The Ricketts Ownership

[jersey cubs fan]

Getting pissed off about things that haven't happened yet is utterly ridiculous.

 

Not when you know they are going to happen.

[mookie]

Getting pissed off about things that haven't happened yet is utterly ridiculous.

 

Not when you know they are going to happen.

 

But you really don't though. Seriously.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

There's always unintended consequences. I'll take the opportunity cost measured in dollars when the alternative is one measured in years, a much scarcer resource.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Getting pissed off about things that haven't happened yet is utterly ridiculous.

 

But you're allowed to get excited about things that haven't happened yet?

[Guest]

To come back to a point from my original post, that money is coming from somewhere, so there's at least a small bit of opportunity cost. To speak nothing of the lost draft picks and draft allotment when free agency is the primary mode of acquisition.

 

There will be unintended consequences, free agency isn't an efficient enough mode of acquisition to pretend otherwise.

 

Who is pretending free agency doesn't have inefficiencies or that it should be the primary mode of acquisition?

 

The goal is not to have the most efficient roster, it is to have the best roster you can afford. The Cubs have not had the best roster they can afford in quite some time.

 

In the instance that the Cubs have a terrible farm system and are committed to improving that farm system(as was the case post 2011), Free agency would be the primary mode of acquisition, especially for players who would make a substantial difference in the team's win total.

 

That doesn't make any sense.

 

It's not all that difficult. The Cubs had a poor MLB roster, didn't have prospects to trade, and wanted to add prospects anyway. With that in mind, Free Agency is going to be the main way they would make major improvements immediately, unless they can pull off multiple deals where they get significant returns for little player cost(recall the point about selling off players due to financial reasons being less likely now).

[mookie]

Getting pissed off about things that haven't happened yet is utterly ridiculous.

 

But you're allowed to get excited about things that haven't happened yet?

 

/end thread

[Guest]

Even if you like the path this front office is taking, I am especially disappointed to have to hear the rumblings of "Trying to win with FA signings are why Hendry failed" on NSBB. That's some Kaplan-level ish right there, and it shouldn't fly here of all places.

 

The 2010-11 Cubs were in a bad shape because of this list:

 

Matt Clanton

Chadd Blasko

Luke Hagerty

Bobby Brownlie

Ryan Harvey

Mark Pawelek

Tyler Colvin

Josh Donaldson

Josh Vitters

Ryan Flaherty

Andrew Cashner

 

Having to compensate for bad drafting/developing with free agent signings are part of why Hendry failed. As well as the fact that he got the worst possible outcome on two of his three playoff teams.

 

Then bad drafting/developing is the reason Hendry failed, not that he signed free agents to what were pretty damn reasonable deals. (Soriano and Zambrano kind of excluded.)

 

All of the non pitchers on that list have actually played in MLB (not positive about Donaldson) Doesn't excuse anything Hendry did, just thought that when the philosophy changed from stockpiling pitching to BPA the success rate sort of went up.

Donaldson has made it to the big leagues.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

It's not all that difficult. The Cubs had a poor MLB roster, didn't have prospects to trade, and wanted to add prospects anyway. With that in mind, Free Agency is going to be the main way they would make major improvements immediately, unless they can pull off multiple deals where they get significant returns for little player cost(recall the point about selling off players due to financial reasons being less likely now).

 

And there's nothing wrong with free agency being the primary way to make major improvements immediately, when you can afford it and the players you need are available.

 

Major improvements through free agency may not be ideal because of the drawbacks, but the drawbacks to not making the improvements at all are much more severe.

[SouthSideRyan]

There will be unintended consequences, free agency isn't an efficient enough mode of acquisition to pretend otherwise.

 

Free agency is also the surest bet on getting something in return for your investment.

[Guest]

I'm pretty sure I can rattle off failed 2000s Cubs prospects at a world-class level, but I have absolutely no memory of Matt Clanton.

