BeerHere

Have you ever been to Arlington Park? It's located in Arlington Heights, IL, is close Metra, 90, route 14 and 53 and it has several large parking lots. I'm not sure how many people it holds but its a lot. I've been there when it was packed and had no trouble whatsoever getting to and from the park. Easily accessible for EVERYONE NOT JUST THOSE THAT LIVE IN THE CITY. I'll concede that it doesn't have the nightlife that Wrigleyville has, but not everyone goes to the park to get hammered and hit the bars after a game. And by the way, taking a young child to a ballgame to teach him/her the game is entirely different than going to watch a game.

Yeah I see your point, going to a ball park to watch a ball game does seem non-sensical. :roll:

Ugh, this thread has me irritated

And for those that don't live near an L stop? Screw them right, I mean they can't possibly be Cubs fans right? :roll: Where did I mention a prairie? Soldier Field is close to the L, close the two highways, close to a major road for buses and cabs (LakeShore Drive). Have you ever tried to drive to or from a Bears game? It's a nightmare. Also Soldier field is not close to any L stops. It's a hike from the nearest one. Yes and it's close to the Roosevelt stop on the redline. Take a cab or walk from there. I have driven to Bears games, as well as taken the L and buses. I'll admit, none are perfect but at least they are options. With Wrigley, the only viable options are taking the L or driving and parking at a remote lot (which are free and have a free shuttle by the way which is fantastic). They tried to build a remote lot closer to the park and the neighborhood said "No". Buses and cabs are horrible after games. Has anyone here been to a game at BankOne? Or Safeco? Or Turner? All have very good access to public transportation. Not to mention all of the fan/family friendly aspects that I mentioned about the Cell, shorter lines, better statistics, better food, better walkways, better sight lines.....

And for those that don't live near an L stop? Screw them right, I mean they can't possibly be Cubs fans right? :roll: Where did I mention a prairie? Soldier Field is close to the L, close the two highways, close to a major road for buses and cabs (LakeShore Drive).

Does anyone here actually consider Wrigley to be a "family friendly atmosphere"? Believe me, I'm no wsox fan, but the park has a lot of cool stuff for kids to do in addition to watching the game with their parents. Some of the best memories I have as a kid were going to Cubbie games with my Dad. My wife and I are expecting our first in September and there is no way I'm taking my son/daughter anywhere near Wrigley Field with the existing atmosphere. No way.

There is a train stop half a block from the stadium for the highest volume public train in Chicago. How could they possibly make it better? The train stop is the L that I mentioned. Have you ever tried to get on that train after a game? They could make it better by getting better access to bus routes (both Addison and Clarke have just two lanes going in each direction), better access to taxi/cab stands, better access to th Kennedy, Eisenhower etc. The Dan Ryan isn't the only highway around Chicago and the traffic there will get better when the construction is done, which I think is this time next year.

But it's not selfish of you to want to keep it in the city? Pot meet kettle They are the CHICAGO Cubs, not the Schaumburg Cubs, Evanston Cubs, etc. The stadium should be in the city. I know other towns do things different, but there's no need to move them out of the city. No need? How about the freedom to do with the ballpark what the owner sees fit to generate additional revenue? How about the need to be in a neighborhood that actually cares about the fans and people that spend their hard earned money in that neighborhood? How about parking? How about access to public transit other than the L? Should I continue? I'd be willing to bet that you live in Wrigleyville. Answer honestly... The bolded makes no sense. The current Wrigley neighborhood doesn't care about the Cubs? Absolutely not. Do you remember the trouble the Cubs had in getting the bleechers rebuilt? It took them over two years to get approval and it cost the Cubs additional money as they were forced to put into the Wrigleyville "improvement fund". How about the rooftop criminals that refused to pay a cent to the Cubs and forced the Tribune to build "wind screens" to make them realize that they were stealing their product?

