Levine: Cubs Fighting For Greater Security Measures At Wrigley Field
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Cubs are in talks with the city of Chicago about increasing security both inside and on the perimeters of the ballpark. The ownership group has asked the city to expand the perimeters of the footprint 100 feet around the outside of the fabled stadium.
With recent attacks in Paris and global concern for large venue security, we should all be in favor of maximum space between buildings so the masses are less at risk.
The Wrigleyville neighborhood representatives, to some extent, believe that this is just the Cubs' way of getting more open property for retail space and game-day promotions. Part of the fear is that the area will become a mega-entertainment area all 12 months of of the year, which appears to drive resentment and suspicion against the Ricketts family.
Let's be clear about Wrigelyville: This great neighborhood was a low-income, unsafe area of the city before the Chicago Tribune bought the Cubs in 1981. The upgrading of the area began to take shape as the team improved conditions of the ballpark and hired baseball people like Dallas Green to improve the talent on the field. Yuppies and developers began to change the area from a dreadfully old and drab section of town to an upscale place to live and work. By the late 1980s, this land and property base came to life.
Business still suffers in the offseason along Clark Street and the extending area. If the Ricketts family investment in the vicinity is so insidious, why haven 't other real estate developers jumped in and exacted their pound of gold?
Chairman Tom Ricketts and his family do want Wrigley Field and the surrounding area to be the focal point of an industrious and successful entertainment spot of the greatest city in the world. What's wrong with that again? While the Cubs and Ricketts flourish, so will the other businesses in the neighborhood. Property values in the area should do nothing but keep going up.
I personally have selfish reasons for wanting the borders of the ballpark expanded -- I work at Wrigley Field 81 days a year. These days, I never enter the Friendly Confines without believing that the place is a target for some zealot who wants to make this his or her moment in history.
Paranoid thoughts like mine are the ones I hope prevail when a decision is made to consider traffic pattern change around the park.
"Yes, we would ask for traffic changes during games," Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney said on 670 The Score last weekend. "We are the third-largest tourist attraction in Illinois. We want to keep the Friendly Confines friendly. We have asked for the city's support to extend the perimeter of the park and reroute traffic during games. It's the right thing to do. We are deep in conversations with the city on the subject."
The Rickettses, fans attending games at Wrigley Field and the people who live in the Wrigleyville area should never be at risk for a city-altering event. It may be true that the end result looks like a chance for added revenue production. If safety is the byproduct of increased better business opportunities, no one should balk. MLB has sent directives to all 30 teams encouraging tighter security around and inside their venues.
In 2013, the directive from MLB insisted that clubs have a 100-foot outer perimeter for safety around the ballparks and magnetometers (metal wands) be used as people enter the venues. This magnetometer safety measure will be implemented at Wrigley this year.
I agree that rerouting for the neighborhood would be a harsh price to pay for these new perimeter challenges. Still this point remains: I wouldn't want to be the one who failed to protect 40,000 people to very the best of my ability 81 times a season. That's the thought process by the Cubs here.
MLB owners are being advised of the issues of large venue security by a director of Homeland Security this week at their quarterly meetings. Let's hear what the experts have to say before we shoot down what may be the right request to protect our city from a catastrophic event.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.