First off, I must say congrats. In this economy, every purchase involves a lot of thinking, so I can’t even imagine that amount of time, effort and thought you put into the $900 million you spent on the Cubs, Wrigley Field and part of the Comcast SportsNet TV Channel. I have read that you are a long-time fan of the team, that at one point you lived across the street from the park and that you met your wife in the bleachers; that’s awesome. It’s nice to have somebody that actually understands what the millions of people pack the shrine on Clark and Addison are thinking. I wish you nothing but the best, and hope you can do what the last four owners of the team haven’t done: Bring a World Series to the North Side.
It won’t be easy though. First off, there are 29 other teams that have the identical goal (more like 26 actually, I think the Pirates, Royals and Nationals goals are to just keep losing). Second, it takes a lot of good timing and luck to win a championship, two things that it seems the Cubs are always lacking. And finally, there is going to be a lot of pressure on you to make all sorts of changes that will supposedly help you. That is where I come in.
As somebody who has been a lifelong Cub fan and (going on) seven-year employee at Wrigley Field, I have a few do’s and don’t when it comes to making moves that have to do with the team and ballpark. These are free of charge, though if you’d like to toss me the VIP tickets behind home plate where Gov. Blagojevich used to sit, I wouldn’t object.
DO: Renovate the grandstand and concourse
A lot of people will not like this, because it will force the Cubs to play either in Milwaukee or the Cell for a season while Wrigley is re-done, but it’s for the best. As somebody who has to walk through those cramped aisles and navigate the concourse like Matt Forte weaving through tacklers, I can say first-hand that Wrigley was not built with the people of the 21st Century in mind. Legs are too often cramped by the narrow rows of seats, trips to go to the bathroom can take innings because of long lines and half the crowd can’t see a thing on the field if a fan in the first row stands up to stretch their legs. By renovating these important customer amenities, Wrigley will be an even nicer place to watch a game than it already is.
DON’T: Add more night games
There’s something about sunshine, a clear blue sky and baseball that just makes sense. The Cubs have always been big supporters of day games, and why not? Fans get to take off of work, sit in the sun, drink an Old Style and enjoy a great game. The players have the evening to go out and emulate former Cub legends Mark Grace and Kyle Farnsworth. It just makes sense. Arguments can be made that night games bring in higher TV ratings, but I say that’s why the team plays about 20 a year. That’s one out of four home games, as well as about 70 of the 81 road contest. Leave the majority of the Wrigley schedule at 1:20 and enjoy the sunshine
DO: Invest in the farm system
Big free agent signings grab headlines, while trade rumors keep fans talking. But there is no better way to build a successful team than by having a talent-rich farm system. Last season, the Cubs would not have made the playoffs without the contributions of Geovany Soto, Carlos Marmol, Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontonoet and Jeff Samardzija, all players drafted, trained and brought up recently from the Cubs minor league clubs. Spending money on scouts, trainers and coaches for guys 18-22 might appear to be a waste of money- for a long time the Tribune Co. felt the same way- but it’s by far the best way to maintain long-term baseball success.
DON’T: Cave to the pressure of adding more adds and a jumbotron
There is a fascinating story in this week’s Sports Illustrated about the history and importance of the jumbotron, the gigantic scoreboard that appears in every stadium in the country. That is, every stadium but Wrigley Field. The Friendly Confines still doesn’t use the big screen, and hopefully never will. Call me stuck in the past, but I love that fans at Wrigley see the game exactly as it was in 1914 when the park opened. Same with the ad-less wall separating the fans from the field. Keep Wrigley clean of ads and screens and leaving the entertainment to the folks on the field.
DO: Openly hate our rivals
Nothing energizes a fan base more than an owner, coach or star player acting like a fan. Remember when the Bears hired Lovie Smith and he said the #1 goal was to beat Green Bay? That’s what I want out of my Cubs owner. Openly disrespect the Cards. Put up billboards insulting the White Sox. Call Miller Park ‘Wrigley North’ in public. Stuff like that may seem childish, but it might be needed to fuel a fire under the team.
DON’T: Hide from the past
Pretending like it hasn’t been 101 years since the last Cubs World Series is dumb. Ignoring the choke jobs from the past two Octobers doesn’t help anybody. The Cubs need an owner who will attack this problem head on, not play hide-and-go-seek with it. Pressure definitely to last year’s team, and each season, the monkey’s on their back will only get heavier and heavier. Having somebody who can deflect some of that pressure will benefit the team, assuming you the owner can handle it. If not, you shouldn’t be reading this list in the first place.
Sincerely,
Eli Kaberon
NOTE: Later this week will be my Super Bowl preview and also an introduction of sports, because this blog will now be part of an assignment for my Advanced Sports Reporting class.
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