Cubs Ban (Some) Celebs from Booth

Last season, the Chicago Cubs decided to add a new scoreboard (gasp!) and this year, well...they're continuing with the changes.

The team announced Wednesday that the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" will no longer be the hodge podge of random celebrities it has turned into. 

"I think the last couple of years we had gotten away to a couple of people who weren't tied to Chicago," said Jim Oboikowitch, the Cubs in-game programming director.

The new plan calls for local Chicago celebrities and former Cubs players to sing the song onetime broadcaster Harry Caray made famous.  Essentially, they're going to try and create more of a "who's who" rather than a "who's that" mentality when it comes to lending the microphone to visitors.

"They're always exciting for people to see," Oboikowitch added, "to have them back and relive some of the glory."

That said, former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka might not be the answer.

Wrigley Field Sells Out in Record Time

The Chicago Cubs have yet to set foot on the field at HoHoKam Park and already, they've got a sell out on their hands.

Sort of.

Saturday, tickets went on sale for Pearl Jam's July 19 show at Wrigley Field and not long after, well...there was this.

Not too shabby for a show that was only announced, officially, a little over two weeks ago.

Oh, and if anyone has a ticket to spare...I'll gladly take it off your hands.  I even promise to not vomit during "All the Way", which, you've gotta think, will be played.

Wild Coyotes Spotted Outside Wrigley Field

If vultures circling above you is a sign that you're doomed...what does it mean for the Chicago Cubs when coyotes actually hang out outside Wrigley Field?

Late Saturday night, photographer Will Byington was in Wrigleyville and noticed the two wild dogs roaming outside "The Friendly Confines".

"The scary thing is that they didn't seem afraid. You'd think they'd be cowering, but they didn't seem vicious," Byington told Chicago's NBC 5.  "You hear stories about them venturing out and spotted around parks and whatnot, but they were right in the street with cars zooming by and honking. It didn't seem to phase (sic) them."

I'll let you come up with the "Party Animal" jokes yourself.

(h/t @willbyington via @kevinkaduk) 

Soccer at Wrigley Field?

I'm not sure how the saying goes, but I'm pretty sure it isn't "soccer is as American as baseball and apple pie".

That is, unless, some soccer fans have their way.

It seems that a vocal fan has taken to Twitter (naturally) to turn the iconic Wrigley Field into a soccer field.  There's a "pitcher" and "pitch" reference in there somewhere...but I'm not the guy to make it.

Here's the, you guessed it (and pun intended)...pitch.

We all know that Wrigley Field is also known as the "Friendly Confines," and the US soccer teams are also known for hosting "friendly matches." This July, Italy's AS Roma and Poland's Zaglebie Lubin are coming to Wrigley to face off in a friendly match. I like how the US is supporting and welcoming soccer from a variety of different countries, but I would also like to see a US match played here as well.  

Better yet, we would all love it if the USWNT was to host the match. Ever since the Women's World Cup, many people across the nation have jumped on the USWNT fan bus. I mean, who wouldn't? They are ranked #1, sell out crowds left and right, and are even going to the 2012 Olympics this year in London.

I know this may be difficult to accomplish because of the Olympics, but I think we should all make the effort to at least have it concidered. So spread the word, sign the petition, and do whatever possible to try and make this happen! There's nothing better than more USWNT games!

So head on over (or not) and sign the Twitition and help turn the "Friendly Confines" into whatever it is that soccer fans would call it!

Cubs to Add a New Scoreboard...GASP!

Uh oh...I can hear the Chicago Cubs fans complaining already.

Some news came from the team's annual winter lovefest that is sure to cause fans of the team to cry foul.

No, the team is not pardoning Steve Bartman...the Cubs have decided to step into the 2000s by installing a "75-foot LED sign" to a soon-to-be renovated rightfield bleacher section.

I know what you're thinking...why is this a big deal?

I'll tell you.  Fans of the "Lovable Losers" don't like change.

They fought the idea of installing lights until 1988, they complained about the possibility of the bathroom troughs being removed and they've been cool with remaining World Series-less since the Roosevelt (Teddy...not Franklin) Administration.

Alright, that last jab was a low blow, but c'mon...how can a state-of-the-art LED scoreboard not add to what is already a pretty popular fan destination? 

