Tag Archives: world series

David Ross, a two time World Series Champion, Dancing with the Stars, PLUS Fabio Viviani, Chef / Culinary Personality / Restaurateur / Cookbook Author, and more! – 5/19/17

May 19, 2017 | Lossano

David Ross, a two time World Series Champion, Dancing with the Stars, PLUS Fabio Viviani, Chef / Culinary Personality / Restaurateur / Cookbook Author, and more!

Cubs set to unfurl World Series Championship banner at Wrigley Field

Apr 10, 2017 | WLSAM Staff
CHICAGO (AP) – Kyle Schwarber could envision the atmosphere at Wrigley Field on Monday night. It will be a home opener unlike any other at the famed ballpark.
The Chicago Cubs will raise a banner as defending champions for the first time since they moved in more than a century ago, then send 2016 NL Cy Young Award runner-up Jon Lester to the mound against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Oh, it’ll be crazy,” Schwarber said. “It’s going to be one of the best (openers) in a while.”
It will be another moment generations of fans wondered if they would ever witness. That changed last fall when the Cubs rallied from 3-1 down in the World Series to beat the Indians in a thrilling Game 7. With that, they ended the longest drought in North American sports: The Cubs had not won it all since 1908 – six years before Wrigley opened and eight before they moved in.
The banner raising on Monday and ring ceremony two days later are like the final punctuation marks on last season’s historic run.
“We worked hard for that championship, we worked hard during the World Series, we worked hard all of spring training,” shortstop Addison Russell said. “So I believe that we earned it – it’s going to be a great day. It’d be kind of an insult to say `Let’s just play some baseball.’ But whenever you have awards like that, that crowd is there for you, you just kind of have to embrace that moment and live in that moment and try to remember everything that you can in that moment. It’ll be special.”
They’re returning to a home with a decidedly different look.
Fans will notice a new plaza with a lawn and a large video screen that will host community events throughout the year, such as a farmer’s market, movies and musical performances. A building housing, among other things, a two-story team store and a higher-end Starbucks Reserve stands at the corner of Clark Street and Waveland Avenue. There’s also a new gate to the ballpark off the plaza, which should make it easier for fans to enter and exit.
Inside, one noticeable change will be the location of the bullpens. They’ve been moved from the field to under the bleachers and replaced by premium seating along the foul lines.
It’s all part of a multiyear transformation of baseball’s second-oldest ballpark and the surrounding area.
The Cubs have added video boards in left and right fields in recent years, and constructed new bleacher sections. They’ve been replacing seats throughout the ballpark, expanding concessions. A hotel is going up across the street, too.
But the most welcomed change for long-suffering fans?
That has to be a championship banner raised toward the sky, a gift that might seem heaven sent.
“I’m really looking forward to being home and getting to see our fans again, and for them to see us for the first time back on the field since what happened,” Schwarber said. “We’re really looking forward to it, it’s going to be a fun couple days. We’ll raise the flag and get our ring. That’s going to be some day that you won’t forget. It’ll be a good little blast from the past – and then keep working on the `17 season.”

The Chicago Cubs Win the World Series

Dec 22, 2016 | WLSAM Staff

Jen DeSalvo, WLS-AM 890 News

(CHICAGO) The Chicago Cubs won their first World Series championship in more than 100 years when they beat the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series on November 3, 2016. The game began on Wednesday, November 2, though the weather took a turn for the worse when rain moved in during the ninth inning. The tied game was halted for around 20 minutes before teams returned to the field which resulted in a Chicago Cubs ‘W’.

… MORE

Details: Friday’s Cubs Parade

Nov 3, 2016 | WLS-AM Staff

By Nick Gale, WLS-AM News

(CHICAGO) The City of Chicago will celebrate the Chicago Cubs World Series win with a parade Friday morning followed by a rally in the afternoon.

“We’re going to have a parade in Chicago that will stand the test of time,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Thursday. He was in attendance for Game 7 in Cleveland where the Cubs beat the Indians 8-7 in 10 innings.

