I'm not sure if this has been discussed yet, but I was thinking about this earlier today. Before the Hendry firing and 2011 draft, there was a lot of discussion about Ricketts taking a couple of seasons to familiarize himself with day-to-day operations of the organizations before making any big moves. People were scoffing at the improvements to the Wrigley restrooms when there were no improvements to be seen on the field; worrying about the "fanboy" owner meddling with things he knew nothing about. But now, looking back, it seems as though he knew exactly which steps to take to get us here. No matter how talented the front office, there are still fundamental tools needed to be successful. The foundations laid since the Ricketts took ownership (new spring training complex, Dominican baseball academy, Wrigley renovations, investing in the farm system) are what really make the Cubs GM position so appealing. Would a high-profile GM such as Epstein be interested in the job otherwise? Maybe my man-crush for Tom is clouding my judgement, but I don't know if an Epstein-caliber hire could have been made in 2009.