Attendance down

[swordsman]

I didn't think about the season ticket thing. You're right, they could make some tweaks there to attempt to get through a bad season or two.

 

And those tweaks might not help. If the Cubs do not have a bounce back year very soon, they will see a hard drop in attendance. Season ticket list be damned. That thing started when the economy was rocking and the team was great (and tickets were cheaper). People who otherwise could not afford season tickets could get them with the expectations of financing their tickets through later sales. Or they put their name on the list knowing they would not have to pay for years. Without a quality team, those sales dry up, and people take baths. This is two years in a row of people bathing. There will easily be 15,000 attendance days if the team doesn't improve significantly in 2011.

 

I know when I was looking to split a nights and weekends season ticket package earlier this spring, I had a hell of a time finding people to buy even a partial season ticket package, and that was from people who said they were on the waiting list.

[J.R.]

Ricketts' folks sure are taking care of business while the boss sits on the other side of the world.

 

 

Incidents like today are why the chairman needs to be within reach during the season.

[Sammy Sofa]

This is a great bit you've got going here.

[UMFan83]

I'm gonna humor you...What would Tom Ricketts being in Chicago do? What could he possibly do to change this situation?

[J.R.]

Perhaps he could be available for comment, saving the organization the indignity of having the press dissect his associates' Twitter feeds in search of some kind of reaction.

 

If not a Zambrano blowup, then it could be (God forbid) an accident of some kind at the ballpark, or perhaps the unveiling of a wart over the bleachers or a noodle in the players' lot. He was ushered in with the promise of being a new face for the organization in lieu of what went on in the Tribune years, but of late he's doing his best PK Wrigley imitation - hard-to-reach and eccentric (who in the [expletive] goes on a safari anyway?)

[Sosa21MVP]

RICH PEOPLE CAN'T TAKE VACATIONS. TOM SHOULD HAVE KNOWN Z WOULD BLOW UP. :P

[E.J.]

Perhaps he could be available for comment, saving the organization the indignity of having the press dissect his associates' Twitter feeds in search of some kind of reaction.

 

If not a Zambrano blowup, then it could be (God forbid) an accident of some kind at the ballpark, or perhaps the unveiling of a wart over the bleachers or a noodle in the players' lot. He was ushered in with the promise of being a new face for the organization in lieu of what went on in the Tribune years, but of late he's doing his best PK Wrigley imitation - hard-to-reach and eccentric (who in the [expletive] goes on a safari anyway?)

 

First of all, lots of people enjoy going on safaris. I would love to go on a safari. Secondly, it's ridiculous for you to expect that Ricketts have some sort of Bat Signal installed that he responds to immediately if something happens. He has people in place taking care of the day-to-day. That's what owners do, unless you're Peter Angelos.

 

People aren't allowed to go on vacations? I think you're being a bit ridiculous.

[J.R.]

The trip itself is not the issue for me - the timing is.

 

If the owner of the Chicago Cubs doesn't think the season is worth sticking around for, then what the hell are we doing here?

[inari]

I love the Cubs. I missed almost all of last year in Australia.

[CardsFanInChiTown]

safari's are awesome. I highly recommend going on one.

 

Oh yeah, the vacation angle is absurd.

[dew1679666265]

Perhaps he could be available for comment, saving the organization the indignity of having the press dissect his associates' Twitter feeds in search of some kind of reaction.

 

If not a Zambrano blowup, then it could be (God forbid) an accident of some kind at the ballpark, or perhaps the unveiling of a wart over the bleachers or a noodle in the players' lot. He was ushered in with the promise of being a new face for the organization in lieu of what went on in the Tribune years, but of late he's doing his best PK Wrigley imitation - hard-to-reach and eccentric (who in the [expletive] goes on a safari anyway?)

 

From Bruces' blog:

--Randy said the Cubs sent a letter to Major League Baseball Friday night about Zambrano’s suspension. The Cubs also say owner Tom Ricketts has been kept apprised of developments, and Randy added there could be a “sit-down” this coming week involving Ricketts and the baseball people regarding Zambrano.

 

As rich as Ricketts is, he'll have communication devices over there. I doubt owners are consistently on call anywhere except maybe Baltimore (Angelos) or New York (Steinbrenners) even when they're not on vacation.

 

You can just as easily read into this trip that he's not going to be an overly hands-on owner who gets in the way. He sets everything up before the year starts as best he can and then lets the guys he employs do their job. I see no problem with that.

[J.R.]

We are down a man indefinitely. We needed a "sit-down" this morning.

 

This whole situation is emblematic of Ricketts' lack of urgency.

[dew1679666265]

We are down a man indefinitely. We needed a "sit-down" this morning.

 

This whole situation is emblematic of Ricketts' lack of urgency.

 

We're going to be a man down as long as Z is suspended by the team. Meeting this morning or meeting Monday morning won't change how long we're a man down.

[J.R.]

Ricketts will most certainly have to sign off on any deals involving the Cubs' eating a substantial portion of Z's salary. The longer he stays down there living out his Redford daydreams, the longer we have to wait for a resolution.

 

http://www.filmreference.com/images/sjff_03_img1359.jpg

[Sammy Sofa]

The trip itself is not the issue for me - the timing is.

 

If the owner of the Chicago Cubs doesn't think the season is worth sticking around for, then what the hell are we doing here?

 

What the [expletive] are you talking about.