The official parade route will start at approximately 11 a.m., leaving Wrigley at approximately 10 a.m., and will travel along Michigan Avenue between Oak St. and Ohio St. and then along Columbus Dr. between Monroe St. and Balbo Ave. Drivers should expect road closures along the route.

A celebration rally will take place at Lower Hutchinson Field in Grant Park at approximately noon, when the motorcade arrives in Grant Park. The rally is free and open to the public. All attendees must pass through security screening at entrances at Michigan Ave. and Jackson Blvd. and at Michigan Ave. and Congress Pkwy. Closed water bottles will be allowed into the rally and food vendors will be on site.

Metra will be adding additional cars and trains and the CTA will offer additional service to customers traveling into the Loop on Friday morning.

Earlier Thursday, reports said that the city was pushing for a Monday parade and rally while the Cubs were pushing for Friday. Coincidentally, Chicago Public School students have Friday off for a “school improvement day.”

To read the official release from the Mayor’s office, click here.

@ 2016 WLS-AM 890 News

World Series Parking Restrictions Continue in North Side Neighborhoods

Nov 1, 2016 | WLSAM Staff

By Jen DeSalvo, WLS-AM 890 Traffic & Transportation

(CHICAGO) Although the Cubs home games having been completed in the World Series, parking restrictions persist on Chicago’s north side. Streets along the CTA Red Line in the neighborhoods of River North, the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park and Lakeview will see closures from 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1 until 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

The following streets will see closures:

  • Kinzie Street between State Street and Clark Street
  • Wells Street from North Avenue to Division
  • Hubbard Street between State and LaSalle
  • Division Street between State and Dearborn
  • Lincoln Avenue from Webster on the south to Fullerton on the north
  • Webster Avenue between Sheffield and Bissell

CPD: High security in Wrigleyville during World Series weekend

Oct 27, 2016 | WLSAM Staff

(CHICAGO) Acknowledging that the coming weekend will be “inconvenient” for neighborhood residents, city officials said Wednesday that first responders would be out in large numbers to ensure safety during any Cubs World Series celebrations in the streets of Wrigleyville.

Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said more than 1,000 Chicago Police officers, FBI and Homeland Security agents, Illinois State troopers and Cook County sheriff’s deputies will be out in the neighborhood “to ensure we have a safe and enjoyable weekend of baseball.”

“Security during the entire series will be very high,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Chicago Police officers also will conduct security checks within a two-block perimeter of Wrigley Field, according to Rich Guidice, first deputy director of the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

The Cubs are scheduled to play host to the Cleveland Indians on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.

About 300,000 people — equivalent to more than 10 percent of the entire city’s population — were out in Wrigleyville last weekend celebrating the Cubs’ first World Series berth since 1945.

Ald. Tom Tunney (44th), whose ward includes Wrigleyville, said the same number of people, if not more, are expected in the area this weekend. “We’ve been down this road before,” he said.

Julian Green, a spokesman for the Cubs, told reporters the team has hired private security to work in concert with law enforcement throughout the weekend.

Last summer, the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup victory brought revelers out to Wrigleyville as well.

Robert Cesario, commander of the Town Hall District, said the department has made “tweaks” to its crowd control strategy since then.

“We looked at our plan from last year and we’re using that as a foundation to build on our plan for this year,” he said. “We made a few tweaks.”

According to a memo sent to the police department by First Deputy Supt. Kevin Navarro obtained Tuesday by the Sun-Times, “All units of the Department will be in regulation field uniform and be prepared for deployment with soft body armor, helmet, baton and rain gear.”

The order will go into effect from Friday, Oct. 28, the date of the first World Series game at Wrigley Field in 71 years, until Wednesday, Nov. 2, the date of a potential Game 7. The order calls for officers to be prepared on Oct. 31, even though no game is scheduled that day.

