WRIGLEY WATCH: Relocation Threat Getting More Real
It appears as though the Cubs are not totally sold out to the idea of staying at Wrigley Field, after all. Yesterday afternoon, and rather quietly, I may add, there was some chatter about the Cubs looking at moving to DuPage County if the deal with the city of Chicago should fall through.
DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin seems to be all for the idea. From the Chicago Tribune:
“We have learned that the Cubs have become particularly disappointed, disenchanted, unhappy with the progress of their negotiations with the city. About 10 days ago I learned from people with the Cubs organization and the family that owns the Cubs that they would like us to consider putting a proposal together, that the game has changed in some respects, that this is not a long shot that they would leave Chicago.”
Cronin from the Chicago Sun-Times:
“They feel hurt, disappointed and offended. They believe their future — even if they’re able to strike this deal now — will be uncertain and based on the whims of political and government leadership.”
And Cronin from the Daily Herald:
“They are so disappointed, discouraged and unhappy with their treatment from the city of Chicago leadership that they are now open — genuinely open — to the idea of relocating and rebuilding a replica of Wrigley Field somewhere outside of the city. DuPage County is a place where they are interested in moving.”
If it it “not a long shot” that the Cubs ownership has decided to start exploring their options because of the long and ridiculous process with the city, then it stands to reason that there may be a problem with the framework of the deal that was agreed to. For their part, the team, and spokesman Dennis Culloton are saying nothing has changed, again from the Tribune:
“Tom (Ricketts’) focus and the focus of the Ricketts family is to achieve the Chicago framework. So there are no plans at this time to listen to any other presentations.”
After Tom Ricketts made the public threat to explore other options if the deal that was agreed to fell through, it is quite clear that the team is at least willing to follow through with the threat and explore their options. Also listed in the articles as a potential relocation suitor was Arlington Heights.
The team was not thrilled with the way the final bill to expand the number of night games played out, having issue with the cap on Saturday night games and the control the city took over rescheduling rained out games. If there are significant alterations to the deal as it relates to what the Cubs can do to Wrigley Field or the surrounding area, that could be the nail in the coffin for the Cubs staying in the city. From Chicago Business:
Team sources say they fear that a hotel to be built on the west side of Clark Street may run into trouble winning city approval, and that the team’s plan for a left-field Jumbotron and other signage will be nickled and dimed down.
In addition, a source close to the team tells me that Mr. Tunney recently phoned Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to tell him that the alderman would be pushing for changes the team wouldn’t like.
As has been the case with this story from the very beginning, politics is the one thing that nobody can predict, and it seems as though this may be the last straw. It’s been my opinion from the very beginning that the Cubs should look elsewhere. It is unfathomable that the team should have to work this hard to spend a half of a billion dollars to renovate their dump of a ballpark. I love Wrigley, but the place needs to be repaired, modernized, and updated in a lot of ways.
Maybe the only answer left is building a modern replica in a suburb…like DuPage County.
Behind the Ivy 