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This is from today's Sun-Times-the quote from Alderman Mell is unbelievable!


Cubs to give up a night game, donate $150,000 in concert deal

March 9, 2005

BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter




The Cubs agreed Tuesday to play one less night game in 2006, stage no concerts that year and donate $150,000 to Lake View schools in exchange for the right to hold a pair of Labor Day weekend concerts at Wrigley Field starring singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett.

"It's a concert more of old people like me than it is a lot of hard [rockers]. More of a geriatric crowd. There'll probably be less bikes and more walkers," said Ald. Richard Mell (33rd), who saw Jimmy Buffett at Alpine Valley.

The plan calls for Buffett, a die-hard Cub fan, to "break the curse" just as he did last year for the World Champion Boston Red Sox with two Wrigley concerts while the Cubs are out of town: one on Sunday, Sept. 4, ending no later than 10:30 p.m., the other on the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 5, with a 6 p.m. cutoff.

On Tuesday, the City Council's Finance Committee authorized a "one-time exception" to the ordinance governing the number of night games after the Cubs agreed to appease area residents who don't like the idea of turning 91-year-old Wrigley into a concert venue.

No shows in 2006



Those concessions include: forfeiting one of their 30 night games in 2006; donating $150,000 of the gate to area schools; limiting concert attendance to 39,500; making 3,000 tickets available for purchase by residents living within one mile of the ballpark and implementing the same neighborhood protections for the concerts already in place during night games. The Cubs also have agreed to stage no concerts in 2006.

The motivation for the concert series is money that would not fall under Major League Baseball's revenue-sharing umbrella.

For every dollar the Cubs earn on game days, 34 cents must be shared with other teams. For every dollar raked in at a concert, the Cubs get to keep 100 percent of the take.

I know, that guy is an idiot. Wrigleyville is going to be rocking!!!

"break the curse"..what can I say...it worked!

Thanks Jimmy!

There might be several people there, after drinking all day that could use a walker.

Ah, but look at it this way.... this is a parrothead alderman who's trying to convince the city council that they should allow a concert. He's playing down the roundiness to try to ensure they say "YES."

HE'S ON OUR SIDE!!!

Dick Mell = MORON

iuparrothead wrote:Dick Mell = MORON

Yep! This is just one more piece of evidence.

I was curious what the Cubs' motivation was for pushing these concerts....now I see. They are basically making 35% more money by selling out these concerts than they would just selling out a baseball game.

Oh, and I think that Mr. Mell is well aware of what the concert is like....but locals may not really want to hear that.....

ejr wrote:

iuparrothead wrote:Dick Mell = MORON

Yep! This is just one more piece of evidence.

Good entertainment at times though... I will give him that.

ColdWaterConch wrote:I was curious what the Cubs' motivation was for pushing these concerts....now I see. They are basically making 35% more money by selling out these concerts than they would just selling out a baseball game.

Oh, and I think that Mr. Mell is well aware of what the concert is like....but locals may not really want to hear that.....

They want something to cheer about happening in the park

PHBeerman wrote:

ColdWaterConch wrote:I was curious what the Cubs' motivation was for pushing these concerts....now I see. They are basically making 35% more money by selling out these concerts than they would just selling out a baseball game.

Oh, and I think that Mr. Mell is well aware of what the concert is like....but locals may not really want to hear that.....

They want something to cheer about happening in the park

watch it, this is OUR year.

PHBeerman wrote:

ColdWaterConch wrote:I was curious what the Cubs' motivation was for pushing these concerts....now I see. They are basically making 35% more money by selling out these concerts than they would just selling out a baseball game.

Oh, and I think that Mr. Mell is well aware of what the concert is like....but locals may not really want to hear that.....

They want something to cheer about happening in the park

Does that mean Jimmy will be playing Comerica Park soon?

chibears wrote:

PHBeerman wrote:

ColdWaterConch wrote:I was curious what the Cubs' motivation was for pushing these concerts....now I see. They are basically making 35% more money by selling out these concerts than they would just selling out a baseball game.

Oh, and I think that Mr. Mell is well aware of what the concert is like....but locals may not really want to hear that.....

They want something to cheer about happening in the park

watch it, this is OUR year.

Yes it is! Da year of Da Cubbies!!

Yeah!! I would love to see the Cubs win for a change!

ejr wrote:This is from today's Sun-Times-the quote from Alderman Mell is unbelievable!

"It's a concert more of old people like me than it is a lot of hard [rockers]. More of a geriatric crowd. There'll probably be less bikes and more walkers," said Ald. Richard Mell (33rd), who saw Jimmy Buffett at Alpine Valley.

Hang on a sec... I was at that hearing and before you torch Ald. Mell, you need to realize that his comments were made very much tongue in cheek.

This quote was taken during questioning of the Chicago Cubs VP of Community Affairs.

The question Ald. Mell asked was something along the lines of "How would I go about obtaining the tequila concession for this event?" (he was kidding!)

He then went on to talk about how he had been to the concert at Alpine Valley and thought it would be a wonderful atmosphere to bring to Wrigley Field. His walker quote was just his way of saying that there would be a good number of people that would be similar to his age attending the concert.

ejr wrote:

iuparrothead wrote:Dick Mell = MORON

Yep! This is just one more piece of evidence.

HUH!.....we're parrotheads, so he must be a Dick(Mell)head. Right?
Edit: I have since learned that Dick Mell was saying that stuff tongue-in-cheek, and likes parrotheads and is the father-in-law to Blagojevich, a pretty good governor. Hey, if mistah Mell can become a parrothead, it helps to have an 'in' with a govenor!!!

I live within a mile of the stadium...wonder how I get those seats?

How do you get the tickets if you live within a mile of Wrigley?

chibears wrote:

PHBeerman wrote:

ColdWaterConch wrote:I was curious what the Cubs' motivation was for pushing these concerts....now I see. They are basically making 35% more money by selling out these concerts than they would just selling out a baseball game.

Oh, and I think that Mr. Mell is well aware of what the concert is like....but locals may not really want to hear that.....

They want something to cheer about happening in the park

watch it, this is OUR year.

Dude you are on the team? Cool infield or outfield?

PHBeerman wrote:

chibears wrote:

PHBeerman wrote:

ColdWaterConch wrote:I was curious what the Cubs' motivation was for pushing these concerts....now I see. They are basically making 35% more money by selling out these concerts than they would just selling out a baseball game.

Oh, and I think that Mr. Mell is well aware of what the concert is like....but locals may not really want to hear that.....

They want something to cheer about happening in the park

watch it, this is OUR year.

Dude you are on the team? Cool infield or outfield?

Dusty only allows me to yell drunken slurs from the bleachers right now. He has not seen my mad skills on the field yet.