One day to go -- and the job's pretty much finished. The new bleachers will be ready to open, and I congratulate the construction crew on a job well done.
It remains to be seen, of course, how it will look and feel inside to those of us who will be watching the games from there.
The timeline has also been updated.
Among other team notes, Jerome Williams will change his uniform number from 32 to 57. Players, a superstitious lot, often do this to try to change their luck. The last Cub to do this during a season was Henry Blanco, last year. He proceeded to go on a hitting tear.
I'm in favor of this move mainly because of the record of the last player before Williams to wear #32.
BCB housekeeping note: I have fixed the threading problem that used to occur when there are more than 200 comments on a post.
Top: bleacher entrance area. Vendor carts now going into position; this is an access gate that was open, just west of the bleacher entrance, on Waveland Ave. There is a new food concession stand, under left center field, on the ground floor; another photo, of the scene in the previous photo. The structure above the food counter is the new center field TV camera shack. Also note the sign for the women's room; a side view of the new elevator.
Middle: view of the new left field corner stairwell, being spiffed up; blurry photo, of the back, of the left field bleachers. Are those television monitors, mounted behind the seating area?; wide view of the bleacher entrance. Note the concession carts now in the new patio area; the new position of the beer shack. The top of the shack is visible, just to the left of the Sheffield Ave.street sign.
Bottom: view inside the Waveland Ave.wall, looking west; view underneath the new bleacher box seating area, in the right field corner; view of the "knothole" gate, also underneath the new bleacher box seating area, in the right field corner. Note that screens have now been attached to the interior fence, that faces the playing field; view inside the Sheffield Ave.wall, looking north.
Photos by David Sameshima