Write. Poetry. White Sox. CTA. Bike path. Italian beef, dipped. Bears. Ernie Banks. Green Mill. Old Wicker Park.
To paraphrase a certain ex-NFL coach, Are the Cubs owners who we thought they were?
OK, not all of us, probably, but some of us who wondered how much similarity there would be between the last time a family ran the organization (the Wrigleys) and this time (the Ricketts). Sure, it's a different era with different interests. But when the Ricketts' first major moves boil down to economics and not ensuring a World Series, well, you gotta wonder.
First there was the erection of huge billboards in left field designed to shield fans inside the ballpark from the sight of an ad for a casino painted on the roof of a house on the other side of Waveland, now making it the most noticed rooftop around the ballpark (good job, Ricketts family). The architecturally-questionable move boils down to a lack of revenue coming to the Cubs coffers from the ad in question, previous contract or not. Let the two work out a deal and those hunks of plywood come down faster than Alfonso Soriano with a leg injury.
Then there's the ongoing saga of Cubs tickets price increases, the latest of which went through over the weekend, which included new bleacher seat prices topping out at more than $60. The price hike comes less than two months after the deal to buy the team was finalized. Bottom line: it's the bottom line.
There was a sense of optimism among fans to hear that one of their own was taking the helm (Tom Ricketts, chairman, was a bleacher regular and met his wife there, blah blah blah) It seems a bit odd to act so quickly on these issues while your team stands poised to repeat the disappointments of last season. The biggest on-field move so far, the ones that seek to end 100-plus years of frustration, consist of trading for modestly-interesting pitchers Jeff Gray and Ronny Morla (yeah, I said "Who?" too). Now if they could only address with the same sense of urgency the ongoing saga of trying to dump Milton Bradley, preventing manager Lou Piniella from drifting into lethargy and worrying about Ryne Sandberg breathing down his neck.
Here comes the new boss, same as the old boss?
Elsewhere:
3 Comments
Maim said:
Hey, wow. I know you!
-Hollie, who sometimes drinks at Gingerman during Bears games
Ken Green said:
What??? Yeah, you do know me! You've missed the last few games. You're on report!
Maim said:
I"ve been watching at Map Room this year. I was knitting during that win, though. So that's probably how they managed to squeak out a win over ...the Rams.
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