Anytime someone talks about the Chicago Cubs, my first thoughts always float back to the many summers I spent at Wrigley Field watching the Cubs play. To me, the two have always gone together. One would not be the same without the other.

So, when the Ricketts family purchased the Cubs and talk began to circulate about the age of Wrigley Field and the need for a change, I was heartbroken. The Cubs just wouldn’t be the same without Wrigley Field and I know I am not the only fan to feel this way.

I live on the other side of the country now and have not been to Wrigley Field in quite a few years. I am sure that time has not been kind but the idea of demolishing it and starting from the ground up is just not an idea that sites well with me.

There are too many memories there. Memories of the “Bleacher Bums” back in the 80s and Harry Caray belting out “Take me out to the Ballgame.” There is too much history in the ivy to let it be taken away.

This is a ball park that is set in the heart of the city as well as in the hearts of the fans. This is a ball park that, despite its aging nature, still has fan’s willing to pay top dollar to come and watch their team win or lose.

While I understand the arguments that Wrigley Field does not provide the state-of-the-art facilities that other teams have, there are ways to remedy that without losing the history this ball park provides to the fans.

Keep the field, the bricks and the ivy and that amazing scoreboard that still operates manually. Keep the historic marquis sign. Leave the bleachers just the way they are so the “bums” home remains unchanged. Then, remodel the remaining ball park. Update the facilities and the clubhouses. Revamp the stadium seating and increase them. Create more space for more fans to come and see the games.

Add restaurants and state of the art food venders. Do all you can to increase the revenue capabilities of the ball park and help create a winning team but keep the qualities that make Wrigley Field the piece of history it is.

This can all be done while preserving the history and memories of the fans. Once the remodel is complete, replace the marquis sign out front and its game on. It was my first game at Wrigley Field that gave me my love of baseball and the Cubs and I hope it is around to the same for many more generations of fans.

Deborah Braconnier is a former athlete and softball player. She has followed the Chicago Cubs since she was a teenager and remembers watching Ryne Sandberg and team from the bleachers in Wrigley Field and having player’s posters all over her wall. Working now as a freelance writer, she brings her love of sports together with her writing. Follow her on Twitter @fwcdeborah.

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As a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan and a patron of Wrigley Field, the question of what to do with Wrigley is sticky one to be sure for me. I’ve really thought about it a lot over the last few years (as if the culmination of my thoughts would actually influence anything). In the eyes of many Cubs fans, to even bring up the possibility of the Chicago Cubs building a new stadium is quite simply blasphemy —and I’ll suspect many of you who read this will feel similarly. That’s OK. You should. Wrigley has a lot to offer the world of baseball and the abandonment of it shouldn’t happen without a weighing of options and factors.

Wrigley is filled with baseball tradition. This fact should come as no surprise to anyone. It’s also a great place to watch baseball. However, from a Cubs perspective, I’m not really sure what we’re holding on to. Sure, there have been some timeless memories there, but overall, it’s been a disastrous run of it since the Cubs first played there in 1916 —though it opened in 1914. Surely if the New York Yankees can move into a new “Yankee Stadium” after all the legendary memories that unfolded at the old stadium, the Cubs could handle leaving Wrigley behind—which is littered with heartache, heartbreak, and the “lovable losers” label.

There is also a practical baseball reasoning for leaving. While I will readily admit much of the Cubs trouble has come from poor management over the years, how Wrigley as a field “plays” is another huge issue that seems to get overlooked when referencing the Cubs success —or lack thereof. It’s well documented: The wind blows in, pitching wins; the wind blows out, hitting. This inconsistency makes it increasingly difficult to build a team around —given they’re playing 81 games there a year. If you build a team for pitching, there are games at Wrigley that will undermine any pitcher when the wind blows out. The same goes in the opposite direction on offense. The Cubs become the ones that need to adjust—adjust in their home ballpark. That is what doesn’t make sense.

