As owner, Ricketts looks to keep a fan's perspective

Posted October 29, 2009 11:00 pm

By Bruce Miles

So what kind of Cubs owner will Tom Ricketts be, hands-on or hands-off?

Yes.

"Hands-on, yes, from the standpoint of being out in the stands, talking to folks, being part of the game from the fan perspective," Ricketts said in a recent interview with Daily Herald reporters. "Hands-off to the extent that player decisions have to be made by people you've hired to make player decisions.

"If you're an owner who inserts themselves where they shouldn't, you lose accountability. On top of that, the people you've hired to do their jobs have to know that you support them."

The 44-year-old Ricketts, who took over as Cubs owner earlier this week, said he'll be visible in and around Wrigley Field during the baseball season.

And, yes, he met his wife while attending a Cubs game as a fan in the bleachers during the 1991 season.

"True story," he said. "I met my wife in the bleachers. She was with a group of friends. I was with a group of friends."

So where will Ricketts sit during games beginning next spring, in the field boxes or in luxury suite?

"I got a feeling I won't sit much anywhere when I'm here," he said. "I'll have to find out what seats are available. Put me on a waiting list. I'm going to find a place I can get in and out of. The front-row seats are nice. You're really close to the players, to the game, but I'd rather be a little further back. It's easier to move around a bit."

And what should the fans call him when they see him.

"Tom," he said without hesitation. "First of all, we're all real fans. We have been for a long time. My brother and sister both live in Chicago. We're real fans. My other brother lives in Nebraska, but he's been a fan for many years. We'll be around. It's just our job to be out as real fans talking to folks and making sure (we're doing) everything we can to help them and make the stadium better. We'll keep our eyes open for that and just be part of it."

Ricketts said he doesn't believe he'll lose being a fan because he's now an owner.

"I hope not," he said. "A friend of mine came up to me the other day and said, 'Do you ever get tired of talking about this?' I was like, 'Dude, if I ever get tired of talking about this, there's something wrong with me.' I've met a lot the other owners. They all still love it. They might have a lot more information than they might have on Day 1 when they stepped in, and maybe some of that information is not positive about the game. But I think I'll always enjoy it."

As far as Item No. 1 on his to-do list, Ricketts insisted he doesn't have one.

"I really don't," he said. "There are a lot of things we want to get done between now and April. But obviously, it's late. To get anything done between now and Opening Day is going to be tough. We'd like to address restrooms (at Wrigley Field) as much as we can between now and then. I'd like to address just basic kind of - just tidy up the park a bit. It just could be cleaner. It could be presented better.

"I'd like to do something about crowding on the concourses if we can figure out any way to relieve that a bit. Everyone knows that when they leave, it's just a mess. Those are kinds of things we think we can start to look at in one off-season. For the bigger solutions, we're all going to be relying on the bigger, long-term plan, the building here and freeing this space."

And one more thing, what does an owner wear to the ballpark?

"It depends," he said. "I think during the week you probably wear khakis, and on the weekends, I'll wear flip-flops. It depends. I don't think suit and tie is part of it. I think I'll be pretty casual. I don't think there's any reason to be anything more than just what you're comfortable in."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=332928">Ricketts' one goal: 'Best franchise in baseball' <span class="date">[10/30/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=332985">Excerpts from Tom Ricketts' interview with the Daily Herald <span class="date">[10/30/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=332929">As owner, Ricketts looks to keep a fan's perspective <span class="date">[10/30/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=332919"><B>Burt Constable:</B> Ricketts turns from die-hard fan into owner <span class="date">[10/30/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=332930"><B>Mike Imrem:</B> Can Ricketts handle the challenge of Wrigley? <span class="date">[10/30/09]</span></a></li> </ul>  <div style="display:none"> </div>  <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://admin.brightcove.com/js/BrightcoveExperiences.js"></script> <object id="myExperience46550033001" class="BrightcoveExperience"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /> <param name="width" value="300" /> <param name="height" value="254" /> <param name="playerID" value="18011347001" /> <param name="publisherID" value="1659832549"/> <param name="isVid" value="true" /> <param name="@videoPlayer" value="46550033001" /> </object>  </div> </div> </div>

Article Categories
Baseball Chicago Cubs MLB Other Sports Pro Sports Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types