NEWSLETTER
While we await the next Cubs/rooftops update – at last check, the Cubs and rooftops were still trying to hammer out a deal, but some inside the Cubs’ organization are reportedly finally starting to think about the possibility of playing elsewhere – let’s check in on how the City is feeling about all of this. Recall, Mayor Rahm Emanuel helped push the revised Wrigley Field renovation and development plan through City Council back in December, and then basically said: get to work.
Obviously the work hasn’t started, thanks primarily to the current dispute between the Cubs and the rooftops. Any change from the Mayor? Not really.
Writing for the Tribune on a variety of Chicago sports topics, David Haugh spoke with the Mayor, who said that the ongoing battle – and attending renovation delay – is testing everyone’s patience. Without taking an obvious side or providing any details, Emanuel told Haugh that he’s pushed the sides for a resolution as recently as last week.
As for whether Emanuel’s push means anything in the wake of resurgent move-the-Cubs whispers, the Mayor remains unconvinced that such a threat would carry any weight, given the value of playing in a unique neighborhood setting, as well as the Ricketts Family’s investments around Wrigley Field. Emanuel seems to believe, again without any details, there will be a deal in place by Opening Day. I guess that’s mildly encouraging.
But, remember: the $500 million private investment the Ricketts Family plans to make in the City of Chicago is an enormous feather in Emanuel’s cap. He has a strong incentive to see this thing get underway … and probably also an incentive to appear optimistic. In other words, I’m not really sure how much any of this means. (You could probably say that regarding just about everything that’s happened on this story – if we’ve learned anything through his four-year process, it’s that no signs or signals or statements can truly provide any confidence whatsoever – there are always disappointing twists and turns.)
And now we resume our usual waiting, hoping, sighing, and nail-biting.
