Wrigley Construction Postponed; Completion Dates Pushed Back

Construction work was "supposed to begin" today on the five-year, $300M Wrigley Field renovation project, but it has been "postponed indefinitely." Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein said, "The last I heard, any work done this winter will be structural – infrastructure to put us in position ... to make more significant changes." That means a "new home clubhouse won't be in place until 2015, and the visitors' clubhouse ready in 2020" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/26).

The Cubs wrapped up their home schedule yesterday and "suffered their fifth consecutive year of declining attendance, from a team-record 3,300,200 in 2008 to 2,642,682 this year." That marks a 19.9% overall drop since the team's last playoff appearance. The drop of 240,074 from last season to this one is the "steepest from one full season to the next since the 1994-95 labor stoppage" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/26).