Wrigley Expansion - Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs

New ideas for Cubs' old house
Ownership must think outside the box to improve Wrigley

By Paul Sullivan
Tribune staff reporter

May 24, 2007, 11:57 PM CDT

SAN DIEGO -- Padres closer Trevor Hoffman entered Wednesday night's Cubs game with his now-traditional theme song, "Hell's Bells," blaring over the sound system at Petco Park.

Press box wags, pretending they were on "The View," immediately began discussing how the AC/DC classic would sound on the Wrigley Field organ with closer du jour Ryan Dempster entering a game.

Would it be heresy to play taped music for a Cubs closer's appearance at Wrigley, or has the time come to reconsider what's kosher and what's not for the historic bandbox at Clark and Addison?

As a longtime member of SPEW—Society for the Preservation and Enhancement of Wrigley—I have to admit I'm a dinosaur when it comes to accepting the inevitable changes that occur on an annual basis at the 93-year-old park.

But as a realist, I know you can't stop progress, so I heartily recommend the opening power chords of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" for Dempster's next save opportunity at Wrigley.

No matter who's running the Cubs in 2008, it's time to rethink Wrigley to keep it alive and well for future generations. Here are a few suggestions for the next owner to move the ballpark into the future:

Rooftop seating
Whenever you look up, you see the Boston Red Sox putting more seats on rooftops at Fenway Park, increasing their revenue while maintaining the essence of the Fenway experience.

As Cubs President John McDonough discovered on a recent trip to Boston, Red Sox owners are firmly committed to increasing the life span of their iconic park. Unfortunately for the Cubs, the only way to go is up.

The White Sox added a roof to U.S. Cellular Field a couple of years ago and dramatically changed the look of its biggest drawback, the upper deck. The Cubs need a sports-loving architect to figure out a way to remove the roof of Wrigley's upper deck and build a mini-deck on top of the current one.

It would probably involve the Cubs moving to the Cell or Miller Park for a season, but those would be better options than leaving Wrigley for a more modern facility in the suburbs.

Block party
The Cubs should follow Fenway's lead and close down the streets surrounding Wrigley three hours before games. That's Addison Street from Sheffield Avenue to Clark Street, Sheffield from Addison to Waveland Avenue, and Waveland from Clark to Sheffield, creating a pregame block party with bands, food kiosks and souvenir vendors. (Clark would remain open to prevent total chaos).

The city would have to approve it, some bus routes would have to be rerouted, and the neighbors might whine. But the Taste of Wrigley atmosphere would be worth it.

Jumbotrons on apartment rooftops
Traditionalists scoffed at last year's idea of putting portable Jumbotrons on flatbed trucks parked outside the bleachers on Waveland and Sheffield during games. Video at Wrigley? The horror.

But Generation YouTube loves its videos, so I'm resubmitting the idea with a slight twist: Buy out a couple of the rooftop owners, take down the portable stands and install a Jumbotron on one apartment on Waveland and another on Sheffield. Wrigley would stay video-free, and fans would still get their replays.

Downloading Wrigley
The Cubs have a spanking new sound system, so they should let players have their own theme songs played when they bat. Other teams do it, and taped music is an accepted part of sports viewing in almost every arena.

Organ music is an integral part of Wrigley's ambience. I wouldn't want to see it eliminated. But there can be common ground, and if players get pumped by having their own theme song, so be it. After all, it's really their house, not ours.