Cubs Sale Completion Not Likely Till Season's Over

by Al on Aug 14, 2009 5:44 PM CDT Comment 43 comments

Maury Brown at Biz of Baseball writes today about why the Cubs sale is being delayed yet again:

The drawn out process for the sale of the storied franchise has had MLB cancel their scheduled August quarterly owners meetings. Without the sale approval process on the agenda, MLB saw the schedule thin, and therefore, sees no need to hold the meetings. While it is uncertain whether the process would be impacted, the possibility that Sam Zell will be pushed out as Chairman and CEO of Tribune could cloud matters.

The next meetings will be held November 17-19, shortly after the end of the World Series. The location of the meetings plays into the sale of the Cubs sale: They will be held in Chicago.

At this point, completing the sale is irrelevant to anything that happens this year. The roster is what it's going to be. This team will have to make it with what they've got. Finishing up things two weeks after the World Series is over, as noted in the article, should give new ownership time to get everything in place for a good offseason.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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The never ending sale continues.

Sigh.

"Cub fans don’t give up!" -Ron Santo, 8/12/2009

by Allie on Aug 14, 2009 5:50 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Selling the Cubs should be a bit harder than selling, say

the Calgary Flames, I would think.

by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Aug 14, 2009 6:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

hahahahahahaha

I’ll bet it ends about 2050, by spring training, or perhaps May, before the winter meetings at the latest.

Just say no to players named Aaron on the Cubs.

by nji232 on Aug 14, 2009 6:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Does this mean we're not getting Peavy?

by DisCUBbobulated on Aug 14, 2009 6:02 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

No I think it just means that Brian Roberts is out of the picture

"Chicago Cubs fans are ninety percent scar-tissue." -George F. Will

by In Piniella We Trustiella on Aug 14, 2009 6:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

We've lost out

on Scott Rolen now that the Philies want to trade him.

by Josh77 on Aug 14, 2009 7:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Carlos Beltran isn't going to re-sign with Houston, I hear...

by CaliCub on Aug 14, 2009 9:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

So the sale will be done

By the time Soriano is no longer a Cub?

"If I were playing third base and my mother were rounding third with the run that was going to beat us, I'd trip her. Oh, I'd pick her up and brush her off and say, 'Sorry, Mom,' but nobody beats me." ~ Leo Durocher

by Musicdude10 on Aug 14, 2009 6:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

assuming Jimbo doesn't give him a 10 year extension

by Illicat on Aug 15, 2009 9:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've said all along...

…let me know when the ink’s dry.

"Pounding sand since 1982...."

by cubswynn on Aug 14, 2009 6:11 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

hopefully we know something by 1 december

so JH can go into the free agent/trade market with some idea of what he has to spend.

Every player should be accorded the privilege of at least one season with the Chicago Cubs. That's baseball as it should be played - in God's own sunshine. And that's really living."

by DC Cubbie on Aug 14, 2009 6:13 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Even if Hendry is around then...

…something tells me Ricketts (and whoever his new president is) won’t be charging Hendry with going out on a big spending spree. I’m thinking it will be geared more towards cleaning a few things up, and that in itself may cost a pretty penny.

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

by MPH73 on Aug 14, 2009 7:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hendry will be around.

He’s a good GM, not great.

"Pounding sand since 1982...."

by cubswynn on Aug 14, 2009 7:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Right.

I don’t see Hendry leaving. Lou Piniella — maybe.

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

by Al on Aug 14, 2009 7:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I disagree on your rating of Hendry...

…but the only thing that will save him is a deep playoff run, or the 3 years he has remaining on his contract. If his contract was up this year, the chances would be zero he is back.

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

by MPH73 on Aug 14, 2009 7:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with you regarding his contract.

A deep playoff run is still possible; that certainly would save his job.

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

by Al on Aug 14, 2009 8:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And I think he might be out even with that contract

New bosses often like to bring in new people. And Hendry’s offseason and his repeated bidding against himself could be enough to bounce him.

If another division title followed by another early exit saves his job, that’s probably not good long-term for the franchise, so I hope they either win it all, or . . .

I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Aug 14, 2009 8:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree completely...

…and I am hoping Ricketts has the forsight to think long term. There is no question there will be a new president, what isn’t quite as certain is how quickly that new president will want to bring in his own people and whether they are willing to eat Hendry’s contract, and or have a real expensive scout.

