(670 The Score) The city of Chicago giving permission for fans to return to ballparks at 20% capacity starting on Opening Day was music to the ears of Cubs manager David Ross and his team.
“It can't get any better than that,” Ross said Monday. “It's already been nice seeing them in the stands in spring training.”
The Cubs will be allowed to host up to 8,274 fans at Wrigley Field to open the 2021 regular season after no fans were allowed during the pandemic-altered 2020 campaign. The Cubs have already been playing in front of fans at Sloan Park and in other Cactus League venues in Arizona.
“It’s been great here in Mesa to hear the cheers and heckling again,” Ross said. "I am super excited about the fans, and I believe everybody is trying to work back to some sense of normal getting back to the fans in the stands. We are very grateful for that and can't wait to get to Wrigley and get the season started.”
2020 marked Ross’ first season as Cubs manager, so when Chicago hosts Pittsburgh on Opening Day on April 1, it be a different experience for Ross as it pertains to his current role.
"The whole Wrigley Field atmosphere before and after the games was so different last year,” Ross said. “The normal atmosphere around Wrigley, I don't know if there is anything like it in professional sports. It's like no other place. The interaction with the people in bars and restaurants, the big screen in the Gallagher Way area upfront, it was just an empty feeling (in 2020), the way it was. You had this museum that only the players could get into. Getting a sense of normal back in the air will be great for everybody.”
Ross believes his players will be energized as well.
“It is fun to come to the park and see a little extra bounce from the guys before they go into the games,” Ross said. “We see kids coming by still asking for autographs even though we can't do a whole lot of that. There was an 8-year-old behind our dugout in Glendale the other day telling guys to take a ball for a ride, and the usual ball chatter you hear was great. The umpire gave him a ball, and we gave him a lineup card. It was a really good feeling seeing the kid was on cloud nine. It was just nice to have that background. It turned my head around three or four times during the game.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.