Tom Ricketts:
Tom Ricketts is not satisfied with just a playoff berth. Though the Cubs have a had a sorry history, his measure of success is winning on the biggest stage:
“The Cubs will end a regular season Sunday that felt more like a beginning, the National League wild-card play-in game looms Wednesday, and construction on the team’s 101-year-old ballpark outside Ricketts’ office window symbolizes progress that has made this a most satisfying year.
Has it been a vindicating one for Ricketts?
“I don’t feel that,” the Cubs chairman told the Tribune last week. “First of all, we’re not there yet. Our goal is to win the World Series, not be the second wild card. Obviously, it’s great progress this year but we’re still on the journey and the goal is still out there.”
But not only has the reality changed for the man whose family purchased the team in 2009, but the perception of Ricketts is that he has improved from clumsy executive to capable leader — not that he has noticed.
“In the end, we’re going to be judged by whether or not we won,” Ricketts said. “A lot of what happens in the middle is just noise. I hope we’ve built trust with the fans. What the Cubs have had to go through to stabilize the team was asking a lot of fans and I’m not sure a lot of other teams could have done it but our fans are so loyal. They want to see a championship. They’re with us through this process.”
Chicago Tribune, “Making Playoffs a thrill, but Tom Ricketts far from satisfied,” October 3, 2015