February 19, 2019 • Chicago Sun-Times, Ricketts on Ricketts: The Cubs’ damage-control team rolls on

https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/ricketts-on-ricketts-the-cubs-damage-control-team-rolls-on/ • Chicago Sun-Times, Can Ricketts family repair damage to well-cultivated public image as Cub

owners? https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/ricketts-family-repair-damage-cultivated-public-image-cubs-owners/

• Chicago Sun-Times, Baseball’s labor tensions laid out under storm clouds on one day of Cubs camp https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/baseballs-labor-tensions-storm-clouds-cubs-spring-training/

• Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs’ Kris Bryant laughs off backlash to ‘St. Louis is boring’ comment https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-kris-bryant-laughs-backlash-st-louis-boring-comment-cardinals/

• Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs, White Sox spring training report: Check out Ian Happ’s new whip

https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-white-sox-spring-training-report-ian-happ-car-manny-machado-news-2019/

• Chicago Sun-Times, That sinking feeling: Cubs’ Brandon Kintzler ‘getting back to what I do best’ https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/that-sinking-feeling-cubs-brandon-kintzler-getting-back-to-what-i-do-best/

• Chicago Sun-Times, Tom Ricketts says Cubs will keep promise, follow plan set by local Muslim group https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/chicago-cubs-tom-ricketts-joe-ricketts-racist-emails-combat-islamophobia-plan-2019/

• Daily Herald, Ricketts: 'I've never heard my father say anything that was even remotely racist'

https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20190218/ricketts-ive-never-heard-my-father-say-anything-that-was-even-remotely-racist

• Daily Herald, Wet weather doesn't derail Cubs' first full workout

https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20190218/wet-weather-doesnt-derail-cubs-first-full-workout • The Athletic, ‘We don’t have any more’: Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts talks about money and

budgets https://theathletic.com/825050/2019/02/19/we-dont-have-any-more-cubs-chairman-tom-ricketts-talks-about-money-and-budgets/

• The Athletic, ‘The dad email thing’: Does Tom Ricketts really think the Cubs don’t have a negative

image right now? https://theathletic.com/825004/2019/02/18/the-dad-email-thing-does-tom-ricketts-really-think-the-cubs-dont-have-a-negative-image-right-now/

• The Athletic, Ricketts on the spot: Cubs chairman talks budget, his dad’s racist emails and more

https://theathletic.com/824709/2019/02/18/mo-money-mo-problems-tom-ricketts-talks-cubs-budget-his-dads-racist-emails-and-more/

• Cubs.com, Bryant ready to show off old swing this spring https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/kris-bryant-healthy-ready-for-spring-training/c-304132880

• Cubs.com, Bryant revisits St. Louis chatter at Cubs camp https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/kris-bryant-at-camp-revisits-st-louis-talk/c-304106622

• Cubs.com, Tom Ricketts addresses father's emails, Addison https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/tom-ricketts-discusses-off-the-field-issues/c-304127554

• ESPNChicago.com, Tom Ricketts: Cubs didn't spend money in offseason because, 'we don't have

any more' http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26026359/tom-ricketts-says-cubs-spend-money-offseason-any-more

• ESPNChicago.com, Kris Bryant happy to clear the air with Yadier Molina over comments about St.

Louis http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26024742/kris-bryant-happy-clear-air-yadier-molina-comments-st-louis

• ESPNChicago.com, Cubs partner with Muslim organizations in wake of emails

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26026184/cubs-partner-muslim-organizations-wake-emails

• NBC Sports Chicago, Tom Ricketts on Cubs payroll situation: 'We don't have any more' money https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/tom-ricketts-cubs-payroll-situation-we-dont-have-any-more-money-harper-machado-theo-epstein-darvish-mlb-free-agency

• NBC Sports Chicago, Kris Bryant reacts to Yadier Molina and St. Louis backlash: 'I wasn't attacking

anybody' https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/kris-bryant-reacts-yadier-molina-and-st-louis-backlash-i-wasnt-attacking-anybody-cardinals-boring-war-of-words

• NBC Sports Chicago, Tom Ricketts addresses media for first time since dad's emails were exposed

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/tom-ricketts-addresses-media-first-time-dads-emails-were-exposed

• NBC Sports Chicago, Kris Bryant has no intentions of altering his swing again

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/kris-bryant-has-no-intentions-altering-his-swing-again-shoulder-injury-mvp-cubs

• NBC Sports Chicago, Ricketts on new Cubs TV network: "Having our own channel is the next step in

becoming the best organization in the world" https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/ricketts-new-cubs-tv-network-having-our-own-channel-next-step-becoming-best-organization-world

• NBC Sports Chicago, Cubs' owner Tom Ricketts: I don't think there's any collusion https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/cubs-owner-tom-ricketts-i-dont-think-theres-any-collusion

• Chicago Tribune, Cubs Q&A: Is Kris Bryant capable of a rebound season? What's up with the

pessimistic NL Central projections? https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-mailbag-nl-central-kris-bryant-addison-russell-20190219-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Kris Bryant after recovery from shoulder injury: 'I'm back to who I am' https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-kris-bryant-shoulder-20190218-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Column: Is giving the Ricketts family your money supporting a right-wing

agenda? It's a question Cubs fans need to consider https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-tom-ricketts-father-emails-apology-20190218-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, With Bryce Harper and Manny Machado still unsigned, Cubs players voice

concern: 'It just seems like a storm brewing now' https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-free-agent-freeze-20190218-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, 5 takeaways from Cubs spring training, including Ben Zobrist's excused absence

and bulletin board material https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-five-takeaways-20190218-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Kris Bryant says his 'St. Louis is so boring' comment was taken out of context https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-kris-bryant-st-louis-boring-20190218-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Tom Ricketts addresses Cubs about racist email controversy, then defends his father as 'a great man' https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-tom-ricketts-sinclair-tv-20190218-story.html#nt=oft03a-2gp3

• Chicago Tribune, Column: Cubs' rash of off-field controversies could give team the motivation it needs https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-controversy-tom-ricketts-20190218-story.html

• Chicago Tribune, Cubs and several Muslim groups announce effort to combat Islamophobia https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-cubs-tom-ricketts-muslim-groups-20190218-story.html#nt=oft13a-6gp1

-- Chicago Sun-Times Ricketts on Ricketts: The Cubs’ damage-control team rolls on By Rick Telander This Cubs mess about the leaked anti-Muslim and racist emails of ownership patriarch Joe Ricketts makes one ponder several things. The first is that, in this internet era, nothing we say, read, buy, send, watch, search for or joke about online truly disappears. I’d argue that half the things people are charged with these days are caused by inadvertent self-incrimination. As Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said at a news conference Monday in front of assembled baseball writers in Arizona: ‘‘I don’t know how those emails got out. I have no idea.’’ Only the people at the upstart opinion site Splinter News, which broke the story, know for sure. The next thing that comes to mind is whether the opinions and actions of one member of an organization should reflect on all in that organization and the business itself. The Cubs aren’t some bland manufacturing plant, remember, cranking out widgets. They are a public, customer-needy entertainment enterprise in something like a cartel, Major League Baseball. What the Cubs stand for is a lot different and more noteworthy than what, say, a pipe-laying or oil-rigging company stands for. Tom Ricketts has tried to put distance between the Cubs’ front office and his father’s emails. But the money all trickled down from Joe Ricketts. To purchase the Cubs in 2009 for around $850 million, Joe Ricketts reportedly sold 34 million shares of TD Ameritrade stock, the company that he founded and that has given him a net worth of close to $3 billion. ‘‘My father has no direct role or economic interest in the team,’’ Tom Ricketts said. But the family of six is involved in a financial family trust, and the man at the top didn’t get rich by not caring about how his money is spent. Nor has Joe Ricketts been silent about his political views, supporting conservative causes that mainly protect his big-business interests. He reportedly contributed a large amount to a dark-money support group for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and supported the ‘‘birther’’ lies about then-President Barack Obama. A super PAC that he funded — but that never came to fruition — was going to paint Obama as a radical connected to firebrand minister Jeremiah Wright. And it’s hard to dance away from an email like this: ‘‘Christians and Jews can have a mutual respect for each other to create a civil society. As you know, Islam cannot do that. . . . Muslims are naturally my (our) enemy.’’ Tom Ricketts always has portrayed himself as a friend of the fans who throng to Wrigley Field, even taking a ritualized walk along the upper deck before each home game to mingle with the crowd, shake hands with folks and pat little baseball-cap-wearing kids on the head. It’s a nice thing to do. So was winning the World Series in 2016, fixing up Wrigley Field, buying those rooftops and even building the Hotel Zachary just across Clark Street from the ballpark. But those things

