CHICAGO — For years it’s loomed beyond left field, right there across Waveland and in perfect line of sight from the visitor’s dugout — a little slice of home for the visiting baseball team from St. Louis, as red as the Cardinal on their jerseys.

The “Budweiser Building,” or “Bud Roof,” has become part of the Wrigleyville skyline, an intruder in someways because of its intertwined roots with the Chicago Cubs’ rival, but also a celebrated member of the North Side family. When video games installed the script Budweiser on a red roof just beyond left they were hailed for their realism, like including the Citgo sign or Coca-Cola bottle at a digital Fenway Park.

Alas, it won’t be there to greet the Cardinals when they arrive Friday.

On Thursday, it was hard not to notice as I settled into my seat here at Wrigley Field that brown tarps of some type had been used to cover up the Bud Roof. Looks like four strips of brown, like so many Hershey bars laid atop the roof. I asked around if that was new, and got a lot of nods. I asked around if there was a reason, and got a lot of shrugs.

Watching the Cubs rally this afternoon from the stands, word was this: The roof had only recently been covered. The contract with Anheuser-Busch lapsed. The building’s owner was standing his ground. There was money to be made with exposure during a playoff run and there was hardball to be played.

About the same time, The Chicago Sun-Times posted a story:

The new owner of the “Budweiser Building” at 3701 N. Kenmore says Anheuser-Busch’s longtime lease on the sign was terminated on Sept. 6 because of late payment. And with the Cubs poised to make a historic run to the World Series, owner Tom Gramatis knows he’s got a hot property on his hands.

“It’s available,” Gramatis told the Sun-Times Thursday. “It’s known as the Budweiser Building, but it’s the Whoever-Wants-To-Go-Up-There Building.”

Both Chicago papers report the same vitals: The contract lapsed, according to the owner. Anheuser-Busch also refutes the lapse, arguing in a statement to the Sun-Times that Budweiser has exclusive rights the roof. The spat is part of ongoing drama with the Wrigleyville buildings around the ballpark, and the ballpark itself. There were windscreens erected at one point to block the view of advertisements.

But when the Cardinals arrive there just will be no red Bud Roof for the first time in manager Tony La Russa’s tenure.

There’s just contract conflict where the King should be.

Back in the crowd, it was hard to look out to left field as Geovany Soto’s home run tied the game in the bottom of the ninth and not notice Budweiser missing from the backdrop. Would a ESPN logo be as familiar? Would a GoDaddy.com ad be as recognizable when the highlight is replayed 20, 30 years from now? As one fan said during the extra innings when asked about the covered advertisement: “Maybe somebody local will get it this time.”

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