Crane Kenney: Cubs Gave 'Extensive' Look At Moving 2015 Home Games To Milwaukee
(CBS) As delays continue to plague the Cubs in their renovation of the Wrigley Field bleachers, president of business operations Crane Kenney confirmed the organization gave serious thought to moving all of its 2015 home games to Miller Park in Milwaukee.
"We did, really with the help of the Brewers, we did an extensive amount of work looking at going up there," Kenney said in an interview with the Mully and Hanley Show on Wednesday morning. "They hosted us. We talked about the logistics of playing a full season there to try to truncate our work to two-and-half to three years instead of four years. And ultimately, sitting down with the entire team -- ticket sales, operations, etc. -- we just thought it was too much displacement to move our fans that far."
As this offseason nears its end, the Cubs remain in the midst of the first phase of a four-phase $375-million renovation of Wrigley Field. The revamping of the iconic bleachers was this fall/winter's big project, but because of the frigid cold that affected construction crews, the left-field/center-field bleachers aren't expected to be ready until May 11 and the right-field bleachers won't be done until early June, according to the team. The Cubs open the season April 5 at home.
On Tuesday, the city rejected the Cubs' request to extend the work hours on Wrigley Field. City code only allows for construction crews to work from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily. The Cubs wanted at least a few more hours on both ends and earlier in the week even floated the idea of working 24/7.
"We do understand it's an interesting balance," Kenney said. "And it's a delicate one with the community. We do play baseball in the middle of a neighborhood, and we have to be sensitive to the neighbors putting up with our construction project."
Asked if in hindsight he'd have moved the Cubs games to Miller Park after these extensive delays, Kenney was somewhat non-committal.
"Talk to me in four years when we're done," he said. "I'd say at this point no."