also have meant great wealth accumulation for the Ricketts family, with the value of the franchise rising to somewhere around $2.9 billion, according to Forbes magazine. When I wrote last summer about Tom Ricketts’ $18 million house in Wilmette, pointing out that the rich are different from you and me, it upset his PR folks so much that his fixer, Dennis Culloton, wrote a letter to the Sun-Times to defend the Cubs’ charitable works and the family’s good deeds, noting that Tom Ricketts once even worked at Burger King. The letter, which we published, also outed me about the sale of my house, which I guess meant that the $100,000 profit I made after 32 years in the home made me kind of like a Ricketts person. If so, I’ll take my cut from the $9 Wrigley beers, please. What this finally leads to, of course, is the issue of power and money. The wealth in this country is so concentrated in the minuscule percentage at the top that those people basically can rule our country, depending on where the cash nozzle is pointed. ‘‘I’ve never heard my father say anything that was even remotely racist,’’ Tom Ricketts said. ‘‘That just isn’t our family values.’’ But how do we really know? Yes, everybody has apologized. But there’s this to remember: It was the Ricketts family that politicized the Cubs. Joe sprays his cash on right-wing causes. Tom’s brother Pete is the governor of Nebraska, elected after the family purchased the Cubs. Tom’s brother Todd was President Trump’s nominee to be deputy secretary of Commerce and now is the finance chairman of the Republican National Committee. Tom’s sister, Laura, is a Democrat who is highly active in LGBT causes. The Cubs are about baseball, but they’re also about image. Their leaders are doing penance now for their old man’s screed. Let’s see if they mean it. -- Chicago Sun-Times Can Ricketts family repair damage to well-cultivated public image as Cub owners? By Gordon Wittenmyer MESA, Ariz. — Cubs’ ownership has spent almost a decade trying to cultivate an image as benevolent, fan-friendly custodians of its iconic franchise and storied ballpark since buying the club from the cold, corporate clutches of the Tribune. On Monday, chairman Tom Ricketts stood before a room packed with media to spend 35 minutes trying to repair an image seriously tarnished in a matter of months by a series of off-field issues that have alienated fans one demographic at a time. But the front man for the Ricketts family ownership group said he does not believe the team’s image will be altered by those issues, including the ongoing public storms of shortstop Addison Russell’s continued employment through a domestic-violence suspension and fallout from racist and Islamophobic emails from family patriarch Joe Ricketts’ inbox that were exposed this month.

“We set out almost 10 years ago now to be the best organization in sports, and to do what is right for our fans,” Ricketts said of that image, citing the three-part Ricketts family mission statement to win the World Series, restore Wrigley Field and be a good neighbor. “And we’ve crushed it,” he said. “We’ve absolutely executed against all three of those goals. “The distractions that occur off the field don’t deter from that. And we continue to move forward. I don’t see these things changing us in any way.” Of course, public image is about the public’s perception. Cubs ownership already walked a fine line between the image demonstrated in Tom’s friendly, conversational interactions with fans during games, and the fights with the city, the local alderman and private businesses over public funding, tax breaks and the rights to breach existing agreements to block rooftop views and add night dates and concerts. And Ricketts didn’t dispute that the family has been able to use the profile and brand of the Cubs to further political ends — with board member Pete Ricketts winning the Nebraska gubernatorial race and board member Todd Ricketts taking a prominent fundraising position in Donald Trump’s re-election effort. The email flap followed the Russell saga, which followed last summer’s backlash over trading for Daniel Murphy a few years after he made headlines for homophobic remarks. “I can’t go back and change an inbox from 12 years ago or eight years ago, and I can’t unpublish emails,” Ricketts said. “But what I can do is, we can use this as a chance to do more positive things, and I think that’s something that, as Joe [Maddon] said today, we own it.” Before the news conference, the Cubs announced outreach and inclusion initiatives in cooperation with the Council on American-Islamic Relations. ‘‘We have to go out and do what we can to repair the damage that may be created by those emails,’’ Ricketts said, “and I think we’re off to a pretty good start.” NOTE: Veteran Ben Zobrist did not report with the rest of the full squad Monday because of a personal issue. His timeline for arrival is unclear. -- Chicago Sun-Times Baseball’s labor tensions laid out under storm clouds on one day of Cubs camp By Gordon Wittenmyer MESA, Ariz. — Cubs union rep Kris Bryant doesn’t know if the “odd” free agent market is a result of collusion, but “it seems like there’s something going on,” he said Monday. A few hours later, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts defended his team’s spending limits this winter and denied collusion among owners. “I have no idea what’s going on with the free-agent market with respect to the [Bryce] Harper and [Manny] Machado situations, but I don’t think anybody’s colluding with anybody,” Ricketts said.

On the day the Cubs held their first full-squad workouts of the spring, a microcosm of the industry-wide labor drama played out under gray clouds and rain showers. “It just seems like a storm brewing right now,” Bryant said. After two years of historically slow free-agent markets, players are starting to talk openly about the possibility of the game’s first labor strike in a generation. “It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this,” Bryant said. On Sunday, commissioner Rob Manfred again was dismissive of the sport’s open secret that tanking has become an accepted method of team building. It’s one of several factors contributing to young marquee players such as Harper and Machado remaining unsigned a week into spring training. Union chief Tony Clark fired back with a statement Monday condemning baseball’s “two-year attack on free agency” and calling Manfred’s comments “unconstructive and misleading at best.” “Look, I get it,” said Bryant, the 2016 National League MVP who becomes a free agent when the collective-bargaining agreement expires after 2021. “It’s very hard to sympathize with guys making millions of dollars to play a game. And I don’t want that to come off as insensitive, that we’re expecting all of this. “But at the same time, you see the revenues going up and . . . [teams] not wanting to sign guys that are worthy of being signed. That’s not good for the game. The best players aren’t going to be on the field.” Said Ricketts: “Revenue was up a small amount in baseball. It’s not like it’s changed dramatically over the last few years. “I really can’t speak to how other teams spend or don’t spend their money. What I know is we stay up with the top spenders in the game, and that’s all we can do.” For the Cubs, Bryant’s pal Harper not only is an ideal fit for what ailed the lineup at times last year but also brings the national profile (and relationship with Bryant) to provide a strong marketing fit on the eve of the Cubs’ broadcast-network launch. And the baseball department has strong interest, according to multiple sources. So why didn’t the big-revenue Cubs allocate the money to pursue Harper? “That’s a pretty easy question to answer: We don’t have any more,” said Ricketts, whose club takes a franchise-record payroll into this season. “Unfortunately, you can’t have a high-profile free agent every single year.” What about the marketing value of a player such as Harper in the context of a new TV deal? “The fact is that we don’t think of it that way,” Ricketts said. Players across the league are awakening to the reality of deflating player markets compared to the increased revenues — and dramatically rising franchise values.

