Wrigley Sod Renovation Underway (Pictures)

by Swanny1981 on Oct 25, 2007 3:23 PM CDT Comment 29 comments

It looks like the permits have been issued. Ground was broken at Wrigley Field, and the interior is basically a pile of dirt right now. They say they want to have the project complete by early December.

Here are two pictures of the current progress. Looks like they have just ripped everything up today to get underway. It will be interesting to see the progress as the days go by.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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Thats nutty

I live two blocks down Kenmore (or I will Nov. 9)and I gotta go by there and check it out.

Hey.....Cubs win!!! Steve Stone is the most overrated scumbag in the business.

by Hammer on Oct 25, 2007 3:17 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

It's interesting

that they leave the mound and homeplate area untouched. I know they know what they are doing but the whole thing sure makes me nervous.

A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings. ~Earl Wilson

by tucsoncubsfan on Oct 25, 2007 3:54 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

That has to be...

... so they know where to put them after the digging!

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Oct 25, 2007 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

so

they are putting in new dugouts?

WhErE's My CuBs?!?!

by tbizzle83 on Oct 25, 2007 4:01 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

No...

... they're simply going to be level with the new field level, instead of below the field as they have been for many years.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Oct 25, 2007 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I know its for the best...

but seeing the field ripped apart like that leaves me uneasy. I'm sure it will be great when its done, thanks for the pics

by Walker71421 on Oct 25, 2007 4:28 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

when was the last time

they did this? anyone know?

PIE!!!

by LilLPLancer23 on Oct 25, 2007 5:52 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I have a picture

of what may have been the last time the field was torn up, but I don't know how to post a picture. I'd be happy to share it if someone tells me how to post a pic.

by HectorVillanueva on Oct 25, 2007 8:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You have to have...

... the picture hosted on a site of your own (Flickr, Photobucket, etc.) and then use normal HTML IMG tags.

Email me if this doesn't explain it.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Oct 25, 2007 9:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That requires

far more computer knowledge than I possess. I consider myself to be quite computarded. If my wife was home, I'd have her do it, but she's gone, so I emailed it to you, Al. Hope that's ok.

by HectorVillanueva on Oct 25, 2007 10:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hector - when was your picture taken?

Just wondering if it's from the early thirties. The grandfather of a good friend of mine worked on, and I think might have managed, a farm Rogers Hornsby owned in the St. Louis area at that time. My friend's dad used to talk about how the Cubs bought sod from Hornsby's farm to use in Wrigley Field when he was managing the Cubs. He was about ten or eleven at the time and remembered watching them load it on trucks to haul to the railroad station to be sent to Chicago.

If your picture is from that time, it would be great see and I know my friend would be very interested in it.

by Mike Vails Evil Twin on Oct 26, 2007 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It couldn't have been, because...

... Wrigley Field's upper deck was built in 1926. That photo (you can see it in today's resodding diary) has the ballpark with only a single deck.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Oct 26, 2007 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It couldn't have been...

Sorry about that. I didn't notice the date and time on Hector's post and thought he meant that he had a picture from a later time.

So does anyone know the last time Wrigley Field was completely re-sodded?

by Mike Vails Evil Twin on Oct 26, 2007 1:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just going from memory...

... I think Tribco did it after they bought the team. I have seen video from games in the late 70's when the field really looked awful. I think they did it not long after that, which would have meant about 25 years ago.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Oct 26, 2007 1:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

According to Bossard

Bossard was on WGN radio last night and he said the infield dirt was about 55 years old.

Kasey

See the Cubs 2008 schedule at http://ignarski.tripod.com/sched2008.html

by kaseyi on Oct 26, 2007 2:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wonder how he knew that?

I guess that means we get new infield dirt as well as new sod.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Oct 26, 2007 3:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

DOn't know...

he just stated that as fact. Then he was talking about how thats not unusual...the New Comiskey dirt is from the old park and is as he put it, "the same dirt that was in place when my Dad started at old Comiskey".

Kasey

See the Cubs 2008 schedule at http://ignarski.tripod.com/sched2008.html

by kaseyi on Oct 26, 2007 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

ive always wondered

how someone gets into that line of work

AC 00 00 00 - BELIEVE

by mike on Oct 26, 2007 4:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You think.....

Jimmy Hoffa might turn up during this process? I'm guessing the odds are 50-50.

When I hit a home run over the fence at Wrigley Field, I hit it over a Tru Link Fence. -Andre Dawson-

by wangchung on Oct 25, 2007 6:22 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The Sodfather found goalposts!!

Pretty interesting stuff

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-071025cubs,0,1633400.story?coll=chi_tab02_layout

Let me get back to you, will ya, Charlie? I got a guy on the other line asking about some white walls.

by JB 23 on Oct 25, 2007 6:29 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Amazing.

They told Bossard to "toss them out"??? Those things could have brought thousands of dollars on the auction market.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Oct 25, 2007 9:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wonder

how many die hard Bears fans will be lurking around the Wrigley dumpsters this week.

by HectorVillanueva on Oct 25, 2007 9:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

ill be there later tonight

j/k...sort of

AC 00 00 00 - BELIEVE

by mike on Oct 26, 2007 8:02 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

mound and homeplate still left?

Shouldn't any good surveyor be able to put them back down in the right place? If they thought they couldn't they should have left 1st-3rd in place too.

by Nibbles on Oct 25, 2007 9:08 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

really?

the field will be level with the dugouts? strange......

by DaveKingmansMustache on Oct 26, 2007 6:02 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

im having a hard time picturing how

the field will be level with the dugout and how they can do that without screwing up the ivy. does the field really crown that much in the middle? something tells me I'm just going to have to wait and see, cause unless someone is willing to draw a picture and upload I don't think I will understand the process.

AC 00 00 00 - BELIEVE

by mike on Oct 26, 2007 8:05 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And

If they are lowering the field of play, doesn't this mean the wall will now be a couple feet taller? Will this take away a few homers next year?

Is wrigley becoming more pitcher friendly?

Jeez, the Cubs struggled enough to hit homeruns this year as it was!

"At the end of the day, don't tell me how rough the waters are... just get the ship into port." - Stoney

by BCurt10 on Oct 26, 2007 9:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

there's no doubt

If they lower the field it will absolutely mean less home runs hit in Wrigley, since hitting a home run will have been made a few feet harder...unless they do something to the nets.

by rgonzale on Oct 26, 2007 9:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

If you read the article

posted by "jb" you'll see that they are removing 14 inches of dirt from the field then they are laying down KC clay, the drainage system (roughly 1.5 inches thick) then 4 inches of pea gravel, 10 inches of soil and the sod from Colorado which is about 2 inches thick. After everything is compacted and back to normal you wont see a difference in the look of the field except for the fact that home plate will no long be downhill from third.

"Career highlights? I had two. I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets." Bob Uecker

by mmaxon on Oct 26, 2007 10:03 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs