MLB Owners Approve Sale of Cubs to Ricketts

[1060Ivy]

Well, it looks like they will make the October timeframe that was mentioned months ago.

The vote among MLB owners was taken over the phone and was unanimous.

Ricketts gets the Cubs.

One less thing to get in the way of the Cubs making some moves to improve the team.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4537317

[SandbergMVP1984]

Let's get this party started

[rok]

I'm not changing my avatar until it is official.

[CCwinwssoon]

The sale probably still won't be done until say August 2017.

[kbwsb]

His first winter as owner will be mighty telling.

[Butcher]

<!--quoteo(post=65852:date=Oct 7 2009, 02:51 PM:name=KBwsb)-->QUOTE (KBwsb @ Oct 7 2009, 02:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->His first winter as owner will be mighty telling.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Not necessarily.

What if he doesn't want to come in and make wholesale changes right off the bat? What if he wants to ease in the first year and see what is going on?

[rok]

<!--quoteo(post=65854:date=Oct 7 2009, 03:02 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Oct 7 2009, 03:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=65852:date=Oct 7 2009, 02:51 PM:name=KBwsb)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (KBwsb @ Oct 7 2009, 02:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->His first winter as owner will be mighty telling.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Not necessarily.

What if he doesn't want to come in and make wholesale changes right off the bat? What if he wants to ease in the first year and see what is going on?
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That was most likely going to happen, whether the sale were final or not, methinks.

[leonardsipes]

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img] <!--quoteo(post=65854:date=Oct 7 2009, 03:02 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Oct 7 2009, 03:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=65852:date=Oct 7 2009, 02:51 PM:name=KBwsb)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (KBwsb @ Oct 7 2009, 02:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->His first winter as owner will be mighty telling.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Not necessarily.

What if he doesn't want to come in and make wholesale changes right off the bat? What if he wants to ease in the first year and see what is going on?
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I think next years team is pretty much in place. At this point, might as well try to win with it. Even if he has already decidede to blow it up and start over, I think it is too late to overhaul the whole statff, get everyone up to speed and do something constructive next year.

[Scarey]

At the risk of putting words in KB's mouth, I'm going to say the basis of his judgement on Ricketts won't be very reliant on the players in Cub uniforms next year.

[kbwsb]

<!--quoteo(post=65863:date=Oct 7 2009, 03:47 PM:name=Scarey)-->QUOTE (Scarey @ Oct 7 2009, 03:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->At the risk of putting words in KB's mouth, I'm going to say the basis of his judgement on Ricketts won't be very reliant on the players in Cub uniforms next year.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
However, Butch and Sipes make a strong point, the same point that many of us have made in the "Play GM" thread: this team is locked-in by it's contracts. There's not much you could do even if you really wanted to. There seems to be no choice but to trot out a close variation of the '09 team out there in '10, and hope for the best.

The Ricketts family will likely own the team for decades, so there's no reason for them to feel like massive changes must be made by next April.
So, there probably won't be.

[leonardsipes]

Two things he could do right away are: spend money on a big free agent (if he supports the Hendry regime) or hire an ex gm type as advisor (if the Hendry regeime is on a short leash).

[kbwsb]

<!--quoteo(post=65889:date=Oct 7 2009, 05:51 PM:name=leonardsipes)-->QUOTE (leonardsipes @ Oct 7 2009, 05:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Two things he could do right away are: spend money on a big free agent (if he supports the Hendry regime) or hire an ex gm type as advisor (if the Hendry regeime is on a short leash).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I like both those ideas. Especially the second one. Kevin Towers or Pat Gillick would be perfect in this capacity (although they're both likely to get better offers).

[rok]

As anticipated, the team has now officially filed for Chapter 11 bankrputcy in order to speed up the sale.

[jstraw]

Expect LOTS of "OHMYGODTHECUBSAREBANKRUPT!!!!" misreporting in the mainstream press.

[BT]

<!--quoteo(post=65892:date=Oct 7 2009, 05:56 PM:name=KBwsb)-->QUOTE (KBwsb @ Oct 7 2009, 05:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=65889:date=Oct 7 2009, 05:51 PM:name=leonardsipes)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (leonardsipes @ Oct 7 2009, 05:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Two things he could do right away are: spend money on a big free agent (if he supports the Hendry regime) or hire an ex gm type as advisor (if the Hendry regeime is on a short leash).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I like both those ideas. Especially the second one. Kevin Towers or Pat Gillick would be perfect in this capacity (although they're both likely to get better offers).
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->


So wait, now you DON'T like Hendry? Man you are all over the place with this guy.