Sale Of Cubs To Ricketts Group On Target For End Of August

by Al on Jul 4, 2009 7:00 AM CDT in News Comment 41 comments

This post won't be very long, because the article it quotes isn't very long. It quotes last night's report by David Kaplan on WGN that an agreement between the Ricketts group and Tribune Co. should be in place in the next couple of weeks. The article also says:

Quoting "a good baseball source," Kaplan said approval from MLB would likely take place before the end of August.

Discuss.

0 recs | Comment 41 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Meh.

Go Green! Go White! GO STATE!
King Leonidas: Spartans! What is your profession?
Spartans: HA-OOH! HA-OOH! HA-OOH!

by Zeke on Jul 4, 2009 7:17 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

wonderful

by tim815 on Jul 4, 2009 7:18 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Wait

The team is for sale!?

Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

by bren on Jul 4, 2009 7:36 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I heard a rumor about that.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al on Jul 4, 2009 7:40 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

it's happening!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Milton ...... see the ball hit the ball

by lexmarklover on Jul 4, 2009 7:49 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Thank goodness

can we finally move on.

"Have You heard of the Boom on Mizar 5?"

by Grockcubs on Jul 4, 2009 8:09 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I hear MLB will give its approval..........

if Ricketts agrees to ban Ronnie “Woo Woo” from Wrigley Field for life.

"We got some pretty good chemistry here. We got some toughness, and it's starting to show." - Lou Pinella

by Clutche on Jul 4, 2009 8:56 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Who? Woo? Who?

Go Green! Go White! GO STATE!
King Leonidas: Spartans! What is your profession?
Spartans: HA-OOH! HA-OOH! HA-OOH!

by Zeke on Jul 4, 2009 9:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd vote for that.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al on Jul 4, 2009 3:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

sale

get this sale done and maybe hendry will have some money to spend this winter.my first target. mark derosa.o.k. everybody start losing your minds.

by NOMAR on Jul 4, 2009 9:10 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I see what you did there.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Jul 4, 2009 9:18 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

get this sale done, and maybe we can get a competent GM

by WanderingWanderer on Jul 4, 2009 10:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wait

I was getting a bid ready, this doesn’t seem fair.

by niuhuskie224 on Jul 4, 2009 9:23 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

This sale has been more of a ping-pong match

than a business deal… it’s on, it’s off, it’s on, it’s off… I actually feel bad for the Ricketts family for having to go through all of this. They’re good people who have proven a propensity for good business and management and don’t deserve to be part of all of Zell’s little games. I hope when they finally own the team and replace all the troughs with toilets they have all have a little plaque in the bowl that says “Sam Zell Commemorative Toilet” so we can all piss all over his name for dragging this thing out.

by lswaidz on Jul 4, 2009 9:28 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I'd like to see it completed before October just to ensure that

Sam Zell and the Tribune don’t get a World Series ring – they have both made (or will be making) a boatload of money from the Cubs without really using it to improve the ball club (in ways – unlike big player contracts – that are below the radar such as adding more scouts and front office baseball peeps) – here’s hoping it Tom Ricketts that is holding the trophy later this year!

by doofus cubs guy on Jul 4, 2009 9:43 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Again...

…I refuse to believe it’s done until, well until it’s done. Wake me up when it’s over.

"Pounding sand since 1982...."

by cubswynn on Jul 4, 2009 9:56 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

PV

by tim815 on Jul 4, 2009 8:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

PLAY BALL....

It will be nice to get this deal over with . The team has been up in the air . Gotta think about the changes to be made ????

by cubs north on Jul 4, 2009 10:11 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

In the tradition of baseball

everything moved along at the pace befitting of a marathon run in 100 degree temperatures.

If you like Selig's handling of the steroid issue, you'll love his choice for next Cub owner.

by tharr on Jul 4, 2009 10:24 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Ricketts won't do anything until the season is over

I doubt very seriously he will permit expansion of payroll. In fact, I expect the opposite. Hopefully, job one is showing Jim Hendry the door and hiring a baseball front office that can build a quality organization top to bottom. That includes a quality and productive farm system that gets to the point where it is producing a quality and reliable pipeline of talent that can be plugged in and play, or traded for other needed pieces. Hendry has abysmally failed in this department, hence why he has to continually go out and spend insane amounts for dubious characters in free agency.

There should be no reason a National League ballclub that is built the right way can’t win with a $100 million payroll. No reason whatsoever.

$136 million payroll for a .500 style ballclub. Good work Jim.

by BLou on Jul 4, 2009 10:44 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

productive farm system

as opposed to the one that has brought us Jake Fox, Sam Fuld, Randy Wells, Andres Blanco, Sean Marshall, Geo Soto, Ryan Theriot, Carlos Marmol, Angel Guzman…

I'm a Cubs FANATIC. They are my team, through thick and thin. [ibid] This is the kind of fan I am.

by drewishdrewid on Jul 4, 2009 10:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And...

Think about how well that farm system has done with trades over the past 6 years or so, starting with Aramis and going all the way to Kevin Gregg.

Then again, perhaps some people are still bitter we don’t have Dontrelle Willis?! hah

by aphoward on Jul 4, 2009 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hmmm..