Sure, the "Budweiser Patio" (or whatever they're actually calling the area above the new board) is a way for team brass to make money...but providing more information to the fans?  Color me excited for my next trip to the "Friendly Confines".

Wrigley Field needs an upgrade, people.

It wasn't that long ago that nets had to be installed to keep catch falling debris from hitting the fans.  And last year, during that epic Chicago snowstorm...part of the roof was ripped off.

So, yeah, Cubs fans are going to complain (they already are), but here's the skinny...don't want your beloved team to move from their Northside home?

Then embrace the future.

And in case some of you don't know what the troughs are that I referred to earlier...see the picture below.

Are the Cubs Broke?

I think we now know why the Chicago Cubs left the Winter Meetings only having added David DeJesus to the roster.

They're obviously out of money.

Seriously, if you drove by Wrigley Field Wednesday night...part of their sign is out.

Riddle me this Cubs fans, is this something they do often...or do they need to change some bulbs?  I'll just sit here and wait for your answers.

***Picture courtesy of Wayne Buckner.***

Being a Cubs Fan Can Make You Sick

I'm going to ask this as politely as I can...are you surprised that team that has a stadium that still uses troughs as urinals is connected to failed health inspections?

Allow me to explain.

Love the Chicago Cubs or hate them, you've gotta admire the number of fans that take to the neighborhood rooftops to get a glance of their "Lovable Losers".

I'm not a fan of the team, but I'd have gladly watched a game from across the street from Wrigley Field.

Until now.

According to a Chicago Tribune report...two of the rooftop venues failed health inspections.

The city found at least 12 violations at Beyond the Ivy, 1048 W. Waveland Ave., including food being stored at improper temperatures. At Brixen Ivy, 1044 W. Waveland, where at least eight violations were reported, officials observed workers wearing the same gloves to handle food, touch garbage cans and wipe their faces.

Inspectors observed "poor" hygienic practices and employees "handling ready to eat food, touching non-food contact surfaces, such as garbage cans, door knobs, wiping their faces, etc., then going back to touching ready to eat food without changing gloves in between (or washing) hands" — a critical violation.

Other critical violations listed included raw chicken stored in a picnic cooler at the wrong temperatures and without a temperature log, and no exposed hand sink at an outside cooking area, where employees were seen not washing their hands.

Food such as tomatoes, lettuce and potato salad was found to be not properly shielded to minimize contamination, a "serious" violation. The rooftop was instructed to install a sneeze guard, the piece of plastic or glass commonly found above food on buffets.

I'm not going to lie, I rarely think about where my food was before it gets to me...but I will now.  Especially if I'm dropping at least a hundred smacks to sit on a hot Chicago rooftop in the middle of summer eating potato salad.

Yuck.

At least the food the fans are eating is as bad as the team they're watching.  Zing!

Cursed! Wrigley Field Falls Victim to the Snowpocalypse

Stormageddon.

Snotorious B.I.G.

Snowprah.

Whatever you call the blizzard that is paralyzing the Midwest, I am pretty sure that it doesn't compare to the expletives being thrown around by the Chicago Cubs brass when they found out that part of Wrigley Field's roof was ripped off Tuesday night.

Sure, it wasn't as dramatic as what happened to the Metrodome a couple of months ago...but it is still pretty surreal.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times:

Streets near Wrigley Field have been roped off after a panel from the ballpark’s roof blew away during the early stages of the blizzard Tuesday evening.  A panel of the Wrigley Field roof above the press box was damaged by extreme winds accompanying the blizzard, Cubs spokesman Peter Chase said.

Part of the panel, made of fiber board, broke away, and the Cubs are working with the city to monitor the situation and to ensure there aren’t any public safety issues, Chase said Tuesday night.  Streets were closed to traffic about 5:30 p.m. due the blowing debris, police said.

As a precaution, streets were closed from Addison Street between Sheffield Avenue and Racine Street and also on Clark Street between Addison Street and Waveland Avenue, police said.

Now, the coolest thing to come from this whole debacle is the website I found and, frankly, I could watch it for hours.

And I probably will be.  CLICK HERE for a live view of Addison St. in front of Wrigley Field...CLICK HERE to check out the view down Clark St.

So...when do pitchers and catchers report again?