Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts said he is aggravated that the proposed Toyota sign that the team wants to erect in the left field bleachers has generated so much controversy, considering that his family has already invested $10 million in repairs and maintenance at Wrigley Field.

Ricketts, in a meeting Friday with the Chicago Tribune's editorial board, even suggested that the family's future investment in projects in the Wrigleyville community hinges on the approval of the sign. The family bought the team and stadium from Tribune Co., parent of the Chicago Tribune, last fall in a deal valued at $845 million.
Ricketts is trying to diffuse some of the opposition to the 360 square-foot, illuminated sign ahead of the May 6 meeting of the city's Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Because Wrigley Field, built in 1914, is an official Chicago landmark, any alterations usually have to be reviewed by the commission. The sign is expected to be on next week's commission agenda.

The approval process has not gone as smoothly as Ricketts would have liked for what he considers an "innocuous" sign that he says could be worth more than $2 million to the ballpark and the team over the next three years. The team had expected to have the sign approved and in place earlier this month, when the Cubs opened the 2010 season.

Any changes to Wrigley Field stir debate but advertising more than most because fans and baseball purists object to the over commercialization of what many consider a shrine to the sport. The Toyota logo would be more conspicuous than other signage at the ballpark. The top of the sign would rise some 40 feet above the back of the bleachers. Preservationists have said the vertical sign would interrupt the sweeping contour of the bleachers and stick out like a "sore thumb."

Ricketts said the sign is tasteful and does not alter the design or character of the stadium. "It's not a billboard," he said.

Critics concerned with neighborhood vistas from the field, he said, should note that the rooftops have obscured views of the neighborhood and Lake Michigan.

He also made an economic argument for the sign, something he has done in other recent meetings in the Chicago area. The sponsorship revenue will go towards investing in Wrigley infrastructure and repairs and free up other resources for baseball operations, he said.

"We intend to preserve Wrigley Field," Ricketts said. He later added that no one complained about the money the family spent during the off-season renovating the ballpark. He said much of the investment was in bricks and mortar that did not generate additional revenue.

Ricketts singled out one person for stirring up much of the opposition to the sign: Tom Gramatis, who operates three rooftop clubs on Sheffield Avenue. Gramatis also owns an apartment building on Waveland Avenue that features and advertisement for the Horseshoe casino on its roof. The Toyota sign would partially obstruct the view of the ad from inside the stadium.

Gramatis belongs to a small group called the Wrigley Rooftop Association that opposes the sign, saying it would violate the ballpark's landmark features. The group issued a satirical video last week, which shows advertising signs popping up all over Wrigley Field's ivy-covered walls and around its centerfield scoreboard.

Ricketts said Gramatis wants to stop the sign because he would like to someday build rooftop seats on his Waveland Avenue apartment building.

"If the way this works in the city --- that one guys can stop a sign --- then let's find out now," Ricketts said. "I have a lot of other dollars that can be invested in Wrigleyville, or not."

Gramatis was not immediately available to comment. Rob Nash, a spokesman for the rooftop association, said the group is concerned that the Toyota sign may be the first of many. More signs in the outfield would threaten the livelihood of rooftop owners.

But Ricketts said the family has no intentions of installing other signs along the outfield. The rooftop owners and the Cubs have a revenue-sharing agreement until 2023, which is an incentive to the team to not destroy the views from the perches.

_________________
favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

Screw the sign. Worry about the fucking baseball team & the horseshit GM & Manager. Lets hope this misery ends at the all star break.

_________________
CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

I'm okay with this. He realizes the money that could be made with Wrigley and is probably already sick of the people who want to preserve the park that's never seen a world series champion.

I do doubt that if he doesn't get the sign that absolutely no money would go into the Wrigley, just him attempting to strong hand the negotiations a bit.

_________________
Team Cutler.

FUCK THESE ROOFTOP OWNERS.

_________________
There goes one over the fence..Tru Link Fence..Beauty, Privacy Security....Call Tru Link.
Murph's Union 76 Truck Stop....A great Thanksgiving Tradition!!!!

WOO LIFE!!!!

I suppose I just could have said that. Well done, Bob

_________________
Team Cutler.

FUCK THE ALDERMAN...FUCK THESE NO LIFE "TRADITIONALISTS"....FUCK THE ROOF TOP OWNERS...FUCK THE HORSESHOE CASINO SIGN AND THE OWNER OF THAT BUILDING...

TOM RICKETTS OWNS THE CUBS AND THE BALLPARK..IT IS NOT SOME SACRED PUBLIC TRUST...IT IS HIS PLAYPEN...WHERE DO THESE FANS GET OFF THINKING THEY HAVE A LEGAL INTEREST IN THE CUBS OR THEIR BALLPARK.....
IF CUB FANS DON'T LIKE RICKETTS OR HIS SIGN...GO TO BREWERS GAMES...GROW THE FUCK UP...

