The Cubs Convention was great, as usual. And it was even better this year because all four of us were able to attend, the first time we had all been there since 2004.
The Convention has autograph lines, vendors selling stuff, a photo stage (more on that later), and lots of panels on various topics. The most interesting panel was "Meet the Owners" on Saturday morning. I was really impressed with the Ricketts. I think they are going to be good owners, especially compared with the Cubs’ most recent owner. By "most recent owner" I do not mean the Tribune Company. The Tribune Company was not the same owner the whole time it owned the Cubs. Things changed from time to time depending on who the club president was and who the general manager was. Sometimes it was good and sometimes it was bad. But it was the worst at the end, when Sam Zell owned the Tribune Company. Zell only cared about profits (or cash) now. Maybe that works for a business focused on the next quarter’s results (though it didn’t do much for the newspaper), but it doesn’t work for a long-term business or somebody who is in business for the long run.
Which is where the Ricketts come in. They said they are here for the long run, and I believe them. Tom Ricketts said that some of the other prospective buyers of the Cubs had a five-year time frame (i.e. buy it, improve it, and sell it); they have a 95-year time frame. He also said that, when they are looking at moves the Cubs might make, whether free agent signings or other things, they will be looking at things for the long haul. They would be balancing the needs of the present versus the needs of the future. (That doesn't seem to be the way it has been recently, with all of the big, back-loaded free agent contracts.)
Tom Ricketts also said that they want the Cubs to be a world class organization, a place where players want to come to play, coaches want to coach, and with world class facilities. Most importantly, they said they are 100% committed to preserving Wrigley Field and improving it. (During "Meet Cubs Business Management," one of the speakers said the Ricketts want to get Wrigley Field updated by 2014 {the park's 100th anniversary}, so that it can last for another 100 years. Needless to say, that got a lot of applause.)
With respect to Wrigley Field, they want better food, more space in the concourses, better restrooms, etc. There was one comment I didn’t agree with, however: They said they want the park to be more fan friendly, with things for little kids to do. I figure there’s a baseball game. What more could you want?
Tom Ricketts was even able to handle a question on sabermetrics. When asked if the Cubs should be doing more in this area, Tom said there are things the Cubs can do to be more analytical, but that all systems have their limits and that the players are still 25 year-old humans. You need a balance.
A final point on the Ricketts. When they entered the room, they got a standing ovation. And the way they answered the questions, they deserved it.
At the Opening Ceremonies Friday afternoon, Andre Dawson got the biggest round of applause. (Not surprising.) Crane Kenney and Jim Hendry were booed. (Also not surprising.)
The questions at "Meet Cubs Baseball Management" were not as friendly as those the Ricketts got. They were tough, as they should have been. The very first question was about Milton Bradley: Why did the Cubs sign Milton Bradley with his history of mental meltdowns in small markets? Hendry said that they shot for the moon and it did not work. In other words, they messed up big time – and they should have known better. (From Hendry’s point of view, at least all of the questions on Milton Bradley meant he did not get asked about the stupid trade for Kevin Gregg.)
There were spontaneous boos from the audience in response to a question about whether the NL should adopt the designated hitter rule.
Bob Sirott was one of the hosts of "Meet Cubs Baseball Management," and he did a poor job. He made a couple of downright mean comments about fans who asked tough questions. Some of the questions were over the top, but Sirott was out of line.
In a panel on "25 Years: A Celebration of the Cubs & Cubs Fans," Wayne Messmer asked Ryne Sandberg why he gets thrown out of games so often as a manager (six or seven times last year, I think), when he only got thrown out once in his entire career as a player. Ryno said that it wasn’t that he didn’t say things to the umpires when he was a player. When he was a player, he could talk to the umpire while looking down at his shoes and nobody in the stands would know. When you are a manager, you can’t do that. To say something, you have to come out onto the field. Also, when you are a manager, it’s like watching your little kid playing Little League. It’s hard to keep quiet.
Sunday morning was "Down on the Farm," a particular favorite of mine. Oneri Fleita explained the strategy of where the Cubs’ farm teams are located. Daytona in the Florida State League is a good place for early season rehabs because the weather is warm. Des Moines and Peoria are close to Chicago, and they give the kids a taste of Chicago-style weather (i.e., cold).
Tim Wilkin, the scouting director, said, in response to a question, that the Cubs don’t emphasize talking pitches early on. When players are young, it is harder for them to distinguish between pitches that they can hit and those they can’t. As they move up the ladder, they learn to recognize what they can hit and what they can’t hit, and they naturally start to take more pitches.
Wilkin also said that when it comes to pitchers, it is important for the pitcher to have decent body control, so he can repeat the delivery, time after time.
One of minor leaguers said that the biggest differences between college ball and the minor leagues were metal bats, no classes, and in college he got to fly to games. Now they have to take a bus.
One final thing. As I mentioned, in addition to autograph lines, they also have a place to get your picture taken with a player. They try to keep the line moving and, when there is a big-name, or even fairly big-name, player, they don’t want you asking for an autograph. It slows the line down. Also, they have their own photographer there, and if you buy a picture from him (for $15), the player will sign it for you. If the player starts signing things for free, they will sell fewer pictures. This year they wouldn’t even let you take your backpack or purse on stage, to stop people from taking things to get signed..
Friday evening, during the Autograph Hunt, Jennie and Ross, who were going around together, stopped by the photo stage. Mike Fontenot was there. (He is a big favorite of Jennie’s.) The line was short so they waited. The ushers took Jennie’s purse as they went onto the stage, but Ross had a ball in his pocket, which you couldn’t see since he was wearing his Julio Zuleta jersey. Right after their picture, as Jennie was standing up, Ross pulled the ball out of his pocket and asked Mike for an autograph for his sister – and he signed it! Jennie and Ross quickly left the stage as the ushers got all upset and started yelling, "No more autographs."
Here is the picture that was taken just before Ross and Jennie pulled off a Cubs Convention version of the "hidden ball trick":
2 things:
1) I think there were exactly 2 people booing Crane Kenney at the Opening Ceremony (or at least that I heard).
2) You forgot to mention the victory high five as Ross and I ran off the stage.
love, Jennie
Posted by: Jennie | January 21, 2010 at 09:52 AM