Jake Fox — an oldish middling prospect and non-prospect as of last year
Sam Fuld — a 28 year old minor league journeyman and non-prospect a few years ago
Micah Hoffpauir — a 29 year old minor league journeyman and non-prospect a few years ago
Mike Fontenot — a 29 year old minor league journeyman and non-prospect a few years ago
Ryan Theriot — a 28 year old overachiever type and a non-prospect a few years ago
Randy Wells — a 27 year old middling prospect leading up to his major league trial (and success)
Andres Blanco — a journeyman castoff of Kansas City
Sean Marshall — A LEGITIMATE FRUIT of the minor league system
Geo Soto — a non-prospect leading up to 2007
Carlos Marmol — A LEGITIMATE FRUIT of the minor league system
Angel Guzman — a 28 year old pitching prosect plagued with a plethora of major injuries throughout his professional career

The REAL prospects of this system who failed??? - Corey Patterson, Felix Pie, Tyler Colvin

$136 million payroll for a .500 style ballclub. Good work Jim.

by BLou on Jul 4, 2009 11:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

and yet

they are all, with the exception of Fontenot (who I believe has valid reasons for his downturn) and Hoffpauir, producing very well for us right now.

Stop looking at the trees. See the forest. You just listed 11 guys who are doing well, against three prospects that didn’t pan out.

I'm a Cubs FANATIC. They are my team, through thick and thin. [ibid] This is the kind of fan I am.

by drewishdrewid on Jul 4, 2009 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Whatever

Fact is the farm system remains dismally ineffective. You can have all the aging Triple A’ers make contributions that you want. The objective of the game however is for an organization to consistently pump out true top level prospects. In other words, investments in “top prospects” like Corey Patterson, Felix Pie, Tyler Colvin, Josh Vitters, Brett Jackson, et al need to pay off as opposed to year in and year out blowing up.

$136 million payroll for a .500 style ballclub. Good work Jim.

by BLou on Jul 4, 2009 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just checking

But can you enlighten as to which MLB team actually has a system that “consistently pumps out true top level prospects”?

This is a serious question, because I’m not sure I’m aware of which team you are referring to.

by aphoward on Jul 4, 2009 11:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

right

the farm system remains ineffective, except for the 9 of 11 guys above who are playing well for us now, and the guys that got us your BFF Harden, and the guys who got us Ramirez…

I'm a Cubs FANATIC. They are my team, through thick and thin. [ibid] This is the kind of fan I am.

by drewishdrewid on Jul 4, 2009 11:30 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It seems to me that you are complaining

about the drafting, more than the farm system. If the system itself is getting productive players out of “non-prospects” then the system is over-performing.

As for the drafting – Hendry responded by getting one of the more respected guys out there. We’re getting to the point where we can judge how he’s doing in Chicago with Hendry’s ongoing influence. We know his record is not all bad, though. Donaldson and Vitters are both positive marks for him.

Randy Wells - You continue to astound me.

by DGU on Jul 4, 2009 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Already?

Is Tyler Colvin already pronounced DOA? I admit I don’t follow the non-AAA teams that closely, so I haven’t kept up with his performance.

by aphoward on Jul 4, 2009 11:18 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

he's been poor until this year

he’s been doing well recently this season. jury is still out.

by tim815 on Jul 4, 2009 8:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jury is out

but he played hurt all of last season. Since recovering from TJ surgery, he’s played pretty well.

by Josh77 on Jul 4, 2009 8:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't count on it

Do you actually think a new owner is going to come in, after spending $900 million bucks, and eat the next 3 years of Hendrys contract? In fact, do you want to see heads roll so much, that you would sacrifice $12 mil or so that could be spent on improving the team/ballpark, just to show Hendry the door?

I’m not defending the guy, I think he’s done a subpar job for a while now, but firing him after the big extension last year doesn’t seem likely, or a very smart business move. Personally I’d rather see Lou given the boot. Not for any silly reasons such as lack of “fire” or something so ridiculous and abstract, but simply for poor performance of his job. The guy has made more mind-boggling decisions and moves this year than I can remember since the Dusty Baker era. While they’re at it, they can give Oneri Fleita the thumb also. Should have done so the day it was made public that Aramis went down with injury, Jake Fox asked about playing 3rd, and they told him no. WTF?!

by aphoward on Jul 4, 2009 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Any new owner is going to want to put his own stamp on things

Unless the Cubs win a World Series in 2009 then it is a virtual certainty that Ricketts will clean house and install his own leadership team. Why on earth would the Ricketts family spend $900 million on the Cubs and elect to bring back Hendry and company if this season continues on it’s wretched course and for a franchise that hasn’t won a World Series since 1908? Answer is they won’t.

$136 million payroll for a .500 style ballclub. Good work Jim.

by BLou on Jul 4, 2009 11:03 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry, I just can't see it

I’d say there is less than 1% chance that they cut Hendry loose after 1 year of a 4 year extension. Too many other areas to focus on “change” that require less dead cash and will have a more realistic effect on onfield product.

by aphoward on Jul 4, 2009 11:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al on Jul 4, 2009 3:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd say the upper management of this team is quite valuable to Ricketts.

For one, they’ve done an excellent job at making money. Secondly, they’re baseball men… and unless Ricketts has an organizational chart of baseball men in his back pocket, he’d be wise to keep them in place.

"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)

Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
.

by SackMan on Jul 6, 2009 11:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

So this means December of 2011?

Get Peavy already! I want my #44 jersey!

by Cub Style on Jul 4, 2009 10:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

is that the expected date

of another extension on the sale?

baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out

by Cubbie-Tim on Jul 4, 2009 11:20 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

When does the agreement with

Iowa run out? (2012, I believe) The only thing that worries me about Ricketts is that I think he might try to move the AAA franchise to Omaha—which I don’t think is a good idea for the Cubs, Royals, Omaha and Iowa.

by Josh77 on Jul 4, 2009 8:50 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Why?

I know the Ricketts have a base there, but don’t they have more of a connection to Chicago now? Des Moines makes the most sense for the Cubs. I’d think the Ricketts are smart enough businesspeople to know that.

"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra

by Al on Jul 5, 2009 5:07 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs