More photos from NW - ILL at Wrigley
http://www.cubbiedoc.com/2010/11/youve-got-to-be-kidding-me-more.html
This whole thing seems a bit too much. Why not just play at Soldier Field or Ryan Field?
This is a bit tight
They took 3 rows of seats to fit the end zone
November 18th, 2010 at 11:41 AM ^
Is the ivy in the outfield not real??
There goes my childhood.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:51 AM ^
Apparently it turns brown when it gets cold out. You can still see it in the picture if you squint. Check out the pic below of the outfielder running into it.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:54 AM ^
For this game, they've installed padding (so at least there's that) and made it to look like fresh ivy. As the good doctor said, you can see the dead brown ivy behind the padding.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:52 AM ^
it's real, it's just dead. it's all cold and dark and junk outside. that allstate logo ivy is padding because the endzone is dangerpenis close to a brick fuggin wall.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:55 AM ^
You beat me to it.
November 18th, 2010 at 1:34 PM ^
dangerpenis? Nice word. You sir are always coming up with amazing words. You should publish a journal with every word you have invented.
November 18th, 2010 at 1:51 PM ^
Word.
November 18th, 2010 at 3:29 PM ^
I would watch it like NASCAR and happily wait for the crashes. Oh wait, I guess I shouldn't say that out loud.
November 18th, 2010 at 12:07 PM ^
Is this a real question? Just like every other plant in the City of Chicago, it turns brown and lifeless. It will be back by late May, don't you worry.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:45 AM ^
That's going to be pretty rough running into that wall. Not too sure why they did it like this. Seems like someone didn't think it all the way through and convinced everyone else involved that it was a good idea.
I agree with the guy from your link. I don't understand how the NCAA is allowing this. Seems pretty dangerous, especially after that player a year or two ago ran into a cart(?) at the end of the end zone and fucked up his knee. I believe it was a Marshall player, but not totally sure.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:42 AM ^
this without glove, with pads, no ivy, and wearing purple or orange.
November 18th, 2010 at 12:53 PM ^
That's brick under there. This is dangerous no matter what sport they are playing.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:42 AM ^
I really don't like this experiment: but its a gimmick that worked, and Northwestern has everyone's attention.
If it rains, its gonna be a really sloppy game. A non-crowned field is gonna become a mudbowl.
November 18th, 2010 at 12:21 PM ^
Its gonna be sunny and cold here Saturday.
November 18th, 2010 at 12:35 PM ^
False. No Roger Bossard designed field ever turns into a pile of mud. He's the Sodfather.
November 18th, 2010 at 3:32 PM ^
November 18th, 2010 at 11:44 AM ^
Won't take much to throw it out of the back of the endzone!
November 18th, 2010 at 11:50 AM ^
what if it bounces off the wall and a player catches it? Does it count?
November 18th, 2010 at 11:56 AM ^
Just in case you're not -- no, it doesn't count.
November 18th, 2010 at 12:02 PM ^
Yea, of course I was.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:46 AM ^
What is the expected seating capacity for this game?
November 18th, 2010 at 11:54 AM ^
Bears had to move b/c NFL wanted all teams to be in stadiums larger than 50k
Wrigley seats around 42, but I think they will count the bands on the field etc. so my guess is announced is around 45k
from wikipedia the old layout
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrigley_field
looks like they added bleachers below the right field wall
November 18th, 2010 at 12:24 PM ^
There are 1,500 members in each band????
November 18th, 2010 at 12:47 PM ^
LOL...Whatever the number, "band take the outfield" just doesn't have the right ring to it.
However, it would be amazing to hear this at Michigan: "Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting the 1,500 member Michigan Marching Band. Band take the field!"
Suffice it to say fans in the south end zone would have no problem hearing them.
November 18th, 2010 at 1:05 PM ^
Neither would people in Southfield.
November 18th, 2010 at 1:07 PM ^
I can see by your avatar you are itching for a fight
I think by the time you count the bands, the players, standing room only, the assorted hangers on etc. you can probably come close
I was trying to 'ball park' it
November 18th, 2010 at 11:50 AM ^
Someone's going to get hurt. Guaranteed. That railing is too close to the field. I just don't see it. This is way too dangerous.
November 18th, 2010 at 11:54 AM ^
But is it too late for them to look at this situation and realize how horrible of an experiment this is going to be and just play the game in Evanston?
This makes this
No longer the worst idea ever....
