Owners make Cubs fans feel a little like part of the family

The biggest one-day concentration of Cubs management in the history of the team's convention met the fans Saturday.

Although the fans came armed with pointed questions about everything from the baseball team to Wrigley Field, the brass had them applauding more times than not.

The highlight of the busy day may have been the first-ever session done by Cubs owners. Fans stood and cheered as the Ricketts family was introduced during their morning panel.

Chairman Tom Ricketts was joined by siblings Laura, Pete and Todd.

All that doesn't mean it was a total love fest or that fans came away totally satisfied with the answers they got from the Ricketts family, the baseball-operations staff or the business-management suits.

A fan who identified himself as Dennis from Schaumburg got things off to a rousing start when he implored the Ricketts family to keep its spring-training base in Mesa, Ariz., instead of moving it to Naples, Fla.

Tom Ricketts was noncommittal, even as he acknowledged the long-standing business partnership between the Cubs and Mesa.

Sentiment in the crowd was clearly in favor of Arizona.

"Our goal is to have the best facilities in baseball when it comes to spring training," Tom Ricketts said, noting that the current setup in Mesa has become outdated.

"That said, the 57-year relationship with Mesa, that's gone extremely well. We're respectful of that.

"The key is we need Arizona to do their half of the trade, too, and get us a better facility."

As far as baseball is concerned, Ricketts praised general manager Jim Hendry and noted progress in scouting, player development and in the hiring of new hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo and GM assistant Greg Maddux.

"We truly believe Jim has done a terrific job," Ricketts said. "What I think a lot of people don't see is the tremendous progress that's been made in the organization the last few years.

"If you look at the prospects five or six years ago, the way that our prospects were rated, our organization has changed dramatically.

"We have a lot of talented guys coming up through the system. Jim has built an incredible scouting organization. He's brought in some of the best coaches in baseball. From an organizational standpoint, the team is headed in the right direction."

For his part, Hendry could not shake questions about recalcitrant right fielder Milton Bradley, whom he traded last month to Seattle for pitcher Carlos Silva.

"Obviously, it didn't work out," said Hendry, who suspended Bradley for the final two weeks of last season for conduct detrimental to the team.

"That's totally my responsibility. It was a mistake, in hindsight. I think we rectified the mistake. He just didn't play well early, and it progressively got away from him."

With the seeming full backing of the Ricketts family Hendry said he doesn't feel his time is "running out" as GM of the Cubs, a job he has held since the middle of the 2002 season.

"I never look at it how long I've been here; I never look at it how long I'm going to be here," he said. "I feel like I have an obligation to the organization to do the best I can.

"I think the fans believe over my time here, which is really 15 years counting the minor leagues and running the draft, I think they understand that. I certainly don't take a lot of pride in the years we don't make the playoffs."

Among the other highlights from all the day's sessions:

• The Ricketts family says Wrigley Field is in "structurally OK shape" and that renovations and improvements would be made with "respect" to the park's history.

• The Cubs continue lobbying Major League Baseball to host the 2014 All-Star Game to mark Wrigley Field's 100th anniversary.

• The Cubs are not considering personal seat licenses.

• The Ricketts family is not considering increasing the number of night games from 30 or seeking Friday night or Saturday night home games.

• Laura Ricketts said that any profits the team makes under the family's ownership would be put back into the team.

Speaking of the bottom line, Tom Ricketts said he knows that means winning, and he said he feels the Cubs can do that for an impatient fan base in 2010.

"It's a veteran team with a veteran manager," Ricketts said, referring to Lou Piniella. "If we stay healthy, we can win the division."