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During the last Cubs homestand, while I was walking to the bleacher gate, I noticed long lines of Cubs employees waiting at the left-field gate, which is unusual. A closer look showed that they were being wanded, by Cubs security employees. I learned that this was practice for wanding all fans, which is part of a MLB-wide security initiative that will be mandatory in all major-league ballparks in 2015.
The Cubs apparently feel that the practice runs -- which lasted only three games, to my recollection -- are enough, because via press release today, they stated:
Beginning this homestand, the Cubs will begin metal detector screenings of fans entering Wrigley Field as part of a league-wide initiative to standardize security procedures at each Major League ballpark. These security screenings are in addition to the current bag checks in place and will be uniform throughout the league during the 2015 season.
Some big-league parks are already doing this. I had to walk through an airport-style metal detector at Scottsdale Stadium for a Cubs/Giants spring-training game and the Giants are doing the same thing this year at AT&T Park. From all accounts it's a pretty cursory inspection; they ask you to put all the metal in your pocket in a tray, walk through, and then you get your stuff back.
The White Sox have been wanding fans at the Cell for the last couple of years and again, it's worked out pretty well, at least for the games I've attended there. They simply use the metal-detecting wand on you for a few seconds and send you on your way; it's pretty obvious if they find keys or your phone in your pocket and they don't hassle you, or at least the White Sox personnel didn't.
Whether this is necessary or not is a debate for another time and place, I think; I simply wanted to pass along the information that if you're going to a Cubs game the rest of this season, you're going to get wanded. It's an unfortunate thing that this is even something the leagues have to think about at sporting events, but such are the times we live in.