All remains quiet on the rooftop front. At last check, the Chicago Cubs were trying to come to some kind of peaceable agreement with the rooftops that outline the outfield at Wrigley Field which would allow the team to erect some outfield signage without the rooftops suing and imperiling the entire Wrigley renovation project. Everyone seems to be hoping for a resolution by Opening Day, and the meat of the construction to begin after this season.
But there was a time not so long ago that it sounded like the Cubs might try and force the issue by erecting the advertising sign in right field – expected to be a see-through, script sign that says Budweiser or something like that – even without an agreement in place with the rooftops. The Cubs have already paired that sign to a long-term, $140 million agreement with Anheuser-Busch, so the sooner it goes up, presumably, the better for that relationship.
According to a Tribune report, however, it doesn’t sound like the sign will be up in time for Opening Day.
What is unclear is whether the delay in signage is tied to the ongoing rooftop issue, or if it’s just a practical matter between the Cubs and Budweiser. Cubs VP of Communication and Community Affairs Julian Green told the Tribune that the sign would not be up, as the Cubs are “still in talks with Budweiser about the design elements.”
So, when the Cubs kick things off on April 4, you won’t see a brand new sign in right field. Whether that’s a good or bad signal, as it relates to the rooftop talks, or whether it means absolutely nothing at all, I really can’t say.
It’s possible the sign goes up at some point during the 2014 season.