Chicago Cubs Headlines for Monday
What does this picture have to do with
anything? This young Austrian child
had Ricketts, too!
I'm still not quite used to this strange "public-face-of-ownership" experience we've been having lately. After so many years of corporate overlords, putting a face other than the Trib Tower or Sam Zell to ownership seems to be a positive experience. Especially when said owner is
saying things like this:
''It's not like they're not spending money already,'' he said.
''There's no magic formula for winning a World Series, but it has to be
the goal every single year. You have to be consistent and you have to
think long term. The one big signing is fool's gold. You have to have a
team that's put together thoughtfully, and you have to be thinking more
than one year ahead.''
That seems calm-headed and rational, no? Well, keep your socks on, here's some more:
''The way you win the World Series is to consistently make the playoffs
and hope that you're the team that is the hot one when you get to that
point,'' he said. ''The way you consistently make the playoffs is to
have the right player-development process, to have the right guys
drafting the right talented kids and the right coaches and scouts
working together to see them be productive at the major-league level.
''There's no load up for one season, or there's never one guy or one
contract or one level of spending that's going to get you there. You
just have to be consistent and you have to keep the right people
pushing the team forward. And you have to build from the bottom up.''
It seems as though we've managed to avoid the next Wayne Huizenga. Not only do we have seemingly smart, rational ownership, we also have more diverse ownership. With the family buying the Cubs, Laura Ricketts became the first openly gay owner of a major sports franchise.
Among the purchasers is Laura Ricketts,
a lesbian who now becomes the first out individual to own a
professional sports team, according to MarketToMarketLLC.com. According
to ABC7Chicago.com, Laura, who lives in Chicago, is a member of the
board of Lambda Legal, a national organization fighting for gay
rights--including same sex marriage.
In an interview with MarketToMarketLLC.com, Laura Ricketts, who has a
partner, said, "I came out to my family I would say early to mid 30's.
I think for a long time I wasn't really out to myself growing up in
Omaha, Neb., to a Catholic conservative family. It took me a while to
come out to myself and not long after that I came out to them. I think
that it really couldn't of been a better experience. They were all
immediately supportive. ... I have been really really fortunate in that
regard."
Hooray for diversity and successful GLBT people!
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45 Comments
Umbra said:
Soooooo, how was everyone's Halloween/Reformation Sunday? I went as Billy Mays. There were quite a few other Billy Mayses, but I think I had the best beard. One guy went as Billy Mays and had a big bucket of 'OxyCocaine', which he loudly yelled was '10x better than regular cocaine! Use it in the garage, the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom! It takes the hard work out of yard work!'.
The PR by the Ricketts is pleasant enough. Sam Zell was a jerk and you knew it by looking at him. With the Ricketts, it's harder to tell if they're jerks or not.
millertime said:
I watched The Goonies. And then it turns out the girl I was watching the Goonies with is a huge Seinfeld fan, so we watched 4 episodes of Seinfeld.
And I ate candy.
cubbiejulie said:
We watched Goonies on Friday. My kids have not stopped quoting Chunk since.
"And then, my mom sent me to a summer camp for fat kids, and on the third day I pigged out, and they kicked me oooooouuuuuuut!"
millertime said:
"But the worst thing I ever done - I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. I never felt so bad in my entire life."
secdelahc said:
I had to explain to someone this weekend about why we call Gorzellany "Sloth." Except that he had never seen Goonies. I intend to rectify this glaring error immediately.
cubbiejulie said:
"you always take his side, ma. you've always liked him better than me."
'that's right!' (slap!)
millertime said:
The Ricketts seem like nice people.
thisyearcub said:
I'm taking the wait-and-see approach on the Rickety Crickets. At times I think having lifelong fans as owners is a good thing, and then at other times I'm reminded on how lifelong fans think sometimes, which scares me.
Umbra said:
Another day, another nod to Sunny. Rickety Cricket is one of my favorite characters, just because his fall has been so large.
thisyearcub said:
No doubt. From a preacher to all-out crack addicted hobo.
I can think of no better name for the Cubs' new owners. Plus it'll allow me to get more Sunny references in. I think we can put your brother in a Green Man outfit and let him loose at Wrigley.
cubbiejulie said:
It depends on which kinds of fans they are. If I was at the presser, I would have asked, "which Cub do you like better? Ryan Theriot or Aramis Ramirez?"
I think that answer would have told us everything we need to know about the Rickettesess.
cubbiejulie said:
With his full REAL beard, Max looked freakishly like the real Billy Mays. It scared everyone.
