When Tom Ricketts announced renovation plans for Wrigley Field and asked for state aid to fund the upgrades, he didn’t exactly hit a home run. It is not uncommon for municipalities and tax payers to help foot the bill for a new or renovated sporting facility, but now is not the time. The state’s budget deficit surpassed $13 billion—the Cubs and the Ricketts family can find $200 million elsewhere.

The proposed plan would fund renovations through state-issued bonds.  The bonds would be paid back throughout 35 years through the 12 percent amusement tax levied on tickets, anticipating ticket sales would increase after the stadium upgrades. Gov. Pat Quinn and Mayor Richard M. Daley said the state will not issue these bonds.

Along with structural improvements, new restrooms and parking, upgrades include building underground clubhouses and “Cubs Alley.” The street would be pedestrian-only on game days, house a restaurant, concessions and a Cubs Hall of Fame. Unless the team relocates during construction, plans for the clubhouses alone would take three off-seasons to complete.

Upgrades can be scaled back to focus on the essentials. Hold off on clubhouses with hydropools until Chicago sees the team win a few more games. A Hall of Fame can wait, but a nearly 100-year-old building’s crumbling structure cannot. Fans have seen the nets strung along the main concourse to catch falling pieces of concrete. Ricketts said Wrigley Field’s landmark status can remain intact through the renovation process, so improving structural dangers should be the main priority.

The Ricketts family can seek private funding for renovations. As much as fans complain about the proliferation of advertisements as revenue for the stadium, it is doubtful many fans would rather see their ticket prices—already the most expensive in Major League Baseball—increase any more.

Additionally, the Ricketts should reconsider selling the naming rights. Just as the Willis Tower will always be the Sears Tower to many Chicagoans, Wrigley Field will always be Wrigley Field. When an entire neighborhood revolves around a stadium, it’s hard to imagine a sign with a different name would make much of a difference.

To satisfy fans who worry the renovated stadium will lose its nostalgia, pieces like bricks and seats left from renovations could be sold to help fund upgrades. Fans will have their memories, and chances are they won’t miss the cenutry-old bathrooms when renovations are complete.