St. Louis announcer John Rooney just added another chapter to the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry

The St. Louis Cardinals are sitting at a respectable 61-60 ahead of their weekend series against the rival Cubs. They’ll head to Wrigley for a quick two-game set, and then run it back against the Phillies. 

The Redbirds’ home ballpark has been under scrutiny as of late, specifically from its own fans. Many thought-to-be long balls have been taken back by the cavernous walls of Busch Stadium and the dense air in the humid St. Louis heat. 

However, for all the griping and complaining about the Cardinals’ stadium, nothing compares to what one St. Louis announcer just said about Wrigley Field. 

Cardinals’ radio announcer John Rooney is fed up with Wrigley Field.

Recently, the “voice of the Cardinals,” John Rooney, appeared on KMOX to talk baseball ahead of the big series in Chicago. 

The biggest thing that stood out was Rooney’s hard stance on Wrigley Field. He wasn’t shy. 

“I’ve never liked the weeds on the wall, or the little bears on the uniform,” Rooney said as the KMOX crew cracked up laughing. 

“I don’t care for [Wrigley Field] at all. It’s great for the fans. The fans love it, with the history and the feeling they get. But the working conditions are the worst in baseball. …

“The people are very nice there. They have treated us great over the years. I enjoy seeing Pat and Ron, and seeing Zach and all the guys next door, and Zerang, their engineer. They’re wonderful people, and that makes it tolerable to go there. But to work there, once the game gets started and the competition heats up, then I get into it.” 

Rooney, known for his voice on the radio broadcast in St. Louis, has been on assignment for a bit. If he returns for the Cubs series, he’s sure to get a warm welcome. 

Are his comments valid? It’s hard for the outsider to know. But one can surmise: Wrigley Field is an interesting place to play baseball. 

Besides the obvious, why should Cardinals fans dislike Wrigley Field? 

Outside of the Cardinals/Cubs rivalry, which is among the best in the sport, there are plenty of reasons to dislike one of the game’s oldest and most historic ballparks. 

Wind: The Chicago wind is a joke. That’s a tough rap on the stadium, but irrespective of the fact that they have no control over it, it’s a fair criticism. Playing baseball in a climate that can actively swing the competitive pendulum either way in a split second is diabolical. One moment, the Cubs’ pitcher is tossing with strong bursts coming inward, and would-be homers are dying for the opposition. Then, suddenly, when the Cubbies come to the plate, Mother Nature flips the script and shoots baseballs out of the park like a cannon. It’s ridiculous, and although the Cubs aren’t at fault, nor is the stadium, you can’t ignore its impact on the game. 

The walls: Ivy? Really? Is it iconic? Yes. For the right reasons? Uh, no. Can anyone really justify why the ivy is “cool” or “interesting” other than the fact that it’s just been there forever? It swallows baseballs, presents yet another thing to worry about, and overall, adds nothing but aesthetic value to the game. If you asked if it looks cool, my answer would be yes. But that’s besides the point–Furthermore, the baskets in the outfield that transform flyouts into home runs are in the same conversation as the Crawford Boxes in Houston and the Short Porch in Yankee Stadium. Why don’t people talk about that more? There’s just an outstretched portion of the wall that hangs over the field? Not a fan. It’s a cluster of poorly executed character additions to a stadium that was built on dreams, not reality. 

Age: Wrigley Field is old. Very old. And old stadiums typically fall into similar categories: full of history, yet not fully amended to modernity. The stadium, although a site every MLB fan should behold, isn’t entirely up to date and needs renovations. There are plenty of obstructed views, not-so-ideal seating arrangements, and, according to architectural critic Paul Goldberger from an article in the New York Times in 1988, it’s “a place that is innocent of instant replay, of vast electronic scoreboards as cluttered with advertising as Times Square, of baseball as a business." Yikes. Things have surely improved since Goldberger’s review, but maybe not to the standard other teams have set. Wrigley remains behind the curve; it’s been boat-raced from the beginning. 

Truthfully, all of this is opinion, even more so, the opinion of someone who actively covers the Cubs’ biggest rival (unless you ask Nico Hoerner for some reason?). Wrigley Field remains a staple stadium in MLB and is a sight to behold for everyone. 

If you like it rowdy, you like it Wrigley. Beer snakes, the lovable losers, and take me out to the ballgame; it’s a circus in the stands, and a dramedy on the field. 

And now, in the midst of the Cub-crazed chaos, Rooney and the Redbirds will look to mount a playoff push so loud that it upends the deep ivy roots and ushers in another wave of losses in the windy cauldron that is Wrigley Field. 

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