Wrigley Field might be renamed...

[Wade8813]

Not necessarily. You don't have to be a traditionalist to think that Invesco sounds dumb...

[Old Sweater]

The financial structure of baseball has changed dramitically... you can either get on the bus or be left at the station. Your choice.

There are no more "traditionalists" among us... at least not very many (;ess than 5% of the people on here, imo). If you were not alive when baseball had just a NL and an AL without divisions, no DH, or day World Series Games, then you look pretty foolish claiming "tradition" should keep any stadium naming rights off the books, imo.

Wrigley Field is already corporately named.... if they want to change it, go ahead. What's the problem?

That's not true here in Denver, they done a poll of the fans on which name they wanted for the new football stadium and the clear winner by the fans polled was "Mile High" we still wound up with "Invesco Field at Mile High." If only 5% of fans weren't traditionalist's we would have wound up with "Invesco Field."

Many more fans of baseball remain traditionalists then 5% for sure. If it was just 5% not so many posters would be complaining in this thread. You also don't have to be old to be a traditionalist, you can be a traditionalist of your time or your personal preferences. There is no cast in stone standard set for a traditionalist. Tradition changes with the time.

[StanTheMan]

The financial structure of baseball has changed dramitically... you can either get on the bus or be left at the station. Your choice.

There are no more "traditionalists" among us... at least not very many (;ess than 5% of the people on here, imo). If you were not alive when baseball had just a NL and an AL without divisions, no DH, or day World Series Games, then you look pretty foolish claiming "tradition" should keep any stadium naming rights off the books, imo.

Wrigley Field is already corporately named.... if they want to change it, go ahead. What's the problem?

[Knick9]

And now please rise and join Steve Jobs co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Apple Inc, for the 7th inning stretch and the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" - brought to you by Home Depot:

"OK Castrol GTX Stadium - are you ready?
1, 2, 3...

Take me out to the ball game (MLB games sponsored by Snickers),
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some Planters Peanuts and Frito Lays Cracker Jacks,
I don't care if I never get back,
Lets root, root, root for the Cubbies (Chicago Cubs brought to you by Nintendo),
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes (Strikes brought to you by Ford - for each strike of the game Ford will donate $100 to Boy Scouts of America), you're out (Outs brought to you by Anheuser Busch),
At the old ball game (MLB games sponsered by Snickers)."

I will throw up if that ever happens... :disbelief:

[Brad Chadford]

And now please rise and join Steve Jobs co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Apple Inc, for the 7th inning stretch and the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" - brought to you by Home Depot:

"OK Castrol GTX Stadium - are you ready?
1, 2, 3...

Take me out to the ball game (MLB games sponsored by Snickers),
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some Planters Peanuts and Frito Lays Cracker Jacks,
I don't care if I never get back,
Lets root, root, root for the Cubbies (Chicago Cubs brought to you by Nintendo),
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes (Strikes brought to you by Ford - for each strike of the game Ford will donate $100 to Boy Scouts of America), you're out (Outs brought to you by Anheuser Busch),
At the old ball game (MLB games sponsered by Snickers)."

[Old Sweater]

You can still call it Wrigley Field. There's no rule that says you have to call it "Whatever Corporate Name Field." Giants fans don't call their ballpark AT&T Park either, as far as I know. I heard that they call it "Mays Field" for Willie Mays.

This also brings up something I haven't seen lately. I'm going to propose something to all MLB fans. For those of you whose ballparks are named after corporate sponsors, why don't you have a get-together with other fans and discuss what proper name your ballpark should be given? So, once a proper name has been chosen, you could from then on call the ballpark by that name. :atthepc

Some Giant fans refer to it as May Field but it is just a petition in the making.

Sept 5th 2007

Maysfield Website Seeks Steward!
So here's the deal regarding the Mays Field website.

We set it up a couple of years ago as part of our quixotic effort to spread the Mays Field meme. The idea was always one part consciousness raising, one part goofing around and one part, who knows, getting someone in power somewhere to see how much BETTER it would be to name the park after a human.

The Mays Field campaign has gotten a fair amount of press and circulated a pretty popular petition and I'm always surprised how people I encounter sometimes up and say, "Mays Field" as if it's the natural name of park. At the same time, no one's really had the time to actively push this along and the offical name is still what it is.

[Knick9]

Don't have to

Yeah, baseball's hurting for money these days. It's all about money.
One day we'll see the players wearing ads for their favorite products because they too are starving.

At one time I knew the name of every team's ballpark. Now I'd be lucky to name one third of them.

