This could be another wait-until-next-year moment for the Cubs.
As chairman Tom Ricketts and his business/public-relations team prepare to roll out more visions for Wrigley Field on Wednesday, the window is closing if the Cubs want to complete Phase 1 of the renovation by Opening Day 2014.
The baseball operations department had been promised certain upgrades for next season – new clubhouse, batting tunnels, weight room, training/medical facilities – assuming the city approved the $500 million stadium/hotel project in time.
Sources confirmed those features are no longer a lock for 2014 as team officials have missed the self-imposed/perceived deadlines to order materials, set plans in motion and begin construction this fall: Opening Day, April 1 and the April 8 home opener attended by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Alderman Tom Tunney.