Sunday Bruce Miles told us just about all the same stuff...but Sullivan does add few more details, if you can get past the mistypes on the story. (seriously, I found 3 of them...can't the Trib afford anyone to proofread these things anymore? I know...I know...I should talk. hehehehe)
There will be a 30 percent overall increase in bathroom capacity, according to stadium manager Carl Rice, along with improvements in the women's bathrooms. The men will also have more room, but the look won't change much. "Don't worry," Hayward said. "The troughs are still there."I'm curious to see where they add the bathroom capacity. And why do the Cubs think the troughs staying is a good thing? WTF!
The Cubs are following the lead of the Boston Red Sox, opening up the space underneath the right-field bleachers for corporate pregame events, and for bleacher fans who may want to come down during the game and watch the action on flat-screen TVs.This is what the "Mirrored Keyhole" thing was that Miles mentioned on Sunday. That should be cool.
A pane of one-way glass will separate fans from the right-field batting cage, allowing them to watch b.p.
The Sheffield Grill restaurant in the right field corner will be opened up for fans on game days. Previously, the grill was reserved for corporate events, which will be moved under the bleachers.Well, I was actually correct on that one. This will be where the buffalo meat will be served. (And just as a side note, if you've never had buffalo meat...it is quite good.)
Tickets are on now sale for the yet-to-be-named super suite in the left field corner, which is selling $24,300 per seat season tickets in pairs of two, four and six. Only 71 tickets will be made available, and the Cubs hope it's a viable alternative for companies that want to entertain a few clients at a time, and not 10-15.This is a good idea. And they will be selling naming rights for the club/lounge too...all the more money for the Cubs to spend on crappy, over-the-hill players.
The old brick wall down the left field line is being replaced with new bricks. Hayward said the old bricks will eventually be auctioned off.That solves the mystery of the tarps on that side of the field. I didn't think that wall was in that bad of shape...obviously it needed some work.
And one last tidbit that isn't really new, but is explained in slightly more detail...the "spite" boards in the left field bleachers:
The Cubs did a mock-up signboard in left field over the winter, and though they eventually took it down, they're likely to use that spot for an advertising sign. Hayward said the Cubs are still talking to current and potential sponsors.
Everything else that Sullivan stated was not new news....the concrete walls coming down, the scoreboard being restored and so on.
One last note that I would like to add...I sure hope that the Cubs are looking to put up some more decorative fencing to replace the old concrete facade. The parts of the ballpark that don't have the concrete basically have chain-link fencing as a barrier to the exterior of the ballpark. This looks cheep and bad. It would be nice if they started upgrading this as part of the renovations starting on Addison Street where the work is taking place now.
