Behind The Plate: Postseason Preparations
CHICAGO (CBS) -- For days, Wrigley Field has been buzzing with activity.
"We are treating this like an Opening Day," said Alison Miller, senior director of marketing for the Chicago Cubs.
But she says postseason plans have been in place for months.
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"Probably starting in August, we knew there would be a good chance we'd make the postseason," Miller said.
When the Cubs and Cardinals play in Game 3 of the NLDS on Monday evening, it marks Wrigley Field's first postseason game in seven years. So the stands are getting a good power washing and the walls and railings a new coat of paint. There are 73 red, white and blue bunting banners being hung throughout the stadium, and the groundskeepers are busy etching history into the Kentucky bluegrass.
"We stenciled both sides along first base and third base side," Miller said. "Right now, we have the NLDS logo out there. The hope is that we make the NLCS and we'd have to update that logo and obviously all the way to the World Series."
Miller says her to-do list has been long. She's waiting for MLB signs that didn't arrive on time. Now, she has to travel to O'Hare and pick them up to ensure new logos and signage are in place around the stadium.
"My list is beginning to shrink, but we're getting it done," Miller said. "We always do."
But she says the postseason plans have been in place for awhile, including unveiling the FlyTheW campaign.
"It's become kind of a great symbol of our team, especially this year with 97 wins, so we came up with the FlyTheW campaign," Miller said.
And that meant getting fans as well as the city on board.
"Whether that be getting flags flown at City Hall or the Field Museum hanging a Cubs jersey on one of their dinosaurs and dressing up the ballpark as well as the city has been our focus for the last two weeks," Miller said.
And the #FlyTheW has caught on worldwide.
"Tuesday prior to the wild-card game, we had over 300,000 people post using that hashtag," she said. "We have people sending us photos posing with the W flag from around the world."
And with Wrigley Field in the national spotlight, Miller says they're ready to host the party, one she hopes goes well into October.
"We know the ballpark will be exciting, we know there will be a lot of energy here," Miller said. "We're looking forward to our fans kind of making this an intimidating place to play for the Cardinals. We're excited for everyone to show up Monday night. We're ready to go."
The NLDS Game 3 at Wrigley Field begins at 5 p.m. and can be heard on WBBM 780 AM.
