So much angst about Ricketts (rev'd)
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 19, 2010 9:18 PM CDT
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PrintOk, I am editing this after all.
The post below was meant more as a response to the sentiment that the Cubs' new ownership is inherently inept because they haven't overhauled everything. The vacation theme was a good part of the inspiration, but it grew as I typed.
In a nutshell, what I'm getting at is, let's not flip out just yet and judge the entire prospects of the franchise under the Ricketts family based on what has happened so far . . . their first season isn't over yet. That probably would have been a better way to put it in the first place, but that's not what I did . . . so I'm leaving the bit below as originally written.
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At the 1999 Cubs Convention, when Ed Lynch was introduced during the opening ceremonies, I booed him. He did nothing to make the team better during the 1998 stretch drive (other than trading a future legitimate starter for a middle reliever), and the plan that he went into 1999 with was nothing short of absurd.
A guy in front of me turned around and shook his head condescendingly, as if being the architect of a team that backed into a wild card and was thoroughly outclassed in the NLDS deserved respect and admiration. Well, turns out I was right.
I am reminded of this now, as people are going the other way and flipping out because one member of the ownership team had the audacity to take a vacation during the season. How dare he consider spending time with his family when the Cubs aren't winning! What kind of leadership is this! He should be speaking out in the papers about how professionals shouldn't make errors, call in to radio shows saying Lou Piniella shouldn't bat Theriot leadoff, appear on television assuring us that this crisis will pass and hand out rice pudding!
The new ownership group has been in place for months, not years. We all knew when they took control that they were going to take a pragmatic, long-term approach of letting people do the jobs that they were hired for and evaluate those people. That has not changed - nor should it. Firing the manager of a mediocre baseball team isn't going to make said mediocre baseball team good - because IT'S A MEDIOCRE BASEBALL TEAM!
Bombast and/or change for change's sake is Steinbrenner-esque. And the Yankees didn't get consistently good again until George was less involved in the baseball operations. I think some people are more interested in an owner who wants to put on a show rather than one who has a plan and wants to follow it, for their own short-term gratification. I'd rather punt on 2010 in exchange for a better chance at the Cubs being consistently good in the long run. I suspect that the Ricketts family went into this season feeling the same way - they WANT to win this year, but aren't foolish enough to sacrifice a plan in exchange for a long shot this year.
As far as the criticism of the vacation goes, I may never get that. This is not a leaking oil well, it's not the economy, and no one's life is at stake. I'm pretty sure someone who created a multi-million dollar business is capable of running a baseball team via cell phone and e-mail - especially if other people are in place.
For those of you who insist that Tom Ricketts NEEDS to be there because this is a crisis, please explain why. How is his absence realistically affecting the players - or how anyone else goes about their job? How is it making your fan experience worse? My suspicion is, it's just something for people to grumble about.
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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No one's asking him to make any of those moves.
It is a perception that I’m talking about. Here’s a guy who just spent over $800 million to buy his favorite team, claims to be a big fan, wants to be perceived as a fan-friendly owner — and he takes off to Africa during one of the longest homestands of the year? It doesn’t give off a good image to me.
Your criticism of my criticism is a little over-the-top. Is this a huge big deal? No. I mentioned in an almost offhand way that I thought it was odd, and suddenly I got flamed, and you make a FanPost about it?
You’ve made a way bigger deal about this than I ever did.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
You aren't the only one that is doing this and aren't the only one I am referring to.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have published this.
There were other comments in the recap and was already a fanpost about it as I was writing – I was going to comment in there, but felt like doing this instead. As I was writing this, ANOTHER fanpost appeared bitching about Ricketts going on vacation.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 19, 2010 9:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Further, I was going to edit it to explicitly state that it wasn't only about your comments
But you commented before I got to it, and at that point, seemed disingenuous to do.
It goes beyond the vacation – for two months, people have been whining that the owners haven’t done something because the team isn’t doing well. What has been suggested pre-vacation is the opposite of good business / leadership practices.
Yeah, the vacation started the discussion today, but it’s a culmination of things – as I stated, they are taking a long-term approach to things. Let’s wait more than 1/3 of a season before judging them failures as owners.
Sorry if it came across as mocking you – that wasn’t the intent. The intent WAS to mock the overall panic that the franchise is eternally doomed because the owners haven’t made sweeping changes already – and that they “owe” us anything beyond a product that entices us to spend our money.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 19, 2010 9:29 PM CDT up reply actions
As you know...
… I have NOT been one of those “whining that the owners haven’t done something because the team isn’t doing well”. Not in the least. I know they are being patient and not being knee-jerk about changes and I think that’s a good thing.
I have a perception that they’re detaching themselves because they chose to make this trip during a long homestand in June. Maybe I’m overreacting. Like the Toyota sign, I think if they had to do this over, they might not have done it.
As far as the rest of the approach, I’m all for the long-term vision thing.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I know you aren't whining
Which is why this isn’t about you; I can see where the vacation thing made you think that it was. But others took it a step farther than that – and as I said, still others have been complaining for some time. I realize you aren’t one of them and favor a long-term approach.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 19, 2010 9:36 PM CDT up reply actions
I understand....
…where you are coming from Al, but with Ricketts background, I hope he is simply waiting for this years results and then he will do what he said he would – hold people accountable.
With Ricketts being a financial guy, he is accustomed to trying to remove short term emotion from his decision making process, and sift through what matters and what doesn’t. He made a decision to soak everything in (regarding baseball operations) this season, weigh all the facts and make his moves.
Ricketts has to know the onfield product will be the number one factor in determining what happens to his families substantial investment, and with this being the case, I would anticipate new leadership at the top of the baseball organization starting this offseason. This will be the most important move Ricketts will make for quite a while, and if he doesn’t make it, I will be absolutely baffled.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
This will be the most important move Ricketts will make for quite a while
Absolutely and certainly true.
An older businessman told me years ago that when you are coming up with an answer for a big decision, you need to take plenty of time and first make sure that you are answering the correct question. First make sure of precisely what the issue is, then find the right answer.
Which is why Ricketts needs to take his time making this decision and be sure that he gets the answer right. You don’t get two shots at this.
"Manny Trillo is coming in to pinch run. You know, for a lot of teams, you would pinch run for Manny Trillo." - Harry Caray
Which is why...
…if he isn’t already, he will soon be looking for advice from someone outside the organization to help him answer that question.
He is smart enough (I hope) to know his limitations, and with all the dough his family has tied up in the club, he has to get this move right the first time around.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Do you know that Rickett's & siblings
have not appointed anyone to oversee things while they are out?
I mean there isn’t a new-hire yet that we know of, right? But how do we know Ricketts hasn’t already had people in place? Is Kenney in charge of everything still?
Just win the next game...!
There was probably a hospital type visit where authority was signed over clandestine like
with no one knowing. I’ve heard the security codes for making a trade are changed daily.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 21, 2010 3:09 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm sure...
…Ricketts has a guy following him with a briefcase in the event the codes need to entered to “launch” certain players.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Al, I don't know if you made a big deal of this, I only saw you mention it once.
But I will say I completely agree with the sentiment Badger has here. It’s a bad team. Going to Africa or anywhere else is not going to change it one way or the other. I never give any credence to owners pulling a Steinbrenner…it may make some people feel better, but does nothing for me. Actions are what matter, not some PR speech. And not taking a vacation. Lou and Hendry need to be replaced, if they are not by the next season, Then I’ll say Ricketts is going in the wrong direction.
I do think an interim manager would help…but whether we have one tomorrow or next month, is not going to do much for this season. This situation isn’t a national crisis, it’s a bad baseball team and what is Alan Trammell going to do to save things? What would Sandberg do? it’s needed to replace the manager, but it’s still going to be a stinky team…just with a new manager.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 20, 2010 11:56 AM CDT up reply actions
See, I didn't make a big deal about it.
I made a comment. I think people thought I was making a big deal out of it, but I wasn’t.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Just tell everyone you're no dummy....works for sweet Lou.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 20, 2010 9:28 PM CDT up reply actions
This isn't a mediocre team
this is a bad baseball team that has absolutely no direction. In reality we actaully behind the Washington Nationals organizationally. I’m sorry but perception becomes reality and Ricketts who had the opportunity to look at the Cub books and the organization for the better part of a year prior to buying the team was in a position to make some changes to this organization prior to this season starting and he didn’t .
Its June and you expected him to turn this mess around by now?
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 20, 2010 4:02 PM CDT up reply actions
The microwave generation
"Manny Trillo is coming in to pinch run. You know, for a lot of teams, you would pinch run for Manny Trillo." - Harry Caray
Yep, and trying to fill those expectations to me are how Hendry got us here in the first place.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 22, 2010 2:28 PM CDT up reply actions
I think some people are more interested in an owner who wants to put on a show rather than one who has a plan and wants to follow it, for their own short-term gratification.
Cause Lord knows we haven’t waited long enough!
