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Wrigley Field Bleachers Won't Be Ready for Opening Day, Cubs Say

By Ted Cox | January 17, 2015 4:54pm | Updated on January 19, 2015 8:24am
 The Cubs said Saturday Wrigley Field's bleachers won't be ready for the team's first game in April. The left field bleachers will likely be ready in early May, with right field complete later that month.
Wrigley Field construction
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STREETERVILLE — Befitting their name, the Bleacher Bums are out on the street — at least to start the Cubs' upcoming baseball season at the renovated Wrigley Field.

"We will not be ready for opening night," acknowledged Crane Kenney, president of business operations, at the Cubs Convention Saturday at the Sheraton Chicago.

"We always knew this was going to be a challenging project," Kenney said of the first part of the Cubs' five-year, $575 million Wrigley Field renovation, which began at end of last season. The Cubs hoped it would be complete by April 5, when they are slated to open the Major League Baseball season with a nationally televised game on ESPN. Kenney said the left-field bleachers would most likely be ready a month later, in early May, with right field ready later that month.

 The Cubs' President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein said, "2015 isn't going to be ideal in the ballpark for anyone," due to the Wrigley Field rehab project.
The Cubs' President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein said, "2015 isn't going to be ideal in the ballpark for anyone," due to the Wrigley Field rehab project.
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DNAinfo/Ted Cox

"It's not the best time to do construction in the city of Chicago," said Carl Rice, the Cubs' vice president of ballpark operations and head of the rehab project. "Thank ESPN for making it a day earlier," for selecting the opening game for national coverage and moving it up to the previous night.

Kenney announced a "ticket contingency plan" with three options for bleacher season-ticket holders: refunds, relocation to the grandstand or credit granted for buying other tickets.

Earlier in the weekend, on Friday, Theo Epstein, the Cubs' president of baseball operations, had warned the bad news was coming.

"The business side is spending a lot of time focusing on the project and keeping our fans in mind," Epstein said at a media conference Friday. "We know that 2015 is not going to be ideal in the ballpark for anyone — not for the fans, not for the media, not for anyone. It's a means to an end. We think it will be worth it."

Epstein urged "patience," echoed by Kenney on Saturday.

The Cubs will have signs reading "Under Cubstruction: Bear With Us" in some areas of the ballpark. But the grandstand is expected to be ready for the season opener, as is the new 4,000-square-foot video scoreboard in left field, although the new right-field video board, one of six new signs in the bleachers next season, is expected to be delayed.

The left-field scoreboard is expected to have video replays, game statistics and scores and highlights from other games. The right-field video board will encourage fans to keep score, a detail applauded by Cub fans attending the panel Kenney and Rice spoke at Saturday. They also cheered the Cubs' decision to retain Steve Goodman's "Go Cubs Go" as a victory song.

Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts confirmed a Tribune report Saturday saying his family was buying three rooftop buildings across the street from the park. Those buildings are 3639 N. Sheffield Ave., 3643-45 N. Sheffield and 1032-34 W. Waveland St.

Kenney added Saturday that the team's primary concerns were preserving the ballpark and generating revenue, and the Cubs had "moved on" in light of rooftop owners filing suit on having their views potentially blocked.

Kenney emphasized the ultimate concern was getting the ballpark fully ready for play again, saying, "It's up to us and Mother Nature to get it finished."

The Cubs and Wrigley Field are 95 percent owned by a trust established for the benefit of the family of Joe Ricketts, owner and CEO of DNAinfo.com. Joe Ricketts has no direct involvement in the management of the iconic team.