aderfp633
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Localisation: England
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 Posté le: Dim Aoû 18, 2013 12:55 pm Sujet du message: motorcycle fairings |
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No hard feelings,cheap motorcycle fairings? Don't bet on it
"We've been described, the Cubs owners and the rooftops owners,cheap motorcycle fairings, as the big jerk vs. the little jerks," rooftop owner Beth Murphy said with a laugh. "I understand that."Murphy, who grew up a Cubs fan in Albany Park and owns and operates Murphy's Bleachers,motorcycle fairing, the iconic Wrigleyville bar at the corner of Waveland and Sheffield avenues, has been in the forefront of the battle since her husband, Jim, died in 2003.As the outspoken and sometimes polarizing voice of the rooftop owners, Murphy has been pilloried as a "leech," a "parasite," and generally an obstacle in the Cubs' plan to end their soon-to-be 105-year World Series drought by adding revenue streams including signage that would block some of the rooftops' views to invest into the product on the field.Murphy accepts the criticism that goes along with the job as spokeswoman for the rooftop owners, though she said most Cubs fans have been supportive."We've gotten a few 'screw you' emails, but basically people have been very positive," she said. "I've had people make special trips in here to give me positive reinforcement, just to say 'Go.' And I've heard a lot of positive things from Cubs employees who are actually working there."Nevertheless, Murphy's war may be over soon. With Mayor Rahm Emanuel helping fast-track the Rickettses' plan through the City Council and the Cubs hoping to begin construction on the first phase of the five-year rebuilding plan after the season, it appears as though the Rickettses soon will be singing the familiar victory song,aftermarket motorcycle fairings, "Go, Cubs, Go."It may not be over until it's over, as Yogi Berra famously said,aftermarket motorcycle fairings,motorcycle fairings, but Murphy knows the score. As fans filtered into her bar before a recent Reds-Cubs game, she said it has been "discouraging to be disrespected because I don't think the neighborhood is being listened to" by anyone."Tom Ricketts has said many times, 'Just let us operate our business,' " she said. "But part of that (business) is not adhering to property lines,motorcycle fairing, and I think that's kind of a basic in property laws. He bought what he bought. And the Tribune (Co.) I've said many times, back in the '80s the Tribune could have bought so much property in this neighborhood."What I think they would have done if they had bought Sheffield or Waveland is just knock it all down and build parking lots. They were saved from themselves by the neighborhood because if this was surrounded by parking lots, it would be pretty much like (U.S.) Cellular Field. I don't think anybody would be coming here."No one would come to Wrigley Field without the bars?"Well, no one came here in the '70s," she said. "No one came here when we bought the bar. They couldn't fill the upper deck. The neighborhood is what (changed it)."Defiance is part of Murphy's makeup, and like any Chicagoan, she doesn't back down from a good argument. One Cubs official said they "love Beth Murphy" despite their battles, because "she has that passion that she's always right, even when she's not right."Murphy can be as feisty as Carlos Zambrano and has strong opinions on everything from the likelihood of the Cubs moving ("What tourist is going to come to Chicago to go to Rosemont?") to Cubs President Theo Epstein ("A charming, handsome man, but I will judge him on the baseball") to the team's lack of fundamentals ("Why don't we just decide we're against bunting and have it not come up again?") She was chosen as spokeswoman because of her ability to deal with the community,motorcycle fairings, the Cubs and a disparate group of investors who know they must work together despite their differences."I've known Jim and Beth since they came into the neighborhood," said Aidan Dunican, owner of Wrigley View, the rooftop next to the firehouse on Waveland Avenue. "Beth is good for the neighborhood and good for us. She talks to everybody when she speaks; she speaks on behalf of all of us. She has been great for the community."The neighborhood has changed drastically since Jim Murphy bought Ray's Bleachers in the late 1970s. Beth Murphy agrees it was a "rough crowd" in the early days but rhetorically asked, "Who changed it?" before answering herself."Not the Tribune (Co.)," she said. "Not the Cubs. The entrepreneurs and people who invested in this neighborhood changed it."The change coincided with the rebirth of the franchise in 1984, when Ryne Sandberg, Rick Sutcliffe and a lovable bunch ended a 39-year postseason drought before folding to the Padres in the National League Championship Series. Arne Harris, the late producer of Cubs telecasts on WGN-Ch. 9, frequently showed rooftop parties during games, as announcer Harry Caray bellowed: "Hey, look at the rooftops." |
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