A couple weeks ago spent some time with a Cubs rep about everything going on. As a Season ticket holder and resident, they basically tried to recruit me (And others) to help push the deal (the one they got approved) through the Alderman and city Council.

The Cubs hired a company to spend time with residents/season ticket holders to get the feedback and how they could get these people to support them.

They even had a pot luck dinner. yes, a real, you bring something for everyone to eat and then talk about the park and the organization.

I skipped the pot luck but did get my 30 minutes with the Cub rep.

1. Not happy that it took Tommy 2 years to point things in the right direction, as he had 2 years of due diligence before that to figure it out. So, the fact I paid for his education as a baseball owner, leaves a bad taste in my mouth right now, but lets move on.

2. I support most everything they are doing to the park, but the plans have been terrible and the process has been too long. Going back to point 1, learning on who has crewed this up should have included Crane Kenny and to keep him around was a mistake. Became apparent as he is no longer heard from.

3. Lost my active support when a rezoning notice came to me in the mail about the parking garage on Eddy being destroyed and rebuilt with offices and more parking. felt like this was done last second, gave nobody notice. Putting an entire set of offices on a side street is going to limit parking in front of my place. I am talking about non game days. How many employees will be working there:? how many cars? 100? 10? Etc? Was just a weasel move done at the last second that got no attention.

4. 100% for Video Scoreboard, Tough shit rooftop owners and not happy with Alderman just fighting for them and the other bullshit he negotiated with Lake View citizens council for things like $500K donation to playground at School and Racine? Thats like 6 blocks away and a park that has nothing to do with any of this? Except got some of my alleged community leaders to vote for the cubs? come on!

5. regarding the on field stuff. I am saying I bought in. Get all the picks you can, trade everyone, develop guys trade them. Now tell me a better time frame and what you plan to do. You have had 2+ years to get a hold of this stuff and now it is time to tell me more of what I can expect and when. Having no direction is what frustrates fans. This doesnt mean I need an exact date of when the World Series parade will be, but I want to know if 2014 will be the same as 2103. Sign 2 or 3 Feldmans, hope 1 or 2 has the bounceback and trade them?

6. Robinson Cano! yes, Cano. I know he is 30, but to give me a power hitting 2B, would be great. He has 5 solid years left. Give me a solid vet for 5 years! $75 Mill 5 years. Pay up. then we can ship the BarneyWatkins deal out the door.

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Since the Dodgers are basically printing their own money with their TV deal he will get 100 or more depending on how stupid they want to be.

_________________
That's my purse! I don't know you!

I forgot to fill out the survey and meet with my rep. Props to you bf for staying active in this. Agree with everything you said, except for number six. You're right in theory. But Cano is going to get a 7 yr/$150 million deal type of deal. They don't seem to be ready for that type of deal yet.

However, Choo, Beltran, and Corey Hart are all FAs and would be great fits for RF. Beltran is obviously a short-term option and all three guys are on the wrong side of 30. But, wouldn't this OF be better with Lake/Schierholtz in left, DeJesus in center, and one of those options in right?

Right.

Plus they need to be planning spots for prospects likely starting in 2014. Baez is likely to start playing some games at 2nd and 3rd

_________________
Team Cutler.

Guys, I have a great idea. How about we give Bryce Harper and Mike Trout 5 year/$100 Million deals?

Get on it, Theo!!

_________________

He needs to go to 3rd. He has a cannon......just has to get the aim down.

_________________
That's my purse! I don't know you!

I have a feeling the starting third baseman in 2014 will be either Valbuena or Olt. I just hope Baez or Bryant push for a call-up by the All-Star break.

The jumbotron is the worst, and I don't even care about the rooftop owners. Kiss cam, smile cam, three card monty with a baseball and three cubs hats, etc. Every jumbo tron I've seen at a baseball stadium is just there to be annoyingly loud and sell ads between innings with inane sponsorships and contests.

It should be for player pics/stats, action replays and around the league highlights only. No stupid cartoon horse race around the field bullshit.

_________________
That's my purse! I don't know you!

Cano may be the Soriano of 5 years ago. Not sure you want to eat that giant contract.

