Lose the basket
by Clark Addison on Sep 13, 2009 5:25 PM CDT
126 comments
DLee hit number 32 into the basket today, but even he probably will have to admit it was a cheap home run. The Cinci lfer had a bead on it and probably would have caught it had the basket not been there. Wrigley Field has among the shallowest power allies in the majors, and the basket essentially moves them in even further.
It was originally put up in the early 70s to prevent drunken bleacher bums of that era from jumping onto the field. I think today's drunken bums would be less likely to do so, primarily because of the heavy penalties awaiting them. The basket is an eyesore in a beautiful ballpark, and is a reminder of the days when fans could not be trusted.
It should be relegated to the dumpster of memory.
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.
0 recs |
126 comments
Email
Print
Comments
How will Ernie Banks get all his homers then?
Just say no to players named Aaron on the Cubs.
by nji232 on Sep 13, 2009 5:28 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Ernie
hit very few homers into the basket because he played 90% of his career before they put it in.
by Clark Addison on Sep 13, 2009 8:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
not true
I heard it on ESPN that 90% of his homers were basket aided….
I think it was during a Sunday night game………
by cozmotaylor123 on Sep 13, 2009 8:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
i also heard on SNB that ernie banks was a communist
joe morgan is so smart…
people who swing at the first pitch should get punched in the face
by jesus christos on Sep 13, 2009 9:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I sure hope you're kidding
Because Banks retired after 1971.
"When they signed Fukudome, I knew they were trying to get me fired". - Ron Santo, January, 2008
by BeerCub on Sep 14, 2009 7:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
This is all related to a comment Joe Morgan made.
Not surprising, right? Morgan claimed the basket was put up for Banks, was called “Banks Boulevard”, and that Ernie hit the majority of his HR into it.
What’s most amazing about those outright lies is that Morgan wasn’t forced to apologize for them.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al on Sep 14, 2009 7:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Shows you the true character of this guy.
I guess he was/is jealous that a SS could hit more homeruns than him.
by LT on Sep 14, 2009 4:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ernie Banks doesn't call him on it
Therefore Morgan gets to say what he wants without apology.
And the eighth and final rule: if this is your first time at Fight Club, you have to fight.
by Ace Venom on Sep 15, 2009 10:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ernie's too nice a guy to do that.
Too bad the media firestorm after it didn’t have any effect on Morgan.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al on Sep 15, 2009 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
You notice he doesn't say it anymore, though
Was there really a media firestorm, anyway? There was a lot of e-mail.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Sep 15, 2009 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
What?
That Morgan completely manufactured a story on national television, and in the process took a cheap shot at the credibility of a fellow Hall of Famer? Yeah man, ESPN heard about it.
by Damen Jackson on Sep 15, 2009 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
But there didn't seem to be any repercussions for Morgan...
… not even a scripted apology.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al on Sep 15, 2009 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Again, where was the media firestorm?
ESPN heard about it. We wrote about it. I e-mailed, along with others.
Who covered it in the MSM?
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Sep 15, 2009 11:24 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
nobody calls him on it
Selig or ESPN should have done so a long time ago.
baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out
by Cubbie-Tim on Sep 15, 2009 12:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
and you believed it?
WOW!
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren
by lookingdeadred on Sep 14, 2009 4:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
He got nearly all of them before the basket was installed
Quit listening to Joe (I’m the best ever) Morgan.
Just win the next game...!
by blackhawk24 on Sep 14, 2009 8:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think nji was being sarcastic
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Sep 14, 2009 9:03 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Here, let me help:
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
by dat cubfan daver on Sep 14, 2009 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
BUT IT'S TRADITION!
There is no such thing as an ugly female breast
by Worf on Sep 13, 2009 5:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Sorry, no.
Look at the idiot behavior that goes on in the bleachers. Removing the basket would only encourage people to walk on top of the wall — which was the primary reason for putting it there in the first place. I think jumping would become common. Keep it there.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al on Sep 13, 2009 5:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
There are more logical,
more attractive, and more effective ways to accomplish all that than home run baskets. I agree with the O.P., the baskets are an eyesore.
by azjazzman on Sep 13, 2009 7:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
And, we'd like to hear
those logical, effective ways, please.
by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Sep 14, 2009 12:47 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
and you guys should duel with a FLUTE DUET!!!
Albert Pujols for Cubs Starting 1B in 2012
by heine41 on Sep 14, 2009 12:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
JAZZ FLUTE
baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out
by Cubbie-Tim on Sep 14, 2009 11:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's baby making music.
"Fasten those seatbelts"-Pat Hughes
by katie casey on Sep 14, 2009 12:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
There are any number
of decorative wall toppers that could be installed that would integrate into the design as well as serve as a barrier to prevent people from hopping on top of the wall or trying to climb over. Look at how other ballparks handle that. It isn’t tough.
by azjazzman on Sep 14, 2009 2:19 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's not that easy...
… when you have a bleacher wall that cannot be modified (the ivy wall is landmarked). New ballparks can put in moats or flowerbeds or whatever because they have the space.
Incidentally, the old Busch Stadium in St. Louis had a basket for a while.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al on Sep 14, 2009 8:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Razor wire, live electrical lines, snakes.
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
by dat cubfan daver on Sep 14, 2009 11:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Broken-off beer bottles rule!
And I think they’d count as “historic” if they were Special Export, Peter Hand, or Meister Brau bottles.
"I tried to let Ryan know that [jumping over the dugout railing] was a thing that maybe just athletes should stick to." -- Ted Lilly, 28 July 2009
by CaughtInTheVines on Sep 14, 2009 11:32 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I smell advertising revenue!
Get your microbrew represented at Wrigley! Sure, the bottle will be upside-down and broken – and it may occasionally cause the gruesome laceration of a wayward fan – but your product can be part of the action!
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
by dat cubfan daver on Sep 14, 2009 11:36 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
and we could quite possibly see a live demonstration of...
…Bleed Cubbie Blue!!!!
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
by ballhawk on Sep 14, 2009 12:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
If anyone did B.C.B....
….I think it would have to result in all charges being dropped, no?
"I tried to let Ryan know that [jumping over the dugout railing] was a thing that maybe just athletes should stick to." -- Ted Lilly, 28 July 2009
by CaughtInTheVines on Sep 14, 2009 2:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Do you think Derrek will ask
for that home run to be stricken from his total?
‘Cause I don’t.
"Was you ever punched in the face five hundred times a night? It stings after a while." ~Rocky Balboa
by Goodie1969 on Sep 13, 2009 5:52 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Go pound sand....
We’ll repave Bank’s Boulevard for no one!!!
Seriously, how is this different than the modern launching pads that they call stadiums around baseball? Or even the older places like the Fenway, where the Green Wall looms large?
by Damen Jackson on Sep 13, 2009 6:01 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
It's fine
right where it is. It’s there for a reason.
Recipe for Disaster;
C'mon Cubs, hurry up and blow this so I can relax.
by Bluekoolaide on July22, 2009 3:08 PM CDT
by sue369 on Sep 13, 2009 6:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
This change is unnecessary
Wrigley has respectable power alleys, and is longer down the lines than a lot of parks.
As we all know, it changes from a hitters park to a pitchers park depending on which way the wind blows.
"When you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill
by vonde6 on Sep 13, 2009 6:43 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Yep
Used to be the longest down the lines.
I don’t see anyone bitching about 320’ foul lines.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Sep 13, 2009 10:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
every time
an opposing hitter hits one into the basket in straight away center i wonder why the basket is needed in front of the batter’s eye where there are no seats. I’d be all for removing that section of basket, but the rest of it should stay.
by circuitclout on Sep 13, 2009 6:46 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Cool
remove the basket, the wind tunnel in the bronx, the crawford boxes, the short porch in every ball park everywhere.
every ballpark has its quirks. go to a universal set of groundrules and take all the fun away, too.
Jerry’s been so distant lately and Lovie barely calls.- Just Dave
by Allie on Sep 13, 2009 7:11 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Crawdad has his own boxes?
"The riches of the game are in the thrills, not the money." --Ernie Banks
by dtpollitt on Sep 13, 2009 9:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
It is why
I love the hill in the stros park…LOVE IT – wish the Polo Grounds was still around.
I saw you in that coffee shop, breaking the fifth commandment. Congress passes these things for a reason, Lois.
by hansman1982 on Sep 13, 2009 11:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The hill in MM Park is taken from
Cincinnati’s Crosley Field
This image is from 1956. You can see the incline going up toward the LF wall — there’s no warning track. The incline served that purpose. A much larger scoreboard was built a few years after this picture was taken in right-center field.
by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Sep 14, 2009 1:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Let me correct the 'new' scoreboard placement at Crosley Field
Same location, but much bigger. The incline is more noticeable here. There’s no year on this image, but I’d bet it’s in the last season. The park closed a few months into the1970 season, since Riverfront Stadium was not quite ready to go yet.
by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Sep 14, 2009 1:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's a much gentler incline
than the hill in center at Minute Maid.
by azjazzman on Sep 14, 2009 2:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ya-hoo! Mountain Dew!
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
by dat cubfan daver on Sep 14, 2009 11:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah -
+100 BCB points for including the classic “it’ll tickle your innards” slogan!
"I tried to let Ryan know that [jumping over the dugout railing] was a thing that maybe just athletes should stick to." -- Ted Lilly, 28 July 2009
by CaughtInTheVines on Sep 14, 2009 11:34 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hu-dey! Hu-dey!
Hu-dey think gonna beat them Bengals now!
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
by ballhawk on Sep 14, 2009 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Just goes to show how Wrigley has stood the test of time
Cincinnati – baseball’s first major league city of the National Association – has in the span of just 35 years, three different stadiums in which they call(ed) home.
Just win the next game...!
by blackhawk24 on Sep 14, 2009 2:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and St. Louis have done the same....
… over similar timespans.
Philly left Connie Mack Stadium (Shibe Park) in 1970, moved to Citizens Bank Park in 2004, 35 seasons.
Pittsburgh left Forbes Field in 1970, moved to PNC Park in 2001, 32 seasons.
St. Louis left Busch Stadium 1 in 1966, moved to Busch Stadium 3 in 2006, 41 seasons.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al on Sep 14, 2009 2:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Reminder of the days when fans couldn't be trusted...
You think it is any better today? If nothing else it helps keep garbage off the field.
by rlpete on Sep 13, 2009 7:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Didn't keep a fan
from dropping a beer on Shane Victorino.
by azjazzman on Sep 14, 2009 2:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
dropping?
it looked more like a hurl IIRC
baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out
by Cubbie-Tim on Sep 14, 2009 11:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
An underhand flip
would be more accurate.
by azjazzman on Sep 14, 2009 1:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
One other thing it does
is takes away the ability for fan interference on Home Runs. I think it serves a good purpose.
by LT on Sep 13, 2009 8:12 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Preventing fan interference is the best reason to keep the baskets
The triangular brick they added to the top of the bleacher wall prevents people from walking on the walls as they did before the basket era.
by AlSpangler on Sep 13, 2009 11:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
plus a convenient place to put drinks
Just win the next game...!
by blackhawk24 on Sep 14, 2009 8:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Take those baskets down
and Bradley will kill someone
There is no such thing as an ugly female breast
by Worf on Sep 13, 2009 9:14 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
lol
but I bet if you said this two weeks ago someone would have called you names
"Fasten those seatbelts"-Pat Hughes
by katie casey on Sep 14, 2009 9:37 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Has he hit any home runs in the basket this year?
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
by dat cubfan daver on Sep 14, 2009 11:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
You're wrong.
I’m right.
Move on.
"The riches of the game are in the thrills, not the money." --Ernie Banks
by dtpollitt on Sep 13, 2009 9:21 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Ok then
Lets move the rightfield porch in new Yankee Stadium back a ways, make the Big Green Monster even taller and hell just move all of the major leauge walls back a few feet…plus I say the homer today hits the top of the wall.
I saw you in that coffee shop, breaking the fifth commandment. Congress passes these things for a reason, Lois.
by hansman1982 on Sep 13, 2009 9:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Wow lay off the guy.
"Pounding sand since 1982...."
by cubswynn on Sep 13, 2009 9:43 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Mr. Gorbachev
Tear those baskets down
"When you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill
by vonde6 on Sep 13, 2009 10:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
After the baskets are taken down.......
…. maybe the beer prices could be lowered. After all, people can be trusted.
"When they signed Fukudome, I knew they were trying to get me fired". - Ron Santo, January, 2008
by BeerCub on Sep 14, 2009 7:17 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
BFHD
The wind has more affect on ball flight than the 2’ overhang of the basket.
