Chicago Cubs: Park at Wrigley, new improvements do nothing to hurt the Confines

With another stage of the Chicago Cubs’ 1060 Project in the books, it’s time to accept what’s happening and move forward, rather than dwelling in the past.

When the Ricketts family purchased the Chicago Cubs in 2009, the future was bleak.

Right from the get-go, they said they were going to improve Wrigley Field and the surrounding property and chase that elusive World Series. They’ve done both – and in short order, mind you.

The Friendly Confines are in better shape than ever before – although a looming restroom shortage still causes issues at times. The concourse has been renovated (most of it), video boards add an entirely new dimension to the viewing experience and the new Park at Wrigley plaza only further integrates the team into the community.

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And, in case you don’t understand how businesses operate, all these improvements add much-needed revenue streams to the Cubs’ financial portfolio.

Yes, that’s right. The Chicago Cubs are a business.

With all they’ve given us, let it be

I’m sick and tired of hearing everyone talk about how baseball at Wrigley Field is ruined.

It’s ruined because of the video boards. It’s ruined because of the new plaza. Maybe it’s ruined because the bullpens are now underneath the bleachers, the same as 90 percent of Major League Baseball.

Get over yourselves.

None of these things have ruined what taking a game in at the Confines is or means. The iconic center field scoreboard still stands watch. The ivy changes from brown to green to red as the season progresses. Gary Pressy still plays on the organ, filling the ballpark with a cheery atmosphere each and every day.

The Ricketts family has done what many thought was impossible. They brought a World Series championship to the North Side of Chicago. But now that fans can’t complain about that, they’ve turned their attention back to Wrigley Field and the ongoing development of the surrounding area.

At this point, I can understand why opposing fans hate us so much.

Leave the past in the past – with acceptance

As Crane Kenney pointed out at the opening of the Park at Wrigley, the Ricketts family bankrolled this entire venture without a dime from the City of Chicago.

“When we kicked this project off in 2014, the mayor made clear the city could not give us the kind of financial support the White Sox got in rebuilding Comiskey Park or the Bears got in rebuilding Soldier Field.”

So they strolled in and dropped half a billion dollars – yes that’s billion with a ‘b’ – out of their own pockets to fix a badly aging, dilapidated structure. They poured their money into addressing the shortcoming of Wrigley Field, while working to maintain the historical significance of the great baseball cathedral.

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Ownership has given Cubs fans anything they could have ever asked for. Not only did they put together the team that broke the century-old curse. They’ve created a foundation upon which the Chicago Cubs will build for years to come.

It’s time to leave the past where it belongs: in the past. Baseball is changing. The times are changing. The Cubs aren’t the Lovable Losers anymore – and this ownership group has pulled this historic franchise out of the past with an eye toward winning for years to come.