Wrigley Security Under Scrutiny

A Chicago Cub official said Wednesday that the organization is studying security issues that might have arisen from the May 16 brawl between Dodgers and fans at Wrigley Field.

Beyond that, Mark McGuire, the Cub executive vice president/business operations, refused to divulge the club’s course, if any.

“We’re in the middle of some things,” McGuire said. “So, I’m not really prepared to make any great statement. Really, what we’ve been telling people in Chicago is we would make a statement if we come to decisions. But we didn’t want to be talking to people.”

It has been reported in Chicago that the club probably would increase security near the bullpens, located down both foul lines and exposed to the elements. In the aftermath of the brawl, major league baseball did assign a team from its security division to assess possible weaknesses in the policing of fans.

The Cubs might merely make their security guards more visible. Their blue shirts, khaki pants and brown caps tend to blend in with the crowd, and perhaps do not serve as enough of a deterrent.

Also, club officials were said to be considering new guidelines for the sale of alcohol, including a policy that prohibits customers from stocking up with several beers at last call, which is in the seventh inning.

“It’s all just speculation,” McGuire said.

Two years ago, after fans in the bleachers pelted the field with debris over an umpire’s call, the organization installed many small security cameras in the bleachers. Team executives announced that the videotape would be used to prosecute offenders of park policies.