“You look at just what the Rickettses have done around Wrigley Field,” Bryant said. “They could sell the Cubs right now for a lot of money. They know they can. We certainly appreciate all that they’ve done for us here and around Wrigley. It’s such a cool environment to play in. But at the same time, [the industry’s squeeze on players] has just got to change.” Bryant heard Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright’s recent prediction that without change a strike is “100 percent” certain, and he seems to agree. “I feel like the last CBA we kind of got it stuck to us,” Bryant said. “I think what we have going for us is we realize we are the product; we kind of provide the entertainment on the field, and we know that. “And I think in a couple of years, it’s going to be a dogfight.” History suggests the owners won’t win a labor war if players are willing to strike. And the Cubs figure to be among the teams with the most to lose in a strike. “It’s a couple of years away,” Ricketts said. “I’m not thinking about it at the moment. But if there’s issues between the union and the league, we should probably start talking now.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs’ Kris Bryant laughs off backlash to ‘St. Louis is boring’ comment By Gordon Wittenmyer MESA, Ariz. – Not everything going on in Cubs camp these days is as glum and gloomy as the gray clouds and rain showers over their practice field for Monday’s first full-squad workouts. In fact, Kris Bryant said he got some good advice that might make St. Louis a little less boring for him and teammates when they make their three trips to the sleepy burg on the river. “I might have to explore a little bit when I get there and find some more stuff to do,” he said. “I definitely heard some things more to do there, which I might actually get out and try to do.” Bryant had some fun Monday morning talking about the swift and viral fallout to his “St. Louis is boring” commentary during Ryan Dempster’s Cubs Convention funny-guy talk show. “It’s still going on,” said Bryant, who was “caught off guard” how big and fast the blowback was. “It’s like, `OK, I guess it’s good for the rivalry.’ They’ll be interesting games. But I think it was taken totally out of context. We all know that it was a comedy show with Ryan Dempster, at a Cubs Convention, trying to get fans excited for the season. “I think it certainly did do that.” He said he enjoyed Cards reliever John Brebbia’s “Cry me a river, loser” reaction during a radio interview the next morning – even if he doesn’t know Brebbia. “It’s the perfect response to it. I kind of got a chuckle out of it,” he said. “It kind of just exploded. There wasn’t really anything going on. It was Cubs Convention; they had their fan fest, too, at the same time. So it was kind of a perfect storm for media attention and fan attention.”

Not everybody played it off like Bryant and Brebbia. Cards catcher Yadier Molina and many Cards fans were angry in their responses – Molina calling Dempster and Bryant “losers” and “stupid” on social media. A St. Louis columnist tweeted a reaction Monday from a fan who spotted Molina and yelled at him: “We hate Kris Bryant!” “I wasn’t attacking anybody. I wasn’t attacking anybody’s family, the organization or the fans,” Bryant said. “It was totally taken out of context. You’d have to ask him what he thinks about it, if he has anything say since then. But it did come off a little strong, kind of caught me off guard a little bit. But, hey, you never know how people will react to what you say. Everybody’s got a different mindset in how they approach things and what they look at. That’s how he looked at it.” Bryant doesn’t plan to go out of his way to clear the air with Molina when the teams meet next May 3-5 at Wrigley Field. “I mean, if he’s willing to,” Bryant said. “I don’t think I said anything wrong. So you don’t take anything back.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs, White Sox spring training report: Check out Ian Happ’s new whip By Madeline Kenney While front office executives tootle around the Cubs spring training facility in golf carts, outfielder Ian Happ is shredding the streets in the ultimate joyride. Happ is driving a 2019 Polaris Slingshot SLR. He showed off his new whip on social media. “Be on the lookout I’ll be rolling around AZ,” Happ warned on Twitter Sunday. He also asked on Instagram if anyone needed a ride. Unfortunately, the three-wheeled roadster doesn’t fit Uber and Lyft’s qualifications for a car, so you won’t be getting picked up by Happ on a ride-sharing app anytime soon. But regardless, it’s a pretty sweet ride that’s sure to turn heads in Mesa, Arizona. Good sign for Sox Star free agent Bryce Harper appears to be inching closer to a deal with the Phillies, which could be good news for the White Sox. The Phillies, who are viewed as the Sox’ strongest competition for signing Manny Machado, are offering more than the 10-year, $300 million contract Nationals pitched to Harper last season, according to USA Today. Harper going to the Phillies could significantly increase the Sox’ chances at landing Machado, which our Daryl Van Schouwen outlined in his story. Cubs challenged after Joe Ricketts’ emails

The Cubs can talk the talk, but now it’s time to prove they can also walk the walk. After Cubs patriarch and TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts’ racist emails sent a shockwave through the Muslim community, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts promised to make it right on behalf of the Cubs. On Monday, a local Muslim group outlined “visible steps” for the Cubs to take to show they’re serious about combatting Islamophobia. The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) asked the Cubs to support three community initiatives, including anti-bullying efforts, diversity and inclusion training and scholarships. It also proposed the plan for the “participation of notable Muslims in Cubs and Wrigley Field tradition” and to create anti-hate PSAs featuring Cubs personnel that would attempt to raise awareness against racism. Tom Ricketts is expected to meet with the media at Cubs spring training facility later Monday. -- Chicago Sun-Times That sinking feeling: Cubs’ Brandon Kintzler ‘getting back to what I do best’ By Gordon Wittenmyer MESA, Ariz. – Cubs reliever Brandon Kintzler has a lot of appreciation for new pitching coach Tommy Hottovy – who used the chance to be in Las Vegas for the Winter Meetings in December to go watch Kintzler throw at his nearby home. “He said he was going to be in town, and I said, `Well, I’m going to be playing catch if you want to come out.’ I didn’t think he actually would. But he Uber’d his way over,” Kintzler said. “I was impressed.” As for Hottovy’s affection for deep dives into data and the Cubs’ finely detailed system for sequencing pitches and attacking hitters, maybe not so much. “It can be helpful. It can also go the other way if it’s too much for you,” said Kintzler, a sinkerball pitcher who tried to “fit in” and learn the Cubs’ system last summer after being traded from the Nationals. “It just depends on who you are.” He wound up with a terrible finish to his season: 14 earned runs in 18 innings (7.00) and a WHIP of 2.00 as he got away from his sinker at times, in part in an effort to please. This season it’s about “getting back to what I do best,” said Kintzler, who exercised his $5 million side of a mutual option for 2019 after the Cubs declined their $10 million side. Kintzler supporters in Hottovy and manager Joe Maddon. “They just said we want you to get back to what you do best, and that’s powering your sinker in there,” said Kintzler, who was an All-Star closer for the Twins in 2016. “So no more thought process about any scouting reports or analytics. “I’ve always been a `Let’s just see what happens’ kind of guy,” he added of his attack approach. “If I get back to that I think we’ll be all right.” --

Chicago Sun-Times Tom Ricketts says Cubs will keep promise, follow plan set by local Muslim group By Madeline Kenne Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts apologized Monday for the “pain” caused by Joe Ricketts’ racist emails and promised the Cubs will make an effort to mend their relationship with the Muslim community. That healing process will, he said, include steps outlined by the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago). CAIR-Chicago asked the Cubs to support three community initiatives, including anti-bullying efforts, diversity and inclusion training, and scholarships. It also proposed a plan for the “participation of notable Muslims in Cubs and Wrigley Field tradition” and to create anti-hate PSAs featuring Cubs personnel that would attempt to raise awareness against racism. “We’ll follow through on all that stuff,” Tom Ricketts said reporters in a news conference Monday at Cubs spring training facility in Mesa, Arizona. “We’ll make sure our actions follow our words … We’re going to make sure that we follow up on this.” Ricketts also reiterated that the contents of his father’s email exchanges do not represent the Cubs’ beliefs, and that he was “surprised” when he first read his father’s emails. “Those aren’t the values our family was raised with,” Ricketts said. “I’ve never heard my father say anything remotely racist. “We know who my father is and we know that he’s not the person that those emails try to make him to be.” In some of the emails leaked by the website SplinterNews.com earlier this month, Joe Ricketts engaged in anti-Muslim rhetoric. He also forwarded a joke where the punchline was the n-word, calling it a “great laugh,” and responded “I like this” to an email that shared an argument on why saying the n-word and other derogatory terms weren’t racist. Tom Ricketts also continued to distance the team from his father, who founded the TD Ameritrade brokerage. Tom Ricketts said Joe Ricketts is not part of the trust that owns the team though he did initially approve the cash portion of the family’s leveraged $845 million purchase of the Cubs in 2009. “The dollars that were ultimately used to purchase the club were created by the wealth that [Joe Ricketts] created,” said Tom Ricketts, who also apologized to the players for the “distraction” caused by his father. “But like I said, this has always been an effort by myself and my siblings and he has no operating position or economic interest in the team at all.” Ricketts took the first step in fixing the Cubs’ relationship with Muslims 10 days ago when he and Julian Green, Cubs vice president of communication, met with the leaders of several local Muslim groups. During the 90-minute closed-door meeting, the group discussed the history of Muslims in America and Chicago and what the impact of Joe Ricketts’ emails had on their community. On Monday, the executive director of CAIR-Chicago, Ahmed Rehab, said he’s “encouraged” by the Cubs’ commitment to make amends.

