January 15, 2012 Cubs.Com Wrigley's Right-Field
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
January 15, 2012 Cubs.com Wrigley's right-field bleachers getting patio By: Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- The Cubs announced the addition of a patio in the right-field bleacher section at Wrigley Field, which will be ready for the 2012 season and create a rooftop-like atmosphere. The Budweiser Patio will include a 75-foot LED sign installed above the right-field wall with the capability to display game information, such as pitch count, photos of players and statistics. It will not have video replay because of the size. The new right-field configuration can handle a group of 150 people, or three groups of 50 each, or may be sold on an individual basis. Cubs team president Crane Kenney said the pricing was still to be determined. "What we're finding both for our suites as well as other parts of the ballpark is that people want to be able to circulate -- you see it on the rooftops," Kenney said Saturday after a business management session at the 27th annual Cubs Convention, where the announcement was made. "[It will be] a place where you can bring clients, move around in the space and not just be fixed," Kenney said. "If I'm in seat [No. 1] and my clients are in seats two through eight, I don't get to talk to the person in seat [No. 8]. It's a chance to circulate." Each section of 50 tickets will include both seated and standing-room-only tickets, and an all-inclusive food and beverage package. The Wrigley Field bleachers underwent a major renovation after the 2005 season when they were expanded and a restaurant was added in the batter's eye. The right-field configuration does not involve any of Wrigley's landmark status features, such as the ivy or the scoreboard. Kenney said fans have asked for more statistics and in-game information, and the new LED board will provide that. Wrigley Field does not have a video scoreboard to show replays. "One of the things we hear from our fans is if you go to other parks, it'll tell you not only that the pitch was 92 miles an hour but it was a slider or a fastball," Kenney said. "People want more information in the park so with the hand-operated scoreboard and the small LED we have beneath it, it's a chance to bring more information to the fans." The Cubs also announced Saturday they will experiment with dynamic pricing on bleacher seats, which means fans will benefit if they purchase tickets early. More than 90 percent of Cubs season ticket holders renewed their tickets for 2012, Kenney said. Single- game tickets go on sale March 9. -- Cubs.com Sveum expecting success, effort from Cubs By: Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- How will new Cubs manager Dale Sveum deal with a player who doesn't hustle or run out a ball? "They're going to be held accountable," Sveum said. "It's not going to be OK. They won't be able to walk past me in the dugout." Bench coach Jamie Quirk said he's heard from a few fans about lackadaisical play on past Cubs teams. "It's not going to happen," Quirk said, forcefully. Sveum has talked to several of the core players at length and also met some of the Cubs at a minicamp in Mesa, Ariz., in the first week of January. David DeJesus, Ian Stewart and Marlon Byrd were among the players who worked out with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo at that time. Sveum said he was impressed at how quickly president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer filled their wish list. In two months, they added more depth to the starting pitching with Travis Wood, Chris Volstad and Paul Maholm, added future left-hander power with Anthony Rizzo and became more athletic with DeJesus and Stewart. He also dismissed talk that the Cubs are rebuilding. "The plan is to win right now," Sveum said. "The long-term plan starts right now. We're not rebuilding, we're building." Rumors connecting the Cubs to free agent Prince Fielder wouldn't go away. A fan asked Sveum about the possibility the Brewers first baseman could be reunited with his former hitting coach. "It's just not going to happen," Sveum said. "We have Bryan LaHair and Rizzo waiting in the wings." Ricketts happy Wood staying with Cubs CHICAGO -- Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said he talked to Theo Epstein, president of baseball operations, often during negotiations with Kerry Wood's agents. "We talked about what was best for the organization and this is it," Ricketts said Saturday, one day after Wood signed a one-year, $3 million deal to stay with the Cubs. Wood was considering other teams. "In the end, it works out great," Ricketts said, "and this is what everybody wanted, every fan, everybody in the organization and also Kerry. He had a lot of offers. He could be in another city if that was his decision. From our standpoint, we're happy that he wants to stay with the Cubs." Wood, 34, was drafted by the Cubs when he was 17 and has played all but two seasons -- 2009 and '10 - - with Chicago. "I assume that going into the future, Kerry will always be part of the Cubs organization," Ricketts said. Santo remembered at Convention session CHICAGO -- At the Cubs Convention, Ron Santo's wife, Vicki, his son, Ron Santo Jr., and former teammates Randy Hundley, Glenn Beckert and Billy Williams talked about the late third baseman, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in December. The Grand Ballroom was standing room only for the session. "I know right now he's enjoying it," Williams said of Santo, who died in December 2010. "He isn't clicking his heels -- he's pounding his fist." All agreed they were sad that the news came after Santo had passed. "Ronnie would've been happier than anybody who's ever been elected to the Hall of Fame," said WGN Radio's Pat Hughes, who was Santo's partner for 15 years and the master of ceremonies of the session. Vicki Santo will deliver the speech in honor of her husband in the induction ceremonies at Cooperstown on July 22. Extra bases • DeJesus is the leading candidate to lead off for the Cubs but Sveum said he's considering using Tony Campana in certain matchups. • During a question-and-answer session in which kids were the reporters, Campana was the star. Nearly every question was directed to the speedy outfielder, which prompted Reed Johnson to ask the kids if they did that because the 5-foot-8 Campana was the same size as they were. Campana, by the way, would have liked to have been an astronaut if he weren't playing baseball. • New pitching coach Chris Bosio said he expects the pitchers to be prepared, dictate the tempo of the game and throw strikes. "We're going to turn Wrigley Field into a home-field advantage, hopefully like they've never seen before," he said. • The Cubs have not asked for more night games but would like more flexibility with the schedule so they could have a late game on a Friday after a road trip, Ricketts said. -- Tribune Cubs to play with an edge Sveum says club will play with vim and vinegar By: Paul Sullivan It will take weeks for the 2012 Cubs to get to know each other, but new manager Dale Sveum is certain his team eventually will forge an identity fans will enjoy. Sveum is not looking for a "vanilla" team, but one with the ability to "irritate" its opponents. "Sometimes a team does need some identity to irritate the other team," Sveum said Saturday at the Cubs Convention after a fan asked about Nyjer Morgan's "obnoxious" antics in Milwaukee. "You have to have some cockiness on the field. Nyjer might have taken things a little far sometimes, but Nyjer was a great guy, probably one of the quietest, nicest guys in the world. But when you cross that line, he came to play. "It's very important for the team on the other side to say, 'Wow, these guys come to play.' "You never show the other team up, but when you come to the plate … it makes a big difference to have some guys with personality and showing some emotion." Sveum, President Theo Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer and the Ricketts family were among those fans grilled Saturday at the Hilton Chicago. Wrigley updates: The Cubs will introduce a new patio deck in the far right-field bleachers and a 75-foot LED board above the outfield wall. Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts said the team is hoping to get the city to relax the ban on Friday night games and that there are no long-term plans yet for the McDonald's parcel of land on Clark Street that the team purchased last month. "We just decided that property in Wrigleyville doesn't come up for sale that often," Ricketts said. "One of the things the previous ownership maybe missed out on was (buying) some of the land to better control the environment around the park. For this season, what you can expect is something pretty cool on the south end of that lot, and the McDonald's will stay. … All of our long-term remodeling strategies have to be conditioned on first getting sure we can get Wrigley fixed up." Santo memories: One of the best-received question-and-answer sessions was devoted to memories of Ron Santo, which featured his wife, Vicki, his son, Ron Jr., and former teammates Glenn Beckert, Billy Williams and Randy Hundley.