There will be very few bleacher bums in a new right-field Wrigley Field patio in 2012, as the Chicago Cubs emulate nearby roof seating with a new group area that adds signage and capacity. The new Budweiser Patio combines group seating with LED signage, complete with the capability to display pertinent game information such as […]
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Twins to pitch for 2014 All-Star Game
The Minnesota Twins plan on pitching for the 2014 All-Star Game and will spend more than a million dollars on improvements to Target Field this offseason. The improvements will mostly be on the unglamorous side — improved WiFi, new carpeting, more photos and team displays — but they will include a new broze statue of […]
Want to buy a chunk of Wrigley Field? Dream on
The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Rosenthal says one way to raise funds for a Wrigley Field renovation is selling shares to the public. There are two huge reasons why this will never happen: Major League Baseball would never allow it and the public doesn’t have $200 million sitting around to benefit the Tom Ricketts family. In […]
Boston Pops ballpark tour scrapped
Poor ticket sales and a lack of corporate sponsors has caused ESI Concerts to scrap a summer ballpark tour featuring Kenny Loggins and the Boston Pops Orchestra. The 10-city Minor League Ballparks tour was slated to run this summer, stretching from Birmingham, Alabama, to Buffalo, New York, August 16-30. Full refunds, including service charges, can […]
Player injured running into unpadded outfield concrete wall in York
Kenny Kelly, a former major leaguer, suffered a concussion and a facial fracture after running into an unpadded concrete wall at Sovereign Bank Park, the home of the York Revolution (independent; Atlantic League), leaving coaches and players calling for a safer playing facility. Affiliated baseball has minimum standards regarding outfield fence padding; rare is the […]
Gammons rips Wrigley Field, defends Ricketts
Usually Peter Gammons is the smartest guy in the room when it comes to baseball, but comments he made about Wrigley Field being a “dump” and Cubs owner Tom Ricketts not knowing the true renovation price of the ballpark are ridiculous — and are generating lots of heat in the Windy City. Gammons, now an […]
Cubs to honor Pete Vonachen
Nice honor for Pete Vonachen: the owner of the Peoria Chiefs (Low Class A; Midwest League) will be honored by the Chicago Cubs during a Wrigley Field pregame ceremony before Wednesday night’s game; he’ll also lead the crowd in the Seventh Inning Stretch festivities. On May 11 at Wrigley Field, Pete and his family will […]
The Week That Was: April 10
The preservation of a historic playing field, franchise shifts and sales in the independent-baseball ranks, a San Francisco ballpark visit, and some bad news from Clark and Addison were the biggest stories this week. A look at the top stories on Ballpark Digest this week, as measured by page views. Giants fan severely beaten in […]
Cubs notch lowest attendance since 2002
The Chicago Cubs have been a box-office machine in recent years, but yesterday Wrigley Field saw its smallest crowd in nine years, with only 26,292 showing up for a matinee against the Arizona Diamondbacks on a chilly, windy Monday. Harbinger or aberration? Of course, many teams would be happy with announcing 26,292 fans in the […]
Mayor Rahm: No to city aid for Wrigley Field
Acknowledging that Wrigley Field needs a lot of TLC, incoming Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the city can’t afford to give up proceeds from an amusement tax to fund improvements to the home of the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs had floated a plan where revenue from the amusement tax would be diverted to pay off […]
Wrigley Field damaged in heavy snowstorms
Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, was damaged yesterday by heavy snowstorms ripping through the heart of the country, as several tiles from the top of the press box were torn off; streets in the area are shut down for the cleanup. The tiles caused enough of a mess to force city officials to […]
Poll: Voters oppose public funding of Wrigley Field renovations
Despite the immense popularity of the Chicago Cubs, more than half the Chicago voters polled by the Chicago Tribune and WGN oppose public funding of renovations to Wrigley Field. The Cubs proposed earlier this year for the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority to borrow $250 million for Wrigley Field renovations, with the bonds repaid by growth […]
State funding of Wrigley Field renovations dies as Assembly adjourns
Tom Ricketts’ proposal to have the State of Illinois fund $250 million in upgrades to Wrigley Field died yesterday when the General Assembly adjourned out of veto session yesterday — but expect it to return when the 2011 session opens in January. The hope was that the Assembly could consider funding during the veto session, […]