Besides, what Wrigley misses in alley depth is made up near the lines. Wrigley’s lines are the longest in MLB.
Just win the next game...!
by blackhawk24 on Sep 14, 2009 8:56 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Absolutely...
…and furthermore, Wrigley is really two different ballparks, one when the wind is blowing out and the other with it blowing in. When the wind is blowing in, I would argue that Wrigley is one of the toughest ballparks to hit a homerun, but can also be the opposite when the wind is blowing out.
I believe I read somewhere, the wind blows in approx 50% of the time during a season and I can recall many a game in 2004, where the Cubs lost 4 or 5 homers because of the wind. This is why you don’t just set your club up to be just a power team, because it creates a lot of feast or famine in Wrigley.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
by MPH73 on Sep 14, 2009 9:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
"The Cinci lfer had a bead on it and probably would have caught it had the basket not been there."
Um. No way.
Nobody cares about your fantasy baseball team
by carmen_fanzone on Sep 14, 2009 9:12 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
The OP is correct
If the basket isn’t there, no question Stubbs catches it. Even Len and Bob remarked on it in their call of the play.
by azjazzman on Sep 14, 2009 1:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That wall is 12 feet high.
The ball landed in the basket, which is about 11 feet off the ground. If Stubbs can jump that high, he should be playing in the NBA, not for the Reds.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al on Sep 14, 2009 1:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
And here is further proof that he wouldn't have caught it.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al on Sep 14, 2009 1:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
assuming the field isn't crowned anymore...
…that’s not a whole lot of elevation by Stubbs out there. Looks like me.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
by ballhawk on Sep 14, 2009 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed,
It would’ve bounced off the wall before he could’ve caught it.
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
by dat cubfan daver on Sep 14, 2009 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
No it isn't
Watch the video replay, He ball originally hit the basket way up by the yellow line and then dropped down. If the basket weren’t there it would have gone straight into Stubbs glove. This picture is after the ball had already fallen back into the basket.
by azjazzman on Sep 14, 2009 3:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fuld would have caught it.
I am sure he can jump up 5 feet.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on Sep 14, 2009 6:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Len and Bob are wrong...
I was tracking Stubbs from the ball coming off the bat with my camera. He never had a good enough bead on it to make a strong leap, and the ball hit about two feet above his head; maybe three.
by Damen Jackson on Sep 14, 2009 1:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Do you have a photo, Damen, like the one above?
It’d be nice to see another angle.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al on Sep 14, 2009 2:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
No time to really edit...
down to an acceptable size, but try:
by Damen Jackson on Sep 14, 2009 2:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Here it is in acceptable size.
There’s still no way Stubbs catches that ball. Not even on his tippy toes.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al on Sep 14, 2009 3:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
He didn't need to leap
The ball was coming straight down into his glove. The fact that he didn’t leap shows that he had a bead on it, and thought he would catch it. Again, watch the video on the Cubs website and look very closely at where the ball enters the basket. It barely hits the very front edge of the basket. Another 2 inches shorter and it misses the basket altogether and Stubbs catches it.
by azjazzman on Sep 14, 2009 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
pure physics say it wasn't coming straight down at any point
by cozmotaylor123 on Sep 14, 2009 11:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Pure physics acknowledges friction
Yes, it doesn’t come straight down, but from what I saw on TV, it looked like there was a chance it would be caught had it not been for the basket. We’ll never really know, unless we can see a shot from a camera parallel to the LF wall.
Anyway, so what? Maybe the basket DID make that a homerun. Big flippin’ deal. How many doubles become homeruns in LA because of a 18" wall down the lines?
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Sep 15, 2009 8:35 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
No, it would have hit the top of the wall right behind the basket.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al on Sep 15, 2009 7:38 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
either way
its a HR for either team that hits it into the baskets. Its not like the baskets are removed when the visiting team goes to bat. They are fine as they are.
baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out
by Cubbie-Tim on Sep 15, 2009 9:50 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
How many times have I heard someone say "in another park that would have been a home run."
Finally we get one that might not have been somewhere else and someone wants to take it away. Gee whiz.
"Fasten those seatbelts"-Pat Hughes
by katie casey on Sep 14, 2009 9:41 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Forgot to mention...
