Zambrano better hope to have a great season

[endaround]

He's calling for the end of Wrigley field because the clubhouse isn't luxurious enough

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-zambrano-wrigley&prov=ap&type=lgns

[GormanHarvey]

he never ceases to amaze

[Invader3K]

Yeah, but did he really say anything that's not true? I don't think he's even the first Cub to call for a new stadium in recent years.

[DougJones43]

Hard to disagree with anything he said. By all accounts the place is a total dump. If Yankee Stadium can be replaced, so can Wrigley. The Cubs never even won anything there, so Yankee stadium is arguably more historic. And to keep the pea-brain, nostalgic fans pacified, they could install ivy and troughs at the new facility.

[RyDogg66]

Maybe a few times a year they could have concrete fall from the upper decks...just like in the old days.

[phxMILWfan]

I'm sad that they closed down Yankee stadium. I'd like Wrigley to stick around.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

Well if you like a smelly stadium with overpriced Old Style beer and horrible site lines then Wrigley is your place. Not to mention you get to go to the bathroom in a trough. I guess I'm spoiled by Miller Park.

[Never Outhustled]

The Cubs organization deserves Wrigley. They'll gey nothing and like it.

[thebruce44]

As long as they don't loose the pink shirt wearing frat boys who are there to meet girls, any stadium will do for those fans.

[adamb100]

Probobly after being in the clubhouse of New Yankee Stadium I wouldnt be to fond of the player facilities in a historic ballpark either.

[Glennron]

As long as they don't loose the pink shirt wearing frat boys who are there to meet girls, any stadium will do for those fans.

I won't pass up an opportunity to make fun of Cubs fans, but have you been to a game at Miller Park the last couple years? That statement could easily be said about Milwaukee as well, though I suppose not to the same extent.

[SeriesFinale]

Well, I for one enjoy(ed) Wrigley much, much more than Yankees Stadium. I'd have been very interested to see that place before it was "improved" in the 70s.

 

I can't, of course, speak to the clubhouses, although the stories speak for themselves.

 

All things must pass, and so will Wrigley eventually, but they don't have a similar situation to the Yankees where they can move a block or two down without creating a schism, unless they choose to build on the same site and use New Comiskey for a couple years.

[BrewCrewRising]

I think they could keep a lot of it and do a major overhaul with improved amenities to make the traditionalists and the comfort minded happy. They could split their home games between Comiskey and Miller Park for a year (It would be great to profit from that). That is my fair minded assessment.

 

Emotionally, I'd love for the Cubs to leave Wrigley and play in their new stadium in Schaumburg. It just would not be as sexy to be a Cubs fan, and it would be fun to see the "pink shirt wearing frat boys" (as references above) choose between a team or a destination. Wrigley itself would stay open for a while and host minor league games, or host games of the "Old Federal League Reenactment Society" whereby Chicagoans remember the glory days of the Chicago Whales, the only team to win a baseball championship at what is now Wrigley field.

[JohnBriggs12]

Believe me a lot of Cub fans I know agree with Zambrano. While most enjoy the atmosphere around Wrigley, the place itself is a dump and a relic of the first half of the 20th Century. It's one reason so many flock to Miller Park so they can actually watch a baseball game with 21st Century amenities.

[CheezWizHed]

I wonder if they could do a Lambeau-like renovation rather than a complete tear-down... That way, its still "old-Wrigley", but updated. Granted they don't have a lot of room to make changes there... But not playing there a whole season doesn't sound very possible... look at how much upheaval the bears went through by playing 8 games in Champaign (granted, that was much further away...).

[phxMILWfan]

Theres just too much history there to tear it down. No it doesn't have any of the amenities of modern stadiums. We also go camping for enjoyment though. Every vacation isn't a luxury resort. Wrigley is the baseball version of camping... but with tons of history.

[fondybrewfan]

Theres just too much history there to tear it down. No it doesn't have any of the amenities of modern stadiums. We also go camping for enjoyment though. Every vacation isn't a luxury resort. Wrigley is the baseball version of camping... but with tons of history.

