A goat's head was delivered to Wrigley Field on Wednesday addressed to Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, a team spokesman confirmed.
No note was included, and it was turned over to Chicago police.
According to Cubs spokesman
Julian Green, a man stopped
the white van he was driving, walked a box to a security entrance
on Waveland Avenue and wordlessly put it down.
Security workers opened the box and discovered the severed head.
Green said Thursday that police were given surveillance video,
and that he doesn't know why someone would deliver a goat's head.
Police did not comment on who might have left the goat head or a
possible motive -- other than to refer to the head in a brief
statement as an "intimidating package."
"We got a call at 2:30 p.m., responding to 1060 West Addison, Wrigley Field," a Chicago Police Department spokesman said. "We're investigating it as an intimidating package."
The package was found at Gate K near the field, the team spokesman told the Chicago Tribune.
It's possible the goat's head is in reference to a "curse" placed on the team during the 1945 World Series. Restaurant owner Billy Sianis brought his goat to a game, but was asked to leave and he vowed the team would never win again.
The Cubs lost that series and have never been back. They last won a championship in 1908, the longest drought in professional sports.
"That's very original, since it's only been around 60-70 years," Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija said Thursday. "You'd think they would come up with something new."
Cubs manager Dale Sveum was asked if he knew what he was getting into when he took over before the 2012 season.
"I spent two years in Boston, so you have a pretty good idea about the passion of the fans and the willingness to want to win and everything," Sveum said.
As far as the goat's head?
"I don't have many thoughts on that; it's just obviously an unfortunate fan doing something pretty stupid," he said.
The Cubs are locked in a tense negotiation with the city and neighborhood regarding the renovation of Wrigley Field and the desire to play more night games. A deal was hoped to have been reached by the start of the regular season but is still being negotiated.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.