DrCrawdad
12-12-2001, 05:05 AM
Well it's about time...
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-spt-comisk12.html
Comiskey renovation plan hits desk of No. 1 Sox fan
December 12, 2001
BY FRAN SPIELMAN CITY HALL REPORTER
White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf met with Mayor Daley--Chicago's No. 1 Sox fan--on Tuesday to share plans to soften Comiskey Park's much-maligned upper deck and make the ballpark more fan-friendly.
The third and most ambitious phase of the Comiskey renovation project reportedly carries a price tag of $40 million to $50 million. It calls for lopping off eight rows of the upper deck, flattening the stadium roof and creating a home-run porch in right field that harkens back to the days of old Comiskey.
A grand entrance would be created on Wentworth in response to complaints that Comiskey lacks the glamorous entryway that's a fixture at newer stadiums.
Al Lerner, chairman of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, accompanied Reinsdorf to City Hall. Both declined to discuss the booklet of drawings they carried into the mayor's office.
A source familiar with the Sox' plan said the ''upper-deck problem'' cannot be addressed quickly enough.
''The upper eight or 10 rows are used less than 2 percent of the time,'' the source said. "People would rather stand at lower levels than sit at the upper levels. They're talking about bringing down the level of the upper deck and adding seats in other places.
"All of the ballparks built 10 years ago were built in a symmetrical design, but that is not the case in recent years. One of the ways to make Comiskey more fan-friendly is to make it asymmetrical along the foul lines and in the outfield. They did some of that last year. They're talking about doing more of it.''
The Sox are eager to make the improvements quickly, using the $22 million that was directed to Comiskey from the Soldier Field renovation deal in order to win Reinsdorf's support. With interest rates low, the timing never has been better.
Earlier this year, the Sox announced that Round 2 of the Comiskey makeover, to be done before the 2002 opener, would include a multitiered, landscaped batter's eye in center field, a vertical screen behind home plate and improvements to the main concourse and club levels.
Round 1 added multiple rows of seating along the foul lines. The outfield fence was moved in 17 feet down the left-field line, 12 feet down the right-field line and three feet in right-center, giving the park asymmetrical dimensions. Left-center was extended by two feet. The bullpens were relocated.
Daley, a lifelong Sox season-ticket holder, has made no secret of his disdain for the upper deck. In private conversations, he has advocated eliminating the entire upper deck, dramatically reducing seating capacity.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-spt-comisk12.html
Comiskey renovation plan hits desk of No. 1 Sox fan
December 12, 2001
BY FRAN SPIELMAN CITY HALL REPORTER
White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf met with Mayor Daley--Chicago's No. 1 Sox fan--on Tuesday to share plans to soften Comiskey Park's much-maligned upper deck and make the ballpark more fan-friendly.
The third and most ambitious phase of the Comiskey renovation project reportedly carries a price tag of $40 million to $50 million. It calls for lopping off eight rows of the upper deck, flattening the stadium roof and creating a home-run porch in right field that harkens back to the days of old Comiskey.
A grand entrance would be created on Wentworth in response to complaints that Comiskey lacks the glamorous entryway that's a fixture at newer stadiums.
Al Lerner, chairman of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, accompanied Reinsdorf to City Hall. Both declined to discuss the booklet of drawings they carried into the mayor's office.
A source familiar with the Sox' plan said the ''upper-deck problem'' cannot be addressed quickly enough.
''The upper eight or 10 rows are used less than 2 percent of the time,'' the source said. "People would rather stand at lower levels than sit at the upper levels. They're talking about bringing down the level of the upper deck and adding seats in other places.
"All of the ballparks built 10 years ago were built in a symmetrical design, but that is not the case in recent years. One of the ways to make Comiskey more fan-friendly is to make it asymmetrical along the foul lines and in the outfield. They did some of that last year. They're talking about doing more of it.''
The Sox are eager to make the improvements quickly, using the $22 million that was directed to Comiskey from the Soldier Field renovation deal in order to win Reinsdorf's support. With interest rates low, the timing never has been better.
Earlier this year, the Sox announced that Round 2 of the Comiskey makeover, to be done before the 2002 opener, would include a multitiered, landscaped batter's eye in center field, a vertical screen behind home plate and improvements to the main concourse and club levels.
Round 1 added multiple rows of seating along the foul lines. The outfield fence was moved in 17 feet down the left-field line, 12 feet down the right-field line and three feet in right-center, giving the park asymmetrical dimensions. Left-center was extended by two feet. The bullpens were relocated.
Daley, a lifelong Sox season-ticket holder, has made no secret of his disdain for the upper deck. In private conversations, he has advocated eliminating the entire upper deck, dramatically reducing seating capacity.