This is a very transitional year for Wrigley Field renovations, but for players, the biggest change happened last night at The Friendly Confines when the Chicago Cubs players saw their new home clubhouse for the first time.
Fans may ooh and aah over new restrooms and renovated bleachers, but for the players those changes are peripheral to their daily routines. Their ballpark world is quite different than yours and mine, and it pretty much runs from their car to the clubhouse to peripheral facilities (trainers room, workout room) to the dugout and the playing field.
At Wrigley Field, one of the biggest 2015-2016 offseason changes came with the addition of a new underground clubhouse. We’re in the middle of Wrigley Field improvements; year one saw the new videoboards, bleachers and concourse upgrades; this year sees the clubhouse and the overhauled exterior; and year three will see the opening of a new plaza, new visitors clubhouse and new team offices in the so-called triangle lot next to the ballpark. As noted, most of these upgrades affect fans. The new home clubhouse may be behind the scenes, but it’s a very important update: Clubhouses are homes away from home for players.
Th old home clubhouse was small and cramped despite being fairly modern by Wrigley Field standards, opening in 1984. It was not a place that fostered a sense of serenity or focus before a game. The new circular clubhouse, on the other hand, features modern player spaces and is the second-largest in all of Major League Baseball. Check out out in this David Ross tweet:
My new home!! Amazing new rocker room!! pic.twitter.com/dPoiEaoYhr
— David Ross (@D_Ross3) April 11, 2016
It also features a Pilates studio, aqua therapy and a weight room.
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