Safety takes center stage for Cubs at convention

Fan safety and security were two big topics Saturday at the Cubs convention.

Crane Kenney, the team's president of business operations, said fans entering Wrigley Field this season would be subject to increased security checks. There also will be more netting in front of the stands to protect spectators from foul balls and bats, or pieces of broken bats, that fly into the stands.

"I was on the air this morning, and I mentioned there is an owners meeting on Coral Gables next week," Kenney told fans during a session Saturday. "I never really thought that I'd see on the agenda that we're going to be briefed by the director of Homeland Security at a baseball owners meeting, but we are.

"Maybe that says something about the times we live in, which is a sad thing. We take the security issue really seriously. We're going to install magnetometers for the first time at Wrigley Field. When you come to the ballpark, we are going to have to take you through metal detectors, no different from the office buildings and airlines and most of the arenas you probably go to today.

"We are going to do everything we can to protect you, our fans, our players and the neighborhood, so magnetometers are something you'll see."

Kenney also said the Cubs are working with the city to gain control of the perimeter around the park to 100 feet in every direction. That would shut down two busy streets, Clark and Addison, to all but emergency traffic during games.

Inside the park, the Cubs will extend the protective netting (that's behind the home plate now) to the home-plate-side edge of both team dugouts.

"We need to protect seats that are 70 feet from home plate," Kenney said. "The height of the nets will be dictated by where your seat is. Obviously, we can take the next lower as we move further away from where the existing nets are."

Those 3:05 start times:

Bowing to the wishes of the baseball people, the Cubs will schedule only two 3:05 p.m. games this season. The later starts were used extensively on Fridays and Saturdays last year, but field manager Joe Maddon talked often of wanting more consistent start times.

All Friday home games will begin at 1:20 p.m., the customary start for day games. The two 3:05 p.m. starts will be on Saturdays: May 7 and Sept. 17. All other Saturday games, except for night games taken by the TV networks, are scheduled for 1:20.

Kenney said the Cubs had heard from fans that they like the 3:05 starts because it allowed them to put in most of a work day before leaving for the ballgame.

"Our No. 1 goal is winning games," he said. "When Joe said, in his view, consistency of scheduling would help us win games, it became easy, not easy to tell fans we're not giving you what you want, but what they ultimately want is winning. So it's a trade-off."

Clubhouse on schedule:

The Cubs say the new clubhouse will be ready by Opening Day. The clubhouse will be the second-largest in the major leagues. The old clubhouse has been "gutted," according to the Cubs, so it's imperative for the new facility to be ready by Opening Day.

Saying it ain't Sosa:

Each year, the question of former Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa possibly attending the convention comes up. Sosa, who was traded in early 2005 after walking out on the team on the final day of the 2004 season, has not been to a Cubs convention since.

The suspicion of Sosa using performance-enhancing drugs also seems to be playing a role in the Cubs not inviting Sosa.

It also must be noted that Sosa was not a big fan of attending the convention when he was a player.

The mention of Sosa coming back was met with mixed reaction from fans Saturday.

"Obviously, I cheered for Sammy," said team chairman Tom Ricketts. "I appreciated him as a great player, a great Cub. Certainly, he was an important person in the history of this franchise. But nothing's really changed from the way I feel about this or we feel about this.

"At some point, some things will happen that will allow us to welcome Sammy back, and I look forward to that day. Until then, I really don't have much more to add."