ricketts handle this is just a comedy of errors.

 

Have a lot of experience negotiating hundred million dollar deals that include the City of Chicago, do you? I assume he doesn't want to start piecemeal improvements until he has the whole plan approved, which makes perfect sense. Extreme patience is required.

No, I don't have experience in this. Neither does Ricketts. And its showed. I can be as patient as anyone. I'm worried that at least potentially, Theo won't be.

 

I guess we'll just agree to disagree then. I think he's done a respectable job with it. It's not like negotiating to buy a car where you can threaten to go to a different dealer down the street.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

You do realize a new stadium would have all those things also??? Hell, it could have a 12,000 sq ft Jumbotron, even more signage and a lot more night games and concerts. Maybe even receipts from parking that they don't get now. Probably a bigger hotel too and nicer restaurants (I love Wrigley but the food is crap). Heck, sell the naming rights (Boeing Ballpark?). To question how they could raise money for a new ballpark is nonsensical.

 

The new stadium would not have those things as construction was ongoing like Wrigley would.

 

The *entire* reason we are having to negotiate with the city is because we either cannot or are unwilling to pay for this out of pocket. If the Cubs just wanted to refurbish the clubhouse and do all that stuff, no one would stop them.

[SouthSideRyan]

It seems like Tunney has been cut out of the entire process now. I love it.

 

I'd like his nervous system process cut out.

[neely crenshaw]

Wait, I thought this was a done deal....

 

It's cold and rainy, and day baseball looks like it might be canceled today so..

2 questions:

If they did move

1. Would "losing" Wrigley field keep you from going to games?

2. Would you rather have them construct a brand new modern park, or rebuild "wrigley" with all the modern bells and whistles?

[Old Style]

Wait, I thought this was a done deal....

 

It's cold and rainy, and day baseball looks like it might be canceled today so..

2 questions:

If they did move

1. Would "losing" Wrigley field keep you from going to games?

2. Would you rather have them construct a brand new modern park, or rebuild "wrigley" with all the modern bells and whistles?

Well since I live out of town right now my attendance probably wouldn't go down much but I'm not sure I'd want to go to a home Cubs game not at Wrigley. I'm sure that's a meatball thing to say, but it's the truth. If they did build a brand new park I would prefer an updated Wrigley replica.

[Cubswin11]

Wait, I thought this was a done deal....

 

It's cold and rainy, and day baseball looks like it might be canceled today so..

2 questions:

If they did move

1. Would "losing" Wrigley field keep you from going to games?

2. Would you rather have them construct a brand new modern park, or rebuild "wrigley" with all the modern bells and whistles?

1. No

2. I don't care, just get something done and pick the route that maximizes future revenue

[Guest]

Wait, I thought this was a done deal....

 

It's cold and rainy, and day baseball looks like it might be canceled today so..

2 questions:

If they did move

1. Would "losing" Wrigley field keep you from going to games?

2. Would you rather have them construct a brand new modern park, or rebuild "wrigley" with all the modern bells and whistles?

 

It's pretty much a done deal.

 

It has to go through the processes but the major points have been agreed to with the mayor's office, and the rooftop concerns, however important or unimportant you might deem them to be, seem to be quelled and heading in a positive direction.

 

That's not to say it isn't possible that things will slow down as it goes through the official approval processes, but I'd say i'm 99% sure an agreement gets reached. What I'm not as sure about is whether it will be done in time to break ground in the fall, but it seems a strong possibility, if not likely, still.

 

To answer those questions:

 

1. I'm not sure. It would depend entirely on where it would be and what it ends up being like. I'd still absolutely go to games but it certainly may impact how many I go to (positively or negatively) or whether I keep my season tickets.

 

2. Rebuild Wrigley. Ideally, I would've literally wanted them to tear it down and rebuild the same park in its place except to as modern of standards as possible, but they want to play there while they do it, so that's obviously not possible.

Edited May 3, 2013 by David

[Guest]

http://chicagoist.com/2013/05/02/how_would_wrigley_fields_proposed_s.php

 

http://chicagoist.com/attachments/chicagoist_chuck/2013_wrigley_signage_reality.jpg

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'm going to weigh in on the possible relocation as an out of town fan.

 

And first, let me begin by agreeing that the best possible option is for the Cubs to stay in a refurbished Wrigley that lets them run the team as they see fit.

 

But if that doesn't happen, certainly they should explore other options. And if they think that in the long run they would generate more revenue from a relocated stadium, then they should do it.