In my opinion, it would be worth eating the dough to have a fresh start in the right direction, and the money they will eat with Hendry, will be a pittance compared to cleaning up some of the player contracts.

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

by MPH73 on Aug 14, 2009 8:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

Letting Hendry hold the purse strings for the next few years probably isn’t going to make things better – and if he’s not allowed to run the team the way he wants to anyway, it doesn’t make sense to let him be GM in name only.

Either the new ownership and president needs to trust him, or they need to make a change. I think the latter is the better choice . . .

I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Aug 14, 2009 9:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why is there "no question" there will be a new president?

Have you seen something in print that indicates Ricketts has someone lined up and/or Crane Kenney should be packing up his things?

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

by ballhawk on Aug 14, 2009 11:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's an opinion...

…and one I obviously feel very strongly about.

It’s also not something Rickett’s will put out in the media for the public’s consumption, but there have been some tidbits in the press that Kenney is as good as gone.

If you were paying 900 mil for something, wouldn’t you want to handpick someone who was your man, and someone you could completely trust to run the thing? We aren’t exactly talking about a John Scherholz type with Crane Kenney.

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

by MPH73 on Aug 14, 2009 11:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Your comparison isn't valid.

Schuerholz was a GM, not team president. The job Kenney has done as president has actually been decent. The way he’s spoken in public, and at the season ticket holder lunch I went to, suggest to me that he wants to stay and may have already been told that he will.

I’m not sure what “tidbits” you are referring to. If you have a link, please post it.

My feeling is that those who expect that new ownership is going to sweep out everyone who works for the Cubs now and replace them are going to be very disappointed.

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

by Al on Aug 15, 2009 6:37 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was referring to Schurholz...

…because he was a strong builder of a baseball organization from top to bottom, and this is something the Cubs have not had since Dallas Green.

As a Cubs fan, I am hoping (and betting) that Ricketts is smart enough to recognize you need solid baseball people running the organization, and not folks that have clear weaknesses in important areas.

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

by MPH73 on Aug 15, 2009 12:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Green should have been made team president when he wanted to be.

But that’s in the past. Kenney has only been in charge for 2 1/2 years. He’s done a good job — I think he has earned the right to continue.

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

by Al on Aug 15, 2009 5:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Green SHOULDN'T have been team president

That’s when things went south. He knew how to be a GM, not interact with TribCo execs.

What Kenney has or hasn’t earned may well be irrelevant to Ricketts if he wants to bring in someone like Schuerholz.

I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Aug 15, 2009 10:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

We don't know that.

Green was never made team president. Maybe he’d have been good. At any rate, the Cubs would have been better off with him there than Don Grenesko.

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

by Al on Aug 16, 2009 5:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sure we do.

And yes, he was.

When Finks left, Green became president. That’s when the relationship between him and the parent company went south. That was my point.

Yes, they were better with him than Grenesko. Or Cook. Or even Dowdle. Maybe even FitzSimons.

But he irritated the upper management with his blunt ways, and that was the begining of the end for him wiht the Cubs.

I’m surprised you’ve forgotten this, especially in light of a previous conversation that we had on this topic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_Green
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-3853230.html
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Dallas_Green#encyclopedia

I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Aug 16, 2009 8:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

OK, nitpick with me.

The point is, they should have KEPT Green.

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

by Al on Aug 16, 2009 9:43 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey, I'm not nitpicking

Come on, Al. You stated something as fact that wasn’t and started a dialogue based on that.

I agree that they should have kept Green; I’ve said that numerous times. Getting rid of him was the biggest mistake in the Trib’s ownership tenure.

I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Aug 16, 2009 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

This will all come down...

…to whether Rickett’s will have a mindset to do what is best to build the best baseball organization or one where he will retain the status quo.

The Cubs are not revered as a top notch baseball organization from top to bottom, and are more middle of the road. With the type of money they have spent, that shouldn’t be the case. Spending a lot of money has masked some of the weak points, but they are slowly coming to the surface and will be costly to fix over the coming years.

Hendry is still in his position because he is a very likeable guy and the Trib had no choice to retain him with the pending sale. Will Rickett’s look at everything in the front office and determine this is the direction we want to continue, or do we need to rebuild the guts and go in a different direction.

IMO, Hendry will have to put his best sell job ever on Rickett’s to serve out the rest of his contract as GM.

