Sports

Chicago Cubs Want to Play Night Games on Fridays and Saturdays

by ACBert | August 4, 2008 at 03:42 pm

499 views | 10 Recommendations | 7 comments

As if the weekend influx of Trixies and Chads to the Wrigleyville bar scene didn’t already clog up public transportation and local streets with booze hounds, the Chicago Cubs would like the city to change an ordinance that bans night games on Fridays and Saturdays. When Wrigley Field installed lights 20 years ago, Chicago enacted an ordinance that allowed 30 night games a year, but only Sunday to Thursday. Now, the city’s Northsiders want a rewritten ordinance that would allow Friday and Saturday night games because it would supposedly allow Cubbies players extra rest. Famous Wrigley Field sits in the middle of a popular commercial strip featuring bars and restaurants and a residential neighborhood filled with 20 and 30-somethings, so night games usually mean loud, intoxicated folks tripping down residents’ alley ways yelling and peeing on garbage cans. Hmm, could obnoxious, drunk Cubs fans just blend in with regular drunk people if night games start being played on Friday and Saturday? Maybe it’s not such a bad idea after all.

Manager Lou Piniella is behind the effort, the4 Chicago Tribune reported. He said the team would get extra rest if they took the field on a Friday or Saturday night, the newspaper reported.

Under a rewritten ordinance, the Cubs would still be limited to 30 night games a year, the Tribune reported.

Even without any Cubs games, the Wrigleyville area is often severely congested as it is. Both north and south of Wrigley Field, Clark Street is lined with busy bars and restaurants. Also short distance north, the Metro holds weekend concerts that continue as late as 5 a.m.

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ahable2

at 14:15 on August 5th, 2008

I have been to two games this year, and the pics are actually from a day and a night game. I'd say the atmosphere at the day games is something special, and it really is pure baseball

ahable2 has contributed a photo to this story.

ACBert

at 14:20 on August 5th, 2008

I agree, Wrigley's day games are far superior to the nighttime variety. A special experience for sure. Thanks for adding pics!

Amy Judd

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 14:51 on August 5th, 2008

ACBert, I like this story. It's good stuff.

I would think that they are just out for a cash grab and not because 'it would give the players more rest time'. If I lived in that neighbourhood, I wouldn't be terrible impressed if the decision goes through.

sbcreate11

at 20:33 on August 5th, 2008

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harsh1

at 22:26 on August 5th, 2008

I can certainly see both sides of the issue. I used to live near Wrigley so I personally empathize with the extra hassle for residents when the Cubs are playing at night. But in this case if they're not raising the current limit on total night games - just moving some to weekend nights - it wouldn't have been a huge issue for me.

harsh1 has contributed a photo to this story.

nikki_g_114

at 18:11 on August 6th, 2008

nikki_g_114 has contributed a photo to this story.

jazzman1625

at 17:43 on August 10th, 2008

Soriano takes a bow at Wrigley Field after a home run in the 2007 season. The photo was take from a skybox. Wrigly Field and day games are synonymous to me and should always be.

jazzman1625 has contributed a photo to this story.