Don’t misread anything I’m writing, I love Wrigley Field. I fully understand the value and love of tradition. However, I don’t think it impossible to build a new stadium and take much of the physical tradition with. As for the less tangible forms of tradition that can’t come along, most of it isn’t worth remembering.

Brian is a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, having lived in Illinois his entire life and having followed Major League Baseball throughout. If you enjoy his writing, despite it being just another opinion, follow him on Twitter @bdavis_sports

Sources

History of Wrigley Field

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That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Are you left-handed? Maybe you should apply for a position with the Chicago Cubs. Unlike Jim Hendry, it seems like Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are quite welcoming to such an abnormality.

Maybe Carlos Zambrano’s ambidexterity has something to do with the opportunity that he’s been given to work his way back into the Cubs’ good graces following his faux-retirement fiasco in August of 2011?

Seriously though, the Cubs are reportedly interested in signing another left-handed player. They’ve already added Ian Stewart and David DeJesus either by free agency or trade. Both players are left-handed hitters (not necessarily throwers). Now, the Cubs could be interested in free-agent pitcher Paul Maholm.

Maholm, 29, was 6-14 with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011. Don’t let the record deceive you; he had a 3.66 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. His record was more of the fact that he was a victim of the Pirates’ inability to score runs.

Maholm had a 53-73 record with a 4.36 ERA in seven seasons with the Pirates. He’s a sinker-ball pitcher who had one of the National League’s (NL) lowest ratios for home-runs per nine innings (HR/9). Groundball pitchers are usually preferred in Chicago because Wrigley Field is a hitters-friendly ballpark and a flyball pitcher is always at risk in the “Windy City.”

Maholm has made 11 career appearances (all starts) in Wrigley Field. He was 6-2 with a complete-game shutout. Maholm surrendered seven home runs in 64 innings pitched. He also had a 5.48 ERA and 1.34 WHIP.

Maholm made $6.25 million in 2011. It isn’t yet known how much money he’s asking for. The Cubs are already stuck with lucrative contracts on a few pitchers, most notably Ryan Dempster and Zambrano. Both pitchers are hoping to improve upon their disappointing seasons in 2011.

I love the idea of adding a left-handed starting pitcher. I also think that Maholm could be a fine middle-of-the-rotation addition, comparable to Ted Lilly. The only other options that I could see on the 40-man roster are James Russell or Sean Marshall. I really don’t want to revisit the Russell experiment. I also don’t think the Cubs would consider moving Marshall out of his setup role unless he was promoted to closer.

Just like DeJesus and Stewart, Maholm wouldn’t be the flashy transaction that a Prince Fielder signing would be. The one thing that concerns me with Maholm is his ERA in those 11 games at Wrigley Field. A 5.48 ERA does raise a red flag with me. That’s why I wouldn’t give him more money than what he got with the Pirates. He really shouldn’t be more than a No. 4 starter who gives the Cubs a left-handed presence in their starting rotation.

To be fair, he fared well in Wrigley Field in 2011. He surrendered no runs and had a WHIP of 0.64 in 15.2 innings pitched (two starts).

Signing Maholm would give the Cubs a projected starting rotation that would include Matt Garza, Dempster, Zambrano, Maholm, and either Jeff Samardzija, Randy Wells, Andrew Cashner or Rodrigo Lopez as the No. 5 starter. That’s assuming that Zambrano returns and Garza isn’t traded.

Joshua Huffman grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cubs enthusiast. He immediately gained an admiration for Cubs fans after watching numerous games on WGN during the mid-90s. His favorite Cubs moment was Kerry Wood’s(notes) 1-hitter, 20K extravaganza that was only denied of a no-hitter by Kevin Orie’s defensive blunder. As a Packers and Cubs fan, he suffered through Steve Bartman and “4th & 26″ in a span of three months.

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The Cubs infield remains covered during a rain delay at Wrigley Field. (José M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune / May 29, 2011)

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The Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs by a humiliating score Friday night in their first meeting at Fenway Park since the 1918 World Series.

