Lake County Fielders

[The_Admiral]

Okay, so here's what I see missing:

1) The "pub-style" elevated open concourse is out, replaced by even more berm seating. Presumably the hot tub's out too. Too bad; I thought the patio thing was a good idea. This would also seem to make the park a little less wheelchair-accessible, which I noticed because they made sure to demonstrate this by drawing a guy in a wheelchair in the first sketch.

2) There's no more roof on the grandstand or the food court. Judging by the sketch, it looks like the roof wasn't just a shelter from the elements but also a balcony with a tent or something on it, likely some kind of a sloppy homage to Wrigley rooftops.

3) The above-ground suites between third and home are gone, relegated to ground-level way down the third base line. What's galling about this is that I've been led to believe that these suites were sold, and now they are not where they said they'd be, despite their p.r. girl claiming that this "improves the experience by bringing everyone together." Okay. If you're buying a goddamn luxury box, chances are that an experience of togetherness is not what you were looking to purchase. Second of all, despite claims to the contrary, the experience is not improved, because now you're not looking out on the infield like you were supposed to. Hey, wanna really piss someone off? Sell 'em something, underdeliver, and claim you aren't. Like in radio: if you agree to buy time in afternoon drive, you expect that it'll air when you agreed it would air. When they run your commercials in middays instead and tell you "middays have a growing audience," you don't care. Suites are a big investment, even in the minor leagues, and by screwing around with the big-ticket seats, they're running the risk of having to refund a lot of that and losing a ton of money they thought they'd made.

I don't see it from that sketch but there's supposed to be a mini-waterpark somewhere beyond right field and I'm guessing that's gone. There's also supposed to be a concert stage in center and that might end up absent too. What's of concern now with the grandstand balcony and patio omitted is that they still keep pushing a capacity of 8,000 total/4,000 seated. While they haven't reduced capacity, they've drastically reduced the quality of the ancillary seating for that other 4,000. You had those tables and stools down the line, or hanging out above the grandstand, in addition to the grassy berm in the outfield. Now it's all berm. BERRRRRRM. I don't see 4,000 people sitting on scattered blankets. It's not the best way to watch a game.

Okay. So we are at, I believe, 108 days and counting. We need EPA clearance, grading, wiring, piping, a parking lot, and the stadium itself. The record for park construction is the NY-Penn League's Hudson Valley park in 70 days, and they had their ducks in a row w/r/t having funding in place and permission from the government to start building. Can they do it?

EDIT: big sloppy kiss from the local paper: http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/sports/2066714,5_2_WA23_COVER_S1-100224.article

The fun has just begun

Nothing has begun at all!

[Lee.]

Something's different, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Hmmmmmm... Oh, hey! The pennats used to be Red, but now they're going to be Yellow! Those sons-of-bitches!!!

Seriously, though - can these guys just change the name of the team to Lake County Fieldless and call it a day.

"Is this Heaven?"

"No. It's an underfinanced, piece-of-:censored: ballpark in Zion, Illinois. You want Heaven? Watch Field of Dreams. I just happen to have a 'Lake County Limited Edition' copy of Field of Dreams in our Fielders team store."

"Where's the store?"

"Right here in the trunk of my car."

"What makes it a 'Lake County Limited Edition' copy of Field of Dreams?"

"It's autographed by Kevin Costner."

"Wow! Kevin Costner autographed this?"

(Pause)

"No, I did. But I was standing right next to this cardboard cutout of Mr. Costner when I signed it."

"Your team store's the trunk of a Kia Sephia?"

I am willing to pony up a limited amount of cash in order to help finance a movie that will contain this snippet of dialogue.

[The_Admiral]

Dear Fielders Fans,

We may be under a foot of snow, but baseball season will be here in a few months, and the City of Zion and the Lake County Fielders can't wait to continue with and open your new stadium!

Some of you have called recently, asking what would happen if the stadium weren't completed and ready for the first home game on June 11th, so we thought it was a good time to keep you informed of our refund policies for that game or any other, whether in 2010 or our 10th season. While we remain confident in the construction schedule, it never hurts to be prepared for the unexpected. For that reason, we want you to know that your satisfaction is our first priority. In the event that the scheduled stadium opening on June 11th were at all delayed, the Fielders are committed to offering you several options that you could choose from, which would range from a full and immediate refund for any scheduled game not played at the new stadium, to an exchange of those tickets for things like food and beverage vouchers at future games, tickets to future games or concerts, or merchandise. One thing is for sure, you will never be asked to pay for anything you didn't receive, and your satisfaction is our #1 priority. We've all waited decades for a new ballpark in the area, so whether the stadium is finished early, on schedule, or a tad late, we're certain you'll be proud of your home team, its future home, and the memories you'll have for a lifetime.

Please feel free to call or email me anytime you have a question.

