Chicago Cubs Single Game Tickets Go on Sale on February 19
Clear your schedules, and get your clicking finger prepped: single game tickets for the Chicago Cubs are going on sale in just ten days on February 19. Some details from cubs.com on how you can secure your tickets:
Via the Internet: Visitors to cubs.com can purchase tickets beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Feb. 19.
A virtual waiting room will be used for all Internet orders. The virtual waiting room will begin accepting customers at 9:30 a.m. CT on Feb. 19. At 10 a.m. CT, customers will be randomly selected from the virtual waiting room to begin purchasing tickets. All Internet customers will need a valid cubs.com account. Customers should sign up for an account prior to Feb. 19.
Outlet ticket sales will begin at 10 a.m. CT on Feb. 22 at Chicagoland tickets.Com Outlets.
At the Wrigley Field Box Office: Tickets will go on sale at 8 a.m. CT, and a random wristband system will be used. There will be no advantage to camping out at the ballpark, as initial position in lines will be established by a random drawing of all wristbands distributed prior to 6 a.m. CT on Feb. 19.
Wristbands will be available at Wrigley Field from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. CT on Feb. 17 and from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. CT on Feb. 18. There is a limit of one wristband per person. You will be required to show two forms of identification, one of which needs to be a government-issued photo ID. The wristbands will only be used at Wrigley Field on Feb. 19.
A random drawing will be held shortly after 6 a.m. CT on Feb. 19 to determine the starting number for the ticket lines. The winning number will immediately be announced on WGN Radio (720 AM) and cubs.com. All other numbers will follow the selected number.
By telephone: Tickets can be purchased by telephone through tickets.com beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Feb. 19. The tickets.com phone number for Illinois callers is 800-The-Cubs (800-843-2827). The phone number for out-of-state callers is 866-652-2827.
Additionally, if you send me $1,000, I will see to it that you get some kind of ticket to some kind of sporting event.
Lou Piniella Hearts Mark McGwire?
Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella is duty-bound to hate all things St. Louis Cardinals, but given his amicable relationship with Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, it’s clear that Piniella doesn’t take his duty very seriously.
And now, he’s gone and said approximately one million positive things about new Cardinals hitting coach / old Cardinals cheater Mark McGwire.
“He worked on his swing endlessly,” Piniella said. “He swung and missed a lot early in his career. He learned how to make contact more and more. With his strength, the ball flew out of the ballpark.” …
Will McGwire have trouble gaining the respect of Cardinals players after acknowledging that he cheated?
“I don’t think so,” Piniella said. “I really don’t.
“He confessed. In this country, they forgive and forget. Who is out there that can’t confess to something? We in this baseball fraternity forgive him.”
Piniella said that since McGwire has been welcomed by Pujols, the Cardinals’ team leader, the rest of the players will accept him.
“Albert Pujols is on his side and that helps him immensely,” Piniella said. “He’s got to look at it as now he has a job to do. He’s got some good hitters to work with. Pujols is the best hitter in the game, so that’s a good start. Give them a little mental confidence and some fine tuning and you let them go. They’re all professionals.”
Although McGwire’s success could mean a few losses for Piniella’s team in its battle for the National League Central title, Piniella wishes the rookie coach well.
“I think he’ll do a nice job,” he said.
Piniella said he does not feel McGwire’s presence on the road will make it difficult for the Cardinals to concentrate on playing baseball.
“I don’t think it will be a distraction,” he said. “It would have been a distraction if he did not have his press conference. That would have been the topic all year long. Now that it’s old news, maybe when he shows up for spring training, the first week or so that topic will be revisited. But hopefully, they’ll leave him alone and let him do his job.”
Another test for McGwire will be how he is treated by boisterous Cubs fans when he visits Wrigley Field.
“I think Cub fans will treat him fine,” Piniella said. “We have a great rivalry. He’ll be accepted well. I think they feel he confessed and it’s over with.” NYTimes.com.
Right or wrong, Chicago Cubs fans will decidedly NOT treat McGwire “fine.” But for the existence of Sammy Sosa, Cubs fans would probably be in a righteous position to condemn McGwire and the Cardinals, and count imaginary N.L. Central titles that the Cardinals stole from the Cubs.
And, Lou, for what it’s worth: the media will definitely not “leave him alone.” This remains a big story, and the decision to bring McGwire on remains a huge boner (tee hee). And it is a decision that lasts all season long.
Garfield Minus Garfield Plus Theriot
In honor of the Chicago Cubs and Ryan Theriot getting ready to square off in arbitration, we offer a very special Garfield Minus Garfield Plus. Jon is as confused and disappointed as we are.
