Tom Ricketts gives 108 pieces of advice in Lake Forest commencement address
It was a beautiful Saturday morning at Ravinia Festival Park in Highland Park when Tom Ricketts, executive chairman and co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, stepped to the podium to deliver the commencement address to the graduating class of Lake Forest College.
Ricketts told the class that studies show the only thing about their graduation ceremony they are likely to remember is the weather.
Nevertheless, he tasked himself with crafting a commencement address containing the most complete collection of graduation advice ever assembled.
Ricketts then took a drink of water and proceeded to rattle off 108 pieces of advice, one for every year of the Cubs' historic World Series drought.
"Find meaning, find Nemo, find a job. Your dad told me to put that last one on here," Ricketts said.
"Give back, give hope and always give 110 percent even though you know that is mathematically impossible."
And on and on he listed helpful and sometimes contradictory cliches he'd compiled.
The final three pieces of advice Ricketts imparted all were quotes from Cubs manager/philosopher Joe Maddon: "Never let the pressure exceed the pleasure," "Do simple better," and most importantly "Try not to suck."
"Not only are these all insightful and helped win the World Series, all of these are available as a T-shirt," Ricketts said.
Ricketts, whose father J. Joe Ricketts is worth around $1.61 billion according to Forbes, told the college graduates that he has found that money can't buy happiness, but with enough money you can pick your own form of misery.
"Without good friends and close family to enjoy your successes they will have no meaning," Ricketts said.
In addition to delivering the commencement address, Ricketts also was given an honorary doctorate of letters from Lake Forest College.
College President Stephen Schutt said they bestowed the honor to Ricketts on behalf of Cubs fans everywhere. Schutt read a quote Ricketts gave to a newspaper about how he feels the Cubs have a unique opportunity to become one of the greatest sports organizations in the world.
"It is characteristic of Tom Ricketts not only to set an audacious goal and yet remain an exceptionally nice guy in pursuing it," Schutt said.
Ricketts sneaked in a 109th piece of advice into his speech after telling the crowd he was going to as he jokingly put it "become a doctor."
"(It) is pretty cool for me, but I feel bad for you guys because you guys spent four years working all the time to get a bachelor's degree, and I get be a doctor just for finishing this speech," Ricketts said.
"There you go, that's life lesson number one, things always aren't all that fair."