_________________
There goes one over the fence..Tru Link Fence..Beauty, Privacy Security....Call Tru Link.
Murph's Union 76 Truck Stop....A great Thanksgiving Tradition!!!!

WOO LIFE!!!!

Come on JimmyPasta....dont you see this is fucking awesome! This guy is a business man and he will play the chicago politics....but it doesn't look like he wants to bend over and take it up the ass from the neighborhood and local alderman. After all, if they are going to make him jump through hoops to try and get a sign placed that raises revenue for his business & his team...then yeah...he could very well say FU and choose to invest his dollars elsewhere.

You act like he is being a prick or something when everyone knows how wrigley fucking field is treated. Limited night games, limited signs, everybody & their brother having to approve any little changes, etc..

_________________
Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

this is a quality post, and i agree with every word of it.

_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

I never thought I would agree more with a Sox fan on this issue than the majority of Cubs fans. Well said Bob.

_________________

Okay, well, you're wrong, is the thing. HOLY SHIT, TWO MILLION OVER THREE YEARS. You know how else you can make two million dollars in three years? Don't employ Aaron Miles.

Who could've imagined? The Tribune had more respect for us than Tommy Bleachers does, trying to strongarm the city into letting him blight a historical site like this. The Trib gave us night baseball and cheap shitty teams. Tommy's giving us a Toyota billboard and an expensive shitty team. What a little pissant.

_________________

FUCK THESE CUB OWNERS.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

Why?

_________________

Why?[/quote]

Same reason we fuck the rooftop owners I guess. What did Tom Ricketts ever do for you?

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

Same reason we fuck the rooftop owners I guess. What did Tom Ricketts ever do for you?[/quote]

Nothing. But I am not going to rush to condemn a guy 3 months into his ownership

_________________

Well, you can see the writing on the wall. This guy doesn't give a fuck about the product on the field. He's clearly trying to exploit every possible revenue stream. He'll soon have PSLs in place. He's making a big chunk off rooftops just like the Tribune did. You may say, "good for him". Whatever. I don't really care. I hardly ever set foot in that place. But I don't see why anyone thinks a guy who has a rooftop is worse than the piggish Cubs.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

This is all that I really care about from the Cubs owner and you may be right but the jury is still out. If he manages to win a World Series by design or happy accident he will be my hero.

_________________

The guy spent a ton of money buying this team and now he's being hamstrung by politicians that want to tell him what he can and cannot do with his own ballpark. HE OWNS the damn park. He should be able to do as he wishes. It's just a bunch of assholes looking for a payoff, or their own best interests (rooftop views). he should say "Fuck You Chicago and go build a ballpark in the suburbs. They would draw just as well and he wouldn't have to deal with all the bullshit. While you're at it Tom, install a retractable roof for days when it's raining or real cold....I know this is not realistic, but boy it has to be tempting to Ricketts. After all, the cost to fix the old park VS building a new one, can't be all that much more in the end. It would be hilarious to see all those rooftop owners, bar and resturant owners, all in a panic....oh no Mr Ricketts, you can put up all the signs you want....you can play all night games...just don't leave us....

_________________
Go Cubs!!!!

THE PARK IS FINE. ITS THE BALLCLUB THAT NEEDS ATTENTION! Cub fans spent 20 years ripping on the Tribune company. Now Ricketts buys he team & he cant do any wrong? This guy has to earn his stripes like everyone else. So far, he hasn't said or done anything that is related to the team, choosing instead to focus on the ball park. Wrigley Field is NOT where Ricketts should be focusing his time & effort. The Cubs aren't hurting or cash. The problem is they have a fucking dumbass like Hendry throwing money around like craze. New bathrooms, better food, & signage arent going to improve the team.

_________________
CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

This.

Steve is absolutely right the special interests around Wrigley think they are more important than they really are......

_________________

Well said.

_________________

Is wrong. The Brand couldn't be more wrong on that if he were sharing his thoughts on Mexicans in Arizona. He didn't buy a fucking tract house in Hoffman Estates. He bought Wrigley Field. He cannot do whatever the hell he wants with it, and not because of bleary-eyed nostalgics but because it's illegal to make certain modifications to a landmark. This isn't anything new. Why can't we have a healthy symbiotic relationship between the team and the neighborhood? Neither is shit without the other. Take the Cubs out of Wrigleyville and it's nothing special. Take Wrigley away from the Cubs and they're the Texas Rangers in pinstripes. It frustrates the hell out of me that these people can't work together.

Past a certain point, "monetizing" (ugh, this is the motherfucker of all words, isn't it?) Wrigley Field is squeezing blood from a stone. You'll get the gate, concessions, broadcast rights, you'll get your fair share of the rooftops, but you just can't do certain things, and this neon sign is one. Selling naming rights is another. If you can't deal with that, you shouldn't have bought the Cubs.

