Northern Star Online: Wrigley Field hosts losing tradition

The whole idea of a “traditional ballpark” that Ms. Alberti describes in Thursday’s letter to the editor is just a poor excuse to keep an aging and deteriorating ballpark. The only reason “Cubs fans” hold the park in such high regard is likely because having the second-oldest stadium in the Major Leagues is the only real noteworthy point for the team.

I have to use the term “Cubs fan” pretty lightly. A little over a month ago, the Chicago Sun-Times took a poll of these so-called “fans” about whether they would still attend games if current owner Sam Zell would sell the naming rights to Wrigley Field. A resounding 53 percent stated they would stop going to games if it became the “Ballpark formerly known as Wrigley.” It’s amazing that 3,123,215 of these “fans” still attended games during the impressive 2006 season where the Cubs amassed 66 wins to secure the bottom spot in the National League. It would seem to me that the quality of play on the field is held to lower importance than the name on the outside of the stadium.

But the issue goes well beyond that. When most people bring up all the problems with Wrigley, they generally revolve around the lack of parking, lack of fan amenities or the aging infrastructure, but there are problems that most people don’t see. For one, the playing field at Wrigley was widely considered the worst in the majors. Problems ranged from poor drainage, lumpy surface and the “crown” on the field, which had players running up and down hill on their way around the bases. It actually wasn’t until this off-season that White Sox head groundskeeper, Roger Bossard, was brought in by the Cubs to bring the field up to date.

Yet there’s more. The clubhouse at Wrigley also has a bad reputation. The locker rooms are tiny and the route to the dugout could best be described as a “labyrinth.” While with the Houston Astros, Andy Pettite said, “It’s the worst clubhouse in the league.”

But, hey, you can keep your “traditional ballpark.” It goes well with your tradition of losing.

Matthew Fagan
Senior, computer science