Apparently, there are never enough cooks to spoil a PR disaster.
Before Milwaukee's opening game thumping of the Cubs, Anthony Rizzo spoke to reporters. He said he was sick about talking about the stalled Wrigley Field rebuilding plans.
“They told us, again, that we were going to get approved and it
didn’t get approved,” Rizzo said to CSNChicago reporter. “So I know a lot
of guys are not happy about that. It’s kind of a shame, because we get
excited about it.
“They’re working their tails off. But, again, it got shut down. It’s
kind of a bummer, because we all thought it was going to happen. And now
it’s kind of just wait-and-see.”
Except, Rizzo is dead wrong in his assessment of the situation. It is one thing to parrot the corporate line, it is another to understand it.
"They" must mean the Cubs executives, who have been "working their tails off" to get construction going but "got shot down."
Except, it is the Cubs who derailed their own plans.
The Cubs massive real estate development project was APPROVED last year by the city. Construction was supposed to start LAST YEAR.
But Ricketts and management failed to start the work. The Cubs blocked the Cubs on this point.
And it is naive to say that the new plans which significantly alter the old plans would be "rubber stamped" by the city because the new features are needed by the Cubs. All the brick and ivy at Wrigley is landmarked, meaning that it cannot be changed because it is the historical feature of the ball park. The brick and ivy is Wrigley Field. To alter or destroy the outfield walls destroys the iconic state of Wrigley Field. Why ownership wants to blow up the charm of Wrigley is simple: money. The obsession for new revenue streams means blowing up the past on the non-guaranteed hope for the future.
Why Rizzo and the players would be unhappy with the Cubs not getting the city and neighborhood to roll over and play dead is odd. Unless the players were promised more money from the new revenue streams or they think the payroll will skyrocket, it is only selfish desire for money . . . so there is the synch with ownership. But just to get a better clubhouse and work out facilities . . . again, the Cubs did not need anyone's approval to do that work. Ricketts just refused to do any work because of the threat of a lawsuit his people say he will easily win.
Rizzo may be sick of the politics of the Wrigleyville construction projects, but the fans are sick about the state of the Cubs team. The Cubs are the worst team in the majors. The Cubs have become unwatchable. People are tuning the Cubs out faster than ever before; work men may be able to do the actual construction during games because no one will be around to care about any obstructed views.
Yesterday, Rizzo had a meltdown at home plate during the Brewer series finale. He was called out on a well framed pitch. He went after the umpire (the Cubs were down at this point) and was ejected from the game. He had to be restrained . . . . which is a surprise for one of the young "core" leaders of the club. Rizzo's ejection did not cost the Cubs the game per se, but if one cannot control one's emotions that will hurt the team (i.e., Mike Olt replaced him at first).
Maybe Samardzijaism - - - sick of losing - - - has finally caught up with Rizzo.
