Can the Chicago Cubs Play Anywhere but Wrigley Field?

Are the days of Wrigley Field, home to the beloved if beleaguered Chicago Cubs, numbered and its ivied walls set for the wrecking ball? Will the bleacher bums suddenly find themselves having to transport themselves into the distant hinterland of suburbia to see their beloved boys of summer? Somehow, tuning in to the radio or television and hearing "Welcome to the friendly confines of GiantMegaCorp Stadium!" just doesn't have the right ring to it when you think of the Chicago Cubs.

That could happen - and worse - if the new owner of the Cubs starts selling off naming rights to the second oldest professional baseball field - notice it says "field" - in the country in a grab for cash allegedly for the purpose of upgrading the park where the Chicago Cubs (Naperville Cubs? Northshore Cubs? Naaaaa....) have played - and lost - for the last 92 years.

Oh... yes, Cubs fans knew when the Wrigley family, after a 63 year losing run, sold the Cubs to megamedia giant Tribune Company in 1981 that changes were coming. But... nothing changed. The Cubs continued to lose. Deals for players were some of the worst ever. Nothing seemed capable of lifting the curse that has plagued the team since it last won the World Series in 1908.

The change happened - in 2007. The Tribune Company was itself acquired by Chicago billionaire Sam Zell, who announced at the end of the 2007 season that the company would be selling the team. Then, they weren't for sale by the end of the year. Then it was time to do something about aging but incredibly well maintained Wrigley Field, the third smallest major league baseball field in existence.

What To Expect at Wrigley Field

For those of you who have never visited Wrigley Field, here are some of the highlights of going to a game at Wrigley Field - and some of its problems.

The bleachers - The left field bleachers are only 360 feet from home plate, making sitting there a good shot at catching a home run. Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins, with five straight 20+ games won seasons while pitching for the Cubs, called Wrigley Field "a bad ballpark" when he was traded, having experienced the home run derbies that sometimes take place in games with the short power alley.

The neighborhood - Wrigley Field is part of an honest-to-God neighborhood, where people actually live, work, shop and play. Access is easy from the street, and public transportation is a breeze with an L stop only a block away, and multiple bus lines running to the intersection of Addison and Clark. Parking is atrocious - Wrigley Field is there for the denizens of the city, not the tourist.

The box seats - you are right in the game in the box seats, not 50 yards back. You can hear the players' banter, catch the rearrangement of the cup in your face, and be forced to dodge foul balls. The left field line behind the Cubs' dugout is not for the faint of heart with balls moving at 100+ miles per hour whizzing at you.

The upper deck - The upper deck is NOT for anyone cold-blooded or with problems walking up seemingly-endless ramps. This section is not for the handicapped, there just isn't any way to get there without being carried.

The left field cheap seats - This area is in shadow during April and May for virtually the entire game, and they don't call Chicago the Windy City for nothing. The winds whipping off Lake Michigan can chill your bones and there are no heated areas anywhere in the ballpark that are accessible to the general public.

The weather - Oh, the weather. Wrigley Field is the one place you can go to watch professional baseball where you can have bright and sunny, rain, sleet, and snow - all during the same game.

The scoreboard - The scoreboard is massive, situated in the middle of center field. And it is operated by hand, with men and women running around on ladders and scaffolds to change the scores of all the games going on in the major league - live and while it happens. Power sluggers have sent homers through the openings in the scoreboard where the workers are occasionally situated watching the game.

What Will The Future Hold?

During the Tribune reign, many ideas were batted around on how to increase the size and reach of Wrigley Field so more fans could be packed into the ballpark. Everything from expanding the bleachers out and over Waveland and Sheffield Avenues, to tearing down the buildings with its rooftop game watchers and putting in a parking deck, to building a THIRD tier of seating on the west and south sides of the park have been discussed.

Wrigley Field, and the Chicago Cubs, have a rabidly loyal fan base, with one of the highest ticket sales for home games in the majors. Giant stadiums capable of seating twice the number each game rarely sell as many tickets. Sellouts are common, and getting a ticket the day of the game is nearly impossible.

You have to ask yourself with performance figures like that if expanding Wrigley Field or making major "updates," and possibly destroying its historic charm, really help the team? Or will changes - any changes - signal the demise of a significant part of the charm of seeing the Chicago Cubs at home?