Neighborhood views mixed on Cubs playing baseball at U.S. Cellular Field

By Sarah Severson 

While Wrigley Field’s future still is being decided, there is a strong possibility the Chicago Cubs baseball team will need to move to U.S. Cellular Field for a season while Wrigley is restored and repaired. The thought of having 156 Cubs and Chicago White Sox ballgames at “The Cell” instead of just 81 Sox games aroused mixed feelings in Bridgeport.

            Eleventh Ward Alderman James Balcer said he would welcome North Side visitors to the ward but noted a need for more police and traffic control, possibly even pulling some police from the North Side into Bridgeport during the games.

            “It will be a challenge,” Balcer said. “There would be a lot of traffic congestion and foot traffic, which would be a good thing for restaurants and establishments, but we would need to find a way to accommodate and respect the people who live here.”

            Some residents are concerned specifically with the lack of parking in the neighborhoods during baseball games. Under the current system, Bridgeport residents receive parking placards to use during the games, but they often give those away to other people, making side streets crowded and parking there scarce.

            “I think it’s an awful lot of traffic for the neighborhood to put up with—it will be overwhelming to residents who park in front of their homes,” said Rose Olmetti, resident. “We need to have a different parking system that is more legally enforced—we need a parking sticker, not a parking pass.”

            Toni Acosta is another resident concerned over the added traffic congestion. She often takes her children to nearby Armour Square Park for playdates but said it is difficult to go there on Sox game days.

            “We look forward to the days when the Sox are out of town because otherwise those who live in the area can’t park there,” Acosta said.

            On the other hand, resident Irene O’Neill thinks it will be good to give Cubs fans a better look at the neighborhood.

            “Bridgeport has undergone a lot of changes in the past 15 years,” O’Neill said. “I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised at all the beautiful homes and new businesses in the area. Who knows, this could be the dawning of a new era, where Cubs fans and Sox fans drink side by side in the area pubs.”

            Jesse Garcia, part owner of Poncho Pistolas Mexican restaurant at 700 W. 31st St., said he likes the idea of the Cubs playing on the South Side.

             “We usually pack in 38,000 to 40,000 fans over there, and I’m sure Cubs fans would pack the Cell also,” Garcia said. “It would be positive for the whole Bridgeport community.”

            Tom Mitchell, owner of Mitchell’s Tap at 3356 S. Halsted St., said the Cubs playing five blocks away would be nothing but positive for his business.

            “I would relish the idea of 156 games played at Cellular Field,” Mitchell said. “It would provide more jobs, and there would be more dollars spent in the economy—it would be a boost for Bridgeport. The only downside is those die-hard, over-the-edge Sox and Cubs fans who would be upset with the Cubs playing at the Sox’s park.”

            Pete Powers, owner of Grandstand, 600 W. 35th St., has a famously large selection of White Sox products in his sporting goods store, but he also carries Cubs items and would welcome the team playing at the ballpark.

            “We obviously do the bulk of our business when the Sox are in town,” Powers said. “If the Cubs were playing here, it would be like two years of business in one. I think it would be tremendous.”