Well Yankee Stadium has a lot more history than Wrigley Field does and they still decided to build a new one. Wrigley Field is Wrigley Field largely because of the sorrounding atmosphere and of course the ivy, I don't think too many people actually likes the stadium itself. They like the look of the ivy on the outfield wall and they like the party atmosphere. If they could replicate the atmosphere at a new location I am all for it, and I guess even if they don't replicate the whole game day experience it would probably be more bearable for all fans other than 20 something drunk Cubs fans.

[endaround]

Yankee Stadium wasn't "Yankee Stadium", it was a 1970s ballpark built at the same place as Yankee Stadium.

[3Putt]

My son & I saw Zambrano's no hitter at Miller Park last year. In the post game interviews he made several comments about how it was special to do it in such a nice ballpark. I thought it was a clear shot at Wrigley then and his comments now are consistant with that. Zambrano obviously isn't sentimental about Wrigley, but I'd hate to see it go. Other than the fans I love the experience. I'm sure the financials will yield the ultimate decision especially with an ownership change.

[hurricanecrush]

Yankee Stadium wasn't "Yankee Stadium", it was a 1970s ballpark built at the same place as Yankee Stadium.

It was actually a renovation, not unlike Lambeau Field or Soldier Field. Is Lambeau Field still "Lambeau Field"? Is Soldier Field still "Soldier Field"?

[owbc]

You can't compare Yankee Stadium to Wrigley. I've been to both and I loved my experience at Wrigley and found Yankee Stadium to be disappointing.

Old Yankee Stadium reminded me more of County Stadium than anything else: dark/cramped concourses, insufficient concessions/bathrooms, seats too far away from the field, poor audio/visual. The only cool part was the monument park, besides that it really didn't have anything special about it.

Wrigley was just a pure nostalgic baseball atmosphere. The disclaimer is that I went to Wrigley in 1999 before Miller Park existed, but I still remember what an experience it was. The bathrooms were disgusting and the place was definitely falling apart, even back then. However, once you get in your seat, it was great (and you wouldn't want to leave your seat because the concourses were dark and cramped). There was no obnoxious music, no flashing scoreboard, just baseball. The view is great (if you don't have a pole in your face) and it felt like that was how baseball was meant to be played. It isn't really like that today, the game wasn't even sold out so it really was only the diehard Cubs fans back then, the Brewers/Cubs were competing for 4th or 5th place, and people were generally much nicer than my experiences with Cubs fans in the post-Bartman era. I would really hate to see the place go, but I really think the grandstand needs to get torn down and rebuilt. Leave the bleachers untouched and make sure the new place doesn't look like a spaceship but as close as possible to the old one with all the modern amenities.

[BCZF]

You do have to wonder, however how long they can maintain Wrigley as it is and have it still remain safe. I know there's a lot of kidding about the concrete falling, etc but face it, structures deteriorate and pretty soon it's going to get someone hurt.

 

I have no sentimentality for Wrigley, the field is crowned, the seats are terrible, the sightlines stink, it's concourses are a joke for the amount of people, the bathrooms are hideous, dont get me started on the unpadded outfield wall and that stupid net/fence thing below the bleachers that make a stadium that already a bandbox even more of a joke.

[Dragonbait]

Just a quick note... they took the crown out before the season last year.

 

But they just need to renovate. I mean... the bathrooms are definately not up to code and HAVE to be a health hazard.

[3Putt]

Zambrano's back in his favorite park today. I'll be there to watch him go down. Bush & Zambrano are both fast workers so it should be a quick game.

[Nottso]

Just a quick note... they took the crown out before the season last year.

 

But they just need to renovate. I mean... the bathrooms are definately not up to code and HAVE to be a health hazard.

But if they update the bathrooms where will the drunken frat-boys bodysurf?

 

There is absolutely NO Youtube video better than that of a drunken Cubs fan gloriously skimming across a river of urine. Bar none.