Last weekend, six people were arrested on misdemeanor charges of unlawful ticket sales, traffic obstruction, storage of goods on the public way, disorderly conduct, reckless conduct and resisting arrest, according to police. Nine people were taken to hospitals.

Eric Carter, the police department’s deputy chief of special functions, said that people will be allowed to hang around the ballpark, provided they’re respectful and well-behaved.

“People will be allowed to, obviously, take their selfies in front of the marquee and celebrate somewhat,” Carter said.

© Copyright 2016 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

How Will Wrigleyville look during a World Series? A Transportation Guide to this Weekend’s Games

Oct 27, 2016 | WLSAM Staff

Jen DeSalvo, WLS-AM 890 Traffic

(CHICAGO) The bustle of Clark and Addison can be invigorating during the months of Cubs play (or on any given Saturday night with out of town imbibers). Though traffic and public transportation typically function in a “business-as-usual” manner during these times.

Not this time. It’s the World Series, and the city of Chicago is preparing diligently for the upcoming home games. Unlike regular season games, strict street closures will be in place with limited access by vehicle to locations within a half of a mile around Wrigley Field.

According to a press release from the Office of Emergency Management Communications, CPD officers will be conducting security checks within a two-block perimeter of the field, and any alcohol found on the public way will be confiscated.

A secondary perimeter will be put into effect at the start of home games to restrict incoming traffic to local residential traffic only. Motorists will have to provide a photo ID with proof of address to enter. Residents who park their cars on ten streets within four blocks around Wrigley Field will have to find somewhere else to park.

Due to these multiple street closures and heavy parking restrictions listed below, public transportation is highly recommended. Metra offers an $8-unlimited ride pass on weekends. Plus, the camaraderie on the Red Line after a win is incomparable!

* ADA PARA-TRANSIT DROP-OFF/PICK-UP: Located at the corner of Sheffield and Addison.
* BIKE VALET: Free bike check service to bicyclists at Addison and Sheffield two hours before games until one hour after the game.
REMOTE PARKING
The Cubs offer free remote parking at 3900 N. Rockwell St., just east of the Chicago River and accessed from Irving Park Road. The lot includes free shuttle service to and from Wrigley Field, beginning three and a half hours before the first pitch until one hour after the end of the game.

Trains

Red Line
The ballpark is just a half block west of the Addison stop on the CTA Red Line.

To get to the Addison stop from the south (including downtown), take a Red Line train toward Howard. From the north, take a Red Line train toward 95th.

The ballpark is also just a couple of blocks south of the Sheridan stop on the CTA Red Line.

Extra service will be extended into overnight hours to accommodate the extra foot traffic from Cubs fans.

World Series Special: Ride historic 2400-series cars

Some fans heading to the Cubs World Series games at Wrigley Field will end up boarding a piece of Chicago history on their way to the historic games. For Games 3, 4 and 5 of the World Series, the CTA will be operating will the “World Series Special” 2400-series train (built 1976-1978) on the Red Line leading up to first pitch.

Check out this neat video showcasing the “World Series Special” train.

Skokie Yellow Line

Yellow Line trains between Howard and Skokie will run until 2 a.m.

Buses

You can also use CTA bus routes #8 Halsted, #22 Clark #80 Irving Park or #152 Addison (connects to the Brown and Blue lines) will be available three hours before the game time through an hour after it ends.

 

Parking downtown and taking the Red Line north toward Howard is another option. Oftentimes, garages in the Loop and River North neighborhoods have lower rates on the weekends.

parking-red-line

 

STREET CLOSURES

Local Street Closures

The following street closures are expected to be in effect significantly earlier than previous playoff series games:
 
* Clark: Irving Park to Belmont
* Addison: Halsted to Racine

Sheffield (Addison to Waveland): Full Street Closure (Except Fire Lane)- Pedestrian access will remain open on Sheffield.

