It gets worse by the day

I hope there is a tape of Ricketts saying disgusting things somewhere


I mean they'll be decent eventually, but Ill bet it will be in spite of and not because of this lucky sperm club clown

Report: Players’ Union Monitoring Cubs’ Lack Of Spending
May 27, 2014 9:29 AM

(CBS) The MLB Players Association has expressed concern over the Cubs’ lack of spending on players, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report published over the weekend. Despite playing in the nation’s third biggest market, Chicago’s payroll is around $90 million, a number that ranks in the bottom one-third of the sport.
The Cubs’ payroll has decreased in each of the past four years, according to Cot’s, as the franchise undergoes a complete rebuilding project, with a focus currently on developing young players instead of spending big in free agency.
More from the Sun-Times:
Sources said the union is concerned about how the Cubs’ business practices are affecting player markets. At least one agent met with Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts this year, according to sources, to make the case for investing in the major-league team even as the club overhauls the scouting and player development system.
Whether the most powerful players union in American sports can do anything about the high-revenue team’s years-long trend of spending cuts and roster purges is tricky. It might depend in part on how much longer it lasts and if the union can find grounds for action in Major League Baseball’s debt-ratio rules for clubs.
There is precedent for the league and union pushing teams to increase spending, as the Marlins were forced to do so several years ago. The difference in that situation and the Cubs’ is that the Marlins were receiving money from the revenue sharing system, while the Cubs pay into it. So it remains to be seen what, if any, action the Cubs could be forced to take.

Its turned into quite a mess. I don't think anybody could have realistically predicted this ending up the way it has so far.

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Well, obviously I didnt predict the video, but going back to the time of the sale, myself, Scorehead and many other cub fans were openly critical of Ricketts and his finances.


Anyway, its not that bad. They'll probably be good next year or the year after but fuck ricketts

Fuck the union.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Funny, this coming from the same union that is against a salary cap because all the owners have to do is control their own spending. Now that the Cubs are avoiding overpriced free agent talent, they are upset. In addition, the Cubs have a recent history of overspending on under performing free agents, so it is logical that they would try a different path.

#okwiththeplan

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Hawaii (fuck) You

If the Cubs don't want to run a big league club, contract those motherfuckers!

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

We'll see. Ill bump this on May 27th each year


When I say good, I mean decent. In the wild card/division

Does the union not realize that Ricketts is selflessly trying to help the players with slightly upgraded facilities? They should be loving his plan if they don't have to cover the television with a shield for clubhouse tee ball practice!

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Honestly, they should have some goodwill from when they spent 300 million in an off seasn

There is no reason they shouldn't be an 82-85 win club right now which at the very least has them in the discussion for the play in WC. It wouldn't have cost them hundreds of millions in contracts to improve the big league club over the last 2-3 years either.

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There is a reason.

Tom Ricketts.

Well he supposedly is paying for the stadium upgrades with his "own" money. That is money that can't be spent on players. In the grand scheme of things I guess having your favorite baseball team suck instead of soaking taxpayers like in Miami and Cobb County is ideal.

Please stop with this excuse. Owning Wrigley Field makes him far more money then the tax payers would have kicked in. I have no doubt that the city would take over Wrigley Field and give him a very helpful lease if that was an issue.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Anyone contacted in the front office with regards to this complaint should just keep repeating "Edwin Jackson" like they are a George R. R. Martin character named Edwin Jackson.

But he doesn't want what you said above. He wants to keep owning his doll house Wrigley 100%. He failed miserably getting public assistance and is strapped with debt. So he has to choose between fielding a competitive team or paying for upgrades.

There are two things at work here. The "strapped with debt" thing is pretty much made up. The family has plenty of money. They just are doing what really rich people do and playing the game with how "strapped with debt" they are.

It's also not a disadvantage to not be getting public funds. Wrigley is an advantage. Owning all of Wrigley is an advantage. You lose out on "public funds" but you make it up and then some by owning your own building. If he wanted a deal better than what they have in Miami or Atlanta all he would have to do is sell Wrigley Field to the city/state for $1 and I can promise you he'd get all the taxpayer money he wanted. That is why it isn't an obstacle. The numbers indicate that keeping Wrigley makes him more money then the government is willing to give.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

The family doesnt own the team. Just Tommy

I have hated Ricketts since day 1, but this is really none of the MLB PA 's biz. The team is unwatchable, that is a problem ...but Oakland , Tampa, Pittsburgh , Cleveland and Miami are all very watchable and lower payrolls .

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Where did he come up with the money to buy the team? Isn't the story that he said to his dad "Win or lose, they come to the ballpark"?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Nevermind, I was wrong.

Carry on.

As a union man myself I have to wholeheartedly agree in this case. Average major league salary is 3.3 million a year. Too fucking bad if The Cubs are below "market value" of what they should / could be paying. I show my disdain for that by not attending any games. My choice. Team will continue to suck? well thats on me then for not ponying up to get the team good. I can live with that.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Yep. How dare they not overpay for guys. More Soriano contracts, that the ticket!!

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Not talking about the family. I'm talking about Rickett's Chicago Baseball Group or whatever the holding entity is called.
"Alright Tommy, prove to papa Joe you can run a self-sustaining business. Here's some seed money."
Also they bought the team in 2009 so while there is a lot of principal I'm guessing it's really cheap.

That is just accounting though. It's like when Donald Trump was bankrupt multiple times. It's just a strategy used by the rich. If it was more advantageous for the family to not be "strapped with debt" they wouldn't be.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Not true BR. Take a look at the financial details of Ricketts purchase of the Cubs. It was well publicized when Tommy Boy bought the team, & things are now worse than anyone predicted. The turnstyle gravy train isn't what it once was either.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

So how close are the Ricketts to losing the team?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Did you know the owner is technically "The Ricketts Family" and Tom is just the CEO?

Pretty sure Joe's finances are still good

Yup. That's why the whole debt thing is made up.

They are "in debt" because debt is cheap and they can make more money paying the insanely low interest rate they likely are for this. It's also very convenient to explain a lack of spending on the team. It really is a win-win for them.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Unless Ricketts wants the Cubs to win.


He doesnt though. He's Augie Ojeda with a rich dad (no offense to the actual Mr Ojeda)