From new advertisements on the upper-deck facade to padded benches in the dugout, changes have come to Wrigley Field.
Some are small, like the red Bank of America stickers wrapped around thousands of cup holders. Some are big, like the addition of $48 million right fielder Kosuke Fukudome.
Some are subtle, like the level new playing field. Some are in-your-face, like the garish yellow “CBOE” painted on the brick wall outside the newly auctioned premium seats next to the Cubs’ bullpen.
Some are permanent, like the Ernie Banks statue near the main entrance at Clark and Addison Streets. Some may be temporary, like manager Lou Piniella’s choice of local kid Carmen Pignatiello as his only left-handed reliever.
But one thing the Cubs truly hope to change, beginning Monday against Milwaukee at Wrigley Field, is their 100-year streak of title-free seasons.
Piniella’s final roster decision Sunday was to keep Pignatiello and option lefty Sean Marshall and outfielder Matt Murton to AAA Iowa. “There’s positives to be taken in knowing that I’m capable of being here,” Murton said. “But I’m 26. There’s time. It’s not a matter of if it’s going to happen, but when it’s going to happen.”
For the Cubs, it’s a matter of whether another world championship season is ever going to happen. Piniella stressed the importance of getting off to a good start in a meeting with his players.
“We’re ready to play,” Piniella said after Sunday’s workout. “We’ve got no excuses.”
