The Cubs will return to Wrigley Field on Thursday, but their opponent will be a wandering attention span rather than another National League team.
With Thursday’s game against Cincinnati postponed because of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the Cubs will conduct a voluntary workout at 12:30 p.m.
Commissioner Bud Selig has yet to decide whether the Cubs’ next series, slated to begin Friday, will be played.
One of the chief factors will be whether the Pirates will be cleared on Thursday to fly from Pittsburgh.
“How many days off we’ll have, I have no idea,” Cubs manager Don Baylor said. “I wouldn’t even want to guess. The pitchers scheduled to pitch are still scheduled to pitch. [But] it will be one of those things where it will be tough for guys to focus.”
Baylor said that about a half-dozen players reported to the ballpark on Wednesday to work out or receive treatment for injuries. Among those were Fred McGriff, Ron Coomer, Jeff Fassero and Todd Van Poppel.
Cubs President Andy MacPhail said he and Selig had spoken five times over the last two days.
“The commissioner’s office will do what it feels is in the best interests of the game,” MacPhail said. “There are all sorts of issues to sort through–logistical, practical, security issues, issues of proper mourning time. And you get a sense from the White House as to what they feel is appropriate.
“There are no right or wrong answers. You just do the best you can.”
Selig said Wednesday night that his intention is to extend the season to complete the 162-game schedule. The club has not announced a plan regarding possible ticket refunds.
The Cubs obviously hope to reschedule all of the games, given that they trail first-place Houston by six games in the National League Central and San Francisco by 1 1/2 games in the wild-card playoff race.
MacPhail said that security already is at a heightened state at Wrigley Field. And once the games resume, fans will notice a boost in personnel.
“There will be an increased [security] presence,” he said.
MacPhail, the son of former Hall of Fame baseball executive Lee MacPhail, was born in Bronxville, N.Y., about 40 minutes outside of Manhattan. He attended high school in the Bronx and has relatives in New York and Washington. All were reported to be fine.
Yet that did little to soften MacPhail’s sense of outrage over the Tuesday attacks.
“I don’t have the words to describe the feeling that I’m sure is consistent among all of us,” he said. “This was an awful thing.”