Best Regards,

Keenan Bigg

Manager of Ticket Sales

(847-731-8000)

1) How can they continue with something if they haven't started it yet?

2) Who would want to be refunded in t-shirts and nachos?

[The_Admiral]

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/investigative/fielders-not-open-in-time

Aw crap, now Dane Placko's on the case. Shut 'er down.

[Lee.]

Road team, activate.

Or not. RIP, Northern League.

[The_Admiral]

The guy who was grimly resigned to the fact that he was out 2800 bucks kinda made me then it made me

[scarsofthumper]

Hey Ehrenreich, thanks for showing up on camera.

LOL. You're screwed.

[Yac12]

It looks like the only way they will have a field is if they do like in the movie Field of Dreams and have small wood bleachers and a chain link fence as a backstop.

[Sodboy13]

This link just made my morning. Much oblige, admiral.

[The_Admiral]

A local woman poses with a cardboard cutout in a bowling alley, as a passerby stares at the scene with contempt.

[scarsofthumper]

That's the same cutout from the groundbreaking.

LOL

[BallWonk]

That's the same cutout from the groundbreaking.

LOL

Given the direction this affair has taken, a press release announcing that the Fielders will spend the 2010 season as a rec-league bowling team would be the logical next step."Come watch the Fielders bowl up a storm. Dollar dogs on Tuesday nights. Laser bowl and Pink Floyd on Thursdays. Baseball like you've never seen it!"

[Sodboy13]

Forget about permits, they don't even own the land yet!

Rungaitis said some recent changes have been made to expedite the stadium's construction. However, the design changes will not take away any planned amenities.

Says a man who has either not seen the artist's original and revised renderings, or is trying to pretend that no one else has seen them, either.

Paxton said that if the stadium is not ready for occupancy by mid-June, there are several other stadiums in the general area that could temporarily host the team's league games.

Joliet, Schaumburg, Rockford, Gary, Kansas City, Fargo-Moorhead, and Winnipeg, for instance.

[The_Admiral]

Well now wait. Grading work, albeit minimal, was done on the site like nine months ago. How did that happen, if the city or team never bought the land? The sanitation district just lets people start tearing up the ground on spec? Or was it torn up from some completely unrelated project that's since been scrapped, and they've just referred to that aborted construction as "preliminary grading work"? Or is it just the normal dirt-moving that happens on a site where you bury garbage, and they've referred to that as "preliminary grading work"? What in the hell is going on? Even for independent baseball, this is patently ridiculous.

[scarsofthumper]

Burnsville laughs in horror.

[Lee.]

Somebody call Thunder Bay.

[The_Admiral]

What were they again? The Whiskey Jacks? That's some name.

This really sucks because I truly believed that this was going to be a huge success, and the very favorable reception that the team has received so far would seem to bear that out. Nobody could've predicted municipal incompetence on the level of having a groundbreaking ceremony before getting the funds to attain the permits to buy the land and build the park. Talk about selling the sizzle without the steak. Not to mention ownership that's come off as shady and arrogant since the launch party. I'd love to see a better city and ownership group try and make Lake County/Kenosha County baseball work, but these guys will have pretty much alienated anyone who ever believed in them by, oh, the end of this month, one would have to think?

I don't think it'll kill the entire league, though I can't imagine Ehrenreich will be welcome in it after this.

[Sodboy13]

This really sucks because I truly believed that this was going to be a huge success, and the very favorable reception that the team has received so far would seem to bear that out. Nobody could've predicted municipal incompetence on the level of having a groundbreaking ceremony before getting the funds to attain the permits to buy the land and build the park. Talk about selling the sizzle without the steak. Not to mention ownership that's come off as shady and arrogant since the launch party. I'd love to see a better city and ownership group try and make Lake County/Kenosha County baseball work, but these guys will have pretty much alienated anyone who ever believed in them by, oh, the end of this month, one would have to think?

I don't think it'll kill the entire league, though I can't imagine Ehrenreich will be welcome in it after this.

I was doing something for work today, noticed the 5-team northern division in the American Association, thought of the 7 legitimate teams in the Northern League, and sighed sadly to myself.

[Lee.]

I suppose it's foolish of me to keep thinking that with the way Winnipeg supports baseball, which is really quite well, at some point they might get an affiliation somewhere. AAA is likely out of the question, but still, it would be nice to see them get a team in a circuit that wasn't going out of its way to shoot itself in the foot at every opportunity.

Winnipeg, and I suppose by extension Fargo, deserve better. Their fans deserve better than a league seemingly run by car salesmen.

[The_Admiral]

Winnipeg would be a very good AA affiliate for the Twins, just as Schaumburg and Gary would be ideal AA affiliates for the Cubs and White Sox. It'd be nice to have a midwestern AA circuit.