Paul Sullivan of the Tribune writes this afternoon on the Theo Epstein post-season discussion, with emphasis on what the Cubs will be doing for their fan base. Apparently, very little.
Sullivan's Epstein quotes on his assessment of the season and the future:
"(The Cubs ) buried ourselves right out of the chute and didn’t have the talent to overcome that.”
It’s Epstein’s job to complete what he called a “comprehensive overhaul of the baseball organization.”
Epstein said the Cubs have a “covenant” with the fans and that the 2.8 million in attendance for a 101-loss team is proof they’re “buying in” to the plan.
“They’re (the fans) a part of that covenant, so we have to reward them ultimately,” he said, adding "patience" is required.
“I think the experience at Wrigley is pretty great,” he said. “If we stay committed to that vision and we’re going places and we put a team on the field that plays really hard, the experience of coming to Wrigley is pretty special, it’s unique, it’s hard to replicate. I think that has something to do with the ticket prices."
Epstein said that the business operations department, led by business president Crane Kenney, is trying to "give them more value for what they are spending” at Wrigley.
“There’s no getting around the fact that as far as the ultimate return on investment for the fans’ dollar, which is seeing a winning team, they going to get better value down the road than they’re getting right now,” he said. “It’s our job to make sure the debt value, and experience of watching a baseball team down the stretch and into October and celebrating with that team is priceless, and that’s ultimately how we can reward the fans’ support.”
“I’m not going to sit here and say, 'Don’t worry about 101 losses because we have a magic plan to win the World Series in 2013, (that) it’s gonna happen, so be there now,’” he said. “That’s not the case. There is a plan, there is a vision. It might be a little bit longer turn than we all want it to be, but that we’re committed to it and that there is a great reward at the end.”
“We owe the fans a tremendous amount of hard work to get there,” he said, adding: “Maybe we’ll get there a year earlier if we work harder than our competition.”
SO LET US REVIEW what Epstein is saying to fans the day after a 101-loss campaign.
1. The Cubs had a brutal start to the season, and did not have the "talent" to overcome a slow start.
Isn't it the job of the club president and general manager to assemble the best roster available, and then when there are issues during the season (performance or injury), be able to adapt quickly to fill holes in the roster? Didn't Epstein and Hoyer fail in this job duty to fans? (See, previous post on the Oakland A's overcoming adversity and budget restrictions to win the AL West.)
2. Epstein needs to complete a total overhaul of the baseball organization.
That means purging the old Jim Hendry-Tribune staff members in the baseball operations and hiring and promoting his own loyal employees in a means to consolidate power and influence over the club. The problem is that he has had a year to cull the deadwood from the organizational staff ranks, but decided to keep the status quo for most of the season. It seems like an excuse on the management side of the equation. On the player development side, it is clear that the AAA prospects under the old front office did not have major league talent, including the touted ones Josh Vitters and Brett Jackson. But Epstein made the conscious decision not to re-populate the system with "near ready" college juniors or seniors but instead went on low level, higher risk Class A players, including his international signees Concepcion and Soler. Epstein is trying to buy three more years of time for his choices to pan out in the minor leagues.
3. The Cubs have a "covenant" with the fans. A covenant is a legal contract, and the theological sense, it is a commitment to higher authority. Epstein is telling the fans that they have a "duty" to continue to be paying customers, and quells the concerns of high ticket prices for season ticket holders (the bulk of this year's attendance numbers) by claiming that fans "have bought in" to the rebuilding process. No, the fans did not. Many fans purchased this year's tickets before Theo was hired; at the hiring press conference, Ricketts told fans that the team would continue to be competitive, and refused to acknowledge that any rebuilding would occur. So the fans upheld their part of the bargain, but Epstein dodges the admission that the fans did not receive a major league product from the team.
4. At "some point," the Cubs have to reward their fans, Epstein said. But he kicked that can down the road and over a cliff. He won't acknowledge that the ticket prices should be decreased to match the play on the field. Instead, he says that the fans should be happy with the Wrigley experience. Then he punts the cost issue to his co-president in the business department to figure out how to give "fans more value" for their dollar. Fans are not looking to get more sideshows, more beer stations or more points of sale in the concourses - - - fans want a better team: wins, playoffs, championships.
5. Epstein says there is no "magic pill" to turn around the Cubs. That should put a shiver down the spine of season ticket holders who need to decide quickly whether $7,500 plus per seat is worth it for another long losing 2013 season. Epstein stresses that fans need to be "patient," but after 104 years and $130 million payrolls, management needs to get "results." Epstein is twisting management's "vision" and time line to place an additional burden on the alleged "dutie" of fans to continue to support the franchise by buying expensive tickets, beer and souvenirs.
6. Epstein never gives fans a "great reward" date. Is it 2014? 2015? 2016? 2017? 2020?? It is because he does not know himself. He wants to deflect the any criticism of the past season as being "new" to the job, and having to sort through the accumulated problems of the past regime. But he will now have to answer to the fans based upon his record as leader of the baseball team. Is he a great evaluator of talent? Of all the pick-ups this season, only Rizzo showed real potential. But whether Anthony Rizzo will be the next Joey Votto or Bryan LaHair is yet to be seen. But you can't sell snake oil hope to Cub fans anymore. You need to make objective progress year to year. Under that standard, losing 10 more games than the previous season, is a failure.
