I don't like the Cubs.

Most of you know that.

What none of you know, because none of you know me, is that when I lived in Chicago and even bleeding into my first couple years out here in Oregon, I went out of my way to at least make it to Wrigley Field once a year. I loved the place.

It was such a dump, but dumps can be great. I liked the trough pissers, the bad angles, no videoboard, the obstructed views, the woefully inadequate fan services... all of it was so refreshing. There was no pretention, thats just how it was. Wrigley Field not only makes you feel middle class, but makes you feel proud to be middle class. Like there's some honor in it. "We might not have any money! We might not have any influence! But goddammit this place is beautiful and it's ours!" A little slice of this hellscape country not recognized for its popularity and driven into the ground with corporate marketing bullshit.

I read today that it's already being destroyed. It's going to sanitary, and safe, and modern. I guess that makes sense for some people, it appeals to north suburban soccer moms who are afraid Wrigley will collapse on their kids fat heads (if only...).

But I hate it, I know I'm going to hate it. I'm going to go sometime next year or in 2016 and I'll take the red line up from my brothers place just seething. I'll be miserable when I look at it. I'll be miserable when I sit down. The whole time I'm sitting alone, staring at a Toyota sign, I'm going to be angry. Then I'll leave angry and get on a plane and bitch to everyone in Portland about how Chicago is selling it's soul.

Something I loved, a real cathedral to what such a vast (underrepresented, almost invisible) majority of country I, is going to be destroyed. We're running out of places like that, billionaires see the potential and know they can milk it to death, and I'm really sad to be losing a very important, beautiful place.

Boo hoo hippie

You know I sort of finally agree with America here...the problem is that at this point in my life I just want to see the Cubs win. If they have to sell their soul to do it, so be it. Sell the naming rights, grow genetically modified ivy that has ads right on the leaf, blow up the bleachers. Do whatever you feel is necessary to generate the income to build a WS winner. If the Yankees can tear down and rebuild the Cubs sure as hell can.

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Do you really think videoboards and winning are related? if so, why aren't the Rockies kicking ass?

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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

Money matters.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

I think money and winning are related. I think the current owners are cheap and want to use money as an excuse. This takes away that excuse.

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Yeah, they should keep it shitty ! Any other quality thoughts?

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"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.’”

Bring back the winning tradition... move back to the West Side Grounds...

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"it was such a dump"

"it was beautiful"

WYC. The place is a dump. It's in desperate need of repair. Whatever money streams help that happen, bring it on. Sit on the third base side and you won't even notice the tron.

Or we could go back to old school, when nearly every stadium had advertising along the outfield walls.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

Putting a video board on the Ship of Theseus wouldn't have made it any less sea-worthy, any less of a ship, nor would it have made it a different boat.

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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 recall the Rockies playing in a World Series more recently than any Chicago team did.

I'm fine with any and all changes to Wrigley, including demolition and rebuilding. This all seems extremely minor, in my book. They're running a business and deserve all the ad revenue they can get. If some of it gets put back into the organization and team, even better.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Do you actually mean this?

The place is a dump.

Tommyboy running the Cubs like a small market team is the biggest issue.

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Why are you answering a question with a question? If videoboards are the balance of power, shouldn't Colorado be contending every season?

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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

It's shaping up to be an historic week for the Cubs. 80% of their fans have turned against The Plan and now they are turning against "the best atmosphere in baseball".

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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

I love it when Americans use words like "deserve", "entitled" and "ownership" when vigorously defending their hallowed billionaires. With loyal support like that no wonder theyre so bold with their plans to corporatize and destroy.

Tom Ricketts would step on your neck for a nickel, he doesn't give a flying fuck about you. He probably hates you, sees you as untermensch who he's about to suck every last dime possible out of. You'll cheer him while he does it, idolize him and his money.

When this whole country is some branded strip mall hell and there's nothing left that doesn't exist soley for the purpose of making the rich richer I hope all you fuck faces look on what you created and feel a colossal sense of immobilizing guilt. These responses sicken me.

Cubs fans made Wrigley Field what it is, they are it's true owners. Don't let this bloodsucking dickhead ruin it.

<insert maximum number of eyerolls possible>

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I won't say 'thank you' for moving to Oregon; I'll just ask why you didn't do it sooner.

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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

You can always chain yourself to wrigley. Show The Man what's up!!!!!!

I have to ask, because I can't always tell when you are joking or not.


Having more money to spend is good for baseball teams. I don't think you are going to argue that, so I don't understand your point.

Glad to see there's still some populist spirit left around here. Shame it has to come from a Sox fan in Portland.


I'm starting to see why there are other posters who get tired of your shit!

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Ive never heard Wrigley desribed as a bastion of middle class

Its all rich northside businessmen who dont even watch the game


Yes, I would call not having a block of cement fall on your head a reasonable expectation.

Wrigley is not being killed, its just getting a boob job. Who complains about not seeing saggy tits all the time?

Yeah, saying the Cubs deserve all the ad revenue they can get is a loopy statement.

Yes, there is a correlation between higher spending and winning. But it has been expressed over and over again that top payroll are not part of The Plan. It's usually couched in ambiguous language like "We plan on spending enough to contend every season." A lot of people seem to believe any additional revenue is going to go directly toward attempts to improve the baseball product rather than attempts to improve the Ricketts' bottom line.

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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

Major League Baseball is apparently the last stand of Reaganomics to hear it from some of you, and the Royals and Marlins even disproved it there, too.

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RPB, there was a communal atmosphere at Wrigley, even with all the tourists and non baseball fans they still had something going there. The Sox have it too (all 3000 people at the park), it's just a different kinda crowd.

The big difference is Wrigley is a fucking cathedral. No joke. It's one of the most beautiful buildings in North America. The fact that everyone came there to get kinda drunk and hang out is fine, getting drunk and hanging out is fun! Americans should get drunk (and stoned! Dont forget stoned!) and hang out more.

Buying a Toyota is not fun. It is the opposite of fun. Being told to buy a Toyota is even less fun. Bring reminded that Toyota's exists is sad. I came here to get drunk and hang out, not be told to buy a Toyota.

But now its Wrigley Field #brandvisibility and that's not good. You cannot honestly think your experience there will be better when being bombarded by ads.

Have you ever laid hands on fake tits? They're awful. Don't feel right. Give me the real shit.

Tits also don't sag on the west coast. Never happens.

Fenway is a cathedral. I've been there. They have all the new gadgets the Cubs are trying to put in. It was still great. Actually, it was great-er. What the Red Sox have managed to do with Fenway actually made the experience better.

How about we let the Cubs make their changes and decide later whether they ruined everything.

Who gives a shit about how they feel. They look good. No one is groping the jumbotron at Wrigley.