“The Cubs are taking a significant step forward and will use the power of their brand and voice to fight Islamophobia, racism and bigotry,” Rehab said in a written statement. “This active commitment to our shared values of Everybody In is not only great for the brand, but for all fans, for the affected communities and for our city as a whole.” -- Daily Herald Ricketts: 'I've never heard my father say anything that was even remotely racist' By Bruce Miles MESA, Ariz. -- During his spring-training media sessions in past years, Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts liked to paint a world of sunshine and rainbows. The team was always going to be "great" -- even when it wasn't -- and there was always some new marketing partnership to talk about. Things weren't sunny in Arizona Monday, and you probably had to look to find a rainbow once the intermittent rain showers ended. Even Ricketts admitted there were more distractions than usual around the baseball team. In his half-hour-plus meeting with the media at the Cubs' Sloan Park facility, Ricketts touched on several topics, including the racist and Islamaphobic emails shared by his father and the team's unwillingness to sign big-name free agents this off-season. Last week, Ricketts met with members of Chicago's Muslim community to try to mend fences after leaked emails revealed racist and Islamaphobic comments by Joe Ricketts, the family patriarch. Tom Ricketts and the Cubs have stressed the elder Ricketts plays no part in running the team. "We know he's not that guy," Tom Ricketts told reporters, referring to his father. "It's easy to take some emails and try to paint a picture. We know who my father is. We know he's not the person that some of the articles want to make him to be. "Those aren't the values my family was raised with. I was surprised to see the emails … I've never heard my father say anything that was even remotely racist. Just wasn't our family values. I love him, he's my dad, he's a great man." On Monday, the Cubs issued a news release stating that "the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) released (a) statement with the Cubs announcing genuine, meaningful and visible steps toward combating Islamophobia, bigotry and racism." "We are encouraged the Cubs, led by Tom Ricketts, responded swiftly and genuinely in partnering with us to turn the situation around," said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab in that joint statement. "As a result, the Cubs are taking a significant step forward and will use the power of their brand and voice to fight Islamophobia, racism and bigotry." As far as the product on the field, Ricketts was asked why the Cubs did not spend more money on attracting a big-name free agent, such as Bryce Harper, after bowing out in last year's wild-card game after a 95-win regular season.

"That's a pretty easy question to answer -- we don't have any more (money)," he responded. "We've been in the top five in spending in baseball the last five or six years. We were in the top couple last year. We've put our money back on the field. Unfortunately, you just can't have a high-profile free agent every single year. "Part of that is how much it costs, the $25 million to $30 million (per year) it's going to cost. Plus, it's a 10-year commitment. You got to pay those dollars. We like the team we have, we made the bets we have over the last few years. I think that we're well positioned to win the division again. As much as I would love to have a great new exciting player every single season, it just can't happen every year." The Cubs also have young players who continue to make more money each year. "We have to have the financial flexibility to keep the players we want to keep for the long run," Ricketts said. "We could try to sign a couple new players this year, but you can't spend that same dollar twice. You have to be able to project out and look for flexibility in the future. But like I said, it's not all about money. Do you have the right guys and can they stay healthy and get through the season? And I think we do have the right guys." On the Cubs' upcoming new TV partnership with Sinclair Broadcasting, Ricketts told the media that Sinclair's conservative-leaning politics will not bleed into game broadcasts. "(Sinclair) will be a great partner," he said. "There will be nothing political." -- Daily Herald Wet weather doesn't derail Cubs' first full workout By Bruce Miles MESA, Ariz. -- Monday marked the first full day of workouts for Chicago Cubs position players. How did it go? "Wet," said manager Joe Maddon, referring to persistent rain and cool weather in the Valley of the Sun. "Outside of that, I thought we did really well of adapting because it was awkward. We got the baserunning in. We kept looking at the weather map. It was supposed to stop raining. It kept raining. It stopped raining, and plus, it was kind of chilly. Plus, the dampness of the field matters. So we finally just said that's it. Let's simplify this whole thing, stay inside." The Cubs did much of their work in the batting cages or under cover. "We actually did a lot for the day in spite of the weather," Maddon said. No harm intended: Third baseman Kris Bryant told reporters Monday morning that his comments about St. Louis being "boring" were taken out of context and that he meant no harm. Bryant made the "boring" comment during last month's Cubs convention during former Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster's comedy show. "It was taken totally out of context," Bryant told the media. "I think we all know that. It was a comedy show with Ryan Dempster at a Cubs convention, trying to get the fans excited for the season. I think it certainly did do that.

"There's nothing really going on at that time of the year. It's easy to grab on to it and run with it … You never want to say the wrong thing. I think I've done a good job on the field to earn the respect of the players around the league. I do things the right way. I treat fans the right way. And at the end of the day, I know who I am as a person. And I know I'm a good person." Tell your stats ... The Cubs don't seem to be putting a whole lot of stock into Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA system, which has downgraded them from a projection of 82 wins this season to 80 and a last-place finish in the National League Central. "You're always looking for motivation, the bulletin-board (material)," Joe Maddon said. "Again, it's really entertaining stuff. There's so much content necessary to fill all the hours in the day anymore so people start writing things like that. If somebody enjoys it, that's fine. "I promise you, I'll forget about it in two days, so I won't even remember that. When it comes to motivation, it doesn't really stick with me, something like that. Motivation is that you got eliminated early last year. Motivation is that you really want to prove something this year. You want to play the game better than you did last year." No go for Zo: Veteran infielder-outfielder Ben Zobrist was not in camp Monday. Joe Maddon said Zobrist had an excused absence. The Cubs said Zobrist had a "personal reason" for not being in camp. -- The Athletic ‘We don’t have any more’: Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts talks about money and budgets By Sahadev Sharma MESA, Ariz. — As the free-agent market continues to linger deep into February, the Cubs are pretty much set with the group they have at Sloan Park. With free agents like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remaining unsigned, and the Cubs not making moves for either one, it leaves fans wondering one simple question: Why? “We don’t have any more (money),” Ricketts said Monday during his annual state of the team press conference in spring training. “The fact is that we’ve been in the top five in spending, in baseball spend, for the last five or six years. We’re in the top couple in spending last year. We’ve put our money back on the field. Unfortunately, you just can’t have a high-profile free agent every single year. And part of that is obviously how much it costs, whatever the $25, $30 million are going cost. Plus, it’s a 10-year commitment, and you’ve gotta pay those dollars. So we like the team we have. We made the bets we have over the last few years. I think that we’re well positioned to win the division again. And as much as I would love to have a great, new exciting player every single season it just can’t happen every year.” Ricketts went on to explain how there are young players, like Kris Bryant and Javier Báez, who are starting to make more money due to the arbitration process, in case you weren’t aware how arbitration works. Of course, the Cubs would like to be able to extend Bryant and Báez in the future, so keeping financial flexibility is important. It was brought up to Ricketts that signing a big-name player makes sense from a marketing standpoint. He gets that point, but he doesn’t agree.

