Mark Gonzales: What growing pains? All hands on deck as Cubs open with a win over Brewers

Cubs manager David Ross made a quick assessment Thursday morning as he walked into the Wrigley Field interview room.

"Oh, no!" Ross deadpanned Thursday as he surveyed the pack of reporters who were allowed into major league clubhouses for the first time since the COVID shutdown.

"They're back!"

So were the 35,112 fans who braved the 44-degree temperatures with 14 mph gusts from the southwest that served as an Opening Day introduction for new Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki, who warmed their hearts with his first major league hit.

With a five-year, $85 million commitment (not including a $14.6 million posting fee to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball), the Cubs can declare they're not building their "Great Cubs Team" exclusively with prospects acquired through the draft and trades that likely won't be ready for the majors for at least a couple seasons.

If timing is everything, it will be curious to see if the player development department can work in a parallel manner with the business operations department just as well as they did in the moments leading up to a 2016 World Series title.

The departures of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez have given way to the Triple-A Iowa likes of Brennen Davis, Caleb Kilian and others who teased team officials and optimistic fans in spring training.

"My focus was on our team getting better, but excitement probably would be the word I would use," Ross said of the legitimate hype built in a shortened spring training.

As the Cubs go through their growing pains (as evidenced by a double-play grounder that was muffed by first baseman Frank Schwindel, leading to Milwaukee's first run), Wrigley Field will remain a destination - especially for out-of-town fans during the summer months.

"We'll continue to produce resources for Jed (Hoyer)," said Crane Kenney, the Cubs' president of business operations.

Much of the team's 1060 Project that renovated Wrigley Field without altering its storied history was completed by the time the franchise won its first Series title since 1908.

With the worst of the COVID pandemic apparently in the distance, the Hotel Zachary and adjacent restaurants are fully operating and helping to provide Hoyer, in his second season as the president of baseball operations, with more resources to improve their Arizona and Dominican Republic facilities, hire more front office staff and increase payroll.

"I wish we had one more project to do to sync up with the next great Cubs team," Kenney said. "But in some ways, I'm happy we're finished."

Not really. The Cubs are constructing a 10,000-square-foot gambling parlor on the corner of Sheffield Avenue and Addison Street after spending two years visiting and studying similar venues in Atlantic City, the Meadowlands and Las Vegas.

Kenney emphasized that nongamblers will have an opportunity to watch high-profile events such as The Masters or the Kentucky Derby even if they don't place a wager, with more restrooms and concessions added to the upper deck of the building.

"You're going to say there's no greater place in the city to watch any sport, whether you wager on (a game) or not," said Kenney, adding that the building's design will "stand up very well."

Wrigley has been enhanced by the Gallagher Way pavilion that attracted about 300,000 people between Thanksgiving and Christmas for events such as the Christkindlmarket and the ice rink.

"It has become the town square," Kenney said.

The area will be enhanced by "Statue Row," featuring the displays of Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins. The statues of Banks, Santo and Williams are being moved from their original sites and will be unveiled at the dedication of the Jenkins statue later this season, Kenney said.

As an added feature, the statues will be accompanied by an interactive display in which fans can use their cellphones to pull up fresh information on each Hall of Famer.

"Fans can bring statues up to life," Kenney said. "It's going to be very cool."

Kenney said the Cubs have a healthy relationship with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, "who is more friendly toward our issues than our last mayor," Rahm Emanuel.

Ouch.

Nevertheless, the Cubs still can't get street closures around the perimeter of Wrigley Field as Boston has with intimate Fenway Park.

"Safety and security, as we all know, are at the top of the list," Kenney said.

And improving a team that lost 91 games in 2021 and missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Kyle Hendricks, one of three remaining members of the 2016 World Series title team, regained the life on his changeup Thursday to pitch 5⅓ innings of 1-run ball. Former first-round picks Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ, who both struggled in 2021, snapped ties with a 2-run homer and 2-run double, respectively, in the 5-4 victory.

"We're going to be better at the end than we are right now," Ross said. "I'm sure of that."