Wrigley Field Could Be Getting the All-Star Game…In 2019…Or Later
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred recently told CBS Chicago’s Bruce Levine that the Cubs are definitely going to (be part of the competition to) host the All-Star game again. This is uge, which is kind of like huge except so unbelievable that you’ve got to get the h out of here. As if the anticipation hadn’t already reached biting-your-nails-down-to-the-quick intensity, baseball’s boss went on to say that the Midsummer Classic could call Wrigley Field home as soon as 2019. That’s only three and a half years away, people!
“It makes sense the Cubs get an opportunity ahead after the new renovations are complete,” Manfred explained on Saturday. “This will provide the Cubs and Ricketts family a chance to showcase the unbelievable renovation they are in the midst of doing for Wrigley field.”
With said renovation expected to going on through the 2018 season, there’s really no way the Cubs would want to throw their New Era hats in the ring any earlier than 2019 anyway. Of course, baseball’s dance card is also full in the intervening years.
“Timing-wise we have the schedule of cities set through Washington (2018),” the commish continued. “We will have an open and complete competition for the All Star Game beyond that time.”
Am I the only one who can feel Manfred winking at and nudging Levine as he’s saying this? Saying that they’ll have an open and complete competition is like spraying vanilla powder air freshener over whatever it is you just did in that bathroom. Sure, that’s taking this a little far, as I don’t think Manfred is dabbling in anything even mildly illicit, just that I can’t imagine the Cubs wouldn’t be first in line to get the event when MLB opens discussions for the next city after San Diego, Miami, and DC in the coming years.
Of course, my crude use of toilet humor is actually fitting when it comes to the timing of such a big event, as we all saw and/or experienced what happened at Wrigley last year with the bathroom fiasco. There they were on national TV, forcing fans to do their own stunts in plastic cups. Probably coulda used some potty doubles. Get it: potty doubles? *crickets* We shouldn’t see a sequel this season, as the Cubs have said the ballpark will open with more functional johns than they closed last season with. This is incredibly good news for Cubs fans with small bladders. Also for hookers.
But as important as proper restrooms are to servicing large crowds of people who will be drinking lots of beer, there’s also a need to provide a little something extra. The MLB All-Star festivities are incredibly family friendly and will be drawing fans from across baseball who want to be entertained by more than just what happens on the field. As such, it’ll be important that the construction of the plaza adjacent to the ballpark be completed, not to mention the hotel(s) and other big-picture projects. Events like this can be a really great way to showcase a team and its city, and, joking aside, I really believe the Cubs will put on a great show for everyone.
Because of the hiccups that inevitably come up in ambitious projects like those going on in Wrigleyville, I think the Cubs end up bowing out of the race for the 2019 ASG and that they end up getting it in 2020. This is where I make a joke about having a clear vision for the future or something like that and then you tell me to log off.