“I think the issue, if we were to add even more dollars, I think we’d end up with just more problems down the line,” Ricketts said. “The fact is, we have one of the top baseball budgets. We have top baseball guys who allocate those dollars and that should get us great results.” Ricketts likes to bring up that the Tribune Co. ran the Cubs with a short-term attitude and he did it again Monday. “I think one of the biggest mistakes the previous ownership made is they considered every year a discrete event, as if, OK, what do we have to do this year to sell our season tickets, what do we have to do to sell the suites, what do we have to do to get our sponsors back,” he said. The Ricketts Cubs have a more long-term plan, as he explained once again. “You have to think of every year as part of a continuum, and you have to think of it in terms of where you’re going to be two, three, four, five years down the line,” he said. “And in those kind of ‘go for it’ scenarios, a lot of times they don’t work. I mean the fact is, the correlation between your payroll and your wins in positive, but it’s not dispositive, it doesn’t decide how you’re gonna do. The fact is that the correlation’s been going down over time, and you guys who are closer to the game know that more younger players are becoming more impactful earlier in their career, and so you can’t buy victories like you could maybe 20 years ago. So you have to be thoughtful about where you put your resources and think long-term.” So while Ricketts’ point helps explain why a big-money free agent wasn’t added this offseason, it doesn’t help clarify why more wasn’t done earlier in the winter to address clear needs like adding impact pitchers to the bullpen. Sure, adding $30-plus million a year to the payroll for a decade could be viewed as a move the ultimately restricts them in such a way financially that it turns into a burden. But that’s just the extreme end of the spectrum. One has to wonder why these budgetary restrictions are so onerous that an investment of a third of the cost for significantly fewer years — in some cases as little as two or three — couldn’t be made. Surely adding the likes of Andrew Miller, Zack Britton or Adam Ottavino would have significantly bolstered a major area of need for this club. Instead of going big on Harper or Machado, Cubs president Theo Epstein may have wanted to settle somewhere in the middle with his spending. Instead, he was forced to move to the opposite end of the spectrum, searching for players who ultimately would be willing to come aboard for cheap. Knowing that the budget was tight, Epstein and company saw the writing on the wall with regard to the slow-moving market and gambled they’d be able to acquire some relievers who were still available later in the offseason at prices well below what those players had originally set out for. So instead of picking the best available player, regardless of the cost, the Cubs were forced to wait out the market and choose from the remaining pool of players. That is not an ideal way to go about business, no matter who owns the team. Asked why the budget was so restrictive that the timing of the Cubs’ additions were affected, Ricketts passed it off. “That’s really a Theo question,” Ricketts said. “It’s his budget, his responsibility. He decides the timing of all of it.”

The Cubs ended up adding some quality pitchers in the end, including Brad Brach, Tony Barnette and Xavier Cedeño. But one has to wonder how Epstein would have treated this offseason had the budget not been so rigid. A little over a year ago, basking in the glow of having just added Yu Darvish to a six-year, $126-million deal, Epstein had this to say about Ricketts. “Tom was very supportive,” Epstein said. “It’s wonderful to have an owner like that that sees the big picture. And then once he’s gotten a real taste of winning, isn’t necessarily content just to be a contender or in the mix each year, but really wants to capitalize on this window that we have and deliver championship baseball to our fans. I’ve gotten nothing but support from Tom and the business side. We’re starting to capitalize on some new revenue streams that allows us to fish in these waters as long as we do it in a responsible way for the short- and long-term.” The Cubs still have time to “capitalize on this window,” but this winter makes you wonder if they really are doing everything they can to take advantage of this contention cycle. The Cubs are one of the top spenders in the game and should never be accused of being cheap. But forget about Harper and Machado — by adding players on the cheap rather than spending on the top tier of relievers, the Cubs’ inflexible budget is putting them in a precarious situation where they have to rely on pitchers bouncing back or being surprises. Did Epstein ask for more money this offseason? “Well, in every single team, every single GM asks for more money every single year,” Ricketts said. “So in the grand scheme, of course. But Theo sees every single penny that goes in and out of the organization. They’re able to project what their payroll is going to be going forward. We know where their dollars are. He understands, it’s not like we make up a number every year. He knows what his budget is supposed to be and then he adjusts for it.” Of course, to put all the blame on Ricketts for the state of the baseball operations budget is unfair. As Ricketts pointed out, Epstein is able to project his payroll in advance. Obviously, there were unexpected expenses due to unfortunate outcomes like Darvish’s injury and Tyler Chatwood’s ineffectiveness. “It’s hard to sit here, a year removed, and see what our approach is next season,” Epstein said at the Darvish press conference last spring. “If everyone plays well and we’re healthy and productive, we have just about everybody back next year. We might be in a situation where we don’t have to do much. That said, this game is so unpredictable, we might have real needs in areas that we don’t anticipate.” Everyone knows what’s happened next. The combination of Darvish’s injury and Chatwood’s struggles forced the team to add Cole Hamels last July. That they were concerned enough about the stability of a rotation in 2019 without Hamels forced them to pick up his $20 million option. Add in Brandon Morrow’s and Kris Bryant’s injuries and steps back in production from Willson Contreras and Ian Happ and you can see why last season ended with a thud and left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. Years ago, Epstein said that the two most valuable assets a team can hold are financial flexibility and young, controllable talent. The Cubs entered this offseason with neither. Blame for that falls on both Ricketts and Epstein. How much one wants to place on either is what’s up for debate. -- The Athletic ‘The dad email thing’: Does Tom Ricketts really think the Cubs don’t have a negative image right now? By Sahadev Sharma

MESA, Ariz. – Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts didn’t do much to improve the 2019 Cubs this offseason, but his father Joe Ricketts did a lot to harm the brand with some emails from yesteryear. Tom Ricketts addressed both his players and the media for the first time in 2019 on Monday and Joe’s emails were a major part of at least one of his conversations. When speaking to the team, with regard to the publication of his father’s emails by Splinter News, many of which contained abhorrent racist and Islamophobic rhetoric, Ricketts reiterated to the team much of what he’d already said in a prepared statement released by the team 10 days ago. Ricketts once again pointed out that his father has no direct role or economic interest in the team, the views expressed in the emails don’t represent the organization and he added an apology for “the distraction this may have created the last couple days,” as he expressed a desire for them to focus on baseball and get back to their winning ways. Preferably in October as well. The Cubs are definitely ready to move on and focus on baseball. But for some fans, that process won’t be as easy. From the addition of Daniel Murphy (who had made homophobic remarks earlier in his career) to Addison Russell’s suspension in accordance with the league’s domestic violence policy to Joe Ricketts’ ugly emails and even the recently announced partnership with controversial media empire Sinclair Broadcasting Group, there are so many issues facing this team that some fans question whether they want to link themselves with this organization. But while these PR nightmares have piled up over the last six months, Ricketts seemed to dismiss that they have a cumulative impact on the Cubs’ image. “I don’t think those things are connected,” Ricketts said. “First of all, the dad email thing, like I said, I was very surprised. They’re emails from several years ago. We don’t know how they got out, who had them, who gave them to who. That’s a totally separate issue from any of the other issues we have going on. You brought up Sinclair, Sinclair is going to be a great partner. We’ve been talking to them for several years. They have a lot of experience in the space, they have a lot of TV stations, they have experience in sports. It’s a strategic initiative that fits well for them. That deal will be a great deal for our fans and a great deal for the organization. I think it’s completely unrelated to anything that happens on my dad’s front and it’s completely unrelated to anything that happens on the political front. We don’t make our decisions based up on that. Everything we do, as you guys know, is very thorough, thoughtful and well-executed. The fact that Sinclair has printed stuff or has some political image doesn’t mean anything to us. It really doesn’t.” How Joe Ricketts’ emails were acquired is likely of little relevance to the people bothered by the words in them. And when numerous issues negatively impact the team, as much as Ricketts may believe they’re all separate, the combined impact they have on the organization’s image is real. Ricketts and the business side may have not put any thought into where Sinclair stands politically, but in such a polarized political time, there are plenty who can’t and won’t separate the two. This deal may be ideal for the Cubs in a business sense, but that is largely immaterial to those who believe Sinclair has a negative impact in the world around us by how they frame the current political discourse. While Marquee might not be airing political commentary or involved in any way with those aspects of Sinclair’s business, there will be fans who are bothered by the fact that they are business partners and help enrich Sinclair’s bottom line.

