Welcome to the Safer Confines.
In an effort to protect fans coming to their renovated relic, Cubs officials announced several additional security measures at Wrigley Field for the 2016 season.
The biggest changes are that fans must go through metal detectors before entering the ballpark and that the Cubs are seeking help from the city to secure a 100-foot perimeter around the park on game days. The latter would mean sections of Clark and Addison streets would be open only to emergency and police vehicles and buses.
Cubs business President Crane Kenney said he started thinking about additional safety measures after the Paris bombings in November. Kenney added that an official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will address security with Major League Baseball officials this month.
"What used to keep me awake all night was the concrete and steel, which we are fixing," Kenney said Saturday after informing fans of the changes during the Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. "What keeps me awake now are the crazy times we live in."
Kenney said the Cubs hired a consultant and are seeking addition help from MLB.
"Security won't get any easier for us," Chairman Tom Ricketts said
With congestion at the ballpark at an all-time high because of a massive $575 million renovation project and increased interest in the team, the Cubs elected to alert fans now so they can make plan to arrive at games earlier than usual.
In addition, backstop netting will extend to the dugouts and will be designed to protect fans sitting as far as 70 feet away, with the location of fans sitting in that radius dictating the height.
Until the security measures were announced, much of the anticipation about ballpark updates concerned renovations.
Many of the improvements for the park involve replacing steel and concrete, although among the more visible upgrades are the 7,000 grandstand-reserved seats that will be replaced and improvements to the center-field-bleacher area.
A new entrance on the west side of the park, a new sound system, an increase of 40 percent or more of women's and men's restrooms, eight elevators and an expanded ticket area are scheduled for completion by 2017. The offices in the new plaza built above the new clubhouse should be completed by the end of 2016.
Manager Joe Maddon, his coaches, players and training staff were ecstatic after their visit to the new spacious and circular clubhouse facilities that should be ready well before the April 11 home opener against the Reds.
"You can just see the magnitude of the place," said Maddon, who watched the reaction of the players as they viewed their new digs.
The training room, for instance, will be 4,000 square feet and include more equipment.
"It's unbelievable," reliever Neil Ramirez said. "From my standpoint, the recovery (equipment) is ridiculous."
And players and fans will be on more of a routine schedule this season, as Maddon's request to play home games at more traditional starting times was granted with the elimination of 3:05 p.m. starts on Fridays.
"Our No. 1 goal is to win games," Kenney said. "And when Joe said in his view that consistency of schedule would help us win games, it became easy."
That change will be revisited after the 2016 season.
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