And if you’re wondering what the heck this is all about, read up here.
Jerry Reinsdorf and the Mayor of Mesa Are Probably Not Friends
Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago White Sox, recently voiced his opposition to a decision being made by the state legislature in Arizona to help fund the Chicago Cubs’ new facilities in Mesa via a ticket surcharge on all Cactus League games. Reinsdorf, of course, is not alone, but he has been one of the most outspoken opponents of the plan.
And it’s made him the target of some pretty serious barbs by, among others, the Mayor of Mesa.
With the authority’s initial funds now tapped, Mesa and the Cactus League say they need the legislation to keep the Cubs from bolting to Florida. The authority’s $59 million would cover 70 percent of the public cost for the new facilities, which has been capped at $84 million. Mesa would contribute the remaining $25 million, Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said.
Investment by private parties, including the Cubs, would push the total cost of the baseball complex to about $119 million.
For several months, Mesa has said that keeping the Cubs is essential to the overall health of the Cactus League. On Friday, the city released a new report by economists Alan Maguire and Elliot Pollack, who estimated that if the Cubs were to leave Arizona and be replaced by an “average” Major League Baseball team, the state would lose $138 million a year in economic activity, nearly 1,600 jobs and almost $51 million in wages.
Passing McComish’s bill is one of several milestones that must be reached under an agreement signed last week by Mesa and the Cubs.
Smith defended the Cubs legislation in a news briefing Friday after Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago White Sox, expressed opposition to the plan.
“We’re not affecting the current revenue streams” for other Cactus League teams, Smith said. He leveled a broadside at Reinsdorf, whose team practiced for years in Tucson Electric Park before leaving last year to join the Los Angeles Dodgers in a new sports authority-funded complex in the Valley.
“Is this the same Jerry Reinsdorf that skipped out on Pima County taxpayers who had spent tens of millions of dollars to provide him with a taxpayer-funded stadium, to come to Glendale, where Maricopa County taxpayers provided him a Taj Mahal spring-training facility?” Smith said.
He said Reinsdorf’s White Sox enjoy a publicly funded stadium in Chicago and that Reinsdorf last year looked into buying the Phoenix Coyotes, who play in Glendale’s publicly funded hockey arena. “The irony is delicious,” Smith said. The Arizona Republic.
Oh snap. I wonder if the irony tastes like chorizo.
The bill making all this happen is expected to be introduced today, and this is almost certainly not the last we’ve heard of the issue.
Is Tom Ricketts Laying the Foundation for Jim Hendry’s Dismissal?
One of the most heavily debated topics in the Chicago Cubs’ space for the last two years is how effective general manager Jim Hendry has been. I will not go off on a rant in this particular article, but suffice it to say: his decisions the last two or three years have left me disappointed.
When mostly-owner (together with his family) and team Chairman Tom Ricketts took over control after the 2009 season, we all wondered how much of a leash he would give Hendry. He repeatedly offered a vote of confidence, and seemed to suggest he was behind Hendry all the way. But recently, he has intimated - if not suggested - that if Hendry doesn’t win soon with the team he’s put together, he won’t be around for much longer.
Yet the lack of big-name acquisitions has left some wondering whether new ownership is as serious about winning as it asserted when it took control in October.
“The dollars leaving the door is not the issue,” Chairman Tom Ricketts said. “It’s the third-highest payroll (in baseball). The issue is getting the right performance for the number of dollars you spend.” chicagotribune.com.
To me, that reads as a direct indictment of the guy choosing how to spend the money. If the Cubs perform, great. But if they don’t, then someone will have to be accountable for not “getting the right performance for the number of dollars” spent. And the one making those decisions since 2002 has been Jim Hendry.
Carlos Zambrano is in Shape, and in Arizona
Pitchers and catchers report to Mesa, Arizona in 10 days, but that doesn’t stop them from showing up early if they’re so inclined.
And Carlos Zambrano is so inclined. And I am so inclined to say that is so awesome.
“We did it quietly,” general manager Jim Hendry said. “I don’t think he wanted any publicity for that. He’s going about his business well. I think you’re going to get a very well-focused guy who’s determined to rectify last year’s season.”
With Ted Lilly out until May, the onus will be on Zambrano and Ryan Dempster to get off to good starts and stay healthy, keeping the front end of the rotation afloat until Lilly returns. Zambrano stuck to his offseason workout routines, and the Cubs believe he’s committed to staying in shape.