But it's not selfish of you to want to keep it in the city? Pot meet kettle They are the CHICAGO Cubs, not the Schaumburg Cubs, Evanston Cubs, etc. The stadium should be in the city. I know other towns do things different, but there's no need to move them out of the city. No need? How about the freedom to do with the ballpark what the owner sees fit to generate additional revenue? How about the need to be in a neighborhood that actually cares about the fans and people that spend their hard earned money in that neighborhood? How about parking? How about access to public transit other than the L? Should I continue? I'd be willing to bet that you live in Wrigleyville. Answer honestly... Traffic problems would be just as bad if the the Stadium was put in one of the burbs (getting around on the Dan Ryan is never fun). If it were put near a major highway like in Florida or Philly there would be no where to hang out before and after the game. I love Wrigley and think in this respect part of the goal is the process not just the destination. Get to the park early, take in the sights, have a beer or two and enjoy. And hail the tough! The trough is nasty. Nothing quite like the smell and heat of everyone else's urine wafting past you on a cold day as your relieve yourself of the dozen Old Styles you've had since the gates opened. The trough typifies the problems with Wrigley....maybe it was a good solution in 1915, but it's 2007 and we have better solutions today.

But it's not selfish of you to want to keep it in the city? Pot meet kettle They are the CHICAGO Cubs, not the Schaumburg Cubs, Evanston Cubs, etc. The stadium should be in the city. I know other towns do things different, but there's no need to move them out of the city. Chicago is a baseball city. It would be a sad day if either team moves to the subburbs. If you are the type that wants to blow up Wrigley so be it (although I think you are crazy) but at least keep it in the city. The problems is, the Cubs will always be treated like second class citizens by the administration in the city. At least as long as Daley is mayor and there are no indications that the morons that ALWAYS vote democratic will change their tune anytime soon.

But it's not selfish of you to want to keep it in the city? Pot meet kettle They are the CHICAGO Cubs, not the Schaumburg Cubs, Evanston Cubs, etc. The stadium should be in the city. I know other towns do things different, but there's no need to move them out of the city. No need? How about the freedom to do with the ballpark what the owner sees fit to generate additional revenue? How about the need to be in a neighborhood that actually cares about the fans and people that spend their hard earned money in that neighborhood? How about parking? How about access to public transit other than the L? Should I continue? I'd be willing to bet that you live in Wrigleyville. Answer honestly...

Yeah I honestly don't get this. The only complaint I ever hear that makes sense is the obstructed view, always neglecting the far superior view from the upper deck that those obstructed views provide. Zero parking that is close to the park Multiple obstructed view Poor movement of people before/after games No fan friendly "extras" that you see at other parks Only access to public transit is the L, no cab stands and buses take forever to traverse Addison and Clark Do I need to mention falling concrete? Visible rust on metal surfaces that have been repainted about a hundred times Exactly 1 outdoor area where people can go watch the game Loooooooooong lines at everything including vendors, restrooms, gift shop etc. Stairs in the bleechers are steep and downward sloped Scoreboard buzzes so loudly that you can't hear the PA Scoreboard is pathetic and only displays BASIC statistical information for players Do I need to go on?

MODS: I don't understand why the Rosenbloom thread was merged into this discussion. It wasn't intended to be a keep vs. tear down Wrigley thread. It was intended to be a discussion on the hypocrisy that exists within city hall and a comparison of how the Cubs have been treated relative to the other sports franchises in Chicago.

But it's not selfish of you to want to keep it in the city? Pot meet kettle

I go to 15-20 games per year...Wrigley is a dump.

I realize that I'm in the minority here.... but the Cubs should be playing in a better ballpark than Wrigley Field. Tear it down, whatever I don't care. Build a winner and if that requires a better ballpark for more revenue then so be it.

But you have to admit, he has the Daley administration and Wrigleyville residents absolutely pegged in this blog. Bears and wsox deals go through without a hitch, Tribune faces nothing but questions and trouble with anything that they try to do with the Cubs/Wrigley. Cubs can't maintain Wrigley in any way without getting City Council approval and paying into the Wrigleyville cash pot for neighborhood "improvements". It's crap.

I couldn't possibly agree more. http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/rosenblog/

Cubs played like they wanted to get the heck outta Cincy.

Reds 4,432 Cubs 0 At least that is what you could assume by simpy reading this. 99 years of pessimism built up. I would have guessed that you were significantly younger than that.

It's not that we lose, but how we lose. That never changes. Oh and it's never too early to freak... Actually it is

seconded

:lol:

And Soriano, too. I'd forgotten how ridiculous these game threads can get. We should only keep Lee, Ramirez and Lilly