Outside of acknowledging there might be distractions to the players, Ricketts seemed to believe negative stories should in no way impact the good name the organization, and the Ricketts family, has built over the years. “We set out almost 10 years ago now to be the best organization in sports and to do what is right to our fans,” Ricketts said. “We laid out our three goals: to win the World Series, to restore Wrigley Field and to be a better neighbor. And we’ve crushed it. We’ve absolutely executed against all three of those goals. We’ve won the World Series, we’ve won more games than anyone in baseball the last four years, we won 95 games last year. We’ve restored Wrigley Field, we’ve put $750 million private funds to make Wrigley Field not only the best place to watch baseball, but a place that serves fans the right way. And on the community front, we now are the most charitable team in sports. We do a lot not only for the city but for the neighborhood. We define being a good neighbor broadly. We’ve executed those goals and we continue to do everything we can to be the best organization in sports. The distractions that occur off the field don’t deter from that. We continue to move forward and I don’t see these things changing us in any way. “Things aren’t always going to go well every single year, or every single month. It just feels like there’s a few more distractions than normal this year. But hopefully by addressing it the best we can, and finding the positive things we can do to move forward, we can get everyone focused on baseball again.” The Ricketts family and the Cubs will be highly scrutinized going forward. These negative stories certainly have a lasting impact on the team and those around them. But Ricketts did acknowledge that they have an opportunity to try to prove that all that has happened over the last six months doesn’t accurately represent what this organization stands for. The work they do to correct and rehabilitate that image will be critical. Ricketts not only tried to focus on the good his organization has done, but he did the same with his father as well. “The fact is, he acknowledged that they were inappropriate emails,” Ricketts said. “He expressed regret, he apologized. Those aren’t the values that my family was raised with. I have to be honest, I was surprised to see the emails. Our family was never raised that way. I’ve never heard my father say anything that was even remotely racist. It just isn’t our family values. So I was a little bit surprised. But I think his statements, both of them, are good and fair. He acknowledges that those kind of statements cause pain. But I love him. He’s my dad, he’s a great man, he’s done incredible things. He’s helped children all over the world through his charities. He supports 1,700 schools in Africa. All over East Africa too, Islamic East Africa. He’s done all the right things, I think he probably could have been more careful about which emails he brought in and a couple he sent. Like I said, I love him. I don’t see him in that light. I think he’s a great man. It’s just an unfortunate situation.” Again, despite the good things Joe Ricketts has done, it doesn’t negate the words he wrote and the forwarded racist and Islamophobic emails he casually replied to or forwarded along. He replied “great laugh” to a joke with a punchline that included the N-word. Another email described a future with no Muslims, to which Joe responded, “Good one. thx.” Ricketts attempted to separate his father from some of these words and seemed to almost suggest that he merely got caught up in the moment and was the victim of short lapses in judgment. “Obviously, there’s a lot of inappropriate or insensitive jokes,” Ricketts said. “Obviously, he didn’t write those, or forward those, by the way. Some of the things that he wrote about Islam, and he put this in his own statement, were colored by the news of the day in the Middle East. That’s another a great point, because we all have to fight very hard to not let that very small percentage of people that are creating

all this news, we can’t let that cast a shadow over all the people that aren’t like that. That’s just a human weakness we have to fight against. But like I said, we’re going to try and take this and do something positive out of this and raise awareness for people who are painting the American-Islamic community as something related to some of the more extreme people in the Middle East.” Ricketts was steadfast that the views expressed in the emails were not in line with the man he and his family know. But he admitted that despite what his father may really believe, it did not change the fact that there would be fans who were hurt by those words. “We have to do something to reach out to those people,” Ricketts said. “I can’t go back and change an inbox from 12 years ago or eight years ago. I can’t un-publish emails. But what we can do is we can use this as a chance to do more positive things. I think that’s something… as Joe (Maddon) said today, we own it. We have to what we can to repair that damage that maybe were created by those emails.” Ricketts said that whether it be through Wrigley Field, the adjacent Zachary Hotel or anything related to the Chicago Cubs, his father, Joe, profits in no way. That should be a small relief to some — if they believe Tom — but disassociating Joe Ricketts from the Cubs will still be difficult for many. Ultimately, Tom Ricketts may believe that his father is a good man who had a lapse in judgment (over the course of several years), that the Cubs partnership with Sinclair has nothing to do with politics and that all of the negative press the organization has received over the last few months doesn’t wash away all the good they’ve done. There has been good done by this organization, there’s no denying that. From the winning on the field to the charitable contributions off of it, over the last decade, the Cubs have drastically changed how they are viewed. But for many, what’s occurred over the last few months has tarnished the organization, and the initiatives the Cubs announced with local Muslim groups on Monday — from anti-hate PSAs to diversity and inclusion training to scholarships — are small consolation, at least right now. Perhaps many fans will be able to move on to baseball soon enough, but for some, there has been real pain caused by those directly or indirectly associated with this organization. And it will require real action to mend those fences. “The fact is, it’s just kind of fresh,” Ricketts said. “We want to make sure we do it right. We’ll make sure that our actions back up our words. You guys have known me for almost 10 years, everything we’ve said we’re going to do we’ve done, and we’re going to follow through on this.” -- The Athletic Ricketts on the spot: Cubs chairman talks budget, his dad’s racist emails and more By Jon Greenberg Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts spoke to reporters for the first time in a long time Monday, giving his annual state-of-the-team address on the team’s full reporting day at spring training. Unlike previous years, the mood wasn’t light. For more than a half-hour, he answered questions about his father Joe Ricketts’ racist and Islamophobic emails, the team’s now controversial budget limitations and overall baseball labor problems. We wanted to give you a full transcript of the conversation with a little of my reactions mixed in. Reporter questions (some have been condensed) are in bold, and my responses to some of Ricketts’

answers are tagged with my name and italicized. Sahadev Sharma contributed to the transcription from Mesa, Ariz., where he was at the press conference, and Lauren Comitor helped from Chicago. RICKETTS: I’d like to start with what I was talking about with the players in the other room. I gave my annual three-things speech: respect the badge, respect the Cubs, it’s an important organization, act well on and off the field. I told them to respect fans, treat the fans like gold like I do every year. And told them if they ever want to do anything in the charitable world, we’d help them like we do every year. We’re the most charitable team in the game and we want to keep that going. I also added a little bit about the emails that are going around, my father’s email controversy. Basically reiterating some of the things that we’ve talked about before, that I talked about in our statement. That the emails that were in there were unacceptable and have no place. My father has no direct role or economic interest in the team. That doesn’t represent what this organization is. I also said, “Look, I’m sorry for the distraction this may have created the last couple days. We need to focus on baseball, get back to our winning ways and get off to a fast start.” The last thing an organization needs is more off-the-field distractions. So we started with that and, of course, everyone else got up and made their speeches. It was a pretty good atmosphere in there, and I think everybody’s ready to go. Were you satisfied with your father’s statement? The fact is, he acknowledged that they were inappropriate emails. He expressed regret, he apologized. Those aren’t the values that my family was raised with. I have to be honest, I was surprised to see the emails. Our family was never raised that way. I’ve never heard my father say anything that was even remotely racist. It just isn’t our family values. So I was a little bit surprised. But I think his statements, both of them, are good and fair. He acknowledges that those kind of statements cause pain. But I love him. He’s my dad, he’s a great man, he’s done incredible things. He’s helped children all over the world through his charities. He supports 1,700 schools in Africa. All over East Africa, too, Islamic East Africa. He’s done all the right things, I think he probably could have been more careful about which emails he brought in and a couple he sent. Like I said, I love him. I don’t see him in that light. I think he’s a great man. It’s just an unfortunate situation. GREENBERG: I think Tom Ricketts is mystified that he gets criticized so much after buying the team and winning a World Series in his seventh season of ownership. The Cubs have made the playoffs in four straight years. Wrigley Field has been fixed up, not ruined. He’s done, inarguably, a great job. But that’s life in the big city. I’m going to give you an “I see both sides” answer to his answer. First, I don’t think Tom Ricketts should have to throw his dad, no matter what abhorrent thing he said or wrote, to the wolves. This is awkward for them, and it has to be addressed seriously, but it’s also family for him, and I have no problem with him pointing out the good his father has done, even with the incredibly clumsy “Islamic East Africa” mention. BUT, I don’t buy for one second that any of the views shared by his father were a surprise to Tom or the other siblings. If the “Who Ya Crappin’?” segment was still around on The Score, this would fit perfectly. I think this was at least the second email dump from this website (Editor’s note: There have been four.). Do you know if there were any more coming? I couldn’t tell you. I don’t know how those emails got out. Clearly, they were stolen. How they got out or who has what. I have no idea.