November 18th, 2010 at 12:00 PM ^
i read the article itself written by a self-proclaimed lifelong cub fan. imo, he's a typical cub fan that doesn't know squat. one of his comments about the field is that the cubs tore out 3 rows of seats and the brick wall beyond the dugout.
if he was any kind of cub fan, he would know that a few years ago the cubs ADDED 3 rows of seats behind home plate between the two dugouts.
i realize there isn't much room beyond the endzone, but i would think they could put some thick padding in some areas and it would be fine. there are some fields around the country that don't have much room beyond the endzones. i think georgia or clemson is one, iirc. but i'm sure there are others.
November 18th, 2010 at 12:46 PM ^
There are numerous stadiums around the country where there isn't room through the endzone and plus, the really tight spot is only a few yards width-wise and then opens up.
November 18th, 2010 at 12:09 PM ^
What you are looking at is the answer to the best (and without fail missed) trivia questions of all time.
Question: What currently active stadium has played host to the most NFL games in history?
Answer: Wrigley Field (Chicago Bears 1921 to 1970 & Chicago Cardinals 1922 to 1959)
That question will win you more beers in a bar than darts any day of the week!
November 18th, 2010 at 4:12 PM ^
i heard that one before. but i think a stadium is catching up quickly - the meadowlands, i think.
November 18th, 2010 at 4:16 PM ^
Didn't the Giants and Jets just move out of the Meadowlands?
November 18th, 2010 at 12:22 PM ^
This looks even more dangerous because you can't gameplan around getting tackled out of bounds into this wall. Pat Fitzgerald said they won't be running any go routes to the endzone, but I can see guys getting pushed out in this area and they don't have any extra padding.
November 18th, 2010 at 3:24 PM ^
No go routes to the endzone? Is it worth it to play the game in this setting if it limits your gameplan?
November 18th, 2010 at 4:14 PM ^
when we played football in the back yard, we managed to avoid running into any trees; one of which was smack dab in the middle of the endzone.
November 18th, 2010 at 12:25 PM ^
Probably looked good on paper, but man, someone is going to get hurt.
Won't somebody please think of the children!?
November 18th, 2010 at 12:26 PM ^
Why not play at your school? Isn't that what college sports are supposed to be about - playing for your school?
November 18th, 2010 at 12:43 PM ^
Same reason the Michigan/Alabama game is in Dallas....
November 18th, 2010 at 12:49 PM ^
No, I understand that it's about the money, but why would Northwestern and Illinois agree to this? It's not like they don't play often or anything. Oh well. I would much rather see us play in Tuscaloosa than Dallas, but that's neither here nor there.
November 18th, 2010 at 12:56 PM ^
Have you ever been to Northwestern's stadium?
And if not, have you ever been to Western Michigan's stadium?
WMU has NU beat in that department.
November 18th, 2010 at 1:26 PM ^
Obviously it's mostly about marketing and money, which from all the stories, it seems to be an obvious success. But it's also a slight nod to history, even besides the obvious historical wrigley field angle. If you dig through the media guides of various schools, you'll find a lot of neutral field games. Many rivalries were always played at one particular location. Most famously, Alabama-Auburn in Birmingham and UT-OU in the Cotton Bowl. Other schools have had a tradition of playing one "home" game away the school, i.e. Arkansas in Little Rock.
As Michigan fans, it's hard to believe a team would willingly give up a home game to play somewhere else as the home team, but for a lot of schools, it has made sense. For Northwestern, it obviously made sense to move the game to Wrigley.
November 18th, 2010 at 12:41 PM ^
about the Ivy. At the last college football game at Wrigley, the Ivy was 1 years old.
November 18th, 2010 at 1:13 PM ^
go out of the stadium? It seems there is a chance.
November 18th, 2010 at 1:50 PM ^
Uh...I'd definitely say its more than a chance:
There are going to be people finding footballs going through their living room windows unless that net that bitch up.
November 18th, 2010 at 2:02 PM ^
make me think a net is definitely at (good) hand(s) (people).
November 18th, 2010 at 1:16 PM ^
might as well just pad the whole thing up and play an Arena Football game
November 18th, 2010 at 1:48 PM ^
I fully expect this to happen a least once in this game:
I know this looked like a cool idea on paper, but there is a reason most sports play in different stadiums - they tend to be designed best for a specific sport. In this case, Wrigley is a reasonably-sized baseball park, but it really does not have the dimensions suitable for playing football without, you know, having the endzone 6 inches away from a wall. I'm sure the game will be fun for the spectators, but I hope this doesn't start a trend.
November 18th, 2010 at 2:08 PM ^
Good lord...Can you imagine Michigan playing northwestern or some shitty team at Comerica Park?