Wrigley Renovations on Track

The latest renovations of Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, are on track and will be ready in time for the team’s home opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 8.  Among the most significant upgrades are the new upper-deck concession areas and restrooms, three new clubs inside the park and a new bar where the former Captain Morgan Club/Draft Kings Fantasy Zone was located.  Read more and view over 200 photos here.

Cubs, Pelicans Extend PDC

PRESS RELEASE – The Chicago Cubs today announced the organization has agreed on a two-year Player Development Contract extension with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans through the 2022 season. The announcement also included extensions for Triple-A Iowa, Double-A Tennessee, and Single-A South Bend. Single-A Eugene signed a four-year extension through 2022, announced this past August.

Cubs, Gallagher Insurance Announce Partnership

Multi-year strategic partnership between the Chicago Cubs and Gallagher Insurance includes naming rights to “Gallagher Way,” iconic Wrigley Field’s Western Gate, Left Field Bullpen Door and Videoboard Feature sponsoring late inning insurance runs.  Gallagher to become Cubs’ official insurance brokerage, benefits and risk management services partner.  Read more here and here.

Assessing Neighborhood, Downtown and Suburban Locations for MLB Teams

There are just a handful of Major League Baseball teams that have maintained a strong neighborhood association and identity.  Read more here.

New TV Pilot ‘Vendors’ Inspired by Experiences at Wrigley Field, ‘Scrubs’

Actor/Director Joel Murray was in Chicago directing a half-hour indie TV pilot called “Vendors,” about a guy who loses his job and his girlfriend and ends up back at his old stomping grounds, working as a vendor at a baseball stadium.  The pilot was shot at Northwestern Medicine Field, home of the Kane County Cougars (Single-A, Midwest League), as well as other locations in Chicago.  Read more here, here, and here.

Chef Series to Dish Up Gourmet Ballpark Food at Wrigley

The Chicago Cubs are calling in a new lineup that will serve up more than just peanuts and Cracker Jack.  To lead their Chef Series for the next three months, the team is bringing in some of Chicago’s best chefs to serve gourmet, ballpark-inspired dishes at Wrigley Field.  Read more here.

Reds Introduce ‘Bandwagon Cam’

Taking a shot at the hordes of Chicago Cubs fans in their ballpark, the Cincinnati Reds introduced the “Bandwagon Cam.”  Read more here.

Marketing the Cubs’ 108-Year-Drought Dream Season

When the Chicago Cubs picked hometown agency Schafer Condon Carter to handle their marketing in 2012, the World Series was nothing but a fever dream as the team hit a low point during pro sports’ longest and most infamous drought.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Comparing the World Series Ballparks

As the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians prepare to meet in Game 1 of the 2016 MLB World Series on Tuesday, Joe Mock from BaseballParks.com has posted his annual comparison of the two ballparks we’ll see in this year’s Fall Classic.  Read more here.  View World Series game schedule here.

Talking Streetcar Transportation to Cubs’ Spring Training Home

Tempe (AZ) Mayor Mark Mitchell said at a recent forum hosted by the Valley Partnership commercial real estate group he would like to see the planned $183 million Streetcar system extended to the Chicago Cubs spring training home in Mesa.  Read more here.

Neighbors Sounds Off Over Cubs’ Giants Patio Proposal

More than 100 people who live near Wrigley Field attended a meeting Tuesday night out of concerns about the Chicago Cubs’ proposal to create a giant patio outside Wrigley Field where alcohol would be served.  Read more here.  Watch background news report here.  View renderings here.

 

Celebrating 75 Years of Ballpark Organ Music

On April 26th 1941 at Wrigley Field, Ray Nelson played the first strains of organ music ever heard at a Major League baseball game.  Read more here.

Shops Planned Near Cubs’ Spring-Training Ballpark

After a sluggish start that eventually led the developer to tear down storefronts at Mesa Riverview, the massive shopping center near the Chicago Cubs’ spring-training park in Mesa (AZ) is trading bulldozers for construction crews.  Read more and view renderings here.

