Girardi Expresses Support For Cubs Ownership In Battle Against Rooftop Owners
(CBS) Yankees manager and former Cubs player Joe Girardi expressed his support for Cubs owner Tom Ricketts taking a hard line against the rooftop owners and moving forward with a new, more ambitious proposal to renovate Wrigley Field, which came to light Thursday morning in the latest development of the long-going saga between the Cubs and the rooftops owners.
Having managed the Yankees since 2008 after a playing career that included time in New York, Girardi has the unique perspective of having seen legendary old Yankee Stadium torn down and a new Yankee Stadium built.
"I love the ballpark (Wrigley Field)," Girardi on Thursday morning on the McNeil and Spiegel Show. "We were just talking about being out there yesterday and being on that field and how special it is. I would hate to see it go. I would love to see for the Cubs to play at Wrigley for the next 100 years. And I know they want to make improvements, and that's understandable. To me, every owner who buys a club is going to want to maximize his revenue. That's one of the reasons they get in the business.
"But they want to make upgrades for the clubhouses for both clubs and just make it a place where it's very attractable to to free agents. And you also want to bring in more revenue so you can go out and get free agents. So I understand what they're trying to do, and I hope the park stays."
Girardi addressed a variety of topics in his interview with McNeil and Spiegel, including his thought on Cubs righty Jeff Samardzija, who his team reportedly has interest in, as well as what it's been like to manage legends like Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter.
List to the interview in full below.
Joe Girardi on the McNeil and Spiegel Show
