Last month, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts told Sports Business Journal that the franchise had “probably’’ missed its budget on Wrigley Field renovations by 100 percent. Given that the initial budget was $575 million, it was like overrunning second base by about 50 yards.
One can’t know what was in Ricketts’ mind when he revealed the wild spending, but one can guess. If he was talking to a business publication, he surely wasn’t bemoaning the cost overrun; he likely was celebrating it. That blown budget was a way of saying that all the Cubs care about is giving fans the best experience possible at the ballpark.