GREENBERG: This is the one question I want answered as well! How did they get those emails? I’m fascinated, and I hope it’s something like Joe left his email account open at the old DNAinfo office in New York. Were you or anyone in the family on the forward list for those emails? Did you get any of those? No. Well, I’m not, certainly. I don’t know if anyone else was. There was one email with Pete in there. It was an exchange you can go back and look at. Concerned with all the negativity around the team? Sinclair, Todd working for Trump, really the organization is seen in a different light by a lot of fans? I don’t think those things are connected. First of all, the dad email thing, like I said, I was very surprised. They’re emails from several years ago. We don’t know how they got out, who had them, who gave them to who. That’s a totally separate issue from any of the other issues we have going on. You brought up Sinclair; Sinclair is going to be a great partner. We’ve been talking to them for several years. They have a lot of experience in the space, they have a lot of TV stations, they have experience in sports. It’s a strategic initiative that fits well for them. That deal will be a great deal for our fans and a great deal for the organization. I think it’s completely unrelated to anything that happens on my dad’s front, and it’s completely unrelated to anything that happens on the political front. We don’t make our decisions based upon that. Everything we do, as you guys know, is very thorough, thoughtful and well-executed. The fact that Sinclair has printed stuff or has some political image doesn’t mean anything to us. It really doesn’t. GREENBERG: Why do people think Tom would be turned off by Sinclair’s partisan leanings or that he would let them affect a business deal? I understand why some fans are — and I think the awful ways Sinclair treats its local TV employees have been under-discussed here — but I think some people see Tom Ricketts as someone he’s maybe not. Also, can we get board members Pete and Todd Ricketts in for a discussion? A lot of this is perception from the outside … you’ve cultivated an image and however (Daniel) Murphy, (Addison) Russell, emails, Sinclair, politics are a part of it — how do you go about rebuilding your image? We set out almost 10 years ago now to be the best organization in sports and to do what is right to our fans. We laid out our three goals: to win the World Series, to restore Wrigley Field and to be a better neighbor. And we’ve crushed it. We’ve absolutely executed against all three of those goals. We’ve won the World Series, we’ve won more games than anyone in baseball the last four years, we won 95 games last year. We’ve restored Wrigley Field, we’ve put $750 million in private funds to make Wrigley Field not only the best place to watch baseball, but a place that serves fans the right way. And on the community front, we now are the most charitable team in sports. We do a lot not only for the city but for the neighborhood. We define being a good neighbor broadly. We’ve executed those goals and we continue to do everything we can to be the best organization in sports. The distractions that occur off the field don’t deter from that. We continue to move forward and I don’t see these things changing us in any way. GREENBERG: Just win and stay under budget, baby, doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. What did you say to your children about your father’s emails? Obviously when those broke out, we let all the kids know about it. I gotta be honest, my kids just called my dad and said, “We support you.” The fact is, we know he’s not that guy. It’s easy to take some emails

and try to paint a picture. But we know who my father is and we know that he’s not the person that some of the articles want to make him to be. He had no damage control internally. We all love him, we know who he is and I think that was probably the overriding family emotion. GREENBERG: Won’t someone think of the children?! Again, these aren’t straw-children. They’re real people. The same goes for the rest of the family. I’m sure their main focus was how those leaks affect this one specific business. (I assume some of the kids were a little embarrassed as well. Who wants to have their grandpa in the news?) Do you think you need to do more than just say Joe doesn’t have a role in the team? Is it fair for someone to make that connection since you’re family? We are related. He is my father. The dollars that were ultimately used to purchase the club were created by the wealth that he created. But like I said, this has always been an effort by myself and my siblings. He has no operating position or economic interest in the team at all. But obviously it’s going to be something, I’m not surprised that people would associate it with us and the team. From our standpoint, we’re surprised, we know it’s not who my dad really is and I think we just took it as an opportunity to do something positive. When we saw those emails we reached out to different communities’ leaders, particularly in the Islamic community, to try to acknowledge the fact that whether or not my dad is the Cubs owner, those caused pain, those caused hurt and those are our fans. And we have to do something to reach out to those people. I can’t go back and change an inbox from 12 years ago or eight years ago. I can’t unpublish emails. But what we can do, we can use this as a chance to do more positive things. I think that’s something, as Joe (Maddon) said today, we own it. We have to do what we can to repair that damage that maybe were created by those emails. GREENBERG: I’d like to ask Joe Ricketts to name five current Cubs. Also, let’s replace Joe’s bison dogs stand with a Pita Inn stand. (Editor’s note: This originally said “Halal Guys stand” but I was corrected. Also, Pita Inn is fantastic.) What did you say to the team about these issues? Basically what I said was the emails are out there, we’ve talked about them, they’ve been in the press for a long time. But I wanted to let them know that if there was anything that we had done in our organization that ever made them uncomfortable or something we had missed, to let me know. It was an opportunity for me to just remind everyone how incredibly important it is that we have an organization that doesn’t have those kind of frictions and barriers. We need to be inclusive, we need to be supportive of everyone. Why did you speak out against (Tom) Tunney? Alderman Tunney has been the alderman for 16 years. He was appointed 16 years ago and he’s running for re-election this year. We’ve been public. We believe that the neighbors could do better. But I gotta be honest, I don’t have, aside from a little bit more thoughtful security plan, we don’t have a big ask. We’re not trying to change anything. I think what voters should think about, running in the ward to protect people from the Cubs is ridiculous. You’re protecting people from community ice rinks and farmer’s markets. We’re committed to the community. We have a huge investment in the community. Everything we’ve done we’ve been transparent, and forthcoming and we’ve delivered. Everyone should be comfortable with us as neighbors in our neighborhood. When it comes to the alderman, my personal dealings with him have been not good. It’s difficult to build a relationship with him. And honestly, I just think we can do better. There’s other candidates and I would suggest that everyone who lives in our ward take a look at both of them and see if they don’t think there’s a better way forward for us.

GREENBERG: The Cubs basically wrapped up Tunney’s re-election with Joe’s email scandal and their own over-aggressive approach at Cubs Convention. It’s not like this is some big race, though, so I see how they think they can move the needle. In the 2015 election in the 44th ward, there were a total of 9,133 votes. In that election, Tunney won 6,126 and his closest rival got 2,153. Can the Ricketts family’s “He’s been mean to us, personally” campaign (complete with mailers) cause a major voting swing? I doubt it. But I do agree that a lot of incumbent, Machine-like aldermen need progressive opponents. (Tom might not agree on the progressive part.) Also, I don’t live in the city anymore, so this isn’t my problem. Do you understand why some may be bothered by the Cubs trying to tell them who to vote for? I’m not leading anyone where to vote, I’m just saying take a look. Everyone has to make their own decisions. Maybe it’s just time to take a look at getting some new leadership. You’ve said those emails don’t represent your father and he’s not racist. Then why would he write those things? First of all, it’s kind of two categories. Obviously, there’s a lot of inappropriate or insensitive jokes. Obviously, he didn’t write those, or forward those, by the way. Some of the things that he wrote about Islam, and he put this in his own statement, were colored by the news of the day in the Middle East. That’s another a great point, because we all have to fight very hard to not let that very small percentage of people that are creating all this news, we can’t let that cast a shadow over all the people that aren’t like that. That’s just a human weakness we have to fight against. But like I said, we’re going to try and take this and do something positive out of this and raise awareness for people who are painting the American-Islamic community as something related to some of the more extreme people in the Middle East. GREENBERG: I don’t want to pick on Tom for the exact words he used here. This was a very good question and I’m not sure he was ready for it. BUT, his statement “Some of the things that he wrote about Islam, and he put this in his own statement, were colored by the news of the day in the Middle East,” prompts the question: Where was ol’ Joe getting his news of the day? How was it delivered? Who was doing the disseminating? This is a situation, some would say problem, that goes way beyond Joe Ricketts. How do you back up your words with actions in regards to the release? Well, we’ll follow through on all that stuff. I mean, the fact is, it’s just kind of fresh. We want to make sure we do it right. We’ll make sure that our actions back up our words. You guys have known me for almost 10 years, everything we’ve said we’re going to do we’ve done, and we’re going to follow through on this. GREENBERG: I believe him on this one. His Cubs have been great with community involvement and I think, in the long run, his dad’s racist emails will cultivate some new relationships with the Cubs. As ESPN 1000’s Adam Abdalla suggested in this story, the Cubs should hold a Muslim-American Night. Joe doesn’t benefit financially from any money spent at Wrigley? Not at the ballpark, not at the hotel, nothing. How does the family trust relate to that, then?