You can still call it Wrigley Field. There's no rule that says you have to call it "Whatever Corporate Name Field." Giants fans don't call their ballpark AT&T Park either, as far as I know. I heard that they call it "Mays Field" for Willie Mays.

This also brings up something I haven't seen lately. I'm going to propose something to all MLB fans. For those of you whose ballparks are named after corporate sponsors, why don't you have a get-together with other fans and discuss what proper name your ballpark should be given? So, once a proper name has been chosen, you could from then on call the ballpark by that name. :atthepc

[Old Sweater]

Samuel "Sam" Zell (born September 1941) is a U.S.-born billionaire and real estate entrepreneur.

That should explain a lot right there. Many but not all baseball turn more traditionalists as they get older. This guy is 67 and more of a business man then a fan and traditionalist.

[nl1899fan]

Yeah, baseball's hurting for money these days. It's all about money.
One day we'll see the players wearing ads for their favorite products because they too are starving.

At one time I knew the name of every team's ballpark. Now I'd be lucky to name one third of them.

[Mattingly]

I wonder how much people's reaction would change if he was planning to rename Wrigley, but without any corporate involvement?

For me, the issue is that it's being renamed, not that a corporation is involved (although some corporation names don't work as well as others - Safeco Field is better than Minute Maid Park, IMO). And while it's disappointing that Wrigley might be renamed, it's not the end of the world to me. If Wrigley had become run down, and they decided to build a new stadium, it would quite possibly had a different name.

The 2009 version of Yankee Stadium, which I'll call "Yankee Stadium III" will be called ... (drumroll, please) ... Yankee Stadium.

Certain things should never be renamed. It's bad enough they're going to tear down Ruth's House after having gutted it before, but now they're also going to relocate it. Enough about the Yanks.

If they want a non-corporate name, either name it after a person, call it Cubs Stadium or something. Shea was named after William A. Shea, who'd led some committee to find a new NL team after the Brooklyn Dodgers and NY Giants went some 2,900 miles west. Couldn't a similar person be found for the Cubs?

If the tennis US Open can be played in Arthur Ashe Stadium (formerly Louis Armstrong Stadium), which is across the street from Shea in Flushing, Queens, then I say that a Harry Caray Stadium wouldn't be such a bad idea.



Just think, they can have "Coke Bottle Eyeglasses Night" once a month and it would be a wild sellout of fun, hot dogs, pretzels, soda and baseball!

[Wade8813]

I wonder how much people's reaction would change if he was planning to rename Wrigley, but without any corporate involvement?

For me, the issue is that it's being renamed, not that a corporation is involved (although some corporation names don't work as well as others - Safeco Field is better than Minute Maid Park, IMO). And while it's disappointing that Wrigley might be renamed, it's not the end of the world to me. If Wrigley had become run down, and they decided to build a new stadium, it would quite possibly had a different name.

[Mattingly]

I've heard they're changing the uniforms also:



Don't these corporate sponsors donate something like $20m/yr to offset costs? This could also be a sign that not only is tradition going by the wayside, but that teams, even one as historic as the Cubs, may not be making as much money as expected.

Should we just pass the coffee cup and donate some $ to the North Siders.

[OleMissCub]

I saw my first game at Wrigley in 1936, the season before the bleachers and ivy were added.

Bob

HOLY COW!

[Honus Wagner Rules]

The original name was North Side Ball Park (1914); Weeghman Park (1914-15); Whales Park (1915). The stadium was built for the Chicago Federals, the Federal League team. Then the team was remamed the Whales.

The Federal League folded after only two years, so Weeghman, leading a ten man syndicate which included chewing gum magnate Willam Wrigley, Jr., purchased the Cubs of the National League. The team was moved from West Side Grounds to what was then known as Weeghman Park. When the league folded, Weegham purchased the Cubs, and changed the stadium name to Cubs’ Park (1916-26). In 1918, Wrigley took over Weeghman's share of the team and by 1919 had bought out the shares of the other members of the syndicate. The name of the stadium was changed to Cubs Park in time for opening day, 1920. It was renamed Wrigley Field in his honor in 1926.

I saw my first game at Wrigley in 1936, the season before the bleachers and ivy were added.

Bob

Bob!

You rock! :bowdown: Can you share some good memoeries from the 1930s? The '36 Cubs were the defending National League champs right? I hope I will be enjoying baseball at 75 in 2043!

[Sweet Lou]

I saw my first game at Wrigley in 1936, the season before the bleachers and ivy were added.

Bob

Wow! That is so cool! When were you last at Wrigley? Maybe you should come on up this way and take in a game this year. It's always a good year to go to Wrigley, but hopefully this year is a REALLY good year...