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

by MPH73 on Aug 16, 2009 11:42 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, if I was paying 900 mil for something...

…especially something in which I have no previous knowledge of or experience with, I’d probably want to hang onto to a few key people for continuity’s sake – at least for a little while.

It’s not like Ricketts is part of a baseball family (e.g. MacPhail) or has been in the game all his life (Veeck). And whoever “his own people” are, I’m not aware that any of them have been involved with running a MLB team or any sports team (unlike say, Cuban). Ironically, you could probably say the one baseball guy he knows the best is Hendry from their Omaha days.

On the one hand, Ricketts is a very smart businessman who’s made a lot of money by making smart decisions and no doubt having smart people working with/for him. On the other hand, he’s just a big big big fan who also happens to be very very rich so he bought what he loves. It’s a most interesting dynamic and will be most interesting to watch as it unfolds.

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

by ballhawk on Aug 15, 2009 8:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

One thing I know Mark Cuban did when he took over the Mavericks...

… he didn’t fire one single front office person. Instead, he gave them more resources and people. And the Mavs were a horrible team and organization when Cuban took over.

The Cubs are successful off the field and are beginning to show signs they can be so on the field. Why you’d blow up such an organization is beyond me.

Your comments about Ricketts having “his people” is spot on, I think. He’s likely to keep a lot of the existing crew in place and add to it. That’s what the Cubs need — more money and people, not necessarily different people.

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

by Al on Aug 15, 2009 8:43 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Al, I'm not suggesting "blow it up"

But Hendry has done nothing more in the last 6 years than throw money at problems. Now that’s coming home to roost.

I could see keeping Hendry on in a consultant role, but I don’t think I’d want him controlling the bankroll. That doesn’t mean I expect a change to be made; I don’t know what to expect. If I were buying the team, I’d make a change.

Ballhwak makes a good point, but I have to think Ricketts also has a reasonably wide network and might have an idea of what he wants to do.

I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Aug 15, 2009 11:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ballhwak?

I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Aug 15, 2009 11:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

that's the sound you hear when a ball clangs off my iron glove on Waveland...

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

by ballhawk on Aug 15, 2009 3:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I want my GM...

…to be able to build a farm system that churns out consistant talent. This is the number one factor that promotes LONG TERM success. The next thing is the art of roster selection (putting the right pieces together), and this is also a weak point of Hendrys. If you have a GM with these defficiencies, your successes will always be hit or miss.

Hendry has value, but it’s not in being a GM.

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

by MPH73 on Aug 15, 2009 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Won't see anyone tip their hand

If Ricketts has some ideas, there is no way it’ll get out.

Just win the next game...!

by blackhawk24 on Aug 17, 2009 7:30 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And Zell will be gone no matter what

as the creditor force him out of control of the Tribune.

I love what was said in the Sun-Times:

This was a textbook case of a leverage buyout gone bad," said Brandt, president of Development Specialists Inc. "These were imbeciles who had no idea what they were doing.

That can’t be right, can it? I’m pretty sure someone around here has been telling us what a genius Sam Zell was and what a great deal he made. Now who was that who keeps on insisting upon that?

Oh yeah.

by Josh77 on Aug 14, 2009 7:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

:::: crickets ::::

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

by Al on Aug 14, 2009 7:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not a knock on BCB or Al...

…but it would be interesting to post all the titles from article titles about the team’s sale. It’s been quite the roller coaster.

"The riches of the game are in the thrills, not the money." --Ernie Banks

by dtpollitt on Aug 14, 2009 11:52 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Comedy gold. Pure comedy gold.

I've committed to tweeting about the Cubs for the rest of the season. (Does that sound as ridiculous as I think it does?) Anyway, if you're on Twitter, you can follow me here.

by dat cubfan daver on Aug 15, 2009 9:05 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Sam Zell was once known as the "Grave Dancer"

…he is soon to be known as the “Grave Digger”

As the old saying goes, “don’t believe your own press.” He took it to its illogical extreme by buying Tribune Co.

"I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix."
-- Dan Quayle

by LAcarl519 on Aug 15, 2009 11:22 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

IDEA!!!!

Everyone start sending $1 a day to me and I will put this in a savings account earning .1% interest annually and we will be able to buy the Cubs before this sale is finalized!

I saw you in that coffee shop, breaking the fifth commandment. Congress passes these things for a reason, Lois.

by hansman1982 on Aug 16, 2009 7:53 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs