Where do our favorite teams stand when it comes to how they operate?

Bears

Their reputation for doing everything on the cheap is legendary, but is it deserved? It certainly seems like they spare expenses when it comes to the team. How are their facilities compared to the rest of the league? What is their scouting department like? Are they trying to win and just can't get out of their own way, or is the bottom line the most important thing year in and year out for the McClaskeys?

Blackhawks

Obviously the Kings of the Chicago sporting landscape. What is their M.O.? Does McDonough view this as his success or does he know what he doesn't know and therefore doesn't interfere in Hockey operations? On the surface the Hawks sure seem like a top flight operation. Do they give Bowman anything and everything he needs or does the Wirtzian outlook still sway decision making. Are the Cups because a group of stud players all came together at the right time or will the Blackhawk Way lead to a sustained at the top of the hill?

Bulls

Who's running the show? Is Michael Reinsdorf his own man or does Jerry still pull the strings? It seems as though they're willing to do what it takes to win but then again, the Bull always have to be right or get the last word in, even when it's to their own detriment. What are they doing overseas wise? Why don't they have their own D-League affiliate? The Advocate Center looks top notch but I can't shake the big city Oakland A's feel that sometimes comes with this team. Am I wrong?

Cubs

The Plan. Made fun of by some and embraced by others. It sure as hell has me believing they've turned the corner, but why hasn't Theo signed that extension yet? You hear talk of having the top Dominican facility and that the Clubhouse will be the best in baseball but will the payroll go up as the revenues continue to rise? Much like the question with Bowman, does Theo have everything at his disposal and does Crane stay out of the way? Will Tom and the rest of the Ricketts clan graduate into Yankee, Dodger, Red Sox territory or are they the McClaskeys 2.0? Why hasn't Theo signed that extension yet?

White Sox

The Kenny Williams conundrum. What exactly is his role now and going forward? Does Reinsdorf not care anymore as BigFan has suggested or does the Cub success this year spur him to make some drastic changes? And what happens upon his passing? What is their scouting department like? Are they a new age team or does the Old School mentality still reign supreme? Does Hahn have autonomy? If not, then why did he take the gig? Is there a plan in place going forward?

Formality. It will before the calendar turns over. And it'll be huge.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

You should tune in the Score between 1 and 6, Dan Bernstein has all your answers.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

I don't like your multipart questions

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

ESPN The Magazine article on the Ricketts clan. A lot of it reads like a fluff piece to be honest, though there a few shots taken.

The Cubs Family Trust

Tom seems to say all the right things, but this Todd character scares me. I sincerely hope he doesn't have a big say when it comes to Cub business. He comes across as the type of person who wants to run around telling anyone and everyone that he owns a MLB team.

BEARS

Ownership: Old, bad, dumb. Ted Phillips and George McCaskey are the real ownership and between them maybe know a couple guys on the roster.
Management: Pace is young and his voice & delivery ring of High School Defensive Backs Coach Substitute Teacher, but I appreciate his efforts so far.
Coach: Not bad, really. Fox, Gase, & Fangio are a pretty solid trio of coaches that are an infinite upgrade compared to the last regime. Rodgers is a guy.

BLACKHAWKS

Ownership: Fat and jolly, Rocky is a granite-jawed businessman who learned from the poor model of his thankfully-dead father.
Management: Stan Bowman's stoic and expressionless demeanor doesn't exactly inspire no discourage, but as long as Scotty is in the wings he'll be getting some grand advice.
Coach: Q swears wonderfully, has a bristling mustache, enjoys cigars, and while he's infuriating at times, he's managed to get three rings with the core. He may be murdered by Jeremy Morin in his sleep soon, however.

CUBS

Ownership: Ricketts is doing fine. Seems like he's doing a lot of the right things and genuinely desires the Cubs do more than just serve as a financial boon. Compared to the Tribune Co., he's a massive upgrade.
Management: Theo & Jed expunged the diarrhea of the Hendry era & the rebuild is already paying dividends. Just need to extend Theo so people will stop being so goddamn paranoid.
Coach: Joe Maddon is doing a hell of a job. Quirky and fun, he's built a fun clubhouse. Interesting cat, but some don't like him at all. Lots of butthurt Tampa fans out there.

I don't follow the Sox or Bulls so I don't feel qualified to talk about their brass.

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Thanks for making your call.

The Bears brass seems to want a particular kind of GM (pliant, maybe?) running their team who will pick (or is directed to pick) a particular kind of coach (i.e. non-controversial). I guess that's their prerogative but at the same time I don't think they know as much as they should about the league in order to hire the most talented/qualified GMs around to run the team. Angelo was fine for like 40% of his tenure but they found him by hiring a firm, which sort of betrayed massive ignorance of the league and current trends, etc. The search that led to Emery was a joke and I'm not too confident about the process that produced Pace. They seem to value the relationships they'd be able to cultivate with the GM over whether or not the GM can take the Bears to the next level.

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Successful calls:

Kyrie Irving will never win anything as a team's alpha: check
T.rubisky is a bust: check
Ben Simmons is a liability: check
The Fields Cult is dumb: double check

2013 CSFMB ROY

Organizational Foundations sounds like a graduate class for idiots.

On one of the many Sundays I was complaining out loud about the Bears offense being ten to twenty years behind trends, my Dad said to me "You know, maybe there's a mandate from up top to play and coach a certain old school way."

I laughed it off at the time, but maybe there's something to it. Are the McClaskey's just incompetent or do they think you have to win and succeed a certain way because that's what Bear football is all about?

The organization that donates to, and rates organizational foundations.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

The Sky are set up for a nice run