Phil Rogers gives us another one of those “Cubs-fans-are-sentimental-fools-whose-team-will-never-win-until-they-get-real” columns in Friday’s Chicago Tribune. First, it was lights. Then it was more ads. Now it’s tearing down the centerfield scoreboard and replacing it with a jumbotron. Here is his reasoning:
“When something in my house is outdated, I generally replace it.
If the Cubs wanted to do that with the 76-year-old center-field scoreboard — yes, the iconic scoreboard — here's what I would say: What took you so long?
… A couple of weeks after President Theo Epstein was hired, here's a quote I used from an unnamed general manager about the changes coming for the organization.
‘I wouldn't look for that old scoreboard to be sitting on top of the center-field bleachers for many more years,’ he said. ‘There's $20 million (per year) sitting up there if they put a giant Jumbotron up.’ …
You know what $20 million a year will buy you in the free-agent market?”
Yes, I know what $20 million a year will buy in the free agent market. Alfonzo Soriano and a utility infielder to be named later. The problem with Phil Rogers’ argument (Dave Kaplan makes it, too) is that the Tribune Company and Jim Hendry tried it. The Cubs had the second or third highest payroll in major league baseball in late 2000s, and what did the fans get? The Cubs haven’t won a playoff game since 2003.
People like Phil Rogers keep telling us that, if we give up what makes Wrigley Field special, if we give up what makes being a Cubs fan special, if we give up why we care, then the Cubs will have enough money to win. Well, the Cubs spent the money in 2006 to 2009, and they didn’t win. Why should we think it will work this time? And if it doesn’t, where do we go to get our memories back?
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