Co-worker Casey C. passes this along:

The Friendly Confines are now the Cozy Confines.

With the gridiron for Saturday's Illinois-Northwestern game laid out east to west, there are some tight spots that promise to affect play-calling.

"I think it definitely will be an element in the game," NU coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "We will plan accordingly."

Parts of the east end zone are within spitting distance -- don't get any ideas -- of the right-field bleachers. The back-middle of the end zone is just a foot from a thickly padded wall.

"Hopefully it won't be like Arena (football) where you're running over the billboards," NU receiver Demetrius Fields said.

A spot near the southwest corner of the field is about 6 feet from a padded brick wall.

Cubs president Crane Kenney called that a "pinch point" and said the team could not bulldoze it down to create more space.

"The brick wall is a landmarked feature," he said, "so that's not coming down."

Click that above link to see how Wrigley Field looks in purple. Our verdict: Weird, at best.