Doesn't that take all the fun out of it?

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You know me like that.

NOW THAT WOULD BE BREAKING NEWS!!!!!

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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.’”

Point taken.



I'm usually against elder abuse but......

Go Cubs.

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You know me like that.

I remember doing a loan for a guy around there in about 2002. The guy got the building in the 80's for like $50k. He was trying to get some cash out when I met him. I asked him what he thought it was worth (like I asked everyone else) and he said about $250k. It was worth $750k. I really wish I knew what and who I know now. So many people were clueless when it came to the value of their properties.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

A local restaurant owner from here used to own one of the rooftop buildings. He sold it right before Harry came to the Cubs and the rest is history. He never quite could over it.

I think some distant family member of mine finally sold the building on Sheffield with the billboard on it.

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Thread could just as easily be about Metrasexual proclivities.

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Sex isn't dirty, sex isn't a crime. It's a loving act between two or more consenting adults.

-Hank Kingsley

Not something to be proud of, as the building was almost worthless. They gave out a long term lease on the Billboard, which was the big money...That was the TORCO oil fight...I think they got a very very cheap deal....and then subleased it out for Big money.

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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.’”

the rooftop owners' flaw was that they didn't treat it like it was a business. They took personal offense to things instead of seeing how they could make it work for them.

However, this was not a win for the Cubs. They lost years of revenue. They spent money on attorneys, lobbyists and public relations specialists. They lost the PR battle early which cost them any chance of creating some public financing...and in the end, we get to the answer that was obvious at the beginning. Sure they might have had to pay a little above market on the front end, but the market had tanked. Also, the cost of land acquisition on a $500 million investment (low estimate most likely in the end) would have still ended up being a very small percentage of costs.

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

Case dismissed.

from Crain's:

A federal judge today dismissed a lawsuit brought by the owner of two rooftop businesses overlooking Wrigley Field alleging that the Chicago Cubs violated revenue-sharing contracts by putting up video boards that blocked their views into the park.

In a decisive blow to the owner of the Lakeview Baseball Club and Skybox on Sheffield rooftop businesses beyond Wrigley's right field bleachers, Judge Virginia Kendall dismissed all nine counts of the lawsuit with prejudice.

Kendall's opinion (embedded below) is the first development in the case since she denied a request on April 2 from rooftop owner Ed McCarthy to bar the team from putting up a new 2,250-square-foot video board in right field. McCarthy initially filed the complaint—which the Cubs were seeking to dismiss—on Jan. 20.

In rejecting the injunction request, Kendall found that the video board would not violate terms of the 20-year revenue-sharing agreements the team signed with the rooftops in 2004. The rooftops argue that a specific clause in the contract guarantees their clear views into Wrigley Field in exchange for 17 percent of all their pretax revenue.

That clause reads: "The Cubs shall not erect windscreens or other barriers to obstruct the views of the Rooftops, provided however that temporary items such as banners, flags, and decorations for special occasions, shall not be considered as having been erected to obstruct views of the Rooftops. Any expansion of Wrigley Field approved by governmental authorities shall not be a violation of this Agreement, including this section."

Kendall sided with the Cubs, who argued that the video board is simply part of an expansion of the park that was approved by the city of Chicago, thereby making the video board legal.

"Within the plain meaning and context of the license agreement, the installation of the video board qualifies as an expansion," Kendall wrote in her opinion dismissing the case.

She echoed the rationale of her injunction denial ruling in today's opinion, which dismissed allegations of breach of contract, attempted monopolization in violation of the Sherman Act, defamation, consumer fraud and deceptive practices.

"We are very pleased with the Court's decisive ruling today," said Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney in a statement. "Judge Kendall's opinion confirms the bleacher expansion does not violate our rooftop agreements, as we have maintained from the outset. We also appreciate that with this chapter closed, everyone's focus can continue to be on the field, where it belongs."

Kendall's dismissal with prejudice means the rooftop owners cannot amend and file a new complaint on the issue, though they could still appeal Kendall's ruling.

Rooftop attorney Tom Lombardo could not immediately be reached for comment. The last public comment from McCarthy came on April 3, when he issued a statement that said: "To the Chicago Cubs Organization, I tried everything that I could do legally to protect Lakeview Baseball Club and Skybox on Sheffield and now must respect the Judge's opinion," the statement said. "I have instructed my attorneys to take no further legal action at this time as it relates to seeking injunctive relief."

The Ricketts family, which owns the team, has waded even deeper into the rooftop business itself since then. After purchasing three buildings housing rooftop businesses earlier in the year, the family bought three more buildings in June, giving it full ownership of six out of the 16 rooftop business properties around the park.

The Ricketts also have a financial stake in a seventh building on Sheffield Avenue which houses the "Down The Line" rooftop business, and filed a lawsuit in July in an effort to take full ownership of the building.

The Cubs, meanwhile, which have had both the right field video board and a larger left field video board in use all season, will play postseason baseball next week for the first time since 2008.

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I saw that yesterday. Another win for the Cubs and Cub fans. The ones that sold to the Ricketts family already, reportedly got 6 million per building. I expect more to sell, as there is no guarantee their view will not be obstructed much more after the agreement that is in place expires. Once they own the majority of those homes (if not all of them) it will be interesting to see what they do with them.

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Go Cubs!!!!

If I were Tom Ricketts...I'm not...As long as the Cubs now own the buildings, I would strongly consider moving the video scoreboards across the street mounting them above the rooftop bleachers. This would give unobstructed views back to the rooftops and make them a cash cow for the team. At the same time, I would try to build sky bridges from the bleachers over to the rooftop buildings...making the rooftops part of Wrigley...The buildings could become part of the whole hotel concept with suites and conference rooms.

I saw Tom on the concourse between the 100 and 200 levels earlier this year and suggested the jumbotron move...He looked at me like I had two heads...not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

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Sounds simple.
As easy as moving my TV around my house.

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Thank you for clarification!

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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.’”

why would you a) put the boards further away and b) incorporate rooftops? The end gain for the Cubs is to own the street so they can shut it down on game days.

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

Why would the Cubs pay off all the rooftop owners and then not use the properties for game related functions? That'd be dumb. The scoreboards are huge and can be seen clearly enough, even if moved across the street. Revenue from the rooftops could even be used to make them a little bigger if needed.

They can't shut the street down unless they plan on relocating the firehouse...which I strongly doubt they'd be able to do.

Anyway...go big or go home I say!

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Just stop. Where would the speakers go? Wrigley is still within a larger residential area, and residents state it is already too loud with them being pointed into Wrigley from the videoboards. Would you build separate structures just for speakers while having the videoboards across the street?

I mean...why am I even replying to this...

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

anybody else hearing that the Cubs eventually want to shut down the street on game days?

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

No but I heard they are going to move the street on top of the rooftops.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

If the plan is to be like Fenway they do.

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Elections have consequences.

The speakers should be spread throughout the stadium anyway...so you could actually here what you're supposed to...I have tickets straight across from the left field scoreboard in sect 38...I've yet to understand any of the garbled nonsense coming from the scoreboard during a game.

Anyway...the buildings are all coming under ownership and control of the Cubs...and they ought to use them to gain as much revenue as they can...be it residential, commercial, gameday related, whatever.

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Sure, let them take all the public right of way they want. We're talking about maximizing someone's revenue streams here!

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I say they give them all the land in the 3 block radius.

Sorry bigfan, you gotta move.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I'm sorry...for suggesting using the airspace above the street and over the buildings...I never realized how important these were to your right of way...

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That neighborhood is blessed. The Cubs could have left for Rosemont, who offered free land and no amusement taxes. Property values would have plummeted and many bars and restaurants would have gone out of business. With all the tax dollars generated by the fact that games are played there and business are flourishing due to that fact, the city should offer the team some consideration. They used no taxpayer dollars to renovate their ballpark, while the Sux had their park paid for by taxpayers and get a ridiculously friendly deal on taxes for that park. Yeah, they should get some things.

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Go Cubs!!!!

How in the world does Lincoln Park exist without the Cubs

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

If Wrigley Field is that important to a rich and affluent part of the city then US Cellular must be really important to an area that desperately needs all the help it can get!

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Yes, because of all the tourism that US cellular brings in to the state of Illinois....or are they coming to eat at the Chi Sox Bar and Grill. The $5 mill establishment that loses $400K a year, so even the 2 name sponsors pulled out of that deal.

Just one of 100 reasons that US cellular Field and Comiskey Park made no sense at all and exists because certain politicians convinced others to vote for it. When I say "VOTE FOR IT: I mean PAID THEM

dont have time for the other 99 reasons

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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.’”

So many bars and restaurants in Wrigleyville would go out of business because they lost 3 million in attendance at Wrigley, but it wouldn't hurt if they lost 1.8 million in attendance near the Cell?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!