 

Do you seriously expect the owner of a sports team to be hanging around the team over the course of the entire season?

[Guest]

The trip itself is not the issue for me - the timing is.

 

If the owner of the Chicago Cubs doesn't think the season is worth sticking around for, then what the hell are we doing here?

 

What the [expletive] are you talking about.

 

Do you seriously expect the owner of a sports team to be hanging around the team over the course of the entire season?

I do. Especially a first year owner.

 

I'm pretty sure Ricketts could go on Safari whenever.

 

I'm not sure him or his family being around changes anything with regard to attendance or the Z thing though. I think all this happens whether or not he's around.

 

It smacks of apathy. Hopefully when he gets back he cleans friggen house.

[Tarver]

As has been stated, isn't it the FO's responsibility to clean up this mess? Isn't that what they're being paid to do? The absolute last thing any fan should want is an owner who micromanages. Just look Baltimore or Dallas for proof of that.

[Sammy Sofa]

Or it "smacks" of a guy who has a life outside of the Cubs.

[dew1679666265]

Ricketts will most certainly have to sign off on any deals involving the Cubs' eating a substantial portion of Z's salary. The longer he stays down there living out his Redford daydreams, the longer we have to wait for a resolution.

 

Again, why wouldn't Ricketts have a cell phone, laptop, TV, blackberry, iPad, pager, phone in the hotel room or some other electronic device I have no idea exists but allows people to talk to each other over long distances as if they were in the same room?

 

Just out of curiosity, should a CEO ever take a vacation? Because there's not an "offseason" for a CEO.

[dew1679666265]

I do. Especially a first year owner.

 

I'm pretty sure Ricketts could go on Safari whenever.

 

I'm not sure him or his family being around changes anything with regard to attendance or the Z thing though. I think all this happens whether or not he's around.

 

It smacks of apathy. Hopefully when he gets back he cleans friggen house.

 

How could his presence here make attendance rise or Z's outburst not happen? I don't understand that at all.

[Guest]

Or it "smacks" of a guy who has a life outside of the Cubs.

The Cubs are out of season for close to seven months in the winter when it sucks to be in Chicago. It's just bad PR for a first year owner. I'm not going to go crazy over this, but it's not something I'd expect a guy to do who is trying to assess what he has. It's different if he's on tour of the minors, but he's in Africa. I don't think he's a villain or a terrible owner, but there's no way this is a good thing with what has been going on.

[dew1679666265]

Or it "smacks" of a guy who has a life outside of the Cubs.

The Cubs are out of season for close to seven months in the winter when it sucks to be in Chicago. It's just bad PR for a first year owner. I'm not going to go crazy over this, but it's not something I'd expect a guy to do who is trying to assess what he has. It's different if he's on tour of the minors, but he's in Africa. I don't think he's a villain or a terrible owner, but there's no way this is a good thing with what has been going on.

 

There's really not much for an owner to assess on a day to day basis - in the big positions at least. I'm sure he had an opinion about Hendry before buying the team and I doubt day to day activities will change that. He'll likely reassess at the deadline or after the season and determine how Hendry handled the team he had in 2010.

 

If he fires Hendry, most all of the people under him will likely go too. I just don't see what he's not accomplishing that he should be while on vacation. There's very little in season an owner must be in the building or in the area to take care of, most of it is signing off on trades that could be done over the phone or via video chat or something.

[J.R.]

Again, why wouldn't Ricketts have a cell phone, laptop, TV, blackberry, iPad, pager, phone in the hotel room or some other electronic device I have no idea exists but allows people to talk to each other over long distances as if they were in the same room?

 

Whatever he has, he apparently considers it inadequate as the meeting won't happen until he returns.

 

Just out of curiosity, should a CEO ever take a vacation? Because there's not an "offseason" for a CEO.

 

Ricketts could take a trip in November and we wouldn't even notice. Going on safari during the two Sox series, when everything is magnified, was foolish at best.

[Sammy Sofa]

Wait, did the whole family go or just Tom? His sister is the co-owner and is also involved in the team's operations, so if only Tom went this is even less of a non-issue.

[Guest]

Or it "smacks" of a guy who has a life outside of the Cubs.

The Cubs are out of season for close to seven months in the winter when it sucks to be in Chicago. It's just bad PR for a first year owner. I'm not going to go crazy over this, but it's not something I'd expect a guy to do who is trying to assess what he has. It's different if he's on tour of the minors, but he's in Africa. I don't think he's a villain or a terrible owner, but there's no way this is a good thing with what has been going on.

 

There's really not much for an owner to assess on a day to day basis - in the big positions at least. I'm sure he had an opinion about Hendry before buying the team and I doubt day to day activities will change that. He'll likely reassess at the deadline or after the season and determine how Hendry handled the team he had in 2010.

 

If he fires Hendry, most all of the people under him will likely go too. I just don't see what he's not accomplishing that he should be while on vacation. There's very little in season an owner must be in the building or in the area to take care of, most of it is signing off on trades that could be done over the phone or via video chat or something.

He's the owner of the team. He needs to be around during the season. Especially his first season. He's the owner of a MLB franchise, there's a [expletive] ton of stuff for him to do on a day to day basis every day of the year.

 

Now, does that change anything with regard to Z, I don't think so. Does it change anything with regard to the way this season is unfolding, I don't think so either.

 

But one thing doesn't necessarily have to do with the other.