I would sleep with Blou if it meant the Cubs would win a WS. by Doggie Stalker on Aug 22, 2009 4:11 PM EDT
Did you even read what you quoted?
Because your response makes it sound like you’d feel better watching a show than having a consistently competitive team.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 19, 2010 9:39 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't know, nor do I need to
I am convinced that he has one, because he’s not an idiot.
Maybe I’m wrong, and time will bear that out. But I’m damn sure that fist pounding isn’t going to make the team better.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 19, 2010 9:51 PM CDT up reply actions
"I don't know, nor do I need to"
Do you go to a lot of games or just a few or never? Because if you go to games on a consistent basis you should know whats is happening. Hell we should all take into account the considerable amount of money it costs to go to games and look at it as if it’s an investment.
What do you personally know about Ricketts that would convince you that he has a plan to put this organization on the right track. Can his ego take a back seat to bringing some prime talent into the front office?
Bill Wirtz wasn’t an idiot either but he sure as hell didn’t belong owning a hockey team.
by troutfishin on Jun 19, 2010 10:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Why should I know? Do you know what the plans are of other companies you buy products from?
I don’t personally know ANYTHING about him. What do you know that would convince you that he DOESN’T have a plan?
The farm system is better than it was . . . the organization is hardly in total disarray. I think that the GM spot is ready for a change, but it’s not like there is no hope on the horizon.
We’ll see…but you’re declaring this a failure because a team full of backloaded contracts isn’t doing well. That’s hardly fair. The ballpark improvements needed to happen, and still do. That doesn’t mean that no one is paying attention to the baseball. Would you feel better if they made no improvements to the facilities and still had the same record?
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 19, 2010 10:09 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes, I would
as long as it was evident the fundamentals were being stressed and certain people were being fired and competent people were hired in their place.
And yes I do like to know a little about a company before I invest in them.
by troutfishin on Jun 19, 2010 10:13 PM CDT up reply actions
You're not investing in the Cubs. You are buying a product from them.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 19, 2010 10:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Thank you
Buying a ticket or a T-shirt is not an investment.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 19, 2010 10:50 PM CDT up reply actions
I said it's like an investment but if you know the proper
definition.
Invest – To spend or devote for future advantage or benefit.
How much money and time do you spend? And for what? A future payoff of a World Series Championship. Would you still pay the same amount of money and time if there was no hope of that ever happening?
by troutfishin on Jun 20, 2010 1:00 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I've done it my whole life
because winning a World Series isn’t the only thing that’s worthwhile about being a baseball fan.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 20, 2010 1:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Anyone who "invests" in a sports team expecting that payoff
is foolish. There are no guarantees.
I “invest” expecting to enjoy baseball. I hope that they win. Maybe this difference explains why I’m disappointed when the team doesn’t win while you seem angry and appear to feel entitled.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 20, 2010 6:37 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm a fan of baseball first and foremost
however would you root for a particular team if you knew there was zero chance you would see a world series in your lifetime? It’s simply a hypothetical question. I for one would not because our interest in a particular team over another is to one day see that team rise above the rest, if not for that then our interest would be spread equal amongst the rest of the teams.
Again, think about that definition and tell me you haven’t you haven’t devoted something of yourself.
I've invested emotionally, yes. Not financially.
I don’t own part of the Cubs.
If you’re going to base what you are getting for your allegiance on who owns the team, you’re usually going to be disappointed.
If you are implying that this year is evidence that the Cubs won’t win under this ownership, then I have nothing to add other than . . .wow.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 20, 2010 9:54 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think it's important to point out that
at the minor league/development level, the Cubs, in recent years, have done a fairly solid job of identifying/hiring coaches and nurturing them. Sure, Ryno walked into their lap, but he’s developed. Pat Listach was another example. Mike Quade is being talked about as a future manager choice. Mark Riggins was, IMO, a good addition as minor league pitching coordinator. There’s more. They, by most indications, have identified Casey Kopitzke as someone to watch. Right now, Bill Dancy is leading a Tennessee Smokies team with fairly average talent to the division title.
So to say the organization isn’t hiring competent people is a bit iffy. In Hendry’s case, we did make the playoffs 2 years in a row, and had 3 winning seasons. No, I didn’t expect much from the club this year, but there was every justifiable reason for a good owner to keep him around another year and see if things can be worked out, rather than haphazardly gashing the organization and retooling everything.
by toonsterwu on Jun 20, 2010 12:36 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Away with you and your calm reasoning and logic
This is baseball, dang it!
Kill them…kill them all….
Thanks for the excellent response, Toons
"Manny Trillo is coming in to pinch run. You know, for a lot of teams, you would pinch run for Manny Trillo." - Harry Caray
No one knows for sure...
…whether Ricketts will make the right calls to get this on track, but I think he does have a leg up on Bill Wirtz.
Wirtz didn’t just buy a team for almost a billion dollars and have massive debt to cover each year. This alone, will and should create some sense of urgency to get the onfield product on track as quickly as possible. Also, Ricketts has said all the right things regarding building a quality organization (building from within, hire good people, let them do their job, hold them accountable, etc.), and that wasn’t something dollar Bill would say too often.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Apparently winning isn't in it
Sounds like he’s more concerned with new ways to market and suck a few more dollars outta already broken hearted fans.
I would sleep with Blou if it meant the Cubs would win a WS. by Doggie Stalker on Aug 22, 2009 4:11 PM EDT
So by your logic, Sandberg should have been DFA'd when he started his Cubs career 1 for 32
Brilliant.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 20, 2010 4:42 PM CDT up reply actions
Hell no
That isn’t my logic. It’s also not my logic to make ledge jumping changes either…buttttttttt…..
Seriously how long does it take to evaluate the obvious? A few examples:
Ryan Theriot- I was his biggest supporter but its painful to watch him and has been for quite sometime. His baserunning gafs alone the last 2-3 seasons has cost us more than he has ever done good. He has no range and he makes wayyy to much money. I know its gonna be a sunk cost this year but its time to either trade by the deadline or DFA. The piss poor fundamentals are breeding themselves into a common trend!
Lou Piniella_ I love ol Lou and always have but he’s much like Griffey Jr. He was great for a long time but just really don’t know when to say when. Lou your done, you’ve had a wonderful career, follow suit and announce your retirement. Nuff said!
Jim Hendry- Also have always been a a Hendry supporter. I think the man has endless want to and will power but just flat started pressing and it keeps getting worse. The bad moves memories aren’t gonna go away no matter what.
Derek Lee- One of my all-time favorite Cubs but well e’s just not a 3 Hole hitter any longer.
I could go on and on and on but I won’t. The writing has been on the wall for quite sometime. IT"S TIME TO START OVER..
Were gonna have to eat the mistakes of past and let alot fthem play out but everything else needs to start from this day forward being geered for the future.
It’s time for Ricketts to start making changes. I don’t care about all the side stuff(vacations etc) The head man rises and falls with the fate of the team. He’s a self proclaimed lifetime fan. His assessment shouldn’t take this long. It’s not working and hasn’t been in quite sometime.
I’m a lifelong Cub fan and always will be. I would rather die today than know I can’t watch another Cubs games but enough is enough with the talent that is or obviously IS NOT.
I would sleep with Blou if it meant the Cubs would win a WS. by Doggie Stalker on Aug 22, 2009 4:11 PM EDT
I agree with about all of what you've said here
And it seems more measured than what you’d posted before in this thread. I just don’t think it’s time to panic yet – and maybe the decisions have been made to MAKE those changes – but they should still be done in a manner other than panic.
There wasn’t much to be done between Spring Training and now that would have made a significant difference. I believe changes are coming, unless they win 10 of 12 or something unrealistic like that.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 20, 2010 5:59 PM CDT up reply actions
Like I said
The writing has been on the wall for quite sometime. I’m tired of waiting and watching this pathetic excuse of a not so fundamentally sound baseball team.
Hopefully by the deadline we have a better understanding of what the future is gonna entail.
I don’t remember Ricketts exact qoute but he said he would hold everyone involved personally responsible. I was and still am very excited about his family buying the Cubs but I’ve heard the words and I’m ready for some actions.
I would sleep with Blou if it meant the Cubs would win a WS. by Doggie Stalker on Aug 22, 2009 4:11 PM EDT
I really believe those actions are coming - but not necessarily before October
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 20, 2010 6:43 PM CDT up reply actions
I think this is the correct answer
Changes will come, but we must first wait out this season. I am looking for improvement each day, all the while knowing that there are a ton of near-immovable pieces to this team at this point in the season (with very little value).
And when the last out is made at the conclusion of the world series, I expect to see the significant off-season shakeup begin. To be honest, moving some of these guys might go as smoothly as would a root canal – but it has to be done.
I enjoy baseball always – and my hope is that there are positive, impactful changes coming for the Cubs this winter.
Sweeter words have rarely been spoken: "...and the cardinals are down to their final out."
by scottsdalecubs on Jun 23, 2010 1:58 PM CDT up reply actions
So...you're tired of waiting...hell we all are. What exactly is the solution to that?