_________________

Agreed.

Who's ever heard of a "jumbotron" that shows ads anyway? I mean, all this shit works for free, so it's not like they'd make more money to pay players with or something.

_________________
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

While it probably is a good time to jump ship on the Yankees (they look ooooold), he isn't doing it to come to the Cubs.

Spend your money on pitching.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Why didn't you ask? There had to have been some kind of meeting on this, no? If not, you can't complain in one hand Rickett's has been too nice and naive with maneuvering Chicago politics/building. And then in the next complain he pulled a weasel move.

I'm going to guess that the people working in the offices will be parking in the expanded parking garage. The customers will have parking in there, as well, I assume. Seems pretty obvious.

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=40807&p=667765#p667761

_________________

No thanks on Cano

Too much money. Though having a guy hit that many homeruns at that position is something I think this front office would value.

1- He is a free agent, thus he can be signed, thanks for the Harper and Trout thought though.
2- cano, is playing a position that they dont have a player waiting to take that position and is the best 2B in the business. I agree you might be eating the last year of the deal, but that is how the game is played.
3- I am keeping my jumbotron. Yes Kiss cam, buddy cam, gay cam is too much, but it produces money and I can see a replay!!!

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

While I am not happy with the way it was done, I am not going to lead a revolt against the redevelopment of Wrigley Field. There is not a separate neighborhood meeting for this and because nobody cried to Alderman Tunney, it didnt become an issue.

Looks like it was an afterthought.

Or anyone who does zoning knows, ask for more than you want, then scale it back to what you really want. This might have been a throw in that stuck as it is not that big of a problem.

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Anyone who does not want a Jumbotron needs to go to Fenway.

_________________

Right because the Cubs haven't had the resources to give out huge contracts in the past 5-10 years. This must be the solution. Jumbotron = World Series title, thanks for clearing this up.

I'd like you to quote where I stated that I was for pointless nostalgia...don't look to hard.

Pointless nostalgia is this: "I don't want a jumbotron because that was what Wrigley was like in the 1930's"

Here is what I said: I don't want a jumbotron because the endless overbearing contests, cams, ads, and other nonesense which runs ad unfettered between innings ruins the game experience.

I would also like you to point out where I said I hate businesses that make money...don't look to hard.

You're the reverse of a meatball fan, just because you don't agree with someone, you paint their opinions and thoughts along the same lines of a majority of people who might be against what you are for.

I'd rather the Cubs take that 75 mil and go get about 4-7 guys that can help the team get better in 2014.

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

@ spmack ..... as is often the case ......

_________________
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 guess this gets to my point. One of the best things about a live baseball game is getting to bs with your buds between innings, but in my experience the volume for the cams, ads, contests between innings is at an overload level. It is at the point where if someone is not next to you a conversation is difficult, if not impossible and at times it is hard to hear the person next to you depending on the volume/obnoxiousness level of the particular cam/ad/contest.

How about both. Concurrently.

_________________
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

No, if you've been following the conversation, the problem is with the volume of the jumbotron and the associated cams/contests/ads, that is where the control issue is.

Cute book though, you should look into a similar book on reading comprehension for your own benefit.

I go to most games these days at Minute Maid Park, so the roof being closed probably has something do to with the sometimes overwhelming volume, although I still have to assume that they could adjust the volume down considerably when the roof is closed.

More to the point I was making earlier is that if I try to carry on a conversation between innings it's difficult at best. I'm not trying to say it is jet engine loud in there, but the majority of the time you have to use an elevated voice level just for normal conversation.

Look, I can understand that you have some superhuman ear canal that allows you to modify the intake of soundwaves thereby tuning out the volume, but some people don't. Remember in a conversation both people generally have to be heard, so yeah, when me and my 30 something buddies go to a game, we can generally communicate over the stupid jumbotron garbage, but say I take my father or father-in-law to the game? Trying to carry on a civil conversation with one of them between innings is almost impossible unless I'm screaming directly into one of their ears.

There is no doubt that is an idea that is being sold by the 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

Not "equals" WS, but the added revenue helps get you closer to a WS.

Boom!

_________________