Wrigley Expansion - Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs

No repair followed 3rd fall, Cubs say

By Gary Washburn
Tribune staff reporter

July 27, 2004, 11:06 PM CDT

The Chicago Cubs did not perform spot maintenance after a piece of concrete fell at Wrigley Field last week before a game against the Cincinnati Reds, but the team permitted the game to proceed anyway, a senior team official acknowledged Tuesday.

Mike Lufrano, Cubs vice president for community affairs, said that a visual inspection of the places that could have been the source of the fallen concrete was conducted, but he backed off an earlier statement that repairs were made to potential trouble spots before the first pitch.

Asked if fans were put in danger, he said only, "We had a structural engineer who looked at the area and found no additional loose concrete."

Lufrano could not say at what distance the visual inspection was conducted.

He also said he did not know whether team officials considered postponing the July 21 game or cordoning off seats near the spot of the fall.

Cubs President Andy MacPhail declined to comment except to say, "The Cubs would never knowingly put anyone at risk, period."

The incident was the third in which concrete pieces fell at the 90-year-old ballpark.

A fan who was sitting near the spot where the latest incident took place said that "thousands" of people were in the park at the time because of a jersey giveaway promotion.

"If that piece hit somebody, it would have hurt somebody or killed somebody," said Duane Stano, who attended the game with his wife and 10-year-old son. The concrete fell about 45 minutes before the game began, he said.

An engineering firm hired by the Cubs is doing a hands-on inspection of the park, the team said, although officials have not named the firm.

Cubs management notified the city Tuesday that netting would be installed at Wrigley as a safety measure.

Buildings Commissioner Stan Kaderbek said his department will review plans for the netting but said the plan is "a prudent precaution."

Assuming approval of the plan, the netting is expected to be in place by Friday, when the Cubs return to Wrigley from a road trip. "The netting needs to be there," Kaderbek said. And if it is not in place by Friday? "Then I guess they shouldn't have the people there," he said.

On another front, the fan who notified local media about the second piece of concrete that fell, this one after a July 16 game, said he doesn't believe the Chicago Tribune reported the incident in a complete and timely manner. The Cubs and Wrigley are owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune.

Jeff Reach said he contacted the newspaper as he was leaving Wrigley minutes after a piece of concrete narrowly missed his son, Zachary, 5.

Reach said he related his story to someone on the news desk or the sports desk at the Tribune and was told that "if it becomes a story we will give you a call."

Ann Marie Lipinski, the paper's editor, said reporters on both the sports and metro staffs were assigned to follow up on Reach's call.

"On Friday, and again on Saturday, reporters called Cubs officials for their response but did not get confirmation of Mr. Reach's story until Saturday afternoon," Lipinski said. "At that point a story was written and published in the next edition, which was the Sunday newspaper. The Chicago Tribune was the first media outlet to report that story."

When he did not see a story in the paper the next morning, he said he called three television stations. Later that day, Reach said he finally was contacted by a Tribune reporter.