Oh well, I'll just enjoy the big Toyota sign as I watch the Cubs battle the Sox for the BP Crosstown Cup. Maybe if the Cubs win it, they'll get to dump a million gallons of crude oil on Comiskey Park and royally piss off Roger Bossard. Year One!

_________________

Quote--Why can't we have a healthy symbiotic relationship between the team and the neighborhood? Neither is shit without the other. Take the Cubs out of Wrigleyville and it's nothing special. It frustrates the hell out of me that these people can't work together.

This is an awesome question that nobody will be able to answer. Unless the answer is stubborn people and money.

_________________

Thank you, Mr Hair, that gave me a belly laugh...then followed by an Aaron Miles gag reflex. Hendry has to fucking go.

_________________
We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Unlike the White Sox, the Cubs are an economic engine for the City...They sell tickets...they pay taxes...they fill restaurants and hotel rooms....THE CUBS ARE A BIG ASSET FOR THE CITY OF CHICAGO.....
Fuck this Daley stooge Alderman Tunney....Fuck these self important DOUCHEBAGS who live in RICKETTSVILLE.....that ballpark was there long before they were born...
Bring back the Latin Eagles street gang which ran the neighborhood in the 1970s to give these whiney yuppies something to shit their pants about.

_________________
There goes one over the fence..Tru Link Fence..Beauty, Privacy Security....Call Tru Link.
Murph's Union 76 Truck Stop....A great Thanksgiving Tradition!!!!

WOO LIFE!!!!

FUCK JERRY REINSDORF......NICE FARM SYSTEM...NICE PAYROLL.... SOX PAYROLL A COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY.....NICE MESS WITH THE BULLS....THE REINSDORF-WILLIAMS-GUILLEN-HARRELSON CIRCUS IS STALE.

_________________
There goes one over the fence..Tru Link Fence..Beauty, Privacy Security....Call Tru Link.
Murph's Union 76 Truck Stop....A great Thanksgiving Tradition!!!!

WOO LIFE!!!!

You sound like a stealth Cub fan too, Bob. How can it be that you're supposedly this great White Sox fan, yet you have absolutely nothing good to say about them and you can wax poetic about the GREAT ECONOMIC ENGINE that the Cubs are? And Reinsdorf- the only guy who has brought a championship to Chicago in any sport- is a complete asshole in your book, but this trust fund retard- who actually is from HOOTERVILLE- frat boys it up in the bleachers twenty years ago and now gets his daddy to buy him the team as a toy and he's the greatest owner in sports. Guess what? That neighborhood was there before Wrigley Field and it will be there after it's gone. And Ricketts will play his part in killing the golden goose.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

The White Sox piss me off with their consistent inconsistency....Only a public relations DISASTER like Jerry Reinsdorf could WIN A WORLD SERIES in this town and kill the good vibe.

I never said Ricketts was the greatest owner in sports.
It is his ballpark and his team...it doesn't belong to this teary eyed band of goofy fans and neighborhood dorks.
Ricketts is going to run this like a business.....He isn't going to have a payroll like the Yankees.

I just can't see how a White Sox fan just can sit back and dwell on 2005 anymore....I've got all the papers and ticket stubs framed..they are in the basement....WHAT ABOUT NOW???

This Hooterville attitude about being Thankful for all eternity for winning once in a blue moon is BULLSHIT.

They CHARGE us MONEY to watch their product...and their products are usually shit.

If these franchises are 'Trying to Win", they should try harder and SMARTER!!!!

The area around Wrigley Field is FUN...Bars and restaurants everywhere....and EVERYONE FEELS WELCOMED at those establishments.....
It isn't like going into some of those Bridgeport joints where two dumb fuck Streets and San workers are sitting at the bar eyeballing everyone who walks in making them feel uncomfortable with the 'Who sent ya" attitude.

_________________
There goes one over the fence..Tru Link Fence..Beauty, Privacy Security....Call Tru Link.
Murph's Union 76 Truck Stop....A great Thanksgiving Tradition!!!!

WOO LIFE!!!!

Joe Orr.....remember those dumb ass Sox radio spots with that Douchebag talking about eating hot dogs while his wife stared at the asses of Sox Players?
That was just precious....I'm sure that sold a boatload of seats!!!!
Seems the best way to get a job in the White Sox organization was to get strangled by Jimmy Piersall...Rob Gallas went from mediocre sportswriter to White Sox marketing director!!!!

_________________
There goes one over the fence..Tru Link Fence..Beauty, Privacy Security....Call Tru Link.
Murph's Union 76 Truck Stop....A great Thanksgiving Tradition!!!!

WOO LIFE!!!!