In S.F., J.K. Dineen notes Chase Center, the Warriors' future home, was 25% "complete" as of yesterday. S.F. Mayor Ed Lee joined Warriors President & COO Rick Welts on a "tour of the job site." Lee said, "They are further along than I thought they'd be." Lee also "toured the visitors center next door, where the Warriors have created a sales center for prospective season-ticket holders and corporate sponsors" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/8).
FRIENDLIER CONFINES: In Chicago, Mark Gonzales notes Wrigley Field is in the "midst of its annual offseason renovations." The most noticeable difference in '18 will be the "relocating and widening of the dugouts, which will be moved from 15 to 30 feet down the left and right field lines and should provide more air circulation and better sight lines for the players." Much of the "excavation on the first and third base sides" is designed for the Makers Mark Barrel Room and W Club scheduled to open in '19. Construction on the Catalina Club, "located in the upper level behind home plate," also is targeted for '19. The American Airlines 1914 Club "remains on schedule to be open" for the home opener (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 11/8).
FLY SOUTH FOR THE SPRING: SPORTSNET.ca's Shi Davidi noted the Blue Jays’ deal with Dunedin, Fla., on a Spring Training site upgrade includes field dimensions and wall heights "exactly matching those at Rogers Centre, an outfield boardwalk that includes a 'good-sized ‘tiki’ bar,' and multiple robotic HD cameras for video feeds" that baseball operations staffers "can access remotely." An agreement on the construction and renovation was "approved during a city commission meeting last Thursday, a pivotal step in completing a complicated" $81M deal (SPORTSNET.ca, 11/6).