What’s the magic solution to be done this far from the trade deadline? Is there a GM out there that’s perfect for us and just waiting to be signed in June? Man I get that we’re all tired of watching this team play like crap most of the time, but making a move just to make a move is exactly the wrong thing to do and a lot of the reason we got here in the first place.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 20, 2010 7:07 PM CDT up reply actions
Let's hope not...
…and I will give him grace until the offseason because the moves he has made to make a few more bucks were very simply to introduce compared to making moves that impact baseball operations.
Now, if Jim Hendry is still calling the shots going into 2011, I will have serious pause as to Rickett’s thought process.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Look what do you want Ricketts to do?
He bought this team in the shape it is now, he didn’t run it into the ground or anything. The new ownership has taken steps to improve the Wrigley experience. Tom’s not the manager or GM. He didn’t aquire these players or hire Lou, and isn’t calling the shots on the field from the dugout. Who cares that he planned a vacation with his family?!?! In what way does it effect the team or the fan experience? I just don’t understand the complaints about Ricketts.
If he let’s Hendry keep his job after this year and continue to run this team into the ground, then fine, jump all over him. But for now i’m willing to cut him some slack and give him a couple years to get this organization headed in the right direction.
by Dcr18 on Jun 19, 2010 9:50 PM CDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
You realize you're agreeing with me, right?
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 19, 2010 9:51 PM CDT up reply actions
It isn't so much the trip that bothers me about Ricketts
What I don’t like is his focus on prettying up the park, drinking in the bleachers and, in general, continuing the tradition PK Wrigley started-(i.e. it’s easier to have a beautiful park than a winning baseball team).
Maybe he’ll surprise me-maybe the season will end, he’ll give Hendry and Kenney their walking papers and have a new team all ready to go (with a new organizational philosophy that will include schooling players on fundamentals all through the minors). But there’s something about his manner that makes me skeptical that this is going to happen. I really hope I’m wrong because, as I’ve said before, if he retains Hendry after this season, then he might as well make the official announcement that we’re stuck with a clueless owner.
I agree that I don't want Hendry back
But I’m willing to wait until it’s clear that he will be before I’ll get pissed at the owner.
And yeah, the vacation meme above distorted what I was saying . . . maybe I’ll edit for clarity, after all.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 19, 2010 10:01 PM CDT up reply actions
That was exactly my problem go into the season
a pretty ballpark or extra urinals do not win world series. We have a prettier ballpark but nothing else has changed.
by troutfishin on Jun 19, 2010 10:09 PM CDT up reply actions
My problem is that the logical part of my brain...
…tells me that Ricketts deserves the benefit of the doubt until this off season is completed. But then I check out the on field product and all logic and rational thought goes out the window and I’m left an angry, increasingly cynical and embittered (as if that were even possible after the last few years) Cub fan.
The Blackhawks recently restored some of my hope by showing that at least one team that I follow passionately actually picks it up a notch when the pressure kicks in.
Now it’s up to Ricketts to start rekindling my hope in my other team by proving himself to be an owner that actually has a plan to start fixing a mess that apparently exists all throughout the organization.
by bluekoolaide on Jun 19, 2010 10:19 PM CDT up reply actions
What exactly did you want changed in six months?
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
I would've LOVED to have seen Ricketts immediately come in...
…with a new plan rather than just treading water with the old one. This would’ve entailed a new team president and a new GM. When the Trib bought the Cubs in ‘81 they moved very quickly to hire Dallas Green and announce a new tradition. For those of us who were there back then (and had suffered through the dark decade of the 1970’s) it was an exciting, high energy time. You really felt like they were moving in a bold, new direction.
So far, all I’ve seen from Ricketts is “same old, same old”. Now a lot of people will argue that the timing of teh deal precluded any major changes before this season started and, as I’ve already said, I understand that he deserves at least some benefit of the doubt. At the same time though, if it had been me, I would’ve been talking to baseball people all through the purchasing process so that I could hit the ground running once I did officially assume control.
by bluekoolaide on Jun 19, 2010 11:20 PM CDT up reply actions
The Cubs in '81 were about as far down
as a franchise can go.
The current status of the franchise is nowhere near that bad. Nowhere close.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 19, 2010 11:35 PM CDT up reply actions
And they had more time before the 1982 season
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 20, 2010 6:38 AM CDT up reply actions
1981
I remeber they had to wait until the Phillies had been eliminated in the ’81 playoffs before they could talk to Green. ANd yes, the 1981 team was about as low as an organization could get.
"It's a funny old world. Man's lucky if he gets out of it alive." W.C. Fields
The youthful fans
don’t know this. 1981 was as bad as the 60s teams of my youth. The end of the Wrigley stewardship was bad, and Lee Elia was looming in 1982…
by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Jun 20, 2010 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Know any Dallas Green types that were sitting around last offseason looking for work?
And if you say Sandy Alderson, then I’ll know where BLou has been hiding… ;-)
Sure a new plan would have been very exciting, but if the right people weren’t part of it, that excitement would wear off very quickly, don’t you think? Maybe Ricketts just hasn’t found the right baseball people yet. And maybe he wants to be absolutely sure that he has given the current baseball people every chance in the book to get the job done, so when he does clean house, there can be no argument from anyone – fans, media, Joe Morgan…
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
by ballhawk on Jun 19, 2010 11:36 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
+1
I get the same sense from Tom Ricketts. While he’s been a fan of the team for years, I’m willing to be he really doesn’t know the organization that well – not even as well as all of us here do. I would classify him being between a casual fan and a hardcore regular like Al and Ballhawk.
Keeping in mind that level of interest, Ricketts has seen what Lou and Hendry have done the past three years and is no doubt impressed with them finishing over .500 and making the playoffs two of those years. So I can see him being inclined to keep them during his first year as owner while he gains a thorough understanding of the organization.
Hopefully this season will end with Ricketts gaining an understanding that a top-down organizational philosophy has been missing and that its absence has been the primary factor in the Cubs not having sustained success.
I'll go to my grave believing Armando Galarraga tossed the 21st perfect game in MLB history.
by EalyEagle on Jun 20, 2010 12:58 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Well said, and I sure hope so.
Everyone's thought process with this team is that the playoffs start now. Tomorrow is going to be Day One of our run to October.
-- Marlon Byrd
Look at it from a separate perspective
Again, I don’t have any great love for Hendry. I also didn’t have any great expectations this year.
But 3 straight winning seasons, 2 out of 3 years in playoffs, an organizational structure that was improving, an improving minor league system, an improving scouting organization, and identifying solid teachers in the minors to help develop our minor league talent – all this has happened in the last few years with Hendry as the person signing off on things.
Again, I didn’t think this was a playoff team entering the year, but I don’t know many good business leaders that would end up completely retooling things when there were enough positives to justify watching and following the team for a year. I fully expect Hendry to get canned at year’s end right now, but I’m hoping that Ricketts doesn’t destroy the progress (but adds to it) that has been made under Hendry’s watch to ensure that we can build a long term organization that is consistently strong.
Keep in mind that....
… the consummation of the sale took more than two years, and he really couldn’t do anything till officially in charge last October. This is the family’s first foray into sports ownership. The ballpark has needed work for at least five years (since the falling concrete), maybe longer. That was an easy thing to do, a good first step.
It takes longer to remake a baseball operation.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Do the easy things first
The things you can do quickly and relatively easily.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 20, 2010 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions
Do you really think Ricketts doesn't have a plan?
C’mon guys. This guy is a shrewd businessman. He has a plan. His first goal appears to have been to shore up the park to increase revenue streams to compensate for a drop in attendance. I am sure the next phase of his plan is to begin planning for the trade deadline, and will make moves according to where we are in the standings at that point. I would expect some wholesale changes coming if we are completely out of contention at that point.
I can pretty much guarantee he viewed the 2010 campaign as being a total wash, and his number 1 priority was to secure as many revenue streams as early as possible to give him some breathing room when changes on the field need to be made.
I saw him walk by us a week ago when I was talking to section229beer, and both he and I felt Ricketts “did NOT look happy”.
Jack
derv
you talk to beer? Cool!
does the beer ever talk back? ;-)
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
I think it would be pretty funny
if Ricketts decided Hendry and Piniella were the right guys in those particular jobs and kept them on after this season.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 19, 2010 10:36 PM CDT reply actions
In a way, it would
But I’d be pretty surprised.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 19, 2010 10:42 PM CDT up reply actions
If the season ends the way it's headed,
I certainly think Lou will retire. Not sure Hendry will be gone, though.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 19, 2010 10:46 PM CDT up reply actions
Unfortunately
I agree. I think Lou will be gone and Hendry will remain. I think keeping Hendry as GM, however, is a terrible decision. He has Peter Priniciple written all over him. Great scout, but over his head as a GM.
DEJESUS!!!
That great scout built a terrbile minor league system
That is only now recovering.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 20, 2010 9:55 AM CDT up reply actions
And I'd continue to boycott this team until a change was made
RIP Ronnie James Dio (July 10, 1942 - May 16, 2010).
