Selig gives Wrigley, Cubs vote of confidence

By Mike Spellman Daily Herald Sports Writer
Posted Friday, July 30, 2004

When baseball Commissioner Bud Selig says he feels the Cubs' pain, believe him.

He knows exactly what the Cubs are going through.

Exactly.

That's because in the late 1990s, while the Brewers and the city of Milwaukee were in negotiations concerning the construction of Miller Park, they went through the same falling debris scare at County Stadium that the Cubs are enduring at Wrigley Field.

"During the stadium debate, Gabe Paul, who was our stadium operations manager at that time, would come to me and there was falling concrete," Selig said. "Honesty impels me to tell you we did have some falling concrete in the later years of County Stadium (built in 1953).

"Fortunately, we identified the problems and were able to solve them, so we didn't have to (use netting as they are at Wrigley). We would have; that was one of the options."

A few years later, it has become a moot point with the completion of Miller Park. The Cubs, unlike the Brewers, don't have a shiny new ballpark on the horizon, yet Selig thinks things will still work out.

"I have great confidence in Andy MacPhail and the Cubs, and I know they're doing everything they can," he said. "I'm confident they'll do what they have to do. I think they've taken all the necessary steps that they have to take to make sure they've solved the problem.

"The Cubs and the city are the place where it should be worked out, but I'll monitor the situation very closely."

Many have suggested that Wrigley Field, now 90 years old, is on its last legs. But when asked about the long-term feasibility of the stadium, Selig was at his sidestepping best.

"Over the years - even back into the Wrigley era - the Cubs have never been penurious (cheap) in taking care of the ballpark," he said. "They have been very sensitive about that. I know, I've read and heard all the things that have been said.

"The fact of the matter is they've taken every step they can to solve the problem, and that's all you can ask."