Ricketts gives Hendry huge vote of confidence
Call it the “dreaded vote of confidence” if you like.
Yes, Cubs owner Tom Ricketts expressed “100 percent confidence” in general manager Jim Hendry on Wednesday before a gathering of reporters in the Wrigley Field press box.
Here's the thing: I think he means it.
Votes of confidence in sports usually mean the coach, manager or GM can start contacting real-estate agents. But in the almost two years I've had occasion to be around Ricketts, I don't sense any guile in this guy.
The topic of Hendry came up indirectly early in Wednesday's conversation, and Ricketts gave away one small clue to his intentions regarding the GM.
“We do have a lot of money coming off the books,” Ricketts said when asked about spending on player payroll. “Whether or not that goes back into a large free-agent contract will be Jim's decision.”
He didn't say it was anybody else's decision or “an organizational decision.” He said it was “Jim's decision.” Of course, that screamed “follow-up question,” and there were a few of them. Each time, Ricketts remained steadfast in his support for Hendry and the people under him, including field manager Mike Quade even though the Cubs entered Wednesday night's game against the Brewers with a record of 27-39.
“I have 100 percent confidence in Jim,” he said. “He's working very hard to do everything he can to get this season back to where we want it to be. And I think Mike's done a great job. You know Mike has got those guys playing hard. You know they're not giving up. You know there's good spirit in the clubhouse. Yeah, those guys are fine.”
I tried to push it a little harder, asking if there was nothing that could change that stance between now and October.
“The fact is, I have 100 percent confidence in Jim,” Ricketts repeated. “We're just going forward right now and we'll see what the off-season looks like then. I'm pretty happy, I'm comfortable with Jim and I'm confident in his ability to keep us looking forward.”
Now, you can like those answers or not, and it's fair to opine that regime change is needed, as we did in a piece a couple of weeks back. But don't look for Hendry to be gone any time soon.
Ricketts was with the baseball-operations people during the amateur draft, and I'm told he was quite impressed as to how scouting director Tim Wilken runs things there.
Along those lines, Ricketts said he hoped the Cubs could start signing their draftees soon and added the resources would be there.
“We talk about building an organization,” he said. “We talk about, ‘We have to bring in the right players, both international and U.S. amateurs, and we have to bring them up through the facilities with the right coaching.' We've committed to dedicating more dollars to those signings, both in the U.S. and internationally this year.”
And Ricketts labeled it a non-story that the Cubs would not have money to spend on free agents because of the team's debt situation.
“Nothing in the capital structure of the balance sheet, and any of the debt would in any way limit our ability to put a good team on the field,” he said. “The fact is this year we've spent more on baseball operations than any year in the past, and we continue to invest in the team. It's no way a limitation on our ability to sign free agents or our flexibility to build a better organization.”
Ricketts also dismissed the idea that the Cubs need a veteran “baseball man” to oversee Hendry. As of now, team president Crane Kenney, not a baseball guy, oversees the GM.
“I've never bought into I should have a baseball guy to watch my baseball guy and his baseball guys,” he said. “Then what do you get, a baseball guy to watch the baseball guy who's watching your baseball guys? I trust Jim to do the best he can to get the best team on the field. I trust Mike to manage those guys effectively and give us the amount of wins that he can. And so, I really haven't thought about an extra baseball guy, and I'm not regretting having an extra baseball guy at all.”
On other subjects, Ricketts said:
Ÿ He didn't like pitcher Carlos Zambrano criticizing teammate Carlos Marmol recently but he didn't think it was “that bad” when Zambrano said the team's poor play on the last road trip was an “embarrassment.”
Ÿ The “(bleep) the goat” T-shirts players started wearing this week would not be allowed to be worn outside while fans are in the park.
Ÿ He disagrees with comments that Wrigley Field is a “dump,” calling it instead the “third largest tourist attraction in the state” while knowing it can be improved.