As the public battle as to whether or not Wrigley Field should undergo a facelift continues…the Chicago Cubs have an unlikely supporter backing them up.
Former Chicago White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen.
"It's about time," the outspoken Guillen said. "Finally they start doing the right thing. It's 2013. I think the new owners and the new GM and the new vice president of the ballclub are going in the right direction."
And when dude says "finally"…he means it. Guillen has been banging the Wrigley renovation drum for some time now.
"Wrigley Field is like a monument, and we have to respect that and we have to love that," the Chicago resident said in a 2011 interview. "A lot of people come to Chicago and want to take the tourist buses. They want to go by Wrigley Field. That's the reason why. The owners would rather spend $200 million in players than (renovate the stadium)."
Then again, what else would you expect from a man who once talked openly about the historic stadium's rat infestation?
"You are going to take batting practice and the rats look bigger than a pig out (under the right-field bleachers)," Guillen told reporters back in 2008. "I think the rats out there are lifting weights."
Part of the proposed $300,000 in renovations for the age-old ballpark? A new 6000 square foot Jumbotron in left field.
Another? More than 35,000 square feet of new advertising space around the stadium.
"The better ballpark you have, the more money you're going to get," he said. "Of course it's going to help. When you have sponsors, you have money coming in to spend on the ballclub. Then [management] can spend that money back to the players."
Makes sense to me. I guess Guillen isn't so crazy after all. Now…what are his thoughts on troughs in the men's room?
The team says they're staying.
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