http://www.suntimes.com/output/sports/cst-spt-bear19.html "With the soccer games, the [old] field was all torn up, and you could see the sand on the field where they spray-painted it green,'' Booker said. "It was crazy.'' Still don't understand this comment, 300 lb lineman will do much more harm than 170 lb soccer players.
You're forgetting that we're talking about the Bears here. You can't exactly chew up the grass by standing still and watching the other team jog gleefully past you. But it appears that is what the Bears have done the past two weeks, sure as heck haven't been tackling anyone.
I tell ya... this place is not going to be a dream-come-true. I remember the last time an idiot football player said this. They actually blamed a loss on the fact that the field was torn up because of a soccer game. It's pathetic. Um... yeah, we had to put down sand and paint the grass green.... BEFORE OUR FREAKIN' GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, of course, we're back to being second class citizens... well, third behind Dave Matthews. And if a football player thinks the place is huge... how cavernous is the place going to look to us? Do I want to stay in Naperville? Nope. I'm ready to go back, but it's going to suck equally... just in different ways. I also predict the first actual large-scale incident of violence with SF security. I wonder if the first match back in SF will have football lines and huge "BEARS" in the end-zone and a logo in the middle of the field. They are playing there before us, right? I can't believe they'd let us christen their new stadium.
They play September 29th. Soldier Field has beer and major league atmosphere and regardless of what Marty Booker says. The Fire are the second anchor tennant and he'll just have to hop his padded ace over any divots caused by a 30 yard blast from Damani Ralph (who has put up more points this year that the Bears entire offense.)
Do you think you're maybe overreacting to a comment by some dimwitted wide reciever on a crappy pro football team? Yes there will be football lines on the field. Oh well. I'm confident the field condition is going to be better. Plus, we're actually going to be recieving revenue playing there (what a novel concept). Of course, we'll see how it all plays out, but whatever. That all said, I'd like to see PW or someone in the club respond publicly to these comments...it can't hurt.
I only posted the info as an FYI....I don't think PW needs to getting in a pissing contest with the Bears. Regardless how bad they are, it's not worth the effort.
I think PW, or anyone from the Fire, doing anything publicly couldn't hurt. we could use some publicity.
DOn't make it a pissing contest. Merely point out that the field was as bad prior to Fire games as it was for the Bears. And politely mention tickets are going fast for the 10 Oct game and playoff tickets will be available soon, for all those people who won't be needing their money set aside for Bears playoff tickets
That game Booker is referring to was the Sunday after the Friday we beat the MetroScum to go to MLS Cup 2000. Immediately after the FIRE game, the field was covered. In the wee hours that Sunday morning a freak October lake snowstorm dropped over 3" of snow. The snow was cleared off, but when the tarp was removed the crack Soldier Field/Chicago Park District grounds crew didn't realize the turf froze to the tarp. THAT is how the field was f'd up for the Bears game. If the FIRE doesn't debunk this urban legend, then us fans need to flood the sports radio talk shows on their various bitch segments with the FACTS.
I don't know, after the last few performances from the Bears, it might be everyone else pissing themselves...from laughing so hard.
he was just saying that the combination of all the games tore up the field. he was NOT saying that the field being torn up was due only to soccer.
Did anybody catch the Tribune review of the building in Sunday's paper? I basically agreed with everything said (please don't hurt me!) and also found interesting something else they said. All the cheap (if you can call 45$ cheap) seats are on one side on the stadium and all the highpriced seats are on the opposite side. They called that design "very undemocratic" which was something I'd never thought of but its a good point.
Well, that's one way of looking at it. Another way is by moving all the expense-o-seats and suites to one side the moved the cheapo seats closer to the action then they normally would have been able.
SF HAving the boxes all on one side is very democratic. Splitting the price classes horizontaly is better than splitting them verticaly. If the sky boxes go 360 degrees it raises the lower priced seats way up high, like at Sox Park. Splitting it this way allows for lower priced seats closer to the field. Note also, the high proced seats face the afternoon sun. Unless the boxes reflect the cheaper seats are not sun in the eyes. I predict that once people experience the inside of this palace the exterior will become a friendly civic quirk, like the Pompedeau center in Paris.
Re: SF Comparing it to the Centre Pompideau is actually a really good analogy. It was much-maligned during construction, as the exteriorior was all the public saw...but over the course of time after it opened and people appreciated the exterior for what it gave to the interior and the balance it came to be quite accepted and even quite loved. I maintain my statement of some time ago that a year or so down the line people will forget they ever complained about the place. It'll work its way in naturally just like every other civic project in history pretty much ever. People generally didn't like the Picasso sculpture when it was first installed, either.
Possibly, but afternoon games won't be a problem and evening games should be ok as the West side stand is pretty tall will probably block that out (that according to a Fire ticket rep) By putting the cheap seats in the upper deck on the West side, wounldn't that be the area that would be hit by cold gusts off the lake in in the colder months? Maybe not, but if so they could have put had the suites on the West side as they are inside anyways. That's a bit picky maybe, just saying though.
This seems to be an interesting nugget of information: "With rare exceptions, no events will be allowed at Soldier Field within five days of a Bears game." The Fire would probably schedule their games 5 days apart from Bears games anyways, even if there wasn't an edict "from the top". - Paul
Sun seats Because the West side is much higher than before the east side seats will shade at an earlier time than in old Soldier. Im concerned about reflection from the glass wall of the skyboxes. I cant imagine HOK didnt take that into account
Re: Sun seats I don't know why they would have, especially since Wood+Zapata are the architects for the stadium.
Kamin and the Tribune editorial staff sound like a little ol' lady who didn't get her way and is constipated. While she lost, she's going to bitch about it until the grave. OK - we know Kamin doesn't like it and the Tribune doesn't either. They've been consistent from Day 1. Good for them - "playground of small minds" or something like that. They're on the record. The point has been made. Let the rest of us enjoy it.