If interest in the Cubs has "taken a beating after those fifth-place finishes the last two years, ownership doesn’t seem worried -- even at the suggestion their eight-year streak" of drawing at least three million fans to Wrigley Field "could be in jeopardy," according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. Cubs Chair Tom Ricketts said, "We’re not really worried about that. I think once people see how this team plays, we’ll be fine." He called season-ticket renewals and new ticket sales "off-the-charts good," but acknowledged the team does have "tickets to sell in April and May in particular." Despite the lack of a "big-name, marketable player acquisitions this winter, the Cubs seem to be putting their short-term sales faith in the hard-nosed effort pledged from the new field staff" as well as the new front office led by President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein. Ricketts: "We know that the one thing that sells tickets is winning, and that’s what we focus on. ... This is really an inflection point for this organization. I think we’ve made some changes that are going to pay off in the short run with a great team on the field this year and in the long run with a team that’s going to be competitive every single year." Meanwhile, Ricketts "quashed a recent 'news' report that the Cubs might play their home games for a season at U.S. Cellular Field while Wrigley renovations are done." He said, "There’s no plan for us to play anywhere else but Wrigley Field" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/25).
BUILDING FROM GROUND UP: In Chicago, Paul Sullivan wrote this marks the third year of the "Ricketts era ... and the four siblings who own the team -- Tom, Laura, Todd and Pete -- seem much more comfortable in their role as stewards" of the franchise. The honeymoon period "is over after back-to-back fifth-place finishes, but with some of their long-term contracts off the books and a new regime in place in the front office, the Cubs' owners are finally able to build the team the way they wanted to all along -- from the ground up." Sullivan wrote the Ricketts family has "had some hits and misses over the first two years." But the family has spent $20M of their own money this offseason to "buy a parcel of land across the street from Wrigley Field for future development, and are currently building a patio section and LED board in the right-field bleachers without any outside help." On the field, they have "endured two miserable seasons," but the majority of fans "seem to blame former general manager Jim Hendry, not the Rickettses, for the poor product." The firing of Hendry and subsequent hiring of Epstein have been "greeted with much applause, and despite the payroll-slashing, the new regime has been given the benefit of the doubt in its offseason maneuvering due to a pair of championship rings in Boston" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/26).
NEGOTIATING NEW DEALS: The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES' Wittenmyer cited sources as saying that the Cubs "expect to begin discussions with WGN at the end of this year" on a television deal that is set to expire after the '14 season. Execs "considered the deal below market value before the recent boom." The team’s contract with Comcast SportsNet, which "broadcasts roughly half the games," runs through '19. It is "believed the Cubs receive about" $45M annually for TV rights on their WGN and CSN deals combined. Wittenmyer noted as the "revenue gold mine" in MLB becomes regional TV rights, WGN and CSN could become "bigger players in the Cubs' efforts to end their title drought than Epstein." Ricketts: "You just have to know it's part of the game right now. It seems like it's a factor that everyone has to look at when you're looking at the financial resources that a team has" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/26).