I was a black fairy, complete with Carol-Kane-in-Scrooged crazy hair. No wig, it was all mine. Tease, Aqua Net, braid, twist, braid, stick things in it, tease some more. It just now took me an hour in the shower to get it back to normal.
gravedigger said:
I know a lot of LOHOers are fans of The Onion. Their videos are just as good as their written content. This is one of my favorites:
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/gaffe_prone_biden_embarrasses
gravedigger said:
That's really cool about Laura. Yay Cubs.
Umbra said:
I agree. Yay. It's not exactly the dissolution of the Good Old Boys Network of Collusion and Exploitation, but it might be a step in the right direction.
cubbiejulie said:
I thought she was cool at the presser. I for one welcome our new lesbian overlord.
Doc Blume said:
I agree, but I just hope this doesn't mean we have to listen to an Indigo Girls song when the Cubs take the field at the beginning of the game.
cubbiejulie said:
"Blood and Fire" seems oddly appropriate.
Doc Blume said:
I can just see it now, the parking lot off of Waveland full of Subaru's.
cubbiejulie said:
Wow--Nice job, Macy's:
http://deadspin.com/5395150/another-macys-miracle
millertime said:
If they had 2009 WS "We finally did it you guys!" shirts for the Cubs, I'd probably buy one. In fact, lets just forget about this whole idea of "you need to win the world series to be declared world series champions and sell things". Can't we just cut to the chase and start selling our own Cubs world series memorbialia now?
Check it out. We sell the shirts and whatever now, and once the Cubs do win the series for real, we allow our purchasers to "upgrade" their existing shirts (they send it to us, we have little kids sew on the correct year) for a minimul fee. Plus they pay for all shipping.
All I need is for everyone on this site to send me $10,000 dollars (consider it seed money), and I'll set the whole thing up. It's time to start saving and investing in your futures.
thisyearcub said:
How about: "It Happened!!!"
I think you are onto something my friend...
cubbiejulie said:
Trying to figure out what to bring to Costa Rica is hard.
gravedigger said:
me?
thisyearcub said:
1. A lot of bug spray. You'll need it.
2. When you finish packing, take about 1/3 of what you have out. You won't need it. Costa is so laid back and awesome, you end up just wearing the same swim trunks or shorts or whatever (do remember to take showers though).
3. Use the extra space in your luggage to bring back things, as there is a ton of awesome stuff down there (and for cheap-for once the dollar is actually superior here to their colones).
cubbiejulie said:
can i wear a swimsuit to a wedding?
Doc Blume said:
As long as your not in a church, I think swimsuits are actually standard dress at a wedding.
thisyearcub said:
sure. Especially in Costa. You'll see. Pura vida, chica.
Doc Blume said:
I'm bored...
Hey Julie, do you have anything fun planned for a diary this afternoon?
cubbiejulie said:
uh . . .should I?
honestly, i'm completely tapped out for ideas right now.
gravedigger said:
cows
millertime said:
Nudy magazine day! Nudy magazine day! Nudy magazine day!
thisyearcub said:
There was something I was supposed to do today ....
Drink five daquiris?
No, did that already...what day is it?
Doc Blume said:
Good call, MT!
gravedigger said:
Can I go home now?
cubbiejulie said:
yes, you're excused.
Doc Blume said:
So, I have convinced my boss to let me take Fridays off for the rest of the year.
Yea me!
cubbiejulie said:
Here are some interesting Cubs bits, via the awesome mlbtraderumors.com:
1) Offers have begun rolling in for Aroldis Chapman, says ESPN's Keith Law. Also, MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says the Cubs talked to Chapman's agent but he "doesn't fit in their budget."
2) MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers "refused to rule out the possibility of Milton Bradley coming back to Texas." Sullivan wasn't willing to allow the possibility a month ago, when he wrote, "The Rangers are not interested in Bradley. Sources have made that clear. He is not coming back. So stop it." Back in September, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said Bradley "pushed himself way down the wish list with his comments, and probably pushed himself off it completely."
Doc Blume said:
1) Just say no to Cuban players. They tend to cost more than they end up being worth.
2) Yawn.
thisyearcub said:
Sam Fuld: Better coach than player?? Good interview.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=9719
cubbiejulie said:
Duh.
He's got "poor man's Joe Girardi" written all over him.
Doc Blume said:
He must be really poor than.
Doc Blume said:
That made no sense.
gravedigger said:
Now I want his pants even more
millertime said:
Joss Whedon is trying to buy the Terminator francise.
http://whedonesque.com/comments/22240
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