Losing, even 15-5, is something the Cubs have gotten used to these past 100 years or so. But what happened during one of Boston’s home run trots truly was something the Cubs won’t get over for a long time.

Team president Crane Kenney, sitting in the coveted Green Monster section that rises above Fenway’s famous 37-foot high left-field fence, caught a home run hit by Jarrod Saltalamacchia(notes) in the bottom of the fifth inning. The blast ricocheted off an advertisement high above Kenney’s seat and pretty much fell right to him. How’s that for bemusing happenstance?

To make matters worse, Kenney — in clear violation of widely accepted Cubs fans programming — did not throw the opponent’s ball back onto the field. Instead of acting like one of the Bleacher Bums, he sought a young fan and tossed him or her Salty’s dinger ball. Well, harumph!

Get a load of this guy

It’s one thing for a clever ball hawk perched in the Wrigley Field bleachers to defy protocol and keep the souvenir homer. To deflect the peer pressure, some even treacherously switch out the homer ball for a ringer and throw that one back.

But the team’s own president — not quite at the Ricketts ownership level, but close — acting oblivious to bleacher tradition? And in front of Red Sox Nation, the more successful junior franchise? Unacceptable. Scandalous!

Watching him, it’s doubtful Kenney thought for even a nanosecond of throwing back the ball. The guy wouldn’t last three innings in Chicago’s bleachers. He’s just so hard to figure.

Hey, it’s time for a confession: If I ever catch a home run ball at Wrigley, or any park, I wouldn’t be one of the sheep who throw it back. I’m keeping that sucker. Literally rejecting the opponent’s home run ball is perhaps the weakest fan tradition in sports. For example, imagine a Cubs fan telling his grandson he once caught a home run by Jason Heyward(notes) who, in 25 years, is about to be inducted to the Hall of Fame.

“What did you do with the ball, grampa?”

“Uh … I threw it back.”

See how silly it is? And it’s not like the umpires are going to be fooled by the ball bouncing back on the field and so they wave off the homer. OK, maybe some umpires would get fooled.

Like an infection, the practice of tossing back the home run ball has spread to other major league parks. Some folks even throw back foul balls hit by the enemy. Cardinals fans, you know who you are. Admiring Cubs fans for their loyalty, patience, persistence, blind devotion — whatever — is OK. But wanting to ape some of their worst behavior is unconscionable.

Fans in some parks still can be thrown out by security for throwing a ball on the field. But it’s a shrinking minority.

And now that Kenney — who already was unpopular among many Cubs fans — has ignored tradition, there’s little chance that throwing back the ball will ever go out of style soon.

It will continue, if for no other reason than to spite the suit in the front office who refuses to lead by example.

I have a crazy feeling that what happened at Fenway was a missed opportunity. Perhaps, if Kenney had thrown back Saltalamacchia’s homer, Cubs fans would have seen how uncool the act was, and a seed would have been planted. It could have been the beginning of a counter revolution. Inside of a decade, we could have wiped out the exercise entirely.

But Kenney’s pseudo-thoughtful and charitable action in flipping the ball to a child ruined any such remote possibility. They’ll be shouting “Throw it back!” at Wrigley — and elsewhere — for a long time to come.

Thanks for nothing, Crane Kenney.

Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook

Related: Jason Heyward, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Ballpark Giveaways, Ballpark Mischief

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The Chicago Cubs plan to reach out to VCU coach Shaka Smart and Butler coach Brad Stevens after the NCAA tournament to invite them to sing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch at Wrigley Field.

“

My grandfather unfortunately is probably in his last days with us. But some of my fondest memories are with him going to Wrigley Field, sitting on the first base side trying to catch some foul balls.

” – Shaka Smart

For Smart, the experience likely will tug at his heartstrings as he remembers the times his grandfather, Walter King, took him to Wrigley as a child. Smart said that King, who is reportedly hospitalized in Chicago with failing kidneys, may be in his last days.