Baseball Magazine Peddler Outside Wrigley Gets Reprieve

An appeals court in Chicago says a one-man publisher can sell his baseball magazine on a sidewalk just outside Wrigley Field after all. Read more here.

Rosemont (IL) Reveals Plans for American Association Ballpark

Under plans revealed Tuesday by Rosemont (IL) Mayor Brad Stephens, a new American Association baseball franchise would take up residence at proposed $50-$60 million, 7,000-seat baseball stadium in 2018.  The preliminary site plan was developed by Minneapolis-based Snow Kreilich Architects, which designed CHS Field, home of the league’s St. Paul Saints.  Read more here.

Rendering by Snow Kreilich Architects

Wrigley Video Board Makes Debut

The new video board at Wrigley Field made its debut in Sunday night’s opening game against the St. Louis Cardinals, bringing high-tech to the Friendly Confines without the disruptive jolt feared by baseball traditionalists — at least according to one architecture critic.  Read more and view photos here.  View pre-game Facebook photo here.

Ernie Banks….Thanks for the Memories

John Dittrich

It was April of 1974. I was just a 23 year-old kid fresh out of college and only weeks into my first ever baseball job as Assistant to the President of the Texas League, Bobby Bragan.

South Bend Silver Hawks Now ‘South Bend Cubs’

PRESS RELEASE – The Class A minor league baseball team playing out of Four Winds Field in downtown South Bend has changed its name. The announcement was made official by Andrew Berlin, sole owner of the team who was joined by the President of the South Bend team and top management from the Chicago Cubs in a press conference held early today at the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce.

Wrigley Renovations Set to Begin

Wrigley Field will never be the same again. After months of negotiation and legal challenges, the Chicago Cubs are set to begin the $575 million renovation of the Friendly Confines.  Read more here.  Watch news report here.

Silver Hawks Going Natural, Sign PDC with Cubs

The Single-A South Bend Silver Hawks (Midwest League) are converting the playing surface at Four Winds Field from artificial turf to natural grass, as the franchise begins a new affiliation with the Chicago Cubs.  Read more here.  Watch the removal in action here.

Rooftop Owners Sue Over Wrigley Improvements

Owners of the rooftop clubs near Wrigley Field sued the city Thursday, seeking to block a city-backed plan that will allow the Cubs to expand the aging ballpark.  Read more here

Ballpark Quirks: Wrigley Field’s Brick and Ivy Outfield Wall

In a series called “Ballpark Quirks,” Sports Illustrated takes a look at the distinctive features and oddities that make up each of MLB’s 30 parks. Up now: Wrigley Field’s brick and ivy outfield wall.  Read more and view photos here.

Cubs Score Victory with Landmarks Commission

The Chicago Cubs have taken a step toward with their plan to renovate Wrigley Field, as the city’s landmarks commission on Thursday signed off on a project that includes a second video board, outfield signs as big as 650 square feet, light standards in the outfield and seats replacing the current bullpens down the foul lines.  Read more and watch news report here.  Read more here.

Wrigley Renovations on Deck July 10, Rooftop Owners Agree Not to Sue If…

The Chicago Cubs are on the July 10 agenda for the Commission on Chicago Landmarks and expect to win approval for their revised plan to renovate Wrigley Field, including seven outfield signs — two of them video scoreboards.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.  Meanwhile, the rooftop owners have agreed not to sue if only two signs are erected.  Read more here.

Cubs Positioning Self Against Rooftop Owners

The Chicago Cubs released a revised plan for Wrigley Field’s renovation Tuesday that calls for new signs, including some that would block the view from nearby rooftop venues, and warn that the team’s management would consider moving to another site if they are not allowed to control their ballpark.  Read more here.  Watch video from Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts.  Go to WrigleyField.com.

Wrigley Field renovation rendering, Chicago Cubs Facebook page

Going Back to the 30s at Wrigley Field May 16-21

Wrigley Field will celebrate the 1930s during the next Cubs homestand, and the landmark marquee will return to its original green color with gold trim.  The festivities are part of Wrigley Field’s 100th anniversary party.  Read more and watch video here.  Read press release here.

And Wrigley Field Turns 100!

It was Happy 100th Birthday for Wrigley Field on Wednesday, and according to first-hand accounts shared with us and all the news reports, the celebration did not disappoint.  Read more and watch fans singing “Happy Birthday” here.  Read more about the day and check out the Cubs chairman gushing in the broadcast booth.  Still can’t get enough?  Read the “Friendly Confines Still a Baseball Mecca” by Joe Mock via USA TODAY Sports.  Bring back memories by checking out Mock’s top 13 moments in Wrigley Field history and photo gallery, also via USA TODAY Sports.

Wrigley Celebrates 100 Years

The celebration of the century kicks off Wednesday as Chicago’s Wrigley Field marks one hundred years.  Read more and watch news report here.

Joe Mock Interviews George Will About His New Wrigley Field Book

While working on an article on Wrigley Field’s long history for USA Today Sports Weekly, Joe Mock from BaseballParks.com interviewed political commentator, Pulitzer Prize winner, and baseball fan George Will, who just released a book on The Friendly Confines entitled A Nice Little Place on the North Side.  Read full interview here.  Read more about Will’s book here.

Did You Know These 10 Things About Wrigley Field?

Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, is turning 100 this year.  Here are 10 things you might not know about the ballpark:  Read more here.

Ballpark Visit ALERT: Cubs Park (Mesa, AZ)

Joe Mock from BaseballParks.com recently visited the new spring-training complex for the Chicago Cubs in Mesa (AZ).  With a whopping 4,600 words and 34 pictures, Mr. Mock’s comprehensive review covers the stadium’s development, design and construction, amenities, concessions, and overall fan experience.  Read more and view photos here.

Cubs Open New Spring Training Facility with Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

The Chicago Cubs unveiled their new Spring Training ballpark in Mesa (AZ) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, ending a five-year project to keep the team in the city.  Read more watch video here.

Cubs to Open New Spring-Training Facility Saturday

The new $99 million spring training complex for the Chicago Cubs in Mesa (AZ) will be opened to the public during an event scheduled for 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25.  The event will include self-guided and trolley tours of Cubs Park and Riverview Park.  Read more here.

Cubs Introduce Mascot

Clark the Cub, the Chicago Cubs’ new kid-friendly mascot, was introduced Monday evening during a visit to Advocate Illinois Masonic’s Pediatric Developmental Center.  Read more and see actual mascot here.  View Twitter photo here.

Clark the Cub, Chicago Cubs Facebook page

It’s ‘Cubs Park’ for Now

The new spring-training facility for the Chicago Cubs in Mesa (AZ) will be known as “Cubs Park” for the time being.  The ballpark is nearing completion and will host its inaugural game on Feb. 27 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The city plans a grand opening of the facility on Jan. 25.  Read more here.  View photo gallery here.

Cubs Lose Radio Guy

WGN-AM 720 said in a statement Wednesday that radio color analyst Keith Moreland is leaving after three seasons to devote more time to his family.  Moreland joined the Chicago Cubs’ radio team with play-by-play broadcaster Pat Hughes in February of 2011.  Read more here.

Signage Test Run at Wrigley Field Fails with Rooftop Owners

The Chicago Cubs on Wednesday briefly raised a mock-up of a 650-square-foot script sign at Wrigley Field as a test run to allay fears of nearby rooftop club owners who don’t want to see their lucrative views of the playing surface blocked by signage.  The rooftop owners were not satisfied.  Read more here.  View photos here.

Ballpark Visit ALERT: New Cubs Spring-Training Facility (Mesa, AZ)

Joe Mock from BaseballParks.com got an exclusive guided tour of the brand-new spring-training complex for the Chicago Cubs that is nearing completion in Mesa (AZ), courtesy of officials from Populous and Hunt Construction.  It’s very cool to get our first look at the new facility.  Thanks, Joe!  Read more and view photos here.

Ballpark Visit ALERT: West Side Grounds (Chicago, IL)

Eric and Wendy Pastore from DigitalBallparks.com take a look at the former West Side Grounds Field (1894-1920), the former home of the Chicago Colts, Orphans and Cubs.  Read more and view photos here.