Lance Berkman on Wrigley field "Worse place to play in baseball"

[Killer_Demo]

Haha Lance has a point...why spend 9 figures to upgrade that old ass stadium? build a new one
:from yahoo sports

Is there a history that Lance Berkman has with Wrigley Field that we don't know about? Did it say something about his mama? Did they go on a date and it never him called back? Did it borrow something and never return it to him? Because apparently Lance Berkman haaaaaaaaaates Wrigley Field.
Berkman's Texas Rangers are in Chicago on Tuesday to start a series with the Cubs. It's the first time the Rangers have played there since 2002. Berkman, however, played in the National League with the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros. He's quite familiar with Wrigley.
So when reporters asked Rangers players about what it meant to visit Wrigley, they got a mouthful from Berkman. These harsh words from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

“If they’re looking for a guy to push the button when they blow the place up, I’ll do it ... Chicago’s one of the worst places in baseball … really for anything.

"I read where they got approval for some more upgrades. Count me in the group of people extremely happy to see that. I guess I'm just spoiled. There is a tremendous history associated with it and there is something special about playing on the same field that guys like Babe Ruth did. But really, what kind of history is there? It's not like there has been one championship after another. It's mainly been a place for people to go and drink beer."

But can't you, Lance, say that about most baseball stadiums? Even the ones whose teams do win championships? In fact, having stadiums that are "places for people to go and drink beer" is what fuels pro sports and helps pay players millions of dollars.
If you can't wait to see how Wrigley's faithful react to Berkman, don't get your hopes up. Since it's a National League game, he won't be in the lineup to DH. Maybe he'll get welcomed to a chorus of boos as a pinch-hitter.
Yes, Berkman is outspoken, but why go after Wrigley? Why insult an institution of baseball, even if it is old and in need of upgrades ($500 million of which were just OK'd). Did he wake up and think to himself, "Hmmm. I wonder how Josh Hamilton felt when he came back to Texas? Let's see how angry I can make Cubs fans."
Wait! Maybe Berkman was the guy who sent the severed goat's head to the Cubs. That would explain everything.

[Bostongambler]

Great tradition, surprised he said that.

[You mad bro]

lol lance berkman ... the guy who said he should be playing first over texeira when he was on the yankees

tex is the best defensive first baseman in baseball and he wants to say he should play over him ahah

[pavyracer]

The building is structurally unstable. There is so much you can do to upgrade 100 year old concrete and rusty rebar. They need to demolish it and build an exact replica with new materials and bring it up to code. There are chunks of concrete falling off from under the seating all the time.

[boeing power]

Might have something to do with his .215 BA at wrigley in 82 games.

[Chi_archie]

I've played there. It is awesome! but I'm easy

[Frisco]

Lol very candid and I liked it

[d2bets]

The visitors clubhouse is a dump. That's what he's talking about.

[InTheDrink]

I've played there. It is awesome! but I'm easy

pretty sure he's talking about actually being there in the flesh archer

[Chi_archie]

me and the great Ivan Dejesus getting the Cubs ready with some infield back in 2007

[InTheDrink]

nice rise archer

any bulls scouts approach you after the game?

[I/O]

Place is a dump. They put 2 million a year into it just to keep it barely functional. Berkman is right on the money with his comments. Check out some of the comments by Ozzie Guillen in the past about that place (and the rats). 30 years ago they couldn't get 5000 people to suffer that organization and that dump was empty game after game. Conveniently nobody including Bill Murray and John Belushi don't seem to remember this fact. Then the neighborhood became "hip" and going to Cubs games to drink and chase tail became fashionable. It has nothing to do with baseball.

Players come to Wrigley to party at night and bang drunk female lemmings outside the park. Also, to lose year after year and be treated well by the die-hards.

Heard Forbes magazine said the Cubs organization was the most profitable in baseball last season. One of the worst in Cubs, more importantly baseball, history.

