Tom Ricketts Isn't Worried About Other Teams Stealing Cubs' Blueprint
(CBS) Cubs owner Tom Ricketts isn't worried about other teams copying the organization's blueprint of a total teardown and rebuild from the ground up.
Because in addition to it not being a new idea, he explained that most organizations wouldn't have the long-term fan support -- and thus revenue streams -- to welcome such a overhaul. The Cubs lost 101 games in 2012, 96 games in 2013 and 89 games in 2014 before turning it around in the last two years, which just included their first World Series title since 1908.
"Everybody's got to make their own decisions, and not everybody has the same situation," Ricketts said in an interview on the Mully and Hanley Show on Monday morning. "First of all, everybody should know: Nobody ever wants to lose a game, whether it's it's an owner, manager, general manager or player. It's not like teams are losing games because they want to, but there are times when you have to make decisions that are better long-term decisions than short-term decisions. Maybe you'll see a few teams trying to do that, but there's no guarantee in that.
"There's a couple problems with a lot of people doing it. Obviously, not (a lot of teams) can execute a strategy like that simultaneously because there aren't that many number of high draft picks that pan out. But secondly, we have a unique situation where we had such an incredible fan base that we knew if we were honest and if went through with this and executed this plan, they would still be with us. I'm not sure every team can actually say that. So we were in a position where making these long-term decisions was the right thing for us, and we were able to execute the plan.
"I'm not sure it's the right plan for everybody."
One of the players who has been instrumental in the Cubs' turnaround is first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who came to Chicago in 2012 and went through the struggles. On Friday at the Cubs' championship rally, he presented Ricketts with the game ball that he secured for the final out to clinched the team's championship last Wednesday in a Game 7 win against the Indians.
"I thought everybody who got up and spoke at the parade did a wonderful job, but particularly Rizzo, from the heart," Ricketts said. "He's really the leader of the team. He was here through the lean years. A lot of these guys came in the last couple of years when we were already starting to get good. He's a really sincere person, and his comments were great. I loved the fact that he called out the traveling secretary, makes him come out on stage. That kind of stuff, that's pure Rizzo. And he's just a great young man, and we're so fortunate to have him."
Listen to Ricketts' full interview with Spiegel and Goff below.