Ricketts could see seeds of Chicago Cubs' success
Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts greeted the media Monday at Wrigley Field with hoarse voice.
Ricketts may have lost his voice making the media rounds all day, or he may have lost it during the weekend celebration of the Cubs clinching a playoff spot.
The more plausible explanation, he said, is that he now has to yell over the din that's been created at Wrigley Field by a winning ballclub - and perhaps by an overly loud sound system at the ballpark, a system he says will be replaced next year.
After five losing seasons with his family owning the team, Ricketts finally has a winner, one put together by baseball president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer. Ricketts said he could see it coming at the end of last season.
"As you know, that second half last year, I thought we played pretty well," he said while seated in the home dugout. "The team played with a little bit different attitude. Some of the young guys really came on strong and played pretty well.
"Last year, at the end of the season, Theo said, 'I don't think 2015 is a development year for us. I think we can go out and find a few pieces to make us compete.' We had the good fortune to get one of the best managers in the game, and here we are."
Epstein signed manager Joe Maddon to a five-year contract last November. Speaking of five-year contracts, the one Epstein signed in the fall of 2011 expires at the end of next season. That has led to talk of whether Ricketts will soon sign Epstein to an extension.
"We'll sit down at some point about what that means," Ricketts said. "Right now, we're just focused on the postseason. As you guys all know, Theo and I have a great relationship. Obviously, the results are great. I think that not just Theo but everyone in the baseball organization are on a mission. They're on that mission, and we want to keep that mission going forward."
In a rapid-fire session with reporters, Ricketts addressed an array of topics.
• On whether winning this year would bring in additional revenues geared toward player payroll for next season, Ricketts said: "Obviously, winning helps the payroll analysis, but as you guys know it's not about payroll anymore in baseball. It's about what you get.
"The fact is, the correlation between dollars you spend and the wins you get on the field is going down every single year. So in order to have sustainable success, you can't count on money. You have to count on young talent. And you've seen our young talent.
"We've gone out and built the best facilities in baseball. We've scouted well. We've drafted well. I think we're developing well.
"And that's what's really going to decide whether or not this team is going to have one or two good years or 10 or 12 good years. It's going to be about how strong our foundation is over time. With that said, winning will help on the financial side, too."
• The multiyear renovation of Wrigley Field began last season. Next year the Cubs are scheduled to move into a large new home clubhouse.
"I think Crane (business president Kenney) and everyone on the business side has done a great job on the ballpark," Ricketts said. "I'm sure as of now we're on pace for the clubhouse opening next year. That's the most important deliverable.
"There's a lot of stuff going on that no one will see, a lot of steel, a lot of concrete, electrical, plumbing, all that stuff. Most of the money that goes into saving this ballpark is saving the ballpark and not giving anybody some tangible improvement.
"But over time, (the Cubs will) put in some more clubs, put in some more washrooms, more concessions, and it will get better over the next few years."
• Many teams have secured lucrative TV deals in recent years. The Cubs will be looking at cashing in at the end of the decade. The landscape could look vastly different by then, but Ricketts said the product on the field should make for attractive viewing, translating to lots of dollars.
"Obviously, the television deal is up in 2019," he said. "That's going to be a very significant part of the financials going forward. We have to make sure we do it right. We've got to be very thoughtful about how that comes together.
"Things are changing. The media landscape is changing. What we do know is content still has value. We have a lot of good content. Obviously with a team that's playing better, it's even more valuable content."
Scouting report
Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park
TV: Comcast SportsNet today and Thursday; WGN Wednesday
Radio: WBBM 780-AM
Pitching matchups: The Cubs' Dan Haren (9-9) vs. Josh Smith (0-2) today at 6:10 p.m.; Jon Lester (10-12) vs. Anthony DeSclafani (9-12) Wednesday at 6:10 p.m.; Jason Hammel (9-7) vs. John Lamb (1-4) Thursday at 11:35 a.m.
At a glance: The Cubs are 10-6 against the Reds this year, 4-2 in Cincinnati. The Reds are last in the NL Central and 10 games under .500 (34-44) at home. Joey Votto entered Monday with a line of .318/.464/.556 for the Reds while Todd Frazier had 35 homers and 88 RBI. Votto's on-base percentage of .464 was second in the NL, and his 140 walks led the league by a wide margin. Cubs batters and pitchers both lead the major leagues in strikeouts. The only team ever to lead the majors in both batting and pitching strikeouts was the 2002 Cubs.
Next: Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park, Friday-Sunday
- Bruce Miles