Wrigley passes inspections

The Associated Press

August 23, 2004, 4:27 PM CDT

The city gave the Cubs the go-ahead to play ball at Wrigley Field on Monday night after the stadium passed another round of inspections of repair work done on its crumbling upper deck.

Buildings Commissioner Stan Kaderbek, who on Friday threatened to close Wrigley Field if it didn't pass inspections by game time Monday, said inspectors found no structurally significant problems that needed to be fixed and the 37,000 fans who purchased tickets could attend Monday's Cubs-Milwaukee Brewers game.

"I can say at this point we found no evidence of shoddy repairs," Kaderbek said at a Monday afternoon news conference.

Kaderbek ordered the inspections after he was told by a Los Angeles Times reporter, who cited sources within the Cubs organization, that repair work at Wrigley had been shoddy.

The reporter and Tribune Co., owner of the newspaper as well as the Cubs and the Chicago Tribune, later withdrew the remarks, saying there had been a mistake.

"I am pleased, but not surprised, that we are playing at Wrigley Field this evening. Safety has always been our primary concern," Cubs President and CEO Andy MacPhail said in a written statement. "The city has conducted enough inspections of Wrigley Field by now, that they should be satisfied we are not printing a newspaper here."

In a letter to Kaderbek dated Monday, MacPhail wrote, "any further doubt about our maintenance of the park to date is unjustified."

Safety has been an issue at Wrigley for much of the seasons since three small chunks of concrete fell from the upper deck. The falling concrete forced stadium officials to install protective netting and led to the city's discovery that $2 million in repair work had been done there over the past three years without city permits.

Kaderbek on Monday defended his decision to order the latest inspections, which are being paid for by the city.

"I think this was perfectly legitimate because of the conflicting evidence we had last week," Kaderbek said. "I had to do what I had to do to protect public safety."

He said he didn't yet know how much the inspections would cost the city.

Beth Murphy, who owns Murphy's Bleachers -- a tavern just beyond the center field wall -- said she is thankful the city didn't cancel Monday's game but is still frustrated with the situation.

"I'm not sure what's going on. When the buildings department tells me do something, I do it ... but I truly believe the Tribune management wants the fans to be safe," she said.

A 2001 engineers' report on Wrigley's condition commissioned by the Cubs detailed concrete problems on ramps and in the bleachers area. Cubs officials said the repairs were made, but without the required city permits. That led to a public spat between Mayor Richard Daley and the Tribune, with Daley threatening to shut down Wrigley Field if the Tribune couldn't assure the ballpark was safe.

The city has since set a Sept. 20 deadline for the Cubs' to explain the reason for the falling concrete and said the protective netting must be replaced with a permanent solution if the Cubs want to play at Wrigley Field next spring.
Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press