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Cubs Break Ground on Renovation of 100-Year-Old Wrigley Field

By Mina Bloom | October 11, 2014 2:12pm | Updated on October 13, 2014 8:36am
  On Saturday, Cubs representatives and public officials officially broke ground on the $575 million project.
Wrigley Field Ground Breaking
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WRIGLEYVILLE —  When the Wrigley Field renovation project is completed, the curse on the Cubs will be broken, according to lifelong fan Trudy Achaetel.

"I know for sure," said Achaetel, an Andersonville resident decked out in Cubs gear Saturday. "I feel it. But win, lose or draw, I'll be here."

Achaetel, who calls herself "just a fan," twirled around on the pitcher's mound at the ballpark Saturday morning, saying "I'm worse than a 2-year-old, I'm so excited." 

Her excitement was shared by public officials, Cubs executives, former players and other community members, all of whom convened at the ballpark Saturday to officially break ground on the $575 million project.

Though the first phase of construction started a couple of weeks ago, team representatives used the ground-breaking ceremony to share tales of the ballpark's history, and to explain why its facilities - famously panned by former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who complained the rats were as big as pigs - were due for an upgrade.

Cubs' president Theo Epstein said there is no batting cage in the "charming, but very old" clubhouse.

"When pinch hitters have to come into the game, [during] a key at-bat with the game on the line in the late innings, they’re literally taking a batting tee off the top of a refrigerator in the middle of the clubhouse, putting it down [and] rolling down a net so that other players that are walking by are safe," Epstein said. "We put up plywood up in front of the TV to make sure it didn't break."

That’s how we did it in junior high," said Epstein, who was joined by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts and his sister Laura, Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) and Patrick O'Connor (40th), Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, former Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood and other Cubs executives.

Wood, who starred for the Cubs from 1998 to 2008, and again from 2011-2012, said he remembered sitting in a leaky clubhouse.

"Every time it rained for more than 30 minutes, all of my clothes got wet and my fan mail was sealed shut," Wood said.

"But I know how good I had it when I came in," he said. "New players have an opportunity here to do something special and be a part of something special. It starts today, it starts with this exciting moment of stepping into the next generation of players and Cubs families."

The four-year plan will be rolled out in four separate phases, including revamping player facilities.

The first phase, which is currently underway, includes expanding the bleachersdespite the lawsuit filed by the Wrigleyville Rooftop Associationand building five outfield signs and two video screens. The left field video screen will be 3,900 square feet, while the one in right field will be 2,400 square feet.

When portions of Waveland and Sheffield Avenue alongside Wrigley were closed about two weeks ago, tourists were left disappointed by the lack of mobility.

"It was necessary to close these streets in the initial phase to accommodate work on the Budweiser Bleachers," according to Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) in a newsletter. "These street closures will remain in effect until construction on this portion of the ballpark concludes."

Residents should expect construction between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the week and on some weekends, he said.

He promised crews will adhere to the city's noise limitations.

The baseball organization is also "committed" to snow removal when winter hits to ensure that residents can use the alley between Kenmore and Seminary avenues to better navigate the construction, he said.

Wrigleyville resident Donald Craig, 73 isn't bothered by the construction, which he called "overdue."

"When the Tribune owned [Wrigley], they never did anything," said Craig, who has lived in Lakeview since 1970 and has been going to games since he was a kid. "The Ricketts family has a strong interest in the Cubs, and in the community."

And he said local business owners he's talked to are excited because the updated ballpark will bring even more people to the neighborhood.

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.

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