“Carlos was a little heavy last year, there’s no question,” manager Lou Piniella told fans at the Cubs Convention. “He’s another player (besides Geovany Soto) we had a nice conversation with toward the end of the year.
“We said, ‘Look, we need for you to step up and give us 200-plus innings. We need for you to win 18-20 ballgames, the way you’re fully capable of. But to do that, you have to get yourself in better shape, where we don’t have to worry about pitch counts with you.’ ”
Piniella said Zambrano “promised” he would be in better shape and more focused.
“He looks absolutely wonderful, and I think you’ll see a heck of a better performance from him just because of that,” Piniella said. “The mental part of it? He’s mentally strong. He fights himself at times. He needs to harness that a little bit. But you want competitors on the mound, and Carlos certainly competes.” chicagotribune.com.
We’ve been hearing all offseason that Zambrano was in perhaps the best shape of his career, but to hear that he is also kicking it in gear this early probably proves it. Health is always the wild card, but clearly Carlos Zambrano is committed to dominating this year. If he can just keep it fit between the ears, he might just do it.
The status of his upper lip for this Spring Training - recall that Zambrano showed up last year looking like a mustachioed mix of Zorro and Ron Jeremy - has yet to be reported.
Remember Joel Guzman?
Filed under: Cubs Minor Leagues and Prospects, MLB News and Rumors
There was a time when a kid named Joel Guzman was basically the top infield prospect in all of baseball. He was 19, 20 years old, and he had the world laid out before him. Guzman was a lock to man shortstop or third base for the Dodgers for years to come.
And then, well, he just kind of stopped being awesome. A year later, he was marginalized, traded to the Rays, and hasn’t been heard from since. Until now, when he signed a minor league deal - sans Spring Training invite - with the Baltimore Orioles.
The Orioles have signed corner infielder/outfielder Joel Guzman, once one of baseball’s top prospects, to a minor league deal. He will not receive an invite to major league camp.
The former Los Angeles Dodgers’ ballyhooed prospect was dealt to Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006 as part of the Julio Lugo, trade-deadline deal.
He was with the Washington Nationals organization last year, batting a combined .268 with 12 homers at Double-A and Triple-A. Guzman, 25, batted .232 in 24 big league games with the Dodgers and Devil Rays. baltimoresun.com.
Why am I bringing this up?
I love the idea that Starlin Castro is the future for the Chicago Cubs at shortstop. I really do. He’s clearly got all the skills, but he still has to actually develop into the player we’re all projecting him to be. A lot can happen along that road.
And when folks talk about refusing to trade Starlin Castro in any deal, I would just ask: remember Joel Guzman.
A Wrench in the Cubs’ Spring Training Plans
After an offseason of back and forth, the Chicago Cubs decided two weeks ago to stay in Mesa, Arizona for Spring Training for the foreseeable future. As part of that decision, Mesa committed to provide new and improved facilities for the team, and a sweet new ballpark. As it turns out, the city and state have planned to help finance the project through a surtax on Cactus League tickets.
Unsurprisingly, some teams aren’t all that into the plan.
The Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks oppose a plan to have the entire Cactus League bankroll the $84 million stadium being built in Mesa for the Chicago Cubs.
Arizona lawmakers are crafting plans that could impose new ticket charges on all Cactus League games and raise rental car taxes Valleywide to help pay for the Cubs’ new spring training complex.
Cactus League President Robert Brinton said ticket surcharges previously have been used by specific cities to fund baseball stadiums within their jurisdictions, but this is the first time a leaguewide fee could be imposed for one project. In a nutshell, the D-backs, Sox and spring training fans Valleywide would help foot the bill for Mesa to build a 15,000-seat stadium for the Cubs.
“We’re opposed,” said White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Phoenix Business Journal.
On a surface level, you can understand where the White Sox and Dbacks (among others, probably) are coming from. Higher ticket prices means potentially reduced attendance, and less revenue. But at the same time, let’s not kid ourselves: the Chicago Cubs are the biggest draw in the Cactus League. That’s not me being a homer, that’s just a fact. The League is better for everyone involved with the Cubs in it, and if this is what it takes to keep the Cubs, then so be it.
The Chicago Cubs’ official response, predictably and correctly, has been: take it up with Mesa and Arizona. They have to find a way to pay for this stuff, and it’s up to them to figure out how to deal with it. They could try to pawn the whole bill off on Cubs’ fans heading to Mesa, but again, that ignores the fact that the team provides benefits to the whole league. Perhaps a disproportionate surtax, weighted onto the Cubs’ home tickets, would be appropriate.