Waveland (Sheffield to Clark): Full Street Closure (Except Fire Lane) – Pedestrian access will remain open on Waveland.
Fans and residents around the ballpark should be aware that additional street closures may occur, as needed, for public safety.

Info from the OEMC

PARKING RESTRICTIONS

Although the first two games of the World Series are being played in Cleveland, residents and fans are reminded about the parking restrictions in effect around the ballpark for all games – home and away.

These restrictions are implemented to assist with traffic flow, with the goal of causing minimal impact to residents.

No parking is allowed on the following streets, beginning Tuesday, October 25 at noon until Thursday, October 27, at 4 a.m., as well as Friday, October 28 at noon through Monday, October 31 at 4.a.m:
Clark – School/ Aldine to Irving Park (Both Sides)
Sheffield – Roscoe to Irving Park (Both Sides)
Addison – Halsted to Southport (Both Sides)
Addison – Southport to Ashland (North Side)
Racine – Roscoe to Grace/ Clark (Both Sides)**
Patterson, Waveland, Eddy, Cornelia & Newport – Racine to Clark (Both Sides)
Waveland – Fremont to Halsted (South Side ONLY Friday, October 28th)
Clifton, Seminary and Kenmore – Waveland to Grace (Both Sides)
Irving Park – Clark to Seminary (Both Sides)
Inner Lake Shore – Belmont to Addison (East Side)
Grace and Waveland – Clark to Wilton (Both Sides)

Info from the OEMC

METRA

Public Transit from the Suburbs

Metra’s unlimited ride $8 weekend pass can get you to the ballpark and back both Saturday and Sunday. Here are the details on how to get to Wrigley Field from each of the train lines from metrarail.com.
Directions to Wrigley Field from Chicago Union Station:

  • Walk six blocks east to the CTA Red Line (State Street Subway). Take Red Line trains going north to the Addison stop, just steps from the ballpark, or
  • Board a CTA bus to the CTA Red Line (State Street Subway): No. 1 Bronzeville/Union Station or No. 151 Sheridan at the Union Station Transit Center, located along Jackson Blvd. between Canal Street and Clinton Street just south of Union Station. Take Red Line train going north to the Addison stop.

Directions to Wrigley Field from Ogilvie Transportation Center:

  • Walk six blocks east to the CTA Red Line (State Street Subway). Take the Red Line north to Addison, or
  • Board a CTA bus to the CTA Red Line (State Street Subway): No. 20 Madison, No. 56 Milwaukee or No. J14 Jeffery Jump to connect to the State Street Subway. Take the Red Line north to Addison.

Directions to Wrigley Field from Millennium and Van Buren Street Stations:

  • Walk two blocks west to State Street to take the Red Line to Addison.

Directions to Wrigley Field from Metra’s UP Northwest Irving Park Station:

  • Board CTA bus No. 80 Irving Park to Clark Street.

Directions to Wrigley Field from Metra’s Milwaukee North Grayland Station:

  • Walk south on Kilbourn Avenue to Addison Street. Take CTA bus No. 152 Addison east to the ballpark.

Directions to Wrigley Field from Metra’s UP North Line Davis Street Station:

  • Walk one block east to the CTA Davis Station. Board a Howard-bound Purple Line train to Howard and then transfer to a 95th-bound Red Line train to Addison.

Directions to Wrigley Field from Metra’s Rock Island Line:

  • Get off at the 35th Street/”Lou” Jones Station. Walk to the CTA Red Line and take the train going north to the Addison stop.

Extra weekend CTA service planned for World Series

Oct 27, 2016 | WLSAM Staff

(CHICAGO) Additional CTA train and bus service will be provided this weekend for the World Series games at Wrigley Field.

More frequent Red Line trains will run start running before the scheduled 7:08 p.m. first pitch as the Cubs host the Indians for games 3, 4 and 5 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the transit agency said. The extra service will last into the early morning hours.

Also, Yellow Line trains between Howard and Skokie will run until 2 a.m., the CTA said.