 

Google comes up with this fascinating story:

 

http://cubs.scout.com/2/527823.html

 

 

When he was released, no one asked for his story. No one cared. They had no reason to. In a vineyard lined wall to wall with pitching prospects just ripe for the plucking, Clanton was yesterday’s wine – a once promising athlete long since forgotten by most and formally set free by the organization that awarded him almost $2 million from beginning to end.

 

That is awful writing. I will take yesterday's wine over grapes that are ripe any day of the week.

 

Even after that cocktail party? At your age?

[Tracer Bullet]

There will be unintended consequences, free agency isn't an efficient enough mode of acquisition to pretend otherwise.

 

Free agency is also the surest bet on getting something in return for your investment.

 

What? The surest bet to get a bad ROI maybe. Not the surest bet to get a good ROI.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

There will be unintended consequences, free agency isn't an efficient enough mode of acquisition to pretend otherwise.

 

Free agency is also the surest bet on getting something in return for your investment.

 

What? The surest bet to get a bad ROI maybe. Not the surest bet to get a good ROI.

 

The surest bet to get a not awful ROI.

 

When you bet on prospects, you sometimes get this:

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/features/chat020703.html

[Ding Dong Johnson]

When you bet on prospects, you sometimes get this:

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/features/chat020703.html

Well, that wasn't fun to read...

[seanimal]

Why do you keep engaging him?

 

Because I bring more relevant baseball content to this site in a day than you do in a year. We can't all be comic relief.

 

define "relevant baseball content"...

 

because it seems to me that the relevant points you may make aren't as profound as you seem to think/hope, and the other stuff is troll campaigns masquerading as profundity

[Hairyducked Idiot]

because it seems to me that the relevant points you may make aren't as profound as you seem to think/hope, and the other stuff is troll campaigns masquerading as profundity

 

In the last two weeks here, here's your post count by subject:

 

Sports, non-Cubs: 13

Making fun of people or generally attacking them: 7

Non-sports topics: 6

Chicago Cubs: 2

 

You are barely more than an internet bully. Not only is that role more than well-filled on this site, it is filled by quite a few people more clever than you.

 

But this thread doesn't have to be about seanimal...

[Hawk4Hall]

Like another poster said, the only real issue I have with Ricketts is letting Hendry stick around too long.

 

I do question how soon things are going to turn around for the Cubs. I am willing to wait, as I know Theo has a plan, but this season the Cubs need to show improvement. That shouldn't be hard to do considering last season was such a disaster. The Cubs are still reeling from the Hendry moves and I still think the Garza trade was a poor one.

[CubsInNC]

Getting pissed off about things that haven't happened yet is utterly ridiculous.

 

But you're allowed to get excited about things that haven't happened yet?

 

Premature Wincalculation is a recognized medical condition. Doom boners are not.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Getting pissed off about things that haven't happened yet is utterly ridiculous.

 

But you're allowed to get excited about things that haven't happened yet?

 

Premature Wincalculation is a recognized medical condition. Doom boners are not.

 

You sound just like the jerks as the Social Security Disability office.

[Guest]

Andddd the 2013 Forbes numbers are in

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2013/03/27/baseball-team-valuations-2013-yankees-on-top-at-2-3-billion/2/

 

Cubs at #4 in value at a billion

 

$274M in revenue

 

$32.1M in operating income

 

 

The Chicago Cubs, worth $1 billion and Philadelphia Phillies, valued at $893 million, also cracked the top five as both teams should also get much richer local television deals soon. The Cubs pulled in less than $50 million last season from CSN Chicago and WGN. The team’s deal with regional sports network CSN Chicago, which is 20%-owned by the Cubs, runs through 2019. But in 2015 the team is poised to ink a much bigger deal with WGN. The Phillies’ contract with CSN Philadelphia and PHL 17 paid the team $54 million combined in 2012. The deal with the RSN, which televises most of the games, expires in 2015. The Phillies and Comcast are already in the process of negotiating a new deal that may double the team’s rights fee.