I'm sure they'll miss you, AV,
as they would any one of us.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 19, 2010 11:35 PM CDT up reply actions
It's about making myself feel better
Knowing I’m not giving them a dime of my money until it’s a product worth an investment of my money.
RIP Ronnie James Dio (July 10, 1942 - May 16, 2010).
Sheesh
With all these savvy investors on this board we ought to have some OT posts with some tips.
The sense of ownership/entitlement from the Chicago Cubs by some fans is weird. ITS DAMN ENTERTAINMENT – they suck now so get over it.
"Ask Dad. He'll know. And on the off chance he doesn't, he'll make something up"
Do what you have to do, I say
Let Ace impose his personal boycott the same way those who feel disappointed will let you keep watching and attending games.
For my part, if Hendry remains on board then I cannot see this team being a legitimate pennant contender. Consequently my interest will be greatly reduced until a better hire is in place.
I'll go to my grave believing Armando Galarraga tossed the 21st perfect game in MLB history.
It's my money
I choose how I spend it. If I don’t want to spend it, I don’t have to. I especially don’t have to spend it on a team that is making bad decisions and thus justify their actions with my money. So yes. That’s my right as a consumer to not pump money into a business that I can’t justify supporting.
RIP Ronnie James Dio (July 10, 1942 - May 16, 2010).
Agreed
We chose this team (or it chose us) but its for better or worse. Sometimes we win sometimes we really lose. Either way it kind of one of those things where we “take it and like it”. There is a point where complaining like its owed to us gets old. I think that was where you might have been going with your point. It hurts but still we’ll all be here. But my point is that, we invest our time, money, heart..etc. But at the end of the day we really cannot call this a monetary investment. We do not have ownership, just in our hearts. And we can hardly demand much in return with only that. Its right for us to demand better as fans…but that goes to a point. There is a point where you realize this is entertainment, and as spectators it ends there with demands.
"Ask Dad. He'll know. And on the off chance he doesn't, he'll make something up"
And there is also a point at which
If you believe that management should take action that you don’t continue to support something and expect that the owner will listen if you keep showing up at the games. I don’t think I’m at that point myself, but if I was, the only thing the owner is going to listen to is fans staying away. If his pockets are lined he isn’t going to care about fans trashing him in the media. Whether you think of these games as your team or entertainment is irrelevant.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 21, 2010 12:33 PM CDT up reply actions
That would not be funny
it would be Peter Angelos in disguise.
The team is beat with a negative vibe, the manger is beat, the fans are beat, Is it October yet?
The problem is
This franchise has an eternal negative vibe. Doesn’t matter who you bring in. It sucks the life out of them.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 20, 2010 12:46 AM CDT up reply actions
If it doesn't matter who they bring in, why are you so dead set against bringing in Ryno?
Which is my way of saying I disagree with your basic premise. I don’t believe there is an eternal negative vibe.
Furthermore, if I were a manager-type, I’d love to take over this club now. Same thing if I were a GM-type. Some good young talent already on the team, a pretty well-stocked farm system, a new owner not afraid to spend in the right situation, and playing in the best ballpark half the season. Obviously, it’s gonna suck for the next year or two but after that… I like our chances.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
ABANDON ALL HOPE
Cripes. This team is the victim of some miraculously poor decision-making — decisions, by the way, that you have defended tooth and nail for the last 2 years.
They have all the advantages in the world, and a less-unfathomably-incompetent management group will eventually start to use those advantages to their advantage.
In the meantime, we get to watch these guys try to paper over their mistakes until they run out of paper.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
That can change, Not Bruce.
If the Blackhawks can turn it around in 5 years, the Cubs can too. If you say “eternal negative vibe,” you are buying into the “curse” BS. You are falling into the stereotype that’s perpetuated in the MSM. Is this an unusual franchise? Yeah, it is. But there are bad teams in all major leagues that haven’t won in years.
Just sayin’…
by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Jun 20, 2010 12:36 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree
This is why I have been a advocate of Lou being removed since the end of the 08 season ( yes Bruce the season the Cubs won 97 games) That was a epic fail in the playoffs and the highwater mark was reached. Then the collective minds were lost in the signing of Milton Bradley.
Youth needs to be at the helm of this team, Not another Dusty and surely not another in the like of Lou. There is some positive youth sprinkled around this Cub franchise, that needs to be embraced. Ryno is perfect for the job.
Arrgh ...
Ryno is perfect for the job if you want to perpetuate mediocrity, IMHO.
Then again, you wanted to fire Lou after a 97-win season, so …. sorry, Grock, but I can’t take what you’re saying seriously.
And, SDSJM, I am no believer in curses, hexes or any of that crap. Overwhelming pressure, to the point it affects your play? I absolutely believe in that, and a lot of the Cubs’ problems the past six years point directly to that, IMHO.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 20, 2010 3:05 PM CDT up reply actions
A strong organizational philosophy might be pressure-proof
and I hope the Ricketts family gives it a shot.
Specifically I hope they hire a savvy Director of Baseball Operations who will assemble a system that becomes known for:
• An expansive scouting staff with a presence throughout the hemisphere
• Minor league coaches and instructors known for emphasizing fundamentals
• Incorporating quantifiable analysis into evaluating personnel
• A big-league manager and coaching staff who continue to reinforce the practices of the minor league system
• A general manager also well-versed in the system’s philosophy who will evaluate and procure talent on that same basis
The downside of this plan is that it’s no quick fix. It’ll take a couple years at least, and many fans won’t have the patience for it. Nevertheless, Tom Ricketts has already demonstrated that he’s not afraid to make unpopular decisions if he feels they’re in the best interests of the team’s future. So long as it’s a proper rebuilding/retooling/restructuring, I’m OK with it.
I'll go to my grave believing Armando Galarraga tossed the 21st perfect game in MLB history.
This is exactly what Ricketts needs to do.
I hope he can stand up to the fans as evidenced on this site that already can’t wait for him to make a move. You need to find the right minds, hire them, and then let them do the work. Hiring a GM now or making trades this far from the deadline would be premature, and changing the minors system probably should wait until the end of the season. Making moves only made to do something just gets you unqualified people and that is what we have had for awhile now.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 20, 2010 7:13 PM CDT up reply actions
To each his own.
I like the youth on this team and in the minors. Whether we like or not, Ryno will be a Cub manager, and most likely sooner than later. I have no problem with that.
You don't know that
and neither do I.
If Ryno does become manager, I’ll seriously consider scaling back my interest in the team.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 21, 2010 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions
That will be a sign
the Ricketts care more about kissing the arses of fans and perpetuating the experience over the result than they do about winning championships.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 21, 2010 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions
Based upon what?
If our current AAA manager’s name was “Jon McFakename”, and he had Ryno’s current resume, he’d still be on the shortlist for the Cubs and many other MLB teams’ managerial positions.
You just don’t like Sandberg because someone once told you he was stupid. And because you believe, without any evidence whatsoever, that he’s coasting through the organization based upon nostalgia for his playing days.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
I know more about this situation
than you like to perpetuate, D.
Again? What. Has. He. Ever. Won.
But looking at your avatar, I know I’ll never get an impartial answer from you. So debating you on this is a waste of both of our times.
So why don’t you drop it already.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 21, 2010 11:37 AM CDT up reply actions
Devil's advocate
What had Francona won before 2004?
Again, I’m not sold on Sandberg being the right choice, but I’m not sold on him being the wrong one, either.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 21, 2010 11:39 AM CDT up reply actions
Point taken
although Francona was minor-league manager of the year at one point.
I also don’t know about Francona’s pluses and minuses other than what’s obvious to a from-a-distance observer.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 21, 2010 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions
As noted below...
… Sandberg managed a team to a league championship last year.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
The chances of him thinking that is meaningful are zero.
He’s already made up his mind and that being true won’t matter. He saw Sandberg a few times in the minors so nothing will sway him. It’s beating your head against the wall to think he will respect anyone’s opinion about this.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 21, 2010 12:38 PM CDT up reply actions
As much as
those who worship Ryno won’t be swayed that he isn’t the perfect guy for the job. (And I saw him every day for two years in the minors, SET, not just a few times.)
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 21, 2010 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Noted.
I worship Ryno, but I’m not sure he would be a good manager for us. At the same time, I surely don’t think we should discount him because he hasn’t won anything in the bigs yet. I can’t say I’m sold on anyone right now and would like to see a short list Ricketts damn well better have by now.
Let me say also that the manager we hire is not nearly as important at the moment as who we hire for GM and the person running the minors system. If both of those things are left the same the manager will just be the Riggleman we hire to put a face on failure. The manager is only important if he has a team able to win the WS. And that won’t happen overnight…but it at least needs to be going in that direction.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 21, 2010 12:46 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm not "worshipping" Ryno.
