Big Ten, Cubs turn college football into Three Stooges
If you own seats near the far end zone, you're out of luck. (AP photo).
I remember doing a book report in elementary school on the Harlem Globetrotters. The story goes that when the Globetrotters first started out, they played some games in empty swimming pools — which required one team to run its offense up hill from the deep end.
It would’ve made for a great comedy skit. The Big Ten should try that. The conference has its own network now. What a perfect
The Cubs didn't want the field laid out like when the Bears played there.
time to venture into slapstick because it just turned a college football game into a Three Stooges episode. “Hey Moe! We were just in this end zone!”
The Northwestern-Illinois game, scheduled (still!) to be played Saturday at Wrigley Field, now has a funny and pathetic twist. Officials decided at this late venture that the way the football field has been laid out in the baseball stadium is too dangerous for players. In short, there’s a possibility that a receiver may run into a brick wall.
That’s funny when Curly does it. But not a Northwestern receiver.
Consequently, only one end zone will be utilized in the game. On each change of possession, the teams will simply be turned around, always attacking in the same direction. The east end will be a ghost town. And no, I am not making this up.
OK, I’ll be the first to say it: This would never happen in the SEC.
“Though it’s not ideal, it’s the right thing,” Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips said. “The field came out the way we thought, [but] it ended up maybe being a little closer with some of the [wall] padding.”
Oh, the problems we create in the name of marketing. It should be noted the Chicago Bears used to play football games at Wrigley Field. The field ran from left field to home plate. There was ample room. Bleachers were placed on the opposite side in what is normally right and center field.
The Cubs didn’t want bleachers on the field for this game. The field seems placed a little tighter to the stands and laid out in the other direction toward right field. It’s a squeeze.
The result: exploding clown feet.
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said: “We’re going to do what was right. All the other things are irrelevant.”
Tell that to the guy who owns tickets near the east end zone.
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100 comments Add your comment
UGA89
November 19th, 2010
4:12 pm
If am looking at the photo correctly, does it not look like the north sidelines are set up so that both teams are on the same sidelines? Looks that way to me ..as the south sideline looks pretty skimpy also.
Hoping
November 19th, 2010
4:13 pm
I’m rooting for You-Ain’t-Know to write something funny one of these days. I’m not optimistic, but it’s like rooting for Vandy. The odds are so stacked against it happening you just have to hope.
Auburn's future nickname
November 19th, 2010
4:17 pm
Later Vacated.
Gen Neyland
November 19th, 2010
4:22 pm
The real winners up yonder way are gonna be the neighborhood sports bars around Wrigley.
heartofdarkness
November 19th, 2010
4:25 pm
Jeff, what did you say in your paper about the Globetrotters going for loose balls? Floor burns from a swimming pool, Ouch!
spider
November 19th, 2010
4:25 pm
if you uneducated southerners would have real the rule changes for the game at wrigley field you would not be making all these stupid statements.
D Fence
November 19th, 2010
4:27 pm
Hilarious – No matter how ESPN tries to spin this one.
Even more Hilarious – more people here still than at a Tech game.
Even more more Hilarious – the drubbing you dorks get next weekend.
Jeff Schultz's Protégé
November 19th, 2010
4:30 pm
spider sounds like one dumb northerner who doesn’t know anything about football.
spider
November 19th, 2010
4:32 pm
yes i am dumb, i finished next to last at my h.s. in academics, but im a proud disabled viet nam vet.
Innocent Bystander
November 19th, 2010
4:33 pm
This is no more ’stooge’-like than Thursday/Friday/Monday/Tuesday games.
Wrigley rules shake up irks students and the sports world » North by Northwestern
November 19th, 2010
4:34 pm
[...] Journal Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz also echoed disdain regarding one-end-zone football in a Friday morning column. “The Northwestern-Illinois game, scheduled (still!) to be played [...]
