Christmas has come and gone, but as the Cubs continue to lance payroll at every turn, it’s time for a peek at Chicago’s least favorite family – the Ricketts. (This teleplay was written in the voice of the Ricketts Family but is not meant to represent an actual conversation they may or may not have […]
Who can and can’t watch Cubs baseball? No one knows. Fans thought that signing up for DirecTV or Hulu+ would allow then to catch Saturday’s spring training opener. For a variety of reasons, that didn’t happen for any of the Hulu+ subscribers and some of the DirecTV folks. Marquee still has no deal with YouTube TV, […]
It makes all the sense in the world for these World Champions to jack up prices for season tickets, but it still seems wrong. There is great demand, and even from the scattershot listening I did during macroeconomics while a student at Indiana University, I understand that increased demand requires a response in pricing. But the […]
by Kent Sterling Can the business wing of the Chicago Cubs do anything right? When Cubs fans bought inscribed bricks that would “forever” surround Wrigley Field with messages of love and memories, they believed the bricks would be there for generations. Click here to follow Kent on Twitter They lasted less than 10 years, and […]
by Kent Sterling In late 2007, the Chicago Cubs were riding high, and the team announced the waiting list for season tickets was about to reach 100,000 fans. Despite being swept in the playoffs by the Arizona Diamondbacks, I was swept away by the wave of emotion after being at Great American Ballpark as the […]
by Kent Sterling The battle between the Cubs and the owners of the rooftop saloons that overlook Wrigley Field from across Waveland and Sheffield Avenues is a little like a grade school fight between bullies. Both guys losing is the only acceptable outcome. Cubs owner Smilin’ Tommy Ricketts would like to erect giant video boards […]
by Kent Sterling To fans, the Cubs are a passion, and the former players are heroes. To Cubs management, the team is a business, and the former players are assets to leverage. When they die, a period of mourning is observed. As it lapses, all memorabilia representing that player is tossed into a dumpster. Or […]
by Kent Sterling In a decision that was as foreseeable as it was inevitable, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks approved a slightly scaled back version of the demands of Cubs ownership to improve the profitability of Wrigley Field. Cubs owner Tom Ricketts threatened to leave Wrigley Field if they weren’t met, while nearly simultaneously promising […]
by Kent Sterling “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” appears to be a phrase near and dear to the hearts of the Wrigley Field Rooftop Association. They email their literature to me on a regular basis, and appear to have misjudged my feelings toward them. The Cubs business office is run by an […]
by Kent Sterling I wish Cubs owner Tom Ricketts played poker and I could get a seat at his table. Every time he plays a hand, he bluffs, and I would own the Cubs the next day. Today, at a breakfast of business owners in Chicago, he threatened to move. Cubs fans and the City […]