 

It has been two summers since I've made the trip to Wrigley, so I doubt my preferences matter much to them, but prior to that I had gone every year since 2003. The lackluster team combined with being busier with family and other things including working on a masters degree has been the main reasons I haven't made the trip.

 

If the Cubs moved out of Wrigley, I'd still want to take trips to see the Cubs, especially if they were competitive. But I may not always take those trips to Chicago. I may use it as an opportunity to see other parks while the Cubs play there.

On the other hand, if a new park was easier to take the family (my trips have occasionally included the wife, but not children and mostly was flying solo), I may come more often. Right now, I know my children wouldn't want to sit still for a 9 inning game and Wrigley lacks the kid-friendly distractions of other ballparks I've taken them as in Atlanta and Texas.

 

So, while the preferred option is a refurbished Wrigley. I'm not so certain a move would be the worst thing for the Cubs and it is definitely a threat. Would I go more or less would likely depend on how well they built the new ballpark and what the experience would be like for my family and I to go when making that trip. Right now, a lot of that is unknown.

[Exile on Waveland]

If the Cubs moved out of Wrigley, I'd still want to take trips to see the Cubs, especially if they were competitive. But I may not always take those trips to Chicago.

 

I think a lot of out-of-towners would likely agree with this sentiment, as I do (noting that out-of-towners are less important to this discussion). It's far easier for me to go see the Cubs in Cincinnati (yes, they play far less games there, but I can go there on a weeknight and come back, it's cheaper, tickets are less scarce, etc.). While obviously Chicago is way better than Cincinnati, I'm in Chicago relatively often regardless. The big draw, baseball-wise, is Wrigley. If the Cubs played in the suburbs, I might very well resign myself to seeing the games in Cincinnati instead.

[KingCubsFan]

http://chicagoist.com/2013/05/02/how_would_wrigley_fields_proposed_s.php

That looks incredibly reasonable. Makes it even more ridiculous that so many groups are complaining. It's going to be awesome when Ricketts buys all the rooftops after 2023.

[Guest]

I'm surprised we haven't heard from the Budweiser building guy. He's the one who is really screwed.

 

I remember him being sort of crazy, too. Can't remember exactly what went on when he bought the building and got into it with Budweiser in 08 or so.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm surprised we haven't heard from the Budweiser building guy. He's the one who is really screwed.

 

I remember him being sort of crazy, too. Can't remember exactly what went on when he bought the building and got into it with Budweiser in 08 or so.

 

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/Wrigley-Rooftop-to-Advertise-United-Airlines-118849114.html

 

This indicates there was some sort of agreement between that owner and the Cubs. They had the Budweiser flap and then Horseshoe Casino, which was blocked by the Cubs. But that states the Cubs announced United was the new advertiser in 2011 as part of a larger Cubs/United partnership.

[treebird]

http://chicagoist.com/2013/05/02/how_would_wrigley_fields_proposed_s.php

That looks incredibly reasonable. Makes it even more ridiculous that so many groups are complaining. It's going to be awesome when Ricketts buys all the rooftops after 2023.

 

less so when we have to lower the budget by 30 million every year thereafter in order to pay for them.

[Guest]

I'm surprised we haven't heard from the Budweiser building guy. He's the one who is really screwed.

 

I remember him being sort of crazy, too. Can't remember exactly what went on when he bought the building and got into it with Budweiser in 08 or so.

 

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/Wrigley-Rooftop-to-Advertise-United-Airlines-118849114.html

 

This indicates there was some sort of agreement between that owner and the Cubs. They had the Budweiser flap and then Horseshoe Casino, which was blocked by the Cubs. But that states the Cubs announced United was the new advertiser in 2011 as part of a larger Cubs/United partnership.

 

Interesting. Given the fact that they had some sort of partnership, I wonder if they are compensating the building owner in some way for rendering advertising on that roof useless.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm surprised we haven't heard from the Budweiser building guy. He's the one who is really screwed.

 

I remember him being sort of crazy, too. Can't remember exactly what went on when he bought the building and got into it with Budweiser in 08 or so.

 

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/Wrigley-Rooftop-to-Advertise-United-Airlines-118849114.html

 

This indicates there was some sort of agreement between that owner and the Cubs. They had the Budweiser flap and then Horseshoe Casino, which was blocked by the Cubs. But that states the Cubs announced United was the new advertiser in 2011 as part of a larger Cubs/United partnership.

 

Interesting. Given the fact that they had some sort of partnership, I wonder if they are compensating the building owner in some way for rendering advertising on that roof useless.

 

Didn't it say 3-year agreement? That should be up after this season and before a jumbotron goes up.