JSS
November 19th, 2010
4:42 pm
@ UGA89…
It is the old County Stadium (Milwaukee)/ Yankee Stadium sideline setup with all of the players on the same sidelines…
Paul in RDU
November 19th, 2010
4:45 pm
This game is going to be a riot. If the wind is blowing towards the lake both teams are going to be throwing and punting into the wind the entire game. According to weather.com it’s blowing out to right at 15 with gusts to 25 mph, but the forecast is for the wind to be blowing 10 mph the other way tomorrow.
Andy S
November 19th, 2010
4:51 pm
The BCS tells us that every game counts; the facts tell us otherwise
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/11/19/week-12-cupcakes-bcs/index.html#ixzz15le9RZ3J
All I'm Saying...
November 19th, 2010
4:51 pm
Unbelievably dumb. A mystery how most people ‘up Nawth’ think all of us ‘hicks’ in the South are stupid when you read about such banality as this. Dumb, dumb, dumb. And likely on national television to boot!
George Stein
November 19th, 2010
4:52 pm
What in God’s name does this have to do with the SEC.
But I’ll bite anyway. A coach getting suspended for eight games for repeated rules violations would never happen in the Big Ten. Or the ACC. Or the Pac 10. Or the Big XII. Or any other conference.
dawgfan
November 19th, 2010
5:07 pm
The question I have is what if somebody takes an interception the other way and there is no endzone for them to run in to?
This might be the most assinine thing I’ve ever seen. Oh whoopee you played a game at Wrigley Field. Who gives a flying crap?
Ken Myers
November 19th, 2010
5:25 pm
Soldier Field by the Chicago lakeshore of Lake Michigan would have been a better spot to play this. The obvious reason would be a higher seating capacity than ancient (1914) Wrigley Field.
Boise State game is good for Georgia but difficult for Richt | Jeff Schultz
November 19th, 2010
5:28 pm
[...] ♦ Big Ten, Cubs turn college football into Three Stooges [...]
Tmac
November 19th, 2010
6:08 pm
WHAT A JOKE!
They deserve all the criticism they get. And more.
Asheville Dawg
November 19th, 2010
6:26 pm
What wimps! The field goal used to be in the shape of an H and was planted on the goal line. You just had to go around them…………duh. Just don’t slam into the “padded” brick wall.
And they wonder why they aren’t relevant anymore?
Coach Grohbo
November 19th, 2010
7:41 pm
Northwestern should have called in Mark Richt’s Washington Generals to play in this one.
Backyard Football
November 19th, 2010
7:49 pm
It’s just like when I was a kid. After each TD, it’s “Losers Walk”.
Brett
November 19th, 2010
7:50 pm
waht’s the big deal? the end zone in my back yard ended when you hit the brick house.
Big Guy 69
November 19th, 2010
8:38 pm
IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL AT ALL. They get publicity by playing at Wrigley. It’s good for the schools. So what they go the same direction there is time in between posessions anyways so it’s not a huge deal. They switch at the half, no one has complained about that before right? That being said, yes they blew it big time if the field would have fit the other direction and they chose this way instead. They blew it. But what do I care about these schools anyways, it will be fun to watch. So i will for sure. Sports are entertainment remember.
JSS
November 19th, 2010
8:57 pm
@ Big Guy 69…
Co-sign!!!
KPO'M
November 20th, 2010
9:21 am
This wouldn’t happen in the SEC, because they’d be afraid to come up north in such “arctic” conditions. Why, it’s only 36 degrees! The last time I checked, Northwestern (yes, the school with a 92% graduation rate) defeated its SEC opponent this year, and took Auburn (yes, the school playing with the QB who they won’t admit is ineligible until after it no longer matters) to the final play last year.
That said, they should have played the entire field. There wasn’t “ample room” when the Bears played there. Look at the north end zone. It’s clipped and there’s a brick wall there. Actually, the setup for today’s game allowed for two full end zones. Just don’t set up passing plays to the back of the end zone. Both teams would have had to have dealt with it, and the game would have been fine. However, as it stands, it will still be an exciting game. NU is playing without its star quarterback and positioning itself for a better bowl game. The Illini are trying to get into a bowl game and save Zook’s job. There’s plenty on the line.