In fact, I wouldn’t have been in favor of him as manager at all — until he proved himself, which I believe he has done.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Agreed.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 22, 2010 11:11 AM CDT up reply actions
This is what I think...
…if you get the right GM onboard, Sandberg could develop into the next Francona.
With that said, so could 20 other guys if you had the right guy at the top.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
What had Joe Torre ever won before 1996?
Or Jim Leyland before the Pirates hired him? Or, for that matter, how many titles had he won before the Marlins hired him?
This argument is borderline stupid. Are you only advocating hiring managers with prior WS wins? Because we have one of those right now.
Secondly, if you “know more about this situation”, by all means, go ahead and share it. Were you the proctor on Sandberg’s SATs or something? At this point, he has pretty conclusively proven that he knows baseball.
I have absolutely no idea if he’s going to succeed as Cubs’ manager, but I am certainly not going to write his entire managerial career off before he’s even hired, and throw a little internet tantrum and threaten to stop following the team if, god forbid, their AAA manager gets the MLB gig.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
What Internet tantrum?
And if you’re criticizing me for writing him off before he’s even hired, you’re even worse for putting him in the same league as Girardi (which you’ve done in other threads) before he’s even hired, too.
I get it: You love Ryno. Like I said, if he hires DeRosa as his bench coach, you can die a happy man.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 21, 2010 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Seriously, you know he wouldn't do that.
This isn’t about being a “DeRomantic” or hiring for sentimental reasons. If Sandberg is hired, it’s going to be because he is qualified.
Remember, he applied for the job in 2006 and was told to go get some experience. He has done so. I’m not sure why you can’t see this.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
A bunch of guys...
…are qualified to manage a major league franchise. What most people fail to realize is, a magical solution to manager does not exist without being strong at the top.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Agreed.
However, the Cubs do need a replacement as field boss.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
It wouldn't hurt...
…but as a stand alone move, won’t get them anywhere.
I will look forward to someone not employed with the Cubs currently, selecting the next manager.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
"If Ryno does become manager, I’ll seriously consider scaling back my interest in the team."
We both know you’re not seriously going to stop watching the Cubs if they hire Sandberg, or anyone else.
You’re just throwing a little “I’ll stop watching and that’ll show ’em!” fit by saying things like that. And it’s not the first time.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
You are one sick dude, D
Like I said, I wouldn’t be surprised one day if I wake up and find you standing in my driveway.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 21, 2010 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions
You are inappropriate, and this community shouldn't tolerate it.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
Keep proving my point
I also wasn’t aware Al appointed you as the Official Arbiter of Community Appropriateness.
Again, you’re one sick dude.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 21, 2010 12:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Both of you, knock it off.
I’ll expect you to ignore each other from now on and stop the namecalling.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
With all due respect -
This isn’t a “both of you knock it off” kind of situation.
He called me “sick”, and a psychopath. I called him inappropriate.
If you intend to moderate this forum, do so. If you don’t, I’ll move on.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
Easy Bruce
You are really on the high horse on this one. Only you and Only you know what is best for Cubs, you really shouldn’t take yourself so serious on this matter.
Changes will be made following this season. A manager change should of happened already, however Ricketts will let this season waste away. I see a new GM and skipper, and I am sure Ryno will be on the short list.
When he is hired, feel free to go off before he manages a MLB game.
by Grockcubs on Jun 21, 2010 2:58 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I will, Grock
Because I think he’d be a bad choice.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 21, 2010 5:26 PM CDT up reply actions
It's your right to have that opinion.
It’s NOT your right to go off on people who don’t share it and namecall.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Al ... please read this chain again
and see who went off on whom.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 21, 2010 5:58 PM CDT up reply actions
In any case....
… I ask for consideration from all parties. Thank you.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Let me disagree with you respectfully.
There are plenty of minor league managers who become successful at the major league level. If Sandberg is hired, it will NOT be for “perpetuating the experience”, it will be because he entered coaching at the bottom level and worked his way up.
From everything I have heard, he has indeed worked hard, has the respect of everyone in the organization, and is highly qualified to be a manager.
FWIW, his team won the Southern League title last year.
How’d we do with the last manager hired who won a World Series? Irrelevant to me.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I would rather, when the time comes,
the Cubs look at coaches with postseason experience. In my mind, that would include people like Cora and Oquendo. I suspect because they are from minority groups, they also would get a hard look.
Cora also has a degree from Vanderbilt, IIRC. That means something to me.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 21, 2010 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions
A degree in what?
A college degree suddenly makes a manager better qualified to win the WS? How?
Someone like Cora might make a good bench coach for Sandberg.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Vice versa
He’s already been a bench coach on a World Series champion.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 21, 2010 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions
With all due respect
you don’t know if Cora would be a good manager any more than you know Sandberg wouldn’t.
Cora has more experience on the management side (though not as a manager), but Sandberg has more experience as an actual manager. Making suggestions and making decisions are two very different animals. I work in medicine and have known lots of people who make very good suggestions and ask very good questions, but aren’t able to make decisions on their own effectively.
I don’t know if Sandberg is the best person for the job, but I do think he’s in the discussion. He has come up through the organization, which means he has an excellent knowledge of the players in the system. He has had success as a manager at the minor league level. He reportedly has the respect of the players. Those factors alone qualify him to be in the discussion for next manager.
And to your rumor that he isn’t very bright—he doesn’t need to be. He just needs to know baseball and how to manager personalities. I want my GM to be ridiculously smart. I want my manager to know baseball and men. The nuts and bolts of being a manager aren’t that difficult, particularly for someone who has been in the game for 5 decades. Lastly, we don’t know how smart he is or is not.
DEJESUS!!!
by tomas21 on Jun 22, 2010 12:26 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
All this angst amuses me...
Did folks really expect Tom Ricketts to clean house right away? That would have been straight out of the Sonny Corleone School of Ownership.
I’d suggest Ricketts leans more towards the Michael Corleone School of Ownership. I said this in the game recap, but I suspect that when he makes a move, it won’t be just one. It will be a series of moves and they will be very sweeping and decisive.
From the scene where Michael sits down to have a “talk” with Carlo
Michael: Barzini is dead. So is Phillip Tattallgia. Moe Green. Slacci. Cuneo. Today I settled all family business so don’t tell me that you’re innocent. Admit what you did.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
by ballhawk on Jun 19, 2010 11:21 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Hendry had his chance for a Godfather-style settling of all business after 2004.
He botched that job miserably.
He should not be involved with next month’s trade deadline, which could have a profound effect on the next 5 years of this franchise.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
I hope he is involved tooth and nail
Next to Dallas Green, Hendry is the best GM the Cubs have had in my lifetime.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 20, 2010 1:56 AM CDT up reply actions
Really.
We have a GM whose job depends on our 2010 performance, who has never demonstrated any ability to trade any assets for prospects, and you want him managing the dismantling of the horribly flawed roster he constructed?
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
You're right
He’s never made a good trade in his life.
Truce over. Piss off.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 20, 2010 2:09 AM CDT up reply actions
That's..... nothing about what I said. That's not even a response.
Hendry has obviously made good trades among his bad trades.
But now, he has a vested interest in the short-term fortunes of the Cubs. I do not want someone with that kind of conflict of interest making decisions that will affect the Cubs’ long-term fortunes.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
Write Ricketts and tell him your concerns
I’m sure he’ll take it quite seriously.
What conflict of interest are you talking about? There is no reason, in a market this size, that short-term and long-term concerns can be dealt with simultaneously.
I know you want a GM that never makes a bad trade or never makes a bad free-agent signing. But as Mike Shannon once said, “There was only one perfect person, and they nailed him to a tree.”
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 20, 2010 2:18 AM CDT up reply actions
The conflict of interest is fairly obvious.
Hendry is fighting for his job. If the Cubs fail in 2010 — and it’s looking like that’s pretty likely — he’s going to be out of this awesome gig.
So, approaching the trade deadline, is Hendry likely to make the best possible moves for 2011 and beyond — even if that means taking a hit for 2010, and as such, costing him his job?
Why even put him in that position?!
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
Hendry
has made lots of great trades. But the majority of good trades he’s made have been about buying talent. When he’s been forced to sell assets (Sosa, Patterson, etc) the returns were not good. He also tends to have a very short-sighted view, and doesn’t do a good job constructing a complete team (he tends to acquire guys who don’t fit the roster and try to play them out of position to make them work, which leads to teams chock full of second basemen and left fielders, but without anyone at other positions).
If we were buyers at the deadline, I’d have confidence in Hendry’s ability to do that. But we’re not buyers, we’re sellers. And Hendry’s MO is job preservation, not the long-term view. I don’t want a GM who is going to lean towards keeping Lily, Lee, Fukudome and Theriot because he wants to scratch out a couple more meaningless wins to make his resume look a little better. I want a GM who is willing to make them team a little worse in the short term to make the team much better in the long term.
DEJESUS!!!
by tomas21 on Jun 20, 2010 8:53 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Assets?
