Fans to help present Chicago Cubs' championship rings

The Chicago Cubs will unfurl their 2016 world-championship banner before the home opener on April 10 at Wrigley Field.

Two nights later, the World Series-winning players will receive their championship rings.

The fans will get to help.

During Saturday's Cubs convention, the team announced that 20 fans will present players with their rings during the pregame ceremony.

The Cubs are calling it the "Championship Ring Bearer Fan Contest."

To enter, fans must record and submit an online video nominating their favorite candidate. The video must be uploaded to Twitter using the #CubsRingBearer hashtag. All videos must be no more than 60 second in length explaining why their nominee deserves to present the rings.

Nominations will be accepted through Feb. 14, when pitchers and catchers report for spring training.

Responding to one fan's question during Saturday's session featuring Cubs business operations, the team said it would not have replica rings produced for fans, as other sports teams have done. That seemed to disappoint many fans. However, the Cubs said there will be a promotional date for championship-trophy replicas.

Seeking an All-Star Game:

Cubs business president Crane Kenney outlined several items dealing directly or indirectly with the ongoing renovation of Wrigley Field.

Fans and media have asked for several years about the Cubs hosting an All-Star Game for the first time since 1990. Kenney said 2020 would be an ideal time to host because the renovations would be complete by then.

However, Kenney cautioned fans that the All-Star Game gets allocated based on the discretion of the commissioner, Rob Manfred.

"Typically it's awarded to cities that have supported their clubs through public financing," Kenney said, noting that the Cubs are financing the Wrigley renovations with their own money. "It is a little bit of a hurdle for the league to suggest you should reward the city of Chicago and us with an All-Star Game when, in fact, we didn't get the kind of support the other cities got. We still think we're deserving."

Both Kenney and team chairman Tom Ricketts said the Cubs are moving the bullpens from the field to under the bleachers for this upcoming season. Both acknowledged that move is not popular with fans.

"I like the bullpens where they're at," Ricketts said during an earlier session. "We just decided that from a health standpoint for the outfielders running in there, it's probably best to move them underneath and just get them off the playing field. My heart goes in my throat whenever I see one of our guys running over in that direction."

Paying tribute to Stan:

The Cubs paid tribute to late scout Stan Zielinski, who died recently. Zielinski, who lived in Winfield, was responsible for the Cubs signing catcher-outfielder Kyle Schwarber, among others.

"Our scouting department is really the rock upon which the whole organization is built," said baseball president Theo Epstein. "Stan Zielinski was really the heart and soul of our scouting department. "We'll miss him dearly. All of us feel like it's our responsibility to continue his legacy with not only how hard he worked and how much he loved the Cubs but also the way he treated people and the way he developed relationships and led a really full life."

Jason McLeod, the Cubs' chief of scouting and player development, also praised Zielinski.

"Stan was probably the best I've ever seen at creating a picture of the person," McLeod said. "Someday, if we ever release publicly his report on Kyle Schwarber, I think everyone in this room would just be amazed at how detailed he was in breaking down who this guy will be when he arrives in Chicago, and it happened in a short time, obviously."