KPO'M
November 20th, 2010
9:24 am
Dawgfan, I know the SEC is known for weak academic standards, but let me explain something to you in simple terms. No OFFENSIVE plays will take place toward the east end zone. If a defensive player makes an interception or fumble recovery, he’ll head toward the east end zone until he either reaches it or is down, at which point they will position the team at the equivalent point on the other side of the field before resuming play.
KDog773
November 20th, 2010
9:45 am
This is front page news in Atlanta? Why not another story about your anti-gay minister who takes vacations with young, athletic young men? You should watch ESPN game day – for the players it is considered one of the most historic places to play college football.
WTF
November 20th, 2010
9:59 am
Why are they even playing football on a baseball field!?
Brock
November 20th, 2010
10:07 am
good god some of you people are dumb. you do understand there ARE 2 endzones, however, they will only utilize the west endzone for possessions. If a team intercepts they WILL have an endzone to run to. this is why we have abortion.
jp
November 20th, 2010
10:14 am
au pride you idiot moron did you gradidgetate from aubrurn it is dan mullen not mullins. it had been 4 years in a row of asswhip on you and it will resume .go do 20 pushups and take out # 90 ,s knee with a bat and earn some respect for you ignorant ass .as far as the big ten match up , just flip a coin 2 out of 3
jp
November 20th, 2010
10:24 am
kpom , we get it about the field . why not just play basketball and save the pathetic sight of this stunt .everybody goes the same way on offense.sounds like a b rated porn flick to go with 2 joke teams and ajoke Big 11.or is this part of the obama stimulus package .was your job saved or created .go back to chicago and sit in the stands with al ,jessie and jerimiah wright you ignorant ass.why not have the bulls and the celtics just shoot at the same basket and the have the cubs and braves hit off a tee.
john k
November 20th, 2010
10:28 am
“This wouldn’t happen in the SEC” said so nobly.
Sorry, but the poor layout at Wrigley is not going to overshadow when Auburn gets hammered for paying Cam Newton.
Hughdaman
November 20th, 2010
11:09 am
It would be great if the Titans played here. Go long Randy, go long!!!!
Hillbilly Deluxe
November 20th, 2010
11:12 am
There aren’t any cool, historic baseball stadiums south of the Ohio River…
Never heard of Rickwood Field in Birmingham? It’s older than Wrigley or Fenway.
GT
November 20th, 2010
11:15 am
I get irritated watching that bowl game in California where both teams have to line up on the same sideline. This Wrigley Field thing kind of shows you the mind set of the Big Ten towards college football compared to the SEC. To someone in Chicago the entertainment value is more important than the fairness of the game or the fan’s received value. This is why I think all these northern sport’s talk show host are jokes too. You would never see the Bears or pro football being conducted this way, but college football is a throw away to most of these people. Then they come down here and want to talk smack about college football, because no one cares about pro football. Seems to me we in Atlanta a town of 5 million people could find a half dozen home grown people that understand college football. I get mad at Tony Barnhart but I never thought he was a joke, like these grease monkeys.
Barry
November 20th, 2010
11:30 am
It is a nice idea to play in a quaint, historic stadium. Heck, if they can do it with hockey…
Hard to fault the people who will be held responsible if there is an injury. Too bad the Big Ten did not check out the field before it got this far.
One question from the picture, though. If they are only planning to use one end zone, why are two sets of goal posts needed? If the defensive team makes a pick, could they elect a dropkick or something instead of running it back?
Chris
November 20th, 2010
11:55 am
Only Stooge I see is the one writing these columns.
