You can watch the Ricketts (presumably Tom) hold their first press conference as the new owners of the Chicago Cubs here. Feel free to join the mocking praise virtual tomato throwing monologue discussion in the comments section or the twitter sidebar.
I won't pretend to know what they'll talk about it. Nor will I pretend to love it.
NOTE: I'm sure the discussion will be lively here at LOHO, so be sure to check it out.
10 minutes till the fleecing begins. I don't know why I'm starting out with such skepticism. I guess I just don't trust rich people, especially investors.
ReplyDeleteIf you check out the live feed on WGNTV http://www.wgntv.com/news/livestreaming/ you can hear Dan Roan talk obliviously unaware he's live online.
ReplyDelete3 long years? 3 LONG YEARS? Guess what, Tom, there have been a lot more than 3 long years of waiting . . . not all of us are obsessed with your ownership.
ReplyDeleteOkay, yeah we are, but still.
The podium is just to bear the logo, apparently, not for Ricketts to actually stand behind. This sounds like 1/2 acceptance speech, 1/2 job interview.
ReplyDeleteWe're going to win the World Series. Yup. Sounds like a Cubs fan.
ReplyDeleteShare, special, and unique used together in a matter of milliseconds. Incredible.
ReplyDeleteLine?
ReplyDeleteLotta empty seats. Should have brought more family members.
ReplyDeleteA Ricketts sister wants to talk. Chicago media having none of that. Neither is her mic.
ReplyDeleteYeah. This is a whole lotta nothing.
ReplyDeleteTranslation of the last five minutes: we don't know much about baseball. Please don't hold that against us. Deal.
ReplyDelete"I don't think you're ever gonna take away the name Wrigley." Crap. Or awesome. I dunno.
ReplyDeleteTom just leaned into his sister so she could use his lapel mic. Thank heavens he wasn't wearing one of those earpiece wraparounds.
ReplyDeleteWe will win with sincerity!!
ReplyDeleteBasically, what Tom Ricketts is saying is that the Cubs sale was so all-consuming, he hasn't really had any time to come up with a plan for anything--the business, the stadium, or the team. We have no specifics because acquiring the team was too much work. I can understand that, I guess, but it sucks. He's basically starting from scratch.
ReplyDeleteAnd Ricketts closes (pretty much) with an affirmation that there is no curse. I believe that's one of the rules of acquiring a curse, you have to deny it upfront.
ReplyDeleteWell, that does it. I think the Ricketts succeeded in making most people like them, but they did very little to convince me they know how to build a successful baseball franchise.
ReplyDeleteThe encouraging things: his statement that he'll put people in charge he thinks will succeed, let them make decisions, and then hold them accountable; and he plans to increase investments in the farm system. I like both those thoughts, but I don't know how sure I am we'll see them play out in reality as success.