'Politics' slowing Wrigley changes

By Paul Sullivan
Tribune staff reporter

January 19, 2003, 9:33 PM CST

One of the highlights of the annual Cubs Convention is when fans get to ask high-ranking team executives about issues that have almost nothing to do with the product on the field.

Mark McGuire, the team's vice president of business operations, dealt Sunday with topics ranging from the proposed Wrigley Field bleacher expansion to the cleanliness of women's washrooms to the antiquated scoreboard to the colors of the home jerseys.

But the primary concern of some was the future of Wrigley Field itself. After two years of the Cubs wrangling with the Daley administration and the rooftop owners, the bleacher project has stalled. Will the Cubs commit themselves to remaining in their park, or has the blockage of their expansion plans caused them to rethink the idea of building a new park at a different location?

"Every action we have taken politically, probably to our detriment, has been clearly to extend the life of Wrigley Field," McGuire told the fans.

"We were naive and there were political things we didn't fully understand as we got into this [expansion project]. We felt we're spending our own money. Everybody wants Wrigley Field to be here. It's an important thing to the city of Chicago. How hard can this be?

"As we make these improvements, we truly believe if we do everything we have on our plate for the future, that we can be viable at Wrigley Field."

McGuire acknowledged that the Cubs haven't threatened to leave Wrigley because "we have not wanted to use false leverage."

He added: "Unfortunately, in the end, politics works better with leverage. The line I've been using is we're Barney Fife, and even Barney Fife had one stinking bullet. Without the leverage, we really haven't had a lot of bullets. We've been trying to do it because we think it's the right thing. We will get there in the end. It's just taken us longer than we thought it would."

McGuire and John McDonough, vice president of marketing and broadcasting, also were asked why the Cubs don't put more games back on WGN-Ch. 9, why the scoreboard posts an "E" for error without explaining whom it was charged to and why the players sometimes wear blue jerseys at home in the heat of summer.

"The white jersey reflects the light," one perceptive fan said. "The blue jersey absorbs the light."

McGuire agreed, but he informed the fan that which color jersey the players wear is a decision made each home game by the Cubs starting pitcher.

Though McGuire said "logic would dictate" a white jersey be worn during the summer, he added it's not his call.

McGuire also said the Cubs do not plan to put more games on WGN for financial reasons, and there are no plans to change the scoreboard or add any video screens to the park.

He did say the Cubs are considering listing pitchers' radar readings on the scoreboard, as many ballparks already have done.

The Cubs also have asked the city to increase their allotment of night games from 18 to 30, and McGuire said he expects that plan to be approved at some point in their negotiations.

"We do not want to fall behind that [excuse], particularly when we win only 65 games, and use [day games] as an alibi," he said. "But we do believe night games would be better for the players and better for us from a business standpoint. Clearly, the demand for night games is strong. It stands to reason that more people can go to night games than weekday afternoon games."

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