Additional buses on the No. 80 Irving Park and the No. 152 Addison will be available three hours before the game time through an hour after it ends. Officials also recommend the No. 8 Halsted and No. 22 Clark routes to get to the game.

© Copyright 2016 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

CPD makes plans to keep peace in Wrigleyville during World Series

Oct 26, 2016 | WLSAM Staff

(CHICAGO) As the World Series gets underway, the Chicago Police Department issued an order Tuesday calling on all sworn members to be ready to respond to the area around Wrigleyville in the event of large, unruly crowds, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

According to a memo sent by First Deputy Supt. Kevin Navarro obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, “All units of the Department will be in regulation field uniform and be prepared for deployment with soft body armor, helmet, baton and rain gear.”

The order will go into effect from Friday, Oct. 28, the date of the first World Series game at Wrigley Field in 71 years, until Wednesday, Nov. 2, the date of a potential Game 7. The order calls for officers to be prepared on Oct. 31, even though no game is scheduled that day.

The Cubs host the Cleveland Indians at Wrigley Field on Oct. 28, Oct. 29 and, if needed, Oct. 30.

Time off, aside from personal days and previously approved furlough days, will not be granted to any member of the department, according to the memo.

“All units of the department will anticipate days off cancelled,” it read.

Officers are also told to “anticipate working a twelve (12) hour tour of duty.”

Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said police activity over the next week was part of “customary measures” for any large-scale event.

“Essentially, all officers will be working to not only ensure safety around the World Series but also patrolling neighborhoods and parks,” Guglielmi said in an email Tuesday night.

About 300,000 Cubs fans took to the streets outside Wrigley Field from Saturday night into Sunday to celebrate the team’s first National League Championship since 1945, city officials estimated.

Six people were arrested on misdemeanor charges of unlawful ticket sales, traffic obstruction, storage of goods on the public way, disorderly conduct, reckless conduct and resisting arrest, according to police. Nine people were taken to hospitals.

— Chicago Sun-Times

© Copyright 2016 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

Wrigleyville Parking Expected to Be Upwards of $300

Oct 25, 2016 | WLSAM Staff

By Jen DeSalvo, The John Howell and Ray Stevens Morning Show

DNAinfo Chicago is reporting that fans heading to the World Series games in Wrigleyville may be paying upwards of $300 to park! Keeping in mind that there is no commercial parking lot like there is at Soldier Field, the United Center or Guaranteed Rate Field (reminder: that’s the new name of where the White Sox play), it is fairly difficult to find any parking, let alone cheap parking.

Most street parking in Lakeview falls under permit parking, and without a 383 pass, a car will be ticketed and towed. Residents oftentimes have an extra parking space which they are willing to rent to an out-of-town Cubs fan, but those spaces come at a premium.

The best options come from the city’s reliable public transit systems such as the CTA and Metra. Information directly from those agencies can be found below.

Source: Cubs Fans: Be Prepared To Shell Out Up To $300 For World Series Parking – Wrigleyville – DNAinfo Chicago

Metra

From Metrarail.com

World Series Bound… Destination Wrigleyville!

Chicago Cubs fans, whether you are lucky enough to have tickets to the weekend games or just want to enjoy the experience around the ballpark, take Metra and CTA and avoid the traffic and cost of parking.  Buy tickets right from your smartphone too, with the Ventra App, including the Saturday and Sunday unlimited ride $8 Weekend Pass.   Please remember that all departing times from the city will leave on regular scheduled service, so plan accordingly. 

Directions to Wrigley Field from Chicago Union Station:

  • Walk six blocks east to the CTA Red Line (State Street Subway). Take Red Line trains going north to the Addison stop, just steps from the ballpark, or
  • Board a CTA bus to the CTA Red Line (State Street Subway): No. 1 Bronzeville/Union Station or No. 151 Sheridan at the Union Station Transit Center, located along Jackson Blvd. between Canal Street and Clinton Street just south of Union Station. Take Red Line train going north to the Addison stop.