Sosa and Patterson were assets? Hardly. The Cubs are fortunate they got what they did for Sosa. And of the guys who went to Oakland for Harden, the one having the most success is doing it in the land of the Rising Sun.
Hendry will do what Rickets and company tell him to do. If they decree that it is time to sell, he will sell. That decision is going to be made by ownership, not by Hendry trying to save his job.
I think I speak for everyone here when I say, "Wait, what the hell are you talking about?"
I sure don't want the architect of this team , the one who has so many bad long term
contracts on the books for this team, making any more decisions. We need a short list NOW of GMs, and a plan for hiring one. You don’t keep a guy in there who keeps signing horrible contracts and hope for a different result, that’s true madness.
“Hendry is the best GM the Cubs have had in my lifetime.” I’d love to see a poll about this. words just escape me.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 20, 2010 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm sure people could argue about whether Hendry is the best GM
in one’s lifetime. What’s not arguable is whether Hendry has been given the most resources of any Cubs GM in one’s lifetime.
Yeah, I read that response of mine and realized it didn't mean what I wanted it to.
Whether a Cubs GM is the best CubsGm of your lifetime is meaningless. Hendry was the first one to have so much money to play with and screwed it up. Better to have a poll of whether Hendry is the best GM in the league of your lifetime. Or whether Hendry should be the GM for next year.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 20, 2010 1:09 PM CDT up reply actions
This I agree with
and by virtue of having unprecedented resources, Hendry can be considered the best Cubs GM of the past 20 years. Measuring his success by other means – assessing veteran talent, committing dollars properly, developing prospects into meaningful major leaguers – he seems pretty mediocre.
I'll go to my grave believing Armando Galarraga tossed the 21st perfect game in MLB history.
Mediocre is generous.
I do agree he’s made some good trades…but when you offset that with how much he’s crippled the team with his long-term, high$ signings, its really not that important what trades he’s made. There’s little room for a GM to move right now.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 20, 2010 4:54 PM CDT up reply actions
That is damning with faint praise
Most Cubs GMs over the last two generations would have to improve to get to “bad.” Hendry is running neck and neck with Omar Minaya in the “Least Team for the Most Money” sweepstakes.
The 2008 Seattle Mariners would like to have a word with you.
$117 million payroll. 101 losses. This year’s Cubs won’t do that.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
The Cubs' payroll is 20% higher.
There’s a decent chance that our W/L performance will not be 20% higher (72 wins or so).
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
It's also two years later.
It should be noted that the 2008 Cubs won 97 games with a payroll almost identical to the 2008 Mariners.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
What difference does that make?
The premise is, “worst teams for the amount spent on payroll”. This year’s Cubs are in the running for the top of that particular heap.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
You were making a numerical comparison.
I was telling you that you can’t make that comparison, because I was talking about a payroll from two years ago, not now.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Good point.
However, I don’t think that overall baseball payrolls have increased much, if at all, since 2008. I could be wrong about that, however.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
It might be a quibble, but to me "in the running" doesn't mean we have to
be the worst or only team with bad results for huge dollars. I sure think our team is known around the league right now for having bad results for a very large payroll.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 21, 2010 12:57 PM CDT up reply actions
To be fair
Hendry’s trade history hasn’t been bad. I brought this up in another post recently, but overall it hasn’t been bad. He’s had his fair share of questionable trades, he’s missed on some young talent gambles, but all teams do that.
Now, certainly, Hendry hasn’t been asked to conduct heavy selling before, so we don’t know how he might do in that respect (and I would question if selling hard is necessarily the best way for the Cubs to go, when the potential to land a couple picks with Lee/Lilly still exist), but overall, his trade history isn’t bad and is fairly solid.
When his job security is dependent upon our 2010 record....
….do you really want Jim Hendry at the top of the org chart on July 31?
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
But maybe
his job security ISN’T dependent on the Cubs’ 2010 record. Only Ricketts knows for sure.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 20, 2010 2:38 AM CDT up reply actions
I'm fine with it
There’s every indication that the Cubs are aware that they are near the tipping point as to whether or not they should sell (again, this is simply referencing that keeping Lilly and Lee may be more useful to the club if they can nab extra picks in next year’s draft).
Also, who are you replacing Hendry with? I don’t want Dave Littlefield running things. Kravec? Hughes? Bush? More than likely, they’d bring the same approach that Hendry brings.
D98
Hendry’s contract has 2 more years to run. If they get rid of him, he gets a nice check. He’s not worried about his job, he’d get another very good job in baseball quickly.
He's not going to get another GM job, though.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
I'll bet he does.
Maybe not next year, but soon.
For the record, I’m not a Hendry defender.
"Manny Trillo is coming in to pinch run. You know, for a lot of teams, you would pinch run for Manny Trillo." - Harry Caray
Doubt it...
…but he will get picked up by somebody and he’ll have a job in baseball with less authority (simply because he has too many friends to not get some role).
In today’s world, owners get a little spooked when they see GM’s who have spent boatloads of money like Hendry, and I highly doubt he gets another go around as a GM.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
He's not...
Tom Ricketts is at the top of the org chart.
I think I speak for everyone here when I say, "Wait, what the hell are you talking about?"
This was a risk...
…Ricketts took by not bringing in at least an advisor on the baseball operations side. Now, he really doesn’t have any choice but to let Hendry keep making the decisions.
Maybe, Ricketts has someone he can bounce things off of that we don’t know of, but I highly doubt that. If the club is out of it in 20-30 days (and that is likely), I would imagine his message to Hendry would be to unload what he can to free up money and to bring in some decent prospects. Beyond that, he has to trust Hendry to do a decent job in the selling mode.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
I DID
“Did folks really expect Tom Ricketts to clean house right away? That would have been straight out of the Sonny Corleone School of Ownership”.
Have you ever been part of a company that had just been bought out? Most people especially those in management almost expect to lose their jobs.
I guess I just don't see a MLB team as being similar to a corporation in that regard
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
This is a VERY flawed analogy.
Most corporations doing the buying out already have their own people.
I doubt the Ricketts family had scouts, GMs, baseball marketing people, etc. on retainer before they actually owned a baseball team.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 20, 2010 9:57 AM CDT up reply actions
You are trying to stuff
A baseball organization into the typical corporate business model?
It doesn’t work that way, while there are elements of traditional approaches from the coporate model that can be utilized it is not as easy as suggesting it works the same way. And I have worked for several companies that have been bought out – in most cases you retain the management team and evaluate – what you describe happens but mostly on TV and the movies. Its costly and expensive to eliminate people who already know their jobs and can perform. You talk like human resources are plentiful – not always the case.
"Ask Dad. He'll know. And on the off chance he doesn't, he'll make something up"
Having a few guy whacked would be a quick way to get rid of contracts
Maybe Ricketts should enroll in that Sonny Corleone school………
Have to agree.
This is the end of an era, which came within 5 outs of a World Series. Time for changes, which are somewhat limied with the long contracts. I’m confident chages will be made in time.
The Cubs came close, and failed. Please don’t feel we are the only team that "just missed it.’ That was their shot — the window is closed. In 1984 — another shot. Should have won then. Woulda, shoulda, coulda.
It’s Year 1 again, not year 101. That’s just so much ’color" that the sports media will use…until….well, you know.
by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Jun 20, 2010 12:40 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Very nice post SB.
I agree with all you wrote.
A lovely story:
One day, long, long ago, there lived a woman who didn't whine, nag or bitch. That would be me....
But that was a long time ago and it was just that one day.
The end
Thank you. :D
A lovely story:
One day, long, long ago, there lived a woman who didn't whine, nag or bitch. That would be me....
But that was a long time ago and it was just that one day.
The end
Can't wait for the movie version of that story... ;-)
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Braves and Ted Turner
The Braves did win an NL West title in 1982 and only finished three games out in 1983, when Turner was a hands-on owner. For the most part, from 1975 through 1990, the Braves were bad outside of the 1982 and 1983 Dale Murphy MVP seasons. However, it wasn’t until John Schuerholz got hired in Atlanta and Turner took his hands off that the Braves were good consistently in the 1990’s.
"The big possums walk late." - Harry Caray
The safari is a symbol of a detached mentality on baseball matters by Rickets.
I think that’s what people are criticizing, whether it’s fair or not.
That is definitely what Badger was saying was wrong....that it meant he was detached.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 20, 2010 1:10 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't want the Ricketts
involved much with the baseball matters. They aren’t baseball people, they are finance people. It isn’t their area of expertise. All they need to do is give their approval to the decisions their baseball people make.
I wonder if a lot of this “controversy” stems from the high expectations some had for this team. They are looking for a scapegoat, any scapegoat, to explain why it went wrong and what could have been done to fix it. I didn’t have high expectations for this team, so the fact that they are failing isn’t shocking me.
At the same time, there wasn’t much the Ricketts could do before the season. It was a moderately successful team, with more than a few expensive, long term contracts (including one to it’s GM). The Ricketts have brought in some baseball people to help figure out a path the club takes in the future. It will take time for those people to come to a conclusion. Taking a few weeks off while the evaluations are done by those that know the subject doesn’t impact the decisions. Maybe they want to show that they aren’t pulling the strings at all, that it isn’t some puppet regime in place.
