For the first time since they officially became the new owners of the Chicago Cubs, the Ricketts family spoke to the media on Friday morning in Chicago, and they made their top goal as owners perfectly clear. They are going to win a World Series. That's what Tom Ricketts told the throng of reporters surrounding him.It was one of many things the new owner shared, but obviously, considering the Cubs' history of not winning the World Series, that's the line that will either solidify the Ricketts family as legends in Chicago, or hang over their heads for as long as they own the club.
Ricketts also went on to talk about the family's plans for Wrigley Field, saying he wanted to emulate what the Boston Red Sox did with Fenway Park. Renovating the old stadium without ever having to close it for any period of time. Ricketts also joked that one of the changes the family planned on making was having him and his brother coach first and third base.In his first public appearance since his family officially took ownership of the Cubs earlier this week, Tom Ricketts said flatly, ``We're going to win the World Series,'' and said that single-minded agenda is what sets a family ownership model apart from corporate ownership that must answer to shareholders.
"The fans are our shareholders,'' said Ricketts, who when pressed for a timeline on his visions of a World said:
"I'll be honest, I think we have a team that can do it next year. I won't promise anything. I don't think there's any use in that. But the fact is there's enough talent coming back next season to go all the way to the finish line.''
As for Ricketts' response to the inevitable question about the team being cursed, he said there was no such thing and he didn't believe in curses. He also went on to say that any current Cubs player that believes the team is cursed will be moved to a "lesser-cursed team."So I guess that means the Pirates or something.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-30-2009 @ 4:41PM
Bilal said...
Good Luck Buddy
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10-30-2009 @ 4:50PM
bob said...
I THINK THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES ARE DOING THE SAME THING.
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10-30-2009 @ 8:56PM
HLHNDRSN said...
I have been a Cub fan since 1945; a lot has been said and a lot has happened (and not happened) over that 65 years. I believe that "private ownership" for the Cubs will be a much better enviornment in which to produce an outstanding product for Chicago and the fans, including, we all hope, a Word Series. But it is just baseball. These are difficult times with economic, political, and moral issues of increasing magnitude rolling over us individually and collectively, with a force and magnitude never before experienced in our history. My prayer is that the new owners and all of the fans will keep all of this in perspective--the bone head plays, the close losses, and the "joy of winning"-. and leave the ball park and the game being thankful for the respite that the game has given from the real world, and with a renewed energy and commitment to reach out with love and care to those who are too young, to poor, to alone and to destitute to know or understand baseball, let alone our freedoms and blessings of which baseball is only a wonderful reflection.
Harold Henderson
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10-30-2009 @ 9:16PM
joe j said...
Harold, you are the man! And I am not even a Cubs fan.
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10-31-2009 @ 5:50AM
blackwarrior35 said...
Living in the Los Angeles area where both our MLB teams have recently been owned by large companies (Angels by Disney and Dodgers by Fox), I can tell all you Cubs fans that thing can ONLY get better after you go back to family ownership of teams.
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10-31-2009 @ 10:29PM
aaronpolston said...
Harold, get ahold of yourself. Yes it's just baseball and we as Cubs fans have been pretty much been forced to live by that mantra, along with maybe next year, but do you really need to use an article about an excited new owner as your personal pulpit of what's wrong in this world? We all know the world we live in and things like baseball give us a break from such worries, and a Cubs World Series win would bring bring much needed joy to the fans, if only for a brief time. We all do the best we can, savor these good moments, and well, then we die. So enjoy the little things and be able to seperate them from the real world!
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