…Let’s hope Ricketts has more important changes on his mind to improve the organization.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
by MPH73 on Sep 14, 2009 9:53 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Like getting rid of those blue jerseys!
What?
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Sep 14, 2009 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Amen to that.
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren
by lookingdeadred on Sep 14, 2009 4:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Recipe for Disaster;
C'mon Cubs, hurry up and blow this so I can relax.
by Bluekoolaide on July22, 2009 3:08 PM CDT
by sue369 on Sep 14, 2009 5:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1
baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out
by Cubbie-Tim on Sep 14, 2009 6:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
while we are at it
lets pad the OF wall, get rid of the bricks and ivy, move the pitcher mounds to the OF area (move the walls in to make room for the bullpen). Then we can look at other ways to be more like every other park, and lose the feeling of being Wrigley Field. In fact, lets be sure to sell out and become Harris Bank Stadium
Fuck it, Or we could blow it up and build a dome.
none of my above statement do I agree with.
baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out
by Cubbie-Tim on Sep 14, 2009 11:16 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I don't think there is anything traditional or historic about the baskets
I think if we could trust fans to behave, they could come down. I would rather like to give an outfielder like Sam Fuld the opportunity to rob homers over the wall.
They are ugly little bits of steel. And they are necessary.
As far as selling out… if becoming Lowe’s Field or Geico Stadium means getting more money for players, bring it on.
I fail to see how corporate names are really any worse than egomaniacs like Wrigley, Comiskey, Busch, etc… naming the places after themselves.
There is no such thing as an ugly female breast
by Worf on Sep 14, 2009 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't have a problem with selling naming rights.
So what? No one will call it that, anyway. It’s still the same place.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al on Sep 14, 2009 12:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wickers! Woo! Field! Woo!
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
by ballhawk on Sep 14, 2009 1:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
This might be the only reason I'd advocate the Cubs move to the suburbs.
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
by dat cubfan daver on Sep 14, 2009 1:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The guy gets to spring training.
He’d get to the suburbs. Unfortunately.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al on Sep 14, 2009 2:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Damn you, Metra!
Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.
by dat cubfan daver on Sep 14, 2009 3:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
As long as the the Ivy and scoreboard are
not defiled, I’m OK with it. I know, I know…landmark status…
Soldier Field used to have landmark status. Now it’s a, well….let’s just say, not a landmark.
Just win the next game...!
by blackhawk24 on Sep 14, 2009 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That stuff is fine at football games.
Would you have rather seen Soldier Field…torn down and the Bears…..somewhere in Chicago?
I’m not picking on you, but the Chicago Park District didn’t maintain Soldier Field very well over the years. Maybe people don’t like the new Soldier Field, but…..why would the CPD spent millions of dollars on a crumbling infrastructure? And who would use this facility if was not up to NFL standards? It would have been a white elephant on the lakefront.
All you could salvage is what has been saved. The colonnades.
I know you can’t destroy landmarks, obviously, but outmoded, crumbling stadiums — there’s not much that can be done.
by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Sep 14, 2009 6:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Having seen the plans before-hand
and what it was going to cost taxpayers (a few hundred million dollars), I would have rather the Bears moved elsewhere and let the park district get Soldier Field refurbished, keeping the colonnades and their surrounding area as-is.
And the utterly amazing short-sightedness of this whole thing is they dropped capacity by about 6,000 where if they had increased it by say 12,000-15,000 in a new location…..BAM !!! There’s your 2016 Olympics feature facility for the opening / closing ceremonies and all track & field.
Just win the next game...!
by blackhawk24 on Sep 15, 2009 9:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
not to mention a new location would have provided the option for a domed/sliding roof facility...
…which would have most certainly assured a spot in the NCAA Final Four rotation and possibly Super Bowl consideration.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
by ballhawk on Sep 15, 2009 2:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
At the very least,
a few tractor pulls
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Sep 15, 2009 2:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
and the rodeo
baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out
by Cubbie-Tim on Sep 15, 2009 6:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
85k @ a tractor pull....
Wow!
Just win the next game...!
by blackhawk24 on Sep 17, 2009 5:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Soldier Field would have to have been gutted
and completely rebuilt to keep it looking as it was. It would not have the Bears as a tenant, since it would not be to NFL standards, if all you did is rebuild the seating bowl. The facility would have been empty, save for perhaps a few college football games and a concert or two.