Chicago Fan1
November 20th, 2010
12:15 pm
As a Chicagoan (living in Atlanta while working on a Project) I am very flattered that Atlanta is so enamored with Chicago sports. There is a reason we are consistently voted top 3 best Sports town in America and Atlanta usually falls at the bottom. But again, I’m flattered because I promise you will never see a story on any Atlanta team in the Tribune or Sun-Times.
wareagle
November 20th, 2010
12:33 pm
For the last time, and I’m tired of hearing about it and writing about it and probably a lot of others are too. Auburn will play Newton because he is eligible. Auburn will play Newton because Auburn has done nothing wrong here. Auburn will play Newton because he is the best college player out there and the best in a generation. It’s really bordering on the pathological the way some of you are hungering for sanctions and probation and even the death penalty for Auburn, all on the flimsiest of suppositions that if it’s remotely associated with Auburn then Auburn MUST be guilty. Sure, Auburn has its past. So does Alabama, so does UGA (remember Jan Kemp?), and on and on. Auburn has righted its ship and has the right people in place administratively to make sure that they don’t slip up again. They aren’t blind fools. They wouldn’t have gone near Newton if they didn’t absolutely KNOW that all the t’s were crossed and all the i’s were dotted when it came to his recruitment and his eligibility. I realize that this is really difficult for a lot of you out there, rational and logical thought not being within your ability to achieve but that, as Cronkite used to say, is the way it is. So, hate on Auburn all you want to. In the end and when it’s all said and done, that’s all you are going to get. Accept it and move on.
toon
November 20th, 2010
12:59 pm
i dont understand what the big deal is. they switch after each quarter anyways, now they just switch at each change of possession. i think its really cool to play a game in a venue such as this. they didnt want anyone running into the wall on a pass pattern, all defensive plays they will have time to stop. the only problems i have with it is the last minute aspect (and them switching benches at halftime, that seems like quite a hassle) but then again their is a lot more interest in the game because of the last minute thing. maybe it was brilliant of them to get the interest
KPO'M
November 20th, 2010
1:13 pm
@jp, hopefully you aren’t a typical Atlantan or else your state is really screwed up. Most of us in Chicago never heard of Jeremiah Wright until 2008.
Anyway, that “joke” of a Northwestern team beat its only SEC opponent this season and took Auburn to the last play on January 1, 2010 at the Outback Bowl. They are going to be in another bowl game this year, and the Illini are trying to qualify for a bowl game.
The Cubs did nothing wrong here. NU came to them 2 years ago with the idea, and the Cubs came back 8 months ago with the field design. If someone didn’t like it back then, they had 8 months to reschedule the game. What are the Cubs supposed to do? Say no to a sellout in November? The Bears played there for 50 years with even more compromises (if Schultz looked at that picture for more than 2 seconds he’d see that the south end zone is clipped with a brick wall behind it). The Cubs fit a regulation field (120 yards) within Wrigley Field. They can’t touch that wall as it is landmarked.
If anyone are the “Three Stooges,” it’s Auburn, the SEC, and Cameron Newton for making a mockery of the “student” part of student athlete.
KPO'M
November 20th, 2010
2:29 pm
@Hillbilly, Rickwood Field is a museum. Wrigley and Fenway are active ballparks. That’s part of what make things like the Winter Classic and the “Wrigleyville Classic” so appealing. ESPN would help matters if they didn’t relegate this game to ESPNU. True, it’s competing with Ohio St/Iowa and VT/Miami, but this game means more than some dumb NASCAR race (which is what’s on ESPN2).
KPO'M
November 20th, 2010
6:34 pm
I’m watching the game and, you know what, apart from hearing Bob Davie talk about the field every possession, it really doesn’t matter. It was a great game with a lot of scoring, and an impressive win for the Illini.
Techbuzzer
November 20th, 2010
7:19 pm
Hey Schultz Protege and UGA89 -hope you choked watching the Tech game today. How many of your thugs had to make bail this weekend?
ereiamjh3
November 20th, 2010
9:26 pm
You are a sports writer. Get over yourself.
HCH
November 20th, 2010
11:38 pm
The teams didn’t complain about the field and the fans enjoyed themselves. Time to move on and ridicule something else.
Spike
November 21st, 2010
10:27 am
Must have been a Tch engineer who came up with this.
World Spinner
November 22nd, 2010
2:22 pm
Big Ten, Cubs turn college football into Three Stooges | Jeff Schultz…
Here at World Spinner we are debating the same thing……