Cubs Outsource Publications Department

we used a “scoring book” purchased at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Not as good as the Wrigley Field scorecards because you don’t have the rosters pre-printed. But better than many of those other “scorecards” that are often printed on glossy paper so you can’t use a pencil easily, or a rollerball — only a ballpoint pen.

I did get Michael Barrett’s autograph in that book, near my scoring of his 5/28/04 grand slam at PNC, though! That’s a keeper, especially since he had to sign it closer to the big fat K that ended the Cubs half of the 9th.

I was at a game years ago in the front row right behind the bullpen bench , this was pre lights era and the “first” game was a continuation of game suspended by darkness. At some point Steve Stone asked to look at more scorecard. I am guessing he was trying to figure which players were left. Between my unique scorekeeping system and my totally illegible handwriting he had a priceless look on his face when he stared at it and politely handed it back.

because It makes me pay more attention to whats going on at the game. I can easily see what the last person did, I can easily see how many strikeouts a pitcher has, It just helps me keep in the game.

I don’t expect the official scorekeeper to ask me whats going on, but it seems every game I go to (and I go to at least 25 games a year), someone in the area where I am sitting DOES ask me what so and so did the last time up, or how many strikeouts does so and so have or how many errors did so and so make today.

I spent my career in print production working in-house because going outside was more expensive than doing the work in-house. We only outsourced when the workload was too much. I can’t tell you how many companies have fired various agencies over the years in order to bring the work inside. This includes ad agencies, catalog production houses, trade associations … PR firms have taken a bit of a beating, too.

What is more typical is cutting the in-house staff and making fewer people do more work.

That being said, I have also heard of companies laying off their creative staff and having a printer do the page-building, copywriting, photography or whatever as a package deal that ends up being cheaper than maintaining a staff that will cost you increasing salaries and benefits. But those companies have also severely cut back on the volume of creative work they do, as in fewer ads placed, fewer catalogs or brochures printed, etc., because of drastic decreases in sales. The Cubs ticket sales were off, but not that much. So this move, as I mentioned, sounds a bit unusual.

They employ their own people to run these core operations.

After that, selling concessions and merchandise are secondary lines of business. But, they don’t have their own catering company and they don’t have their own clothing designers/manufacturers.

Far down the list of business operations is publishing.

Every sports team needs to get information to its fans.

Just 10 years ago I’d say there was still a business in that, but not anymore. There is far more Cubs information on the Internet than they could ever package in print form. And it’s free. And in 2010, 90% of fans are comfortable using the Internet.

programs, yearbooks, media guides

In addition to Vineline, I’m guessing programs and yearbooks have taken a major hit over the last 10 years or so. (As for media guides, those aren’t designed as a product — they are given free to media and as such are a marketing cost. I bet that stays in house.)

In conclusion, the opportunity for profit is probably so marginal that management decided they didn’t need their own employees working on it. Outsourcing may not be about saving a few bucks, rather, just focusing in-house operations on the core business.