Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
It must be, according to Rich Cohen at the Wall Street Journal:
Having not won a World Series since 1908, and having last appeared on that stage in 1945—a war year in which the professional leagues were still populated by has-beens and freaks—the Chicago Cubs must contemplate the only solution that might restore the team to glory: Tear down Wrigley Field.
Destroy it. Annihilate it. Collapse it with the sort of charges that put the Sands Hotel out of its misery in Vegas. Implosion or explosion, get rid of it. That pile of quaintness has to go. Not merely the structure, but the ground on which it stands.
As a Cardinals fan, I can't get on board with any plan to improve the lot of the Cubbies. Still, he makes a persuasive case. The park maintains no home field advantage on account of how different weather systems change the ideal play so drastically, he says. Also, the stadium is so nice that winning games becomes less important to fans than just having a nice outing at the park. He even blames the way fans handled Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series on the park.
It sounds crazy, but I think he may be onto something.
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May '10
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
As a White Sox fan who gets dragged several times a year to this smelly park filled with obstructed views, over-priced beer, and tourists sporting pink Cubs hats, I couldn't support this proposal more.
(By the way, the vitriol is all in fun as Sox-Cubs starts Friday.)
Edited on May 15, 2012 at 4:49pmMay '10
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
Haven't the Cubs been destroying it for 100 years?
Nov '10
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
Save Wrigley Field!
Jun '10
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
I understand why they would want a new stadium. I just hate to see Wrigley torn down. It is an icon, but then a lot of other icons have been torn down.
Aug '10
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Also, the stadium is so nice that winning games becomes less important to fans than just having a nice outing at the park.
So...
Winning is more important than providing fans with a nice day's entertainment?
If the Cubs make money, who cares if they win?
(Call this the "Toronto Maple Leafs Theory of Professional Sports".)
Edited on May 15, 2012 at 5:48pmMay '10
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
Nothing is more irrational than a sports fan. We think our favorite team lost because we wore the wrong underwear on the day of the big game.
The Cubs have played in seven postseason series since 1945 and all of them at Wrigley. The ballpark did not beat the Cubbies.
Sure, you can build a team for a ballpark but that only gets you to the postseason. The Big Red Machine of the 1970's was built for the Astroturf world of Riverfront Stadium - the stadium that they never celebrated a World Series Championship in. They did that in Fenway Park (1975) and Yankee Stadium (1976). And in 1990, Lou Piniella's Little Red Wire-to-Wire Wagon did the deed in the Oakland Coliseum.
Whiny Cubs fans, you gotta love 'em.
May '12
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
The Cubs don't want a new stadium, they want to renovate the player amenities and make some structural changes to remove some of the obstructed views. I think the Cubs benefit from the idiosyncrasies of the stadium more than their opponents. Wrigley won't be going away.
Feb '12
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
Couldn't one have made the same argument about Fenway Park as recently as 2003? On that score, I hope Fenway remains long enough for me to take my kids to see at least one game there.
Jun '10
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
I love Wrigley Field. It is the perfect stadium for a fan to enjoy the game. It is cozy, close to the field, and fun.
There is no way any new stadium could be better. Tradition still means something. Let the Cubbies play!
Mar '11
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
EJHill:
Whiny Cubs fans, you gotta love 'em.
There are no whiny Cubs fans. As George Will said, "Cubs fans are 90% scar tissue." If Cubs fans had existed in Ancient Greece, the Stoics would have stopped by from time to time to say "hey, dudes...lighten up."
Leave my park alone. Leave my team alone. Leave me alone.
The Designated Hitter Rule delenda est.
Apr '11
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
As a Yankees fan living on the West coast who had the privilege of visiting old Yankee stadium just once I have to say I am for saving Wrigley. While I didn't care about parks like the Kindome, Veterans Stadium, or the Humbert H Humphry Metrodome, the loss of some of the historic parks like Comiskey, Yankee Stadium, and even Forbes Field (reaching back into memory here) represents a loss of history. The Red Sox proved you could remodel a old stadium and make it work and I think this should be the focus.
Mar '12
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
HERESY!!!
Better to tear down the St. Louis Arch!!!
Apr '11
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
This is purest heresy. The article's author has forfeited any possibility of crossing St. Peter's threshold in my humble opinion. Burn him!!
That said, the part about Cubs fans as baseball's Buddhists is largely correct. I am a Cubs fan, and I will cop to this. As we all know, one does not achieve Nirvana without first renouncing all desires. Hence, Wrigley = Nirvana.
As someone once said, you can't beat fun at the old ball park.
Dec '10
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
This is incredibly stupid. Everybody knows it is head gear.
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
Schrodinger's Cat: HERESY!!!
Better to tear down the St. Louis Arch!!! · 52 minutes ago
Well now you've gone too far.
Schrodinger's Cat: HERESY!!!
Better to tear down the St. Louis Arch!!! · 52 minutes ago
Aug '10
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
The purpose of a Major League Baseball team is to make a profit by providing fans with an exciting and memorable experience. Sometimes this requires the winning of World Series titles, as nothing breeds fandom like success. Other times, it merely requires talented players in an ideal venue.
Having viewed a game at Wrigley, as well as a number of other baseball stadiums, I can say that watching a game at Wrigley is an experience itself. It fulfills the purpose of MLB. It provided an exciting and memorable experience.
The fact that the Wall Street Journal -- of all places -- has commentary stating that a team should sacrifice profitability for "success" seems laughable on the face.
Renovate the player amenities? Sure, by all means. Give the players an experience as rewarding as that of the fans.
Mar '11
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
Before you tear it down, let me get over the night games.
Mar '11
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
Should Wrigley Field be destroyed? Only the market knows.
Aug '10
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
Foxman
This is incredibly stupid. Everybody knows it is head gear.
You're both morons. It's facial hair.
Apr '11
Re: Should Wrigley Field Be Destroyed?
8-8-88, the day that will live in real infamy.