This is ridiculous...
Should he be sitting at his desk, white knuckling? Should he be hovering over Hendry, asking him “have you made a trade yet?” Should he be in Lou’s office after the game, second guessing him? None of these are the hallmark of good leadership.
If this were the trade deadline, I might be worried. If it were September and the Cubs were in the race, I might be worried. But it is June, in a season that is slipping away. Ricketts doesn’t pitch, hit, or field. There is nothing he can do to help this team. And frankly, making a managerial or GM change just to make the fan base happy is pretty much the worst thing he could do.
My guess is he went on this vacation and is giving the team a chance to pull things together. I also imagine that he is considering what changes might need to be made. But he’ll make the changes on his schedule, not yours or mine.
I think I speak for everyone here when I say, "Wait, what the hell are you talking about?"
Yes. My disagreement with Badger is that he wants people to explain what would have changed had the owner not gone on vacation.
It’s a symbol. There is nothing to be explained.
Why is anyone owed that symbol?
He bought the team. We didn’t.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 20, 2010 4:45 PM CDT up reply actions
agrees
The real question is: What is the strategy to improve this organization?
We don’t know because it hasn’t been articulated. Does it exist? What is it? Does it involve front office personnel changes?
Fans will stop criticizing the owner and will start debating that strategy when it is finally revealed.
Judging from the draft pick it doesn’t look good, IMHO.
He hired Ari Kaplan before leaving for Africa
You may have missed this.
http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/1193/ricketts-dips-into-baseball-side-for-hire
I went to college with Chuck Wasserstrom
He could have been a heckuva journalist. But he always loved the Cubs, and it appears he’s found his true calling.
by Not Bruce Froemming on Jun 20, 2010 3:09 PM CDT up reply actions
No, I read it. And it's a good move.
Will we see more personnel moves like that?
by Fraggin Judge on Jun 21, 2010 9:23 PM CDT up reply actions
I felt like we had a decent draft
Not great, not bad. Add in that we are signing many of the HS arms down, and I’m rather pleased with the draft. I would’ve preferred a HS bat in the first round, but if they were dead set on Hayden Simpson, then I’m still fine with the pick.
If the strategy that Ricketts wants is to develop internally, then the system is in a relatively decent-solid spot right now, much better than it was several years ago.
I'm pretty sure Ricketts stated he wants to stop relying on FA so heavily
and begin developing more players internally. That’s nice to hear, but it really doesn’t matter to me. I want to actually see him doing that, and those things take time. At this point, it’s TBD.
Exactly. But picking Hayden in the first round seems strange and wrong.
Looks like they inflated the player’s value. Still, I hope the kid develops into a reliable MLB pitcher for the team.
by Fraggin Judge on Jun 21, 2010 9:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Tim Wilken has done a good job as scouting director.
I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I’m pretty sure Ricketts stated he wants to stop relying on FA so heavily
and begin developing more players internally.
The proof is in the pudding. This is kind of like saying “I don’t like that we are so dependent on foreign oil. We need to develop more domestic sources.” Easy and the right thing to say, but until you actually do it…
"Manny Trillo is coming in to pinch run. You know, for a lot of teams, you would pinch run for Manny Trillo." - Harry Caray
If I care enough
… not to leave the country during the season, I surely expect the same and more from team officials. This includes the CHAIRMAN.
Lame, Ricketts. Very very lame.
by bourbon_and_branch on Jun 20, 2010 2:01 PM CDT reply actions
Then perhaps you need to get a life away from baseball.
Ricketts is a baseball fan. But he is also a businessman. He has many other business interests. The Cubs are simply not the soul focus of his life.
I think I speak for everyone here when I say, "Wait, what the hell are you talking about?"
Then we are in deep, deep trouble.
by bourbon_and_branch on Jun 20, 2010 4:22 PM CDT up reply actions
You should read Ross' subject line again.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 20, 2010 4:46 PM CDT up reply actions
Baseball is Life
The rest is just details …
by bourbon_and_branch on Jun 20, 2010 10:42 PM CDT up reply actions
Staying in the US all summer
isn’t the difference between fans and non-fans.
good post
I thought you did a good job in bringing common sense and perspective to the current Cubs situation. Good job.
wccubfan
Please don't think me getting cheeky here
But there are some things I agree with, and some I completely disagree with.
1) Please give the man some time, he has done the quick fixes by fixing up Wrigley, which, was a major concern not too long ago here.
2) Maybe he already knows this season sucks and is willing to ride it out to build up a REAL winning team, thus, going on vacation with his family instead of stressing over a mess that the last owners made.
3) Who would replace Jim? I’m not saying he has been perfect, but he does know how to get a decent return in a trade MOST OF THE TIME. Not always, everyone messes up.
4) In order to trade a dead weight player (See numerous mentioned around BCB), we have to have a willing partner to trade with, and an owner will NOT want to trade away a player if he has to eat all of the salary.
I’m really not trying to stand on a soap box here, but I feel Ricketts has shown good intentions, and will eventually reshape the CF (See Urban Dictionary if you really need) that has been created by years of terrible organisational leadership.
Things are already improving in the farm system, maybe, just maybe, he has a plan that will work it’s way into a constant contender in the next 3 to 5 years.
I personally, am willing to wait that long if it builds us a Red Sox style franchise.
A Red Sox style franchise
requires a commitment to the free agent market while stock piling the farm system. Also to be a Red Sox style franchise Ricketts would actually have to increase the current payroll which I don’t think is going to happen. Expect a reliance on the farm system (It’s about time) and a bevy of 2nd and 3rd tier free agents. The reason I say this is because Ricketts is going to be paying for a number of these contracts for the next few years, his best hope is to get teams to take portions of the salaries to lessen the debt load some of these contracts are going to present.
Thank You Jim Hendry.
Once
most of our bad, NTC’s are gone, Ricketts will have the money to spend to maintain a good franchise. We’re almost at the Sox payroll as it is, and it’s gotten us no where.
However, I prefer a reliance on the farm system, if anything, to showcase them for a “good” trade for a useful piece to the team.
And to simply mention, Marlon Byrd could be considered a 2nd tier free agent in some years, he just happened to have a great year in moderately off free agent market.
If that’s the type of free agent we’ll be getting, I’m all for it.
No more of this MB signing garbage though, Jim really needed a smack on the head for that one. (At minimal)
A Red Sox-style franchise won't cost THAT much more than our current payroll.
And signing 2nd and 3rd tier free agents is what got us into this mess.
The lesson learned from 2004-2010 is that signing a free agent for 80% of what the elite guys make, and getting 60% of the production, is a recipe for fiscal and on-field disaster.
The really bad contracts start coming off the books after next season. The new GM will have tons of resources at his disposal.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
You're making assumptions
There is no guarantee that Ricketts will allow the payroll to remain as high as it is today. The Ricketts family did have enough disposable income to buy the Cubs but they decided to finance almost half of the total cost, that coupled with the fact that spending money for spendings sake has not worked for his fledgling organization.
Expect a youth movement with a judicious focus on mid-grade talent. The no-holds-barred spending is, imho over especially with the current economic crisis.
You’re right we have been signing 2nd tier talent and have been giving them 1st tier money with equal terms. That is an indictment on Jim Hendry.
The fact that they...
…borrowed half the money and have about a $30 mil a year debt service tells you it is highly unlikely you see a payroll at 2010 levels for several years.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Help a financial idiot out... what does "debt service" mean, in English?
Is that $30M a year the equivalent of the interest he has to pay on monies borrowed to buy the Cubs? Or does some of that $30M include paying off principal as well?
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
It's the same...
…as one’s mortgage payment. The Tribune didn’t have any debt payment and Ricketts has a big one. In reality, this debt payment probably eats the majority of the profits. When you factor in declining attendance, it makes the issue a little more concerning.
The debt service may or may not include principle. In many cases, company debt payments do not include principle, but I am no financial expert. I do know, it is a big chunk of money out the door the Tribune didn’t have to worry about.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Yup spot on
As a finance guy, this is accurate. Sometime the service includes principle, sometimes it is just interest. The piper always gets paid, though.
"Manny Trillo is coming in to pinch run. You know, for a lot of teams, you would pinch run for Manny Trillo." - Harry Caray
Thanks to both of you for the insight.
Kinda what I figured, but wasn’t sure.
If that $30M/yr doesn’t include principle, i.e. it’s just interest… well, that’s just scary. I mean, I know the Ricketts family has a metric boatload of cash (well, maybe only 1/2 metric boatload now), and everything’s relative, but still… $30M just for interest… wow.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Spelling police alert!
It’s “principal” that you pay back, not “principle”.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
you know, I thought "pal" was right and used it in my first post...
…then the two financial guys used “ple” in their replies, so I figured “well, they’re the experts” so I switched to “ple”.
