Damn. They're gonna shut down Wrigley Field.

[WilliamPitt]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1863311

Associated Press

CHICAGO -- City officials ordered a new round of inspections at Wrigley Field on Thursday and threatened to block Monday night's game if the team can't prove the ballpark is safe.

The Cubs have until noon Monday to show that 90-year-old Wrigley is safe.

Buildings Commissioner Stan Kaderbek said he ordered the review after a reporter noted during an interview Wednesday that some repairs at the ballpark were "shoddy."

"I said that certainly the reports we received from the Cubs don't indicate that," Kaderbek said, but he said he was concerned enough that he ordered new inspections.

Chunks of concrete have fallen from Wrigley Field's upper deck on at least three occasions since June, forcing stadium officials to install nets to protect Cubs fans and to conduct full inspections of the upper deck and mezzanine levels in July.

Kaderbek said the Cubs have until noon Monday to show that 90-year-old Wrigley is safe.

"If we can't get independent verification, to my satisfaction, that the repairs were made and that they were made correctly, and that it is not an issue of shoddy workmanship, we will not have a game on Monday night at Wrigley Field," he said.

...more...

[Magrittes Pipe]

1. Like any other dive bar...

...it needs to be able to pass inspection.

[VelmaD]

2. I don't know how to feel about this one...

I worry about the old stadiums but as a baseball nut I would be so sad if they had to close Wrigley on a permanent basis because it's just unsafe. :(

I would dearly love to be able to see a game at Wrigley and at Fenway.

[apnu]

4. they've wanted to move the cubbies for years.

and tradition means nothing to those bastards. (but I wouldn't mind if the fans would quit pissing on my front yard)

[Hawkeye-X]

9. I'm glad I got to Wrigley

when my Rockies was in town and I was in Chicago at that time.

That ballpark is truly a classic!

[benburch]

3. Bloody hell

I was a member of C.U.B.S. - Citizens United for Baseball in the Sunshine. We didn't want lights at Wrigley.

Now it appears that we will lose more than the tradition of day-only baseball - We will lose the entire park.

And if they rebuild Wrigley, I can certify to you that it will never be in Wrigleyville. Most likely spot would be far west on Addison near the Expressway.

This sucks.

[madrchsod]

5. it`s about time

the place is crap. it maybe tradition and all but let`s face the fact-it`s fallimg apart. no amount of money and political power is going to keep the park open. build a new park. for those who idolize the park go to the south side and walk around the sox park-for all it`s faults at least the site lines are great,the beer is cheaper,the food is really good,and last but not least the bathrooms are actually modern and somewhat clean. build a new field..but where?

[underpants]

7. Why not take the roof off and make it open air?

They don't play in the rain anyway.

Since you obviously have more personal knowledge than I do I don't mean this as confrontational it's just the first those outside of Chicago have been told what makes perfect sense-anything that old is going to wear out.

[murielm99]

6. This is Chicago politics at its "finest."

The Cubs are owned by the Tribune company. The Tribune is always criticizing Mayor Daley.

This is his way of getting back at them. Daley is not as good at nasty politics as his father, but he is getting the hang of it.

Chicago politics is a spectator sport that is sometimes as interesting as any other sport. (I have a theory that that is why Chicago has poor teams much of the time. The harder they are fighting at city hall, the worse the Chicago sports teams).

Remember all the crap they pulled on Mayor Washington?

Daley is also a Sox fan and a south sider.

I hope he does not shut down Wrigley Field in the middle of the night, the way he did Meigs Field.

The Cubs will have to hire some political advisors if they want to get through this. They CANNOT close Wrigley Field! It is at least half of the reason why people love the Cubs!

[lil-petunia]

11. you got that right

TribCo has been pushing for major revamps and screwing of roofers across the street for years. They knew maintenance was falling and failing, but they wanted to create an emergency in order to push for a new stadium.

Little Big Man is doing his part by listening to a Los Angeles Times REporter (?!?!?) rather than engineering reports.

There is very bad blood between them, though, what with his mafia ties, his aides being arrested and indicted left and right, and his scheming to retain power becoming so obvious.

It is Chicago, though.

[XNASA]

19. Yep. It would not surprise me to find out the Trib is behind all of this.

It's a way to build a new ballpark AND safe face with the fans.

Sneaky, sneaky.

[greatauntoftriplets]

12. We have a winner here!

:thumbsup:

[terrya]

8. Good. Demolish it and build a new stadium somewhere else.

It's clearly falling apart and is a safety hazard. Plus. Do you know how bad the area around Wrigley Field is (Clark and Addison) in terms of traffic? Clark Street is one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city. When there's a Cubs game during the day, traffic is impossible. Wrigley Field was built at a time when the city population was much smaller. It's a local landmark, I know, but it's in a location that's just not sustainable for that kind of traffic. Tear it down, and build a new stadium in the burbs.

[Padraig18]

10. Thank GOD!

That rattle-trap, dinosaur of a ball park should've been closed decades ago!

[Skittles]

13. BLASPHEMY!!!!

I've got a huge picture of Wrigley on my living room wall. SAVE IT!!!!!

[murielm99]

14. No no no no no no

NO!

[Susang]

15. If they can't keep chunks of concrete from nearly killing small children

Then perhaps they should shut it down for awhile. Did you see the size of the rock that almost nailed the kid? If it had hit him, it could have killed him.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. Not Could Have! Would Have!

That thing weighed over 100#. The piece they showed on the news was merely the biggest piece after it shattered on impact with the ground.

The safety people, according the Trib, picked up as much of it as they could and weighed it. IIRC, it was 110# of stuff.
The Professor

[WilliamPitt]

17. .

[Paragon]

18. Not likely.

The stadium is actually cemented together with the power of Cub fans' fanaticism. It will stand forever.