[Smoke]

Place is cursed

[yisman]

http://www.sportspickle.com/news/15869/cubs-hurriedly-preparing-wrigley-field-for-opening-day-by-clogging-toilets-increasing-rat-population

With Opening Day rapidly approaching, the Chicago Cubs are putting the finishing touches on historic Wrigley Field so it is prepared for its 99th season of baseball. "There are certain things fans expect when they come to Wrigley Field," said general manager Theo Epstein. "And the stench of urine and fecal matter is high on that list. Our stadium crew is working overtime to make sure Wrigley Field is sufficiently disgusting by April 8th."
Keeping Wrigley Field in a dilapidated state takes more effort than most fans might expect. The stadium needs to pass local, state and federal codes. It sits empty for six months out of the year — plenty of time for plumbing and pest issues to be resolved — and the Cubs are also flush with cash.
"It's really hard to block up a few hundred toilets that haven't been used in six months," said stadium manager Jeff Marciniak. "It takes weeks of over-filling them with bowel movements and dropping full rolls of toilet paper and beer bottles in them. And then we have to make sure everything is in place to sustain a large and healthy rat population. The way I look at it is this: You know how there are rock stars with messed up hair that looks like they just rolled out of bed? It takes hours to get hair like that. Wrigley Field is that rock star hair. A ton of hard work goes into the stadium being this shitty."
Epstein says it would be much easier to have a clean and functioning stadium, or build an entirely new venue, "but the fans wants this and we want to give them the horrible experience they demand."
With Wrigley Field almost ready, the general manager says the team is coming into shape on the field, too.
"This franchise has expectations each and every year," said Epstein. "And that is to lose. A lot. Every move I have made has been with that goal in mind and nothing I've seen makes me think our fans will get anything other than complete and total failure. It's going to be another great year of Cubs baseball."

[Killer_Demo]

http://www.sportspickle.com/news/158...rat-population



With Opening Day rapidly approaching, the Chicago Cubs are putting the finishing touches on historic Wrigley Field so it is prepared for its 99th season of baseball. "There are certain things fans expect when they come to Wrigley Field," said general manager Theo Epstein. "And the stench of urine and fecal matter is high on that list. Our stadium crew is working overtime to make sure Wrigley Field is sufficiently disgusting by April 8th."
Keeping Wrigley Field in a dilapidated state takes more effort than most fans might expect. The stadium needs to pass local, state and federal codes. It sits empty for six months out of the year — plenty of time for plumbing and pest issues to be resolved — and the Cubs are also flush with cash.
"It's really hard to block up a few hundred toilets that haven't been used in six months," said stadium manager Jeff Marciniak. "It takes weeks of over-filling them with bowel movements and dropping full rolls of toilet paper and beer bottles in them. And then we have to make sure everything is in place to sustain a large and healthy rat population. The way I look at it is this: You know how there are rock stars with messed up hair that looks like they just rolled out of bed? It takes hours to get hair like that. Wrigley Field is that rock star hair. A ton of hard work goes into the stadium being this shitty."
Epstein says it would be much easier to have a clean and functioning stadium, or build an entirely new venue, "but the fans wants this and we want to give them the horrible experience they demand."
With Wrigley Field almost ready, the general manager says the team is coming into shape on the field, too.
"This franchise has expectations each and every year," said Epstein. "And that is to lose. A lot. Every move I have made has been with that goal in mind and nothing I've seen makes me think our fans will get anything other than complete and total failure. It's going to be another great year of Cubs baseball."

haha wow. "this team has expectations, to lose a lot" lol

[Chi_archie]

nice rise archer

any bulls scouts approach you after the game?

it was some promotion put on by Walgreens, get to take batting practice, infield, shag fly balls with the Coaches and players before a game. Only player I saw was Sean Marshall though.... Larry Rothschild and Ivan were really cool though

[Fishhead]

Demolish the relic