In Chicago, Mark Gonzales notes the marquee gate at Wrigley Field "has been restored, and the ticket windows have shifted several feet north of the main entrance." New ramps "have been constructed near the location of the Western gate," and the "restoration of steel and concrete on the main concourse will continue" throughout the season. All bleacher sections "will be open, with the addition of the Budweiser Bleacher Bar at the entrance serving beverages." The Wrigley marquee "has been restored and will be reinstalled" before the April 11 home opener against the Reds. About 7,000 new seats "were installed in the left field terrace section" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/1).
BLUE JAY WAY: SPORTSNET.ca's Shi Davidi noted Blue Jays President & CEO Mark Shapiro sees "significant" issues if the team is to remain in Dunedin, Fla., for Spring Training once its current lease that runs through '17 expires. The Blue Jays' negotiations with the city "are now focused on obtaining additional land" to house a training and development complex along with another field and a half. Renovations "would also be made to Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, which would be used solely to host Grapefruit League games." Going that route would not eliminate the separation between the two sites, but the Blue Jays "would do everything but play" at the Bobby Mattick Training Center, "creating a single home for the entire organization" (SPORTNET.ca, 3/30).
WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR: In Seattle, Geoff Baker reported the Washington State Public Stadium Authority "is demanding" that the city of Seattle force hedge fund manager Chris Hansen to "reach an event scheduling agreement with it before granting him a street to build a proposed Sodo District arena." A Seattle City Council vote on giving Hansen land for the arena "is scheduled for late April or early May." In a letter to the council Monday, the PSA said that there has been "no attempt by Hansen to address scheduling protocols enabling the arena to function alongside CenturyLink and Safeco fields." The Mariners last week "sent the council a letter outlining similar concerns." But the Mariners "went a step further, questioning whether Sodo is the best place for an arena and urging the city to look at remodeling its existing KeyArena facility" (SEATTLE TIMES, 3/31).