“My grandfather unfortunately is probably in his last days with us,” Smart said Monday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “But some of my fondest memories are with him going to Wrigley Field, sitting on the first base side trying to catch some foul balls.”

Those memories made Chicago feel like a second home to Smart, who is from Madison, Wis.

“Chicago is my favorite city in the whole country, and I’ve spent a lot of time in the city of Chicago as a kid,” Smart said. “It was kind of a second home for me.

“I’m a big Cubs fan, probably been to — conservatively — 50-60 Cubs games over the years. I once caught a Ryne Sandberg foul ball at my grandfather’s feet. So I’m a big Cubbies fan.”

Smart and Stevens face off in an NCAA semifinal on Saturday, and Smart is under the impression he may have to win to earn an invite to throw out a first pitch or sing at Wrigley.

“I would never turn that opportunity down, but I think we have to win a little bit more to get that offer,” he said. “I would love to do it. I love Wrigley, there’s no place I’d rather be to watch a ballgame.”

Cubs spokesman Peter Chase told ESPNChicago.com that Smart already has earned the invitation, and for Stevens, it will be an encore performance after singing last year following a NCAA title game appearance for the Bulldogs.

“We are aware of Coach Smart’s love for the Cubs and plan to reach out to him after the tournament,” Chase said. “VCU alum [and Cubs reliever] Sean Marshall has been keeping in touch with the athletic department as well.

“It will be cool to see two Cubs fan coaches face off in the Final Four on Saturday, as Butler Coach Brad Stevens is a Cubs fan as well.”

The Cubs won’t have to wait long for Smart’s answer.

“Well I will be there if I get the invite,” Smart said. “You can book that.”

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MESA, Ariz. – The Cubs are searching for the next public-address announcer at Wrigley Field.

The team said Monday that applications can be submitted through March 7, including audio or video samples.

Finalists will be selected for auditions at Wrigley Field by March 14 and the final selection will be hired by March 25.

Applications can be submitted through CareerBuilders.com.

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CHICAGO — How does “The Voice of Wrigley Field” sound as a new job title?

The Chicago Cubs announced Monday they are searching for a new public address announcer at the Friendly Confines, and they are opening the job search up to anyone, posting the ad on jobs site careerbuilder.com.

Candidates are invited to send in their applications — including an audio or video sample — by March 7. Finalists will be chosen for live auditions at Wrigley Field by March 14 with a final decision to be made by March 25.

The online job ad says experience working as a public address announcer in college or professional sports is preferred, but candidates “of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.”

“This is a dream opportunity for someone to be the voice at Wrigley Field and to leave a lasting impression on more than 3 million fans each season,” said Wally Hayward, executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer of the Cubs.

The new announcer will replace Paul Friedman, who held the position for 16 seasons. Friedman left the Cubs to become Director of Corporate Sponsorship and Business Development at Chicago Public Radio.

The Cubs open the season at Wrigley Field against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 1.

There is the quick update of the day.

CHICAGO — When Ron Santo died last month, his funeral procession traveled by Wrigley Field and well-wishers gathered on sidewalks to cheer the former Chicago Cubs broadcaster and third baseman one last time.

Now, the cozy neighborhood ballpark will feature a more permanent reminder of one of the franchise’s most beloved figures.

A statue of the late third baseman and broadcaster will be unveiled before Aug. 10′s game against the Washington Nationals.

The Cubs announced Saturday they will unveil a Santo statue outside their longtime home before their game against the Washington Nationals on Aug. 10. Players, coaches and other uniformed personnel will wear a special patch next season to pay tribute to one of the team’s most enthusiastic backers.

“We join our great fans in dedicating the 2011 campaign to a man who dedicated so much of himself to us,” owner Tom Ricketts said in a release.

He becomes the fourth person with a statue of his likeness outside Wrigley, joining Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Harry Caray. The location is still to be determined.

A nine-time All-Star in his 15-year career, Santo hit .277 with 342 homers and 1,331 RBIs. He also won the Gold Glove award five times.

