Not good Cubs fans.
Whereas usually a vote of confidence is a kiss of death, I have the feeling McRicketts means it when he says he has faith in these Bozo's:
Ricketts says Hendry and Quade are safe
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By Paul Sullivan
Tribune reporter
6:15 p.m. CDT, June 15, 2011
Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts had a state of the Cubs news conference Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, addressing several topics.
Ricketts said the jobs of general manager Jim Hendry and manager Mike Quade are safe, that he's OK with the players' '(Bleep) the Goat' T-shirts as long as they don't wear them on the field, that he will not have any problems spending money on free agents, and that he was not upset with Carlos Zambrano's comments that the Cubs are "embarrassing" and a Triple-A team.
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Wrigley Field Here's some of Ricketts feelings on Cubs-related topics:
Hendry and Quade's future
"I have 100 percent confidence in Jim," he said. "He's working very hard to do everything he can to get this season back to where we want it to be. And I think Mike's done a great job. You know Mike has got those guys playing hard. You know they're not giving up. You know there's good spirit in the clubhouse. Yeah, those guys are fine." Asked if he would re-visit Hendry's status after the season, Ricketts repeated: "The fact is, I have 100 percent confidence in Jim. We're just going forward right now and we'll see what the offseason looks like then. I'm pretty happy, I'm comfortable with Jim and I'm confident in his ability to keep us looking forward."
Bringing in a 'baseball guy' to oversee the operation
Some believe the Cubs should bring in a seasoned baseball executive to replace president Crane Kenney at the top of the front office food chain. "I've never bought into the (idea) that I should have a baseball guy to watch my baseball guy and his baseball guys," he said. "Then what do you get, a baseball guy to watch the baseball guy who's watching your baseball guys? I trust Jim to do the best he can to get the best team on the field. I trust Mike to manage those guys effectively and give us the amount of wins that he can. And so, I really haven't thought about an extra baseball guy, and I'm not regretting having an extra baseball guy at all."
Is Wrigley Field a "dump"
"We don't believe it's a dump," he said. "I know Peter Gammons said that, and I respectfully disagree. In fact, Wrigley Field is the third largest tourist attraction in the state. It generates over $600 million for businesses in the area, and it's an economic engine in the city. It's not a dump. Now that said, we know that it can be improved. We know we have a lot of work to do to improve it and preserve it for the fans. We've had a team on that since Day One, and we're still looking for the right answer to make Wrigley Field even better and save it for the next generation of fans."
Attendance issue
Ricketts spoke of the economy and the poor weather as factors in the numbers of no-shows in the first 2 1/2 months. "The most important thing is I'm not worried about attendance, because if we win, we will be full," he said. "And everything we're doing is to win. So in effect, we're addressing any perceived small attendance issue we have right now. Ticket sales we're off a little bit this year, but I'm not worried about it. We all know how the weather was this spring, and that didn't help."
Ability to sign free agents
Ricketts said the structure of the sale of the team led to a "technical default" that "the commissioner and everyone in the league" knew about. He said fans need to know that "nothing in the capital structure of the balance sheet, and any of the debt would in any way limit our ability to put a good team on the field. The fact is this year we've spent more on Baseball Operations than any year in the past, and we continue to invest in the team. It's not way a limitation on our ability to sign free agents or our flexibility to build a better organization. It's just irrelevant for that." He wouldn't discuss payroll decisions, or whether the Cubs would sign a huge free agent contract next winter, saying it was Hendry's decision.
Zambrano's comments
"First of all, in talking about the team, I think everyone in the organization is frustrated," he said. "It's been a disappointing season so far. Obviously myself, Jim, Mike, we're all disappointed in where we're at. We have about 94 games left. Everyone is working hard and we think we'll turn it around. With respect to Carlos' comment on the embarrassment, I saw it, and frankly, there were a couple things in there I didn't like- calling out an individual teammate is probably not the way to handle such things. But to be honest, I didn't think it was that bad."
Goat T-shirts
"I didn't actually see a Goat T-shirt," he said. "But I think we're not going to wear them outside. It's kind of the language in it. We've got to be careful. But I'm not too worked up about it."
No regrets over buying Cubs
"Not at all," he said. "I don't have any regrets. Yes, I still have fun. Maybe you guys don't see a lot of this, but I'm at every game, walking around, talking to people." He said he met about 7,000 season-ticket holders at an event recently. "Obviously it's more fun if you have a better record," he said. "There's no question about that. But this is still a dream job."
Reluctance to talk to the media
Ricketts said he "works for" the fans and "I have to be the person that thinks of the fans." As for the media, he said he wants Hendry and Quade to discuss what's happening on the field. "I don't want to be the story. I don't want to be a distraction from what's going on." He said if something was important enough, he would address it. "But when it comes to the little things that have happened over the last few weeks, then I think it's best just to leave it with Jim and with Mike and with what's happening on the field."
Boston model
Ricketts spent the Cubs-Red Sox weekend going to the games at Fenway Park and said he was impressed with the way they've implemented changes. "It shows it's possible if there's enough commitment and enough resources," he said. He said Wrigley Field will be viable for the near future.
Fan apathy
Ricketts said the "thousands of fans" he's spoken to are "generally pretty positive and supportive" of the Cubs. He said only "a handful of people that will give you very specific suggestions, but nine out of 10 of them are just saying 'Hey, let's get going and get it back on track.'" Ricketts said "a handful of fans, particularly during that (eight-game) losing streak that really had a hard time with it. But most of the fans are hanging with us, and hopefully we'll reward them with a great last 90 games."
psullivan@tribune.com
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