[Guest]

I think they need to get some of their facts straight, though. I doubt they sign that much richer deal with WGN....but I guess we'll see.

[imb]

because it seems to me that the relevant points you may make aren't as profound as you seem to think/hope, and the other stuff is troll campaigns masquerading as profundity

 

In the last two weeks here, here's your post count by subject:

 

Sports, non-Cubs: 13

Making fun of people or generally attacking them: 7

Non-sports topics: 6

Chicago Cubs: 2

 

You are barely more than an internet bully. Not only is that role more than well-filled on this site, it is filled by quite a few people more clever than you.

 

But this thread doesn't have to be about seanimal...

 

you are making this post at 6:30 in the morning you lifeless baboon

[Sammy Sofa]

I think they need to get some of their facts straight, though. I doubt they sign that much richer deal with WGN....but I guess we'll see.

 

Maybe just a 5-year-deal? I can't imagine WGN is any hurry to lose them and might just be desperate enough to agree to such a thing.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

you are making this post at 6:30 in the morning you lifeless baboon

 

You live in a weird timezone.

[seanimal]

because it seems to me that the relevant points you may make aren't as profound as you seem to think/hope, and the other stuff is troll campaigns masquerading as profundity

 

In the last two weeks here, here's your post count by subject:

 

Sports, non-Cubs: 13

Making fun of people or generally attacking them: 7

Non-sports topics: 6

Chicago Cubs: 2

 

You are barely more than an internet bully. Not only is that role more than well-filled on this site, it is filled by quite a few people more clever than you.

 

But this thread doesn't have to be about seanimal...

 

lol, of course the guy who mashes out a post on some cubs-related site an average of once every five minutes, polluting every single tangible place for online cubs discussion, would equate post volume with quality of contribution

 

but since you're so interested in my comings and goings, in the last two weeks i've also

 

1) travelled to nashville for pleasure

2) travelled to boston for business

3) completed 17 hours of online development trainings (ugh)

4) created and delivered 3 presentations related to our clients and their business and what we can do to help them make more money

5) set up onsite meetings to convince said clients to listen to me

6) looked at my computer screen with a furrowed brow as if concentrating and working on something really important

7) visited the doctor with my wife to make grainy, homemade b+w movies of my gestating monster child

8) brewed a beer

9) made a sourdough starter, made sourdough, ate sourdough, tried to figure out why my sourdough wasn't very sour

10) took over sole ownership of first place in my fantasy golf league (was fourth like three weeks ago)

11) researched and drafted for my team in my keeper league

12) paid attention to and watched games by chicago professional sports teams that are actually playing meaningful games

13) paid attention to and read articles related to baseball, the chicago cubs, and the upcoming season

14) read every single baseball-related post made on this site, even yours

 

to name a few things. sorry if i can't get my dick up to respond to the endless stream of useless faux-analysis you pepper this site (and many others) with. it's not that i'm too busy, because i'm absolutely sure that there are others here who are far more busy and more important to this world. it's just that, whereas a worthwhile debater stimulates conversation, nothing you say is at all intellectually stimulating enough to muster a response to. on top of that, spring training is just a no-man's land for good baseball conversation anyway; the hand wringing on what's going to come is tedious and largely uninteresting

 

i digress. i find it hilarious that you use the term bully. entertaining that thought for a moment, the proper response by the bullied is shock and awe; go in guns blazing. instead, you come in here shooting spitballs. and not even good ones, but those crappy, half-chewed, slightly-wet ones that don't serve the intended purpose. you can't do anything right

 

so, a suggestion; maybe instead of dedicating yourself to this perverse dream of abusing as much available bandwidth as possible by "discussing" cubs baseball for a non-living, you could try to be a non-zero, close your netbook, and try adding value to the world

 

i won't hold my breath

Edited March 28, 2013 by seanimal

[Sammy Sofa]

I think the "sour" part is more suggested than being a necessity.