You Think Tribune Co. Ownership Was Cheap?

George Castle gives some history lessons in how cheapness from the Wrigleys hurt the Cubs even more.

over 2 years ago Al Yellon 19 comments 0 recs |

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Yabbut...

…did they ever take leftover doughnuts from mgmt meetings and put them in the employee break room… for sale???

Ahh… I wonder if the Wrigleys and Marge Schott ever traded cheapness tips. ;-)

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Oct 23, 2009 3:09 PM CDT reply actions

lolwut.jpg

Did that happen?

Life is parallel to hell but I must maintain

by dr stabbingworth on Oct 23, 2009 3:33 PM CDT up reply actions

I don't recall this being a secret

Some of my earliest memories are of my older brother Tom cursing the Wrigleys for being so cheap with the Cubs.

I agree with the slant of this article, that the forming of lynch mobs because Hendry has been spending money is short sighted. There has been gambling going on at Rick’s for some time now.

"When you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

by vonde6 on Oct 23, 2009 4:40 PM CDT reply actions

I don't recall having heard the Koufax story before.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on Oct 23, 2009 4:52 PM CDT up reply actions

I didn't mean the particular anecdotes

Just “the Wrigleys are cheap”.

I am sure that the Koufax story is new, otherwise I would have heard it my whole childhood, growing up downstate with the Cardinals fans.

"When you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

by vonde6 on Oct 23, 2009 5:48 PM CDT up reply actions

Oh, I agree with you on "the Wrigleys are cheap" idea.

I heard that, too.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on Oct 23, 2009 6:13 PM CDT up reply actions

I would not get excited over the Koufax story

He really wanted to play for the Dodgers and it is hard to imagine he would have achieved greatness with the Cubs since he was pretty bad his first few years. In fairness the dumbest thing by far the Cubs ever did because they were cheap was letting Maddux go and that was at the direct instruction of the Tribune Tower.

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim

by Doggie Stalker on Oct 23, 2009 7:07 PM CDT up reply actions

The problems were the same....

with the Wrigleys (post-1932, after William Sr. died) and the Tribune. Cheapness for sure, but even more important, they knew nothing whatsoever about the game and simply had no business being in the game. They simply were not sportsman, they were businessmen, and they assumed that the formulas for success in baseball were no different than th chewing gum and newspaper / media businesses. What is so ironic is that as soon as the Cubs did get someone who knew something about building winning teams (Dallas Green), he was run out of town on a rail within five years, and the next guy who knew how to build a winning team (Andy MacPhail) was so cheap and so ignorant with the Cubs you would think he interned under P.K. Wrigley in the 1950’s.

Bottom line, when you read the history of the Cubs front office after 1945, you see with perfect clarity why the Cubs have gone so long without a pennant. Anyone who still suggests a curse dealing with anyone other than poor management is simply ignorant of the facts. This is a very good piece by George Castle and very true. Keep spending money in all the right areas, and eventually they are going to get it right.

"Don't complain to me about the stormy weather, boys. Just bring the ship into port." --Steve Stone, September 2004

by ctcoff99 on Oct 23, 2009 5:38 PM CDT reply actions 6 recs

Concise. Direct. True.

Rec’d.

"Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things." ~Winston Churchill

by Goodie1969 on Oct 23, 2009 5:42 PM CDT up reply actions

The key is...

… “the right areas”, such as scouting and player development. Develop an organization from the ground up.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on Oct 23, 2009 5:43 PM CDT up reply actions

As long as

You mean that in addition to the free agent market. We need to start hitting on all cylinders, like the Red Sox.

"When you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

by vonde6 on Oct 23, 2009 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Correct.

That’s what I’ve heard, that they want to emulate the Red Sox model. Making the playoffs (nearly) every year and winning it all twice in four years, with the possibility of more championships to come — that’d work for me.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al Yellon on Oct 23, 2009 6:14 PM CDT up reply actions

Good organizations...

…have good baseball people, and good baseball people, usually make good baseball decisions.

"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel

by MPH73 on Oct 26, 2009 3:10 PM CDT up reply actions

I totally agree.

There hasn’t been any real curse. Last night, the Yankees won the pennant for the first time in six years. However, they’ve been in the playoffs most of those years. If you only get to the playoffs once in a blue moon, you’re going to be under enormous pressure in those isolated circumstances. Feel familiar? If you don’t make it in those isolated instances, it’ll feel like a curse.

We’ve got to get to the point where making the playoffs is a regular occurrence. Then, one of those years, we’ll be the hot team to go all the way through, and all this curse stuff goes out the window.

No one says the Braves are cursed. They went to the playoffs more than ten years in a row. They got one World Championship out of it, and though I doubt that Braves fans think that’s enough, it’s more than what we’ve gotten in a long time.

I am so relieved we’ve got ownership (almost) that is interested in building a great baseball organization. It will be the first time in my long, long time rooting for the Cubs.

Thank God!

IF IT TAKES FOREVER!!

by Cubfansince1957 on Oct 26, 2009 7:24 PM CDT up reply actions

Do you think...

that Rickett’s will be committed to building a winning team, or will it just be more of the same?

by montecarlo on Oct 24, 2009 2:39 AM CDT reply actions

more of the same

would not include a big contract for a hitting coach.. more of the same would be “i knew this guy six years ago, he won’t rock the boat, and he was an easy hire for a low rate.”

by tim815 on Oct 24, 2009 7:24 AM CDT up reply actions

LET'S HOPE

that Rickett’s is comitted to having a great ball club . He has a successful business and who wants to fail ?? From what we know about the Wrigley’s they were frugal . (And did not have much knowledge of baseball ) . Gotta think Ricketts has his ducks in a row.

by cubs north on Oct 24, 2009 7:01 PM CDT up reply actions