Directions to Wrigley Field from Ogilvie Transportation Center:

  • Walk six blocks east to the CTA Red Line (State Street Subway). Take the Red Line north to Addison, or
  • Board a CTA bus to the CTA Red Line (State Street Subway): No. 20 Madison, No. 56 Milwaukee or No. J14 Jeffery Jump to connect to the State Street Subway. Take the Red Line north to Addison.

Directions to Wrigley Field from Millennium and Van Buren Street Stations:

  • Walk two blocks west to State Street to take the Red Line to Addison.  

Directions to Wrigley Field from Metra’s UP Northwest Irving Park Station:

  • Board CTA bus No. 80 Irving Park to Clark Street.

Directions to Wrigley Field from Metra’s Milwaukee North Grayland Station:

  • Walk south on Kilbourn Avenue to Addison Street. Take CTA bus No. 152 Addison east to the ballpark.

Directions to Wrigley Field from Metra’s UP North Line Davis Street Station:

  • Walk one block east to the CTA Davis Station. Board a Howard-bound Purple Line train to Howard and then transfer to a 95th-bound Red Line train to Addison.

Directions to Wrigley Field from Metra’s Rock Island Line:

  • Get off at the 35th Street/”Lou” Jones Station. Walk to the CTA Red Line and take the train going north to the Addison stop.

For additional schedule information, contact Metra Passenger Services at 312-322-6777 or call the RTA Travel Information Center at 836-7000.

CTA Options

Trains

Red Line
The ballpark is just a half block west of the Addison stop on the CTA Red Line.

To get to the Addison stop from the south (including downtown), take a Red Line train toward Howard. From the north, take a Red Line train toward 95th.

The ballpark is also just a couple of blocks south of the Sheridan stop on the CTA Red Line.

Purple Line Express

Before weekday night games, rather than run express from Howard to Belmont, regular Loop-bound Purple Line Express trains will make an additional stop at Sheridan.

Linden-bound Purple Line Express trains will not make special stops at Sheridan. Purple Line Express service operates only during weekday rush periods. For service back north after the game, use the Red Line from Addison or Sheridan (where you can transfer to Purple Line local service and Yellow Line trains at Howard).

Buses

You can also use CTA bus routes #8 Halsted, #22 Clark or #152 Addison(connects to the Brown and Blue lines) to get to, or within a few blocks of, Wrigley Field.

Cubs try to bounce back against Mets.

Oct 19, 2015 | WLS-AM Staff

By John Dempsey, WLS News

The Chicago Cubs will try to get back on track at Wrigley Field Tuesday night after dropping the first two games of the National League Championship Series to the New York Mets.

The Cubs followed up a 4-2 loss to the Mets on Saturday, with a 4-1 loss Sunday night at Citi Field in New York.

On Sunday the Mets Daniel Murphy hit his fifth playoff homer and rookie Noah Syndergaard outpitched the Cubs Jake Arrieta.  It was the fourth straight playoff game in which Murphy homered, the first time that has happened since Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria did it in 2008.

Game three of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, with the Mets leading two games to none.   First Baseman Anthony Rizzo is looking forward to it, telling reporters, “I think it’ll be good.   Wrigley will be ready to go, our fans will be ready to go.  I know we will be, so will the Mets, so we just gotta come out and play good baseball”

Cubs manager Joe Maddon says, “Listen it’s never gonna be easy this time of the year.   They are good, we know that.   We’re also very good.   We just have to string together some more at bats.   You know the home run is a big part of our offense.  They kind of negated that a bit here.   You know, you just gotta turn the page, move it along.”

After the brutal weekend cold in New York, Wrigley temperatures will be in the 60’s at game time Tuesday.   The wind will also be blowing out, which will be a plus for the home run-dependent Cubs.

Game four Wednesday and if necessary, game five on Thursday, all at Wrigley Field.

@ 2015 WLS News

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