Chicago Cubs Not Moving From Wrigley Field In Spite of Ballpark Bathroom Issues

The Chicago Cubs are not moving away from Wrigley Field on a temporary basis while their ballpark bathroom continue to experience major issues, per multiple reports.

The Chicago Cubs are not moving away from Wrigley Field in light of their stadium’s bathroom issues.

This was what Cubs vice president of ballpark operations Carl Rice emphasized to The Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan on April 8:

“We just feel right now that Wrigley Field is where we want to play our baseball games. Getting the bathrooms online is important for the entire organization, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

According to Sullivan, a malfunction in Wrigley Field’s pipes in an upper-deck restroom forced fans to move to the lower deck, resulting in long lines that lasted for an hour or so. The team issued an apology and put up 72 portable restrooms to make up for the inconvenience.

Chicago Cubs are bringing in portable toilets to avoid further bathroom complications http://t.co/RapHKiLSqV pic.twitter.com/OfE8BH9uSE— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 7, 2015

Rice pinpointed the problem to a faulty valve, per MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat:

“We knew we were going to be short (on) bathrooms on Opening Day. When we started to lose bathrooms in the left-upper deck and sent fans to the concourse, it created more gridlock. 

“We did not expect that were going to have the situation we had. In hindsight, we should’ve had the portable restrooms here.”

Rice added city officials recommended the port-a-pottie solution to the Cubs. They also have no reservations about possible health-code issues, per The Chicago Tribune. 

Muskat says the portable restrooms were installed “on the left-field concourse and outside of Gate K.” 

Rice assured fans Cubs management is doing its best in trying to solve the problem, per MLB.com:

“It was a multiple failure up there. Whether it was the renovation or anything that happened in the offseason, we haven’t been able to figure that out — or it could’ve been the age of the infrastructure of the upper deck. 

“We know we’ve corrected it, we put a new system in and we’ve tested it in the last couple days and have not had any failures so far.”

A Cubs player’s relative described the mayhem created by the gridlock as “brutal.” The relative was in line for a full 40 minutes and missed three innings of the Cubs’ 3-0 loss to the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, per an April 8 update from CSN Chicago Cubs Insider Patrick Mooney.

It’d be right if the Cubs went beyond an apology for the bathroom issues. http://t.co/Z9Isy9F0iD A ticket to a future game, perhaps.— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) April 7, 2015

Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney said during the “Kap & Haugh” simulcast on WGN (via CSN Chicago) embarrassing moments such as these are indicative of the upgrades Wrigley Field, which turns 101 years old on April 23, needs:

“There have been a lot of embarrassing moments. You guys remember when our concourse flooded and we had our fans in ankle-deep water walking around. These are all signs that the ballpark needs the kind of repair that is ongoing.”

New Cubs manager Joe Maddon told Mooney on Wednesday he is happy to be working in Wrigley Field despite its shortcomings. Maddon also praised the ballpark’s services when his wife, sisters-in-law and business partners dropped by for his first game as Cubs manager on April 5:

“I am so thrilled to be here — I’ll take the gaffes or whatever you want to call them. I don’t think that the people here would ever get so spoiled as to not appreciate Wrigley Field.

“It’s underoing a facelift right now. Temporary inconvenience, permanent improvement — it’s a great road sign.

Chicago Cubs apologize for long bathroom lines at home opener http://t.co/qDNSoEQ7gf pic.twitter.com/aKMoXY2LRr— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) April 6, 2015

“There was a slight issue on the purchase of a hot dog and its proximity to something that looked like a beer. Otherwise, it was perfect.”

Ultimately, Cubs general manager stressed to Mooney he wants the focus to be on the team and not on Wrigley Field’s bathroom issues:

“Hopefully, our team is what you want to talk about — not bathroom lines or porta-potties. I think you guys want to talk about baseball. I think we want to talk about baseball.

“We want the focus on the field. I have no doubt we’ll get back to that. I think that’s where it belongs. Obviously, there’s going to be growing pains — or building pains — however you want to say it with the ballpark.

“Unfortunately, we felt that a little bit on Opening Day. Hopefully, we get all that stuff behind us and just focus on the players.”

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