Shoulda stuck to my guns. Let that be a lesson to all you youngsters out there.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
lol
Us oldsters can use it too. Al seems to be on a spelling kick today.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 22, 2010 6:06 PM CDT up reply actions
Nitpick, but
the apostrophe is a punctuation correction, not spelling.
;-)
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 22, 2010 7:30 PM CDT up reply actions
Ah grammar and spelling then.
You must be his deputy :)
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 23, 2010 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions
The Cubs payroll
will probably drop down to the $110-120M range in a year or two, especially with the $30M debt being paid off. That means we’ll be a little above the Cards/Astros ($100M range). If the Reds and Brewers are good/recently good, they’ll be in the $90M range (like the Brewers are this year). The Pirates, well, they’ll be the Pirates.
One other thing about the Ricketts. While they are fabulously wealthy and worth over $1B, keep in mind they just bought as asset worth $900M. The Cubs are probably not going to be their play thing where they throw vast amounts of money at it in search of a championship, ala Mark Cuban and the Mavs or Danny Snyder and the Redskins. The Cubs will likely only spend what revenues come in, minus any debt payments. If they can come up with cheap ways to increase revenue (like the Toyota sign or selling naming rights to Wrigley, things that cost the team virtually nothing), then the payroll will go up.
by JimAnchower on Jun 22, 2010 11:58 AM CDT up reply actions
If this is true
it makes it even more essential to fire Hendry.
For all his winning seasons, Hendry has been wildly ineffecient with money spent. He has had some savvy trades and good free agent pickups, to be sure, but a “miss” for him is a mistake on the order of tens of millions of dollars.
If we are truly going to go from a 140 mil payrol to a 110 mil payroll, Hendry is the last guy I want making the decisions. We cannot afford Hendry’s penchant for signing guys to 5 mil contracts when their production can easily be replaced by a replacement leve/cost player. We can’t afford to dole out big money contracts to players who will be playing out of position when they get here. We cannot afford to pay second tier free agents first tier money.
Most of all, we can’t afford to keep a guy who is perpetually in job preservation mode, damning the future for a low-percentage shot at the present.
Fire Hendry now, and get someone who can efficiently and effectively reduce the payroll while (hopefully) simultaneously imprving the long range health of the team.
DEJESUS!!!
by tomas21 on Jun 22, 2010 12:38 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
I think your right...
…and I can see them trimming 20 mil or so from the payroll over the next couple of years. Then, if the right situation arises, they may jack it back up if things are looking good.
With a good GM and someone who knows how to assemble a roster, 120 mil is nothing to sneeze at.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Just had to bring up naming rights, didn't you lol.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 22, 2010 2:35 PM CDT up reply actions
The Ricketts have already gone on record as saying they are not selling naming rights to the park.
They’re likely to sell naming rights to the Triangle Building, though.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I like the idea of both those things. Very cool.
I mean…if they’re financing the Triangle Building being built, sure is reasonable to sell the rights. And changing Wrigley or Fenway’s name with all that history seems wrong to me no matter how much money you make off of it. Call me a traditionalist I guess.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 22, 2010 6:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Well it was Weegham park at it's inception
and then became known as Cubs park and then finally became most famously known as Wrigley Field.
I’m open for change, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Ballpark has a nice ring to it, don’t ya think?
I'd be ok with it
I don’t care what they call it, as long as the team wins.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 22, 2010 7:31 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm with you on that one.
It’s the same ballpark no matter what you call it.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
And it's the same team no matter what color jersey they wear... ;-)
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
I wouldn't even mind the early eighties pajama uniforms
by troutfishin on Jun 22, 2010 10:03 PM CDT up reply actions
Those were in the late 70's, not early 80's.
And they were ugly, too.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I believe the pajama road
uni’s ran up until 1981 or ‘82. You’re right though they did start in the late 70’s.
I still don’t think that uniform can compare to the hideousness of the white sox softball shorts uniform.
1981.
After that, Tribco changed when they took over in ’82. They ran from 1978-81.
You’re right about the White Sox shorts, too. There were some really awful uniforms in that era.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
There's a 1983 Fleer card of Sandberg in the baby blue road uni's
So they must have worn them in late 1982, too.
Unless I’m thinking of a different uniform? Baby blue with white pinstripes?
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
That photo had to be taken at spring training in 1982.
In those years, many teams used the previous year’s uniforms during ST, then changed once the season started.
As you can see here, and my recollection gibes with that, the Cubs did NOT use those uniforms during the 1982 season.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Good thinking
That makes sense – I think that BB card companies used a ton of ST photos back then…. oftentimes shooting an entire team’s cards on the same day.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
The name being different when built or after that makes sense
being an issue if I had said something other than…with all the history of Wrigley’s name.
And actually, not that Ricketts cares about my opinion, but I’d be more open to changing the name to keep a winner rather than make some extra cash for the same losing team we’ve had more than a century. Because right now all we have for an asset is a beautiful historic ballpark that has a lot of history.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 23, 2010 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions
Unfortunately it's history is rooted only...
…in the great players that graced it’s field over the years or the number of times that another team celebrated it’s series clincher over the cubs. Not a lot of history of celebration for the cubs however.
If a Tree falls in Africa and Tom Ricketts doesn't see it, will it make a sound?
Anyone who is worried about the boss taking a two week family vacation needs to get out more. Try working in a large organization where this is not unusual.
For those of you who think Ricketts must be at Wrigley (and not on Safari), I have this question for you – how do you know where he is when it’s not reported by the media?? YOU DON’T! You get one vacation report and now you assume he’s in Chicago the rest of the season?? Unless you have the GPS on him, you don’t know where he is on a day to day basis. So you’re outrage is feinted or delusional at best.
"They come to see me strike out, hit a home run, or run into a fence. I try to accommodate them at least one way every game." - Gorman Thomas
Not overreacting to a mediocre team
but they’re not mediocre, but pretty darn bad. They would be close or around .500 of they were average. With that said, there’s not much for Ricketts to do this year except fire Lou. Will it make a difference? Well, we won’t know unless it happens. One thing for sure, most of the time this team is just going through the motions collecting paychecks. There are exceptions, but the passion to play the game isn’t present. The proverbial window has slammed shut the past two years, for goodness sakes I hope they manage this team with an eye for the future (2-4 years).
"Is there any truth to the rumor that the Bears gave up their first-round pick in 2011 for the decals?" - Someone registered as the DailyNorseman at PFT suggesting the Bears gave up picks in order to get Gaines Adams tribute decals. Stay classy Minnesota fans!
Hendry & Pinella
get paid to make the baseball decisions. We don’t want Mr Ricketts to be another Jerry Jones/Dan Snyder/George Steinbrenner interfering with the day to days. Jim & Lou will have their judgment day
13- Warner, 23- Sandberg, 40- Tillman, 11- Walter
pathetic
that anybody would whine about the owners taking a vacation.
Say what you will about Hendry
but Carlos Silva for Milton Bradley is one of the greatest fleecings in the history of baseball. Of course getting Bradley in the first place is a whole other argument.
13- Warner, 23- Sandberg, 40- Tillman, 11- Walter
To paraphrase another poster
You don’t get credit for stepping in poop and finding a quarter when you clean your shoe off.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 25, 2010 10:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Except this time you find $100 when you clean your shoe off.
A little bit of credit for that, I’d think.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Well, the analogy is that you got lucky
No one – not even Hendry – could have expected Silva to be as good as he has been this year. Right now, it’s his best season.
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 26, 2010 8:51 AM CDT up reply actions
It's still a good analogy.
No one would expect to find $100 under their shoe in that situation.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Ok . . . but you still don't get credit for finding it
by Shanghai Badger on Jun 27, 2010 1:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah...don't get where the analogy makes any sense besides luck is involved.
Hendry had no expectation of anything besides getting rid of one clubhouse cancer that he signed.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 28, 2010 3:24 AM CDT up reply actions
those blue uni's
were God awful, of course they were still better than what the White Sox had it the same time period.
13- Warner, 23- Sandberg, 40- Tillman, 11- Walter
Gotta love uni's inspired by pajama tops
by bluekoolaide on Jun 27, 2010 5:44 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't think our softball jerseys are any better.
I hope Z takes all of the team’s supply into his earned exile.
"The ones who want to achieve and win championships motivate themselves." - Da Coach
by Sandberg's evil twin on Jun 28, 2010 3:25 AM CDT up reply actions
I agree on the whole idea...
of not blaming Ricketts. He knew he was buying a white elephant that would stay a white elephant for the near future. I start with this statement cause my sarcasm meter seems to be stuck today and all this hand wringing and angst inspired me…
Roberto Duran to Sugar Ray Leonard - No Mas... No Mas...
-------------
Hicks: That's it, man. Game over, man. Game over, what the **** are we supposed to now, huh, what are we gonna do?
-------------
"Why people, who have not committed any punishable offense, listen to Country and Western music is absolutely beyond me" - John Cleese
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