That’s not cost-effective for the Chicago Park District. My father spent his entire career with the CPD. They never would have spent the cash unless an NFL-friendly facility stood in its’ place, which is what is there now.
Soldier Field would have been a Roman ruin. All that would have been left standing would be the colonnades — because more than likely, the CPD would have been able to get around landmark status by demolishing everything else but the colonnades.
There was no “Olympic” talk at the time the stadium was being rebuilt. That would never have been a factor in anybody’s decision.
Obviously, in hindsight — you can say that now.
by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Sep 16, 2009 11:02 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Olympic talk, albeit small until the last couple years...
has been around Chicago for a couple decades.
Soldier Field would have been a huge issue for bigger capacity and luxury boxes.
Plus Ballhawk brought up 2 other BIG things, the final 4 and a Superbowl. Certainly those 2 had to have been considered. But knowing Chicago, I guess not.
Just win the next game...!
by blackhawk24 on Sep 17, 2009 5:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Chicago is a spectacular city
But Super Bowls should be played in temperate climates. Detroit? What mistakes those games were.
People shouldn’t have to trudge through potential blizzards to attend Super Bowls. It really doesn’t make sense.
Basketball games in football stadiums are barely worth the price of admission. The biggest NCAA game, played a venue where the spectators are miles away. That’s not basketball. Those games turn me off completely.
But i guess I’d be in the minority on that opinion.
by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Sep 18, 2009 9:57 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
SDSJM, SDSJM, SDSJM...
why do you persist in looking at things from the fan’s perspective? ;-)
Of course, the Final Four in the Superdome is a joke. But the NCAA and CBS doesn’t think so.
Wait. “But the NCAA and CB$ doe$n’t think $o.” There, I fixed that for me.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
by ballhawk on Sep 18, 2009 10:28 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Look at boston.
they were able to add advertising/ video board without ruining the integrity of the park. thats what they did to get more $ to help compete with yanks.
by imacubman on Sep 15, 2009 10:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
they also used the OF wall to do so
we could always airbrush the Ivy
baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out
by Cubbie-Tim on Sep 15, 2009 12:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The video board at Fenway
is within the park, in a logical place — atop the ballpark, in CF. Since the Wrigley scoreboard seems to have landmark status, you cannot place a video board there.
by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Sep 16, 2009 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Are you going to give him a trampoline, too?
I would rather like to give an outfielder like Sam Fuld the opportunity to rob homers over the wall.
Joey Gathright couldn’t rob one over that wall.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Sep 14, 2009 10:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Easy.
We just build an incline going up against wall.
(No, no, just kidding!)
Good pitching beats good hitting, and vice versa.
by tibbelkrunk on Sep 16, 2009 2:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don't forget the flashing signs and loud, blaring music
Just win the next game...!
by blackhawk24 on Sep 14, 2009 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
thats part of the dome effect
baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out
by Cubbie-Tim on Sep 14, 2009 5:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Too bad that when
they open the roof at Chase, Miller, Minute Maid etc all those effects wouldn’t go away.
Just win the next game...!
by blackhawk24 on Sep 15, 2009 9:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
It is the same for both teams,
so basket or no basket, it does not really matter. As for post Banks and the basket, the crack is either a lame attempt at humor, or simple ignorance.
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren
by lookingdeadred on Sep 14, 2009 4:23 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
he crack is either a lame attempt at humor, or simple ignorance.
joe morgan is the greatest comedian of our generation. i think YOU are the ignorant one
people who swing at the first pitch should get punched in the face
by jesus christos on Sep 14, 2009 4:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Those drinking Bums!
“It was originally put up in the early 70s to prevent drunken bleacher bums of that era from jumping onto the field. I think today’s drunken bums would be less likely to do so…”
I think if it goes, it will become more likely that the drunken bums will fall onto the field instead of jumping onto it! lol
by TheHawkRules on Sep 14, 2009 7:53 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
Cubs By The Numbers
Cubs By The Numbers is a history of the ballclub by uniform number, but the biographies help trace the history of our beloved team in a new way. For everyone who's a Cubs fan, anyone who ever wore the uniform is like family. Cubs By The Numbers reintroduces readers to some of their long-lost ancestors, even ones they think they already know.
Click here to order your copy, available now!
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