Santo’s long battle with diabetes cost him both legs below the knees, but he ultimately died of complications from bladder cancer on Dec. 3 at age 70.

“Ron Santo will always be remembered as an extraordinary player, as the ultimate Cub fan and for his tireless commitment towards juvenile diabetes research,” Ricketts said. “On behalf of the Cubs organization, we are proud to honor Ron Santo with a statue of his likeness at Wrigley Field so that future generations can remember his remarkable legacy on-and-off the field.”

– The Associated Press

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CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs will honor Ron Santo with a statue outside Wrigley Field and the team will wear a special patch next season to pay tribute to the former broadcaster and third baseman.

The Cubs said Saturday they will unveil the monument before their game against the Washington Nationals on Aug. 10.

Santo died of complications from bladder cancer at the age of 70 on Dec. 3. A nine-time All-Star in his 15-year career, Santo hit .277 with 342 homers and 1,331 RBIs. He also won the Gold Glove award five times.

Santo becomes the fourth person with a statue of his likeness outside the cozy neighborhood ballpark, joining Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Harry Caray. The location of the statue is still to be determined.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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01/15/2011 11:05 AM ET Cubs to honor Ron Santo with statue at Wrigley Field, uniform patch throughout 2011 season Statue to be unveiled on “Ron Santo Day” – August 10

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The Chicago Cubs today announced the organization will honor Ron Santo with a statue of his likeness, only the fourth of its kind at Wrigley Field, and remember the Cubs legend with a special patch to be worn by uniformed personnel throughout the 2011 campaign.

The statue will be unveiled at a to-be-determined Wrigley Field location on Ron Santo Day, the 10th of August, prior to the 7:05 p.m. game vs. the Washington Nationals. The patch worn by uniformed personnel will debut during spring training.

“Ron Santo will always be remembered as an extraordinary player, as the ultimate Cub fan and for his tireless commitment towards juvenile diabetes research,” said Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts. “On behalf of the Cubs organization, we are proud to honor Ron Santo with a statue of his likeness at Wrigley Field so that future generations can remember his remarkable legacy on-and-off the field.

“The Cubs are also proud to remember Ron throughout this season with a commemorative uniform patch. We join our great fans in dedicating the 2011 campaign to a man who dedicated so much of himself to us.”

Santo will join Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Harry Caray with a statue at Wrigley Field. Located near the corner of Clark and Addison, Banks had his statue dedicated on March 31, 2008. Williams, whose statue is at the corner of Addison and Sheffield, had his statue dedicated on September 7, 2010. Caray’s statue is located at the corner of Waveland and Addison and was re-dedicated on September 1, 2010 (originally dedicated April 12, 1999).

Santo, who passed away December 3 at the age of 70, ranked among the elite during his 15-season big league career. Between 1960-74, only four players had 2,000 hits, 300 home runs and 1,300 RBI: Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Billy Williams and Santo. Also, only four players had 2,000 hits and 1,000 walks in that span: Hank Aaron, Carl Yastrzemski, Frank Robinson and Santo. Santo’s 342 home runs were the most by any third baseman in his 15-season career, easily outpacing his next closest competitor in Brooks Robinson (248 home runs in that span).

In his 15-year career, Santo finished in the league top-10 in batting average three times, slugging percentage five times, on-base percentage seven times, base on balls nine times, games played eight times, home runs seven times, RBI eight times, runs scored three times and total bases five times.

He holds or shares many defensive records for third basemen, including most consecutive National League games at third base (364), most years leading the N.L. in putouts (seven), most years leading the N.L. in assists (seven straight), most years leading either league in total chances (nine) and most years leading either league in double plays (six).

Santo was a member of the Chicago Cubs radio team as an analyst since 1990 and was a pioneer in raising funds for juvenile diabetes research. For 32 years he hosted the Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes, which raised more than $40 million to support diabetes research, progress and continued hope for a cure.

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