What the Hell?

This winter the Cubs added some seats to the Wrigley Field bleachers. As part of the renovations, the plans called for an open section (or a “gaping hole,” as the hopelessly biased Paul Sullivan referred to it) in the right field wall, like the one Pac Bell Park. The idea, I thought, was that folks on Sheffield could look in and check out the game, like they do at Pac Bell Park.

I thought wrong. According to our old buddy Sully, that won’t be happening. The Cubs have decided against the idea, and apparently will put a screen over the chain-link fence. Cubs VP of Business Operations Mark McGuire said “the person on the sidewalk who hasn’t bought a ticket isn’t entitled” to poaching a view of the game. Why in God’s name put the “gaping hole” out there if you’re not gonna use it?

I have heard whispers about why this decision was made. One, the rooftop owners were concerned that people would be less inclined to drop a hundred bucks to sit on their rooftops if they could get a better view for free. Two, the anti-Cub residents got themselves in a titter about all the loiterers on their sidewalk during those game days, and threatened to go running to Mayor Richie if they weren’t appeased. Remember, these are the people who felt that support columns for the new bleachers would be a safety hazard, because innocent folks strolling on the sidewalk might walk into them.

Jeebus help us. Note to McGuire: the media is already well-armed. We don’t need to hand them any more ammunition…