He’s just not part of the trust. Why do you think someone went out of their way to leak the emails? I can’t speculate on that. Obviously my dad keeps a very high political profile, he also had a news organization last year that closed. I don’t know, I’m not sure what anyone gains from this. A lot of off-field distractions … what are your feelings heading into the season? Well, obviously, this is a different kind of gathering than we’ve had the past few years. There’s a few more off-field distractions than there have been in years past. But look, you’re never going to get around them … we’re a very high-profile organization, like I said, we continue to drive to be the best organization in all of sports. Things aren’t always going to go well every single year, or every single month. It just feels like there’s a few more distractions than normal this year. But hopefully by addressing it the best we can, and finding the positive things we can do to move forward, we can get everyone focused on baseball again. What do you say to the fans in regard to having to pay extra with the new TV deal? Yeah, I mean, there’s a lot of misperception in the market too. First of all, there is, I mean, the whole concept of this free television obviously … I mean, if you get your free channels through cable or through Dish, you’re paying for them, those aren’t free. So I think people have a misperception there. With respect to having a second channel, I mean it’s really about serving the fans. The fact is that by separating ourselves we can do what’s right for the organization by doing what’s right for the fans, and that’s being able to put all the games in one place, which is probably the single biggest complaint I get from people — “Put all the games in one place” — to do all the shoulder programming and do all the game-day programming the way we want to do it. We have a production team now that can go and look at players’ personal lives in-depth, and bring those players off the page, and we can just do a lot more. And frankly, it’s what the biggest and what other teams in our sport have done, and if there’s one thing this organization did historically not well, is they didn’t handle the big picture and the big problems very well. And this is a big thing, and I think having our own channel is the next step in becoming the best organization in the world. GREENBERG: Tom makes a good point here about putting all the games in one place. While it’s not a particularly arduous problem, I can see why fans get annoyed when the games are on different channels. Of course, the downside will be if the Cubs don’t get total carriage immediately in Chicago. Ah well, at least in that scenario, Mitch Rosen will be able to tout good ratings on The Score! The fight for the Cubs will be getting their network on the main programming tier with Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network and RCN. (Am I missing anyone?) Right now, I’m paying $6.64 a month for NBC Sports Chicago on DirecTV. Comcast customers are paying a whopping $8.25 a month. Those prices will double, at least, with two channels, and the cable carriers might play hardball trying to keep their main package costs down, especially with cord-cutting on the rise. Did Sinclair controversy come up in the decision-making process? Not at all. I mean, Sinclair … it didn’t have any impact on anything. We just know that they’re a very good organization who has a strategic interest in getting into sports. And they already have the Tennis Channel, and so they already have some experience that will help us. We think they’ll be great partners, and there’s nothing political in anything we’re doing with our new station.

How does this fit in with sale of RSNs, Disney/Fox merger and Sinclair’s involvement in that, and whether even streaming rights are going to go back to the individual clubs? There’s a lot of questions in there. I don’t really have a lot of insight into what’s going to happen with the Disney RSNs, all I know is what I read in the papers, so I have nothing to add on that. Same with streaming rights. I think ultimately that the clubs will get them back, but that’s up to the commissioner as to what happens next. Going back to what you said early on about the politics not being related to some of this other stuff, how do you respond to the perception that your family has been able to use the Cubs brand in political endeavors, maybe Pete in Nebraska, maybe Todd with some of the presidential stuff? Well, I don’t have any way to like, weigh that or gauge whether or not that’s been a plus or a minus. I think the association with a winning organization is generally a plus. If it would’ve been a losing organization, it would’ve been a minus, I guess. But ultimately whatever we do as individuals and my siblings, we have to stand on our own two feet regardless of what happens with the baseball team. GREENBERG: I’m sure being able to put “owner of the Cubs” helps when you’re a fundraiser. But either way, the Ricketts family is rich. For any political candidate or group, of any political stripe, their favorite team wears green. Still, it probably helps. If you want to be the best organization in the game, there are a lot of high-profile free agents still out there, a lot of fans are wondering why more money wasn’t invested in adding to the team? Yeah, that’s a pretty easy question to answer. We don’t have any more. The fact is that we’ve been in the top five in spending, in baseball spend, for the last five or six years. We’re in the top couple in spending last year. We’ve put our money back on the field. Unfortunately, you just can’t have a high-profile free agent every single year. And part of that is obviously how much it costs, whatever the $25, $30 million are going cost. Plus it’s a 10-year commitment, and you’ve gotta pay those dollars. So we like the team we have. We made the bets we have over the last few years. I think that we’re well positioned to win the division again. And as much as I would love to have a great new exciting player every single season, it just can’t happen every year. GREENBERG: Shout-out to ABC’s Dionne Miller! This was a great question and it elicited a fantastic answer to mock. “We don’t have any more” is something coming from the owner of the Cubs who has taken over a big-city neighborhood block with hotels and restaurants, isn’t it? I think we’re all in agreement the Cubs can’t sign a big-name free agent every year and perhaps they blew it with Yu Darvish’s $126 million deal. But, jeez, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are available and you can’t make it work? That you’re going to have to pay Kris Bryant, Javy Báez, Anthony Rizzo if you want to keep them, is that eventually part of the projection? Yeah, there’s two things in there. And I think that maybe the baseball people in the room understand but maybe a lot of fans don’t. I mean, as those players get through arbitration they’re getting pretty substantial raises. So this offseason, although Kris Bryant and Javy Báez aren’t new players, they got pretty substantial raises going into this season. On top of that, we signed Cole Hamels, who doesn’t feel like necessarily a free agent because we picked up a contract that was our option. But just those contracts put us well above what we’ve ever spent before. So that’s one point, our baseball spend is higher than it’s ever been, it’s 50 percent more than it was just six or seven years ago. And part of it is because the players as they mature, they get more money. But your second part of the question is really

on point too, we have to have the financial flexibility to keep the players we want to keep for the long run. And we could sign a bunch of new players, try to get a couple new players this year, but you can’t spend that same dollar twice, you have to be able to project out and look for flexibility in the future. But like I said, it’s not all about money. The fact is that it really comes down to, I mean, do you have the right guys and can you stay healthy and get through the season, and I think we do have the right guys. GREENBERG: Instead of complaining about raises in arbitration, Ricketts should be thankful he bought a team in a sport that holds down labor costs during prime years of a player’s career. Kris Bryant won the MVP in his first full season, making a salary of $652,000. Javy Báez finished second in the MVP voting last year and he made $657,000. What bargains! If you wanted to, could you pay whatever you wanted, is there a way that you could? If you table this year’s Wrigley updates or something? I don’t think there’s any limitation in baseball on how much money you want to lose. I think that there’s some guys that have tested that. But I’m telling you, the most important thing you can do is think about not just this year, but the future. I think one of the biggest mistakes the previous ownership made is they considered every year a discrete event, as if, OK, what do we have to do this year to sell our season tickets, what do we have to do to sell the suites, what do we have to do to get our sponsors back. You have to think of every year as part of a continuum, and you have to think of it in terms of where you’re going to be two, three, four, five years down the line. And in those kind of “go for it” scenarios, a lot of times they don’t work. I mean the fact is, the correlation between your payroll and your wins in positive, but it’s not dispositive, it doesn’t decide how you’re gonna do. The fact is that the correlation’s been going down over time, and you guys who are closer to the game know that more younger players are becoming more impactful earlier in their career, and so you can’t buy victories like you could maybe 20 years ago. So you have to be thoughtful about where you put your resources and think long-term. Understanding that you can’t pay for victories, you guys have, pretty much, I don’t know for a fact what you have, but you have the hotel, you have purchased the rooftops, new TV money’s kicking in, a lot of new revenue streams over the last five or six years. Is there anything else out there in the neighborhood for you to pursue in that regard? In the neighborhood, we don’t have any plans at the moment for any new development. Maybe over time. I think right now, we’re very, very happy how the hotel went, the restaurants did well, the plaza once we can finish this last phase of construction, we can program that all year-round. That’s been very well-received. So we’re very happy with what’s going on in the neighborhood. But there’s nothing we decided to do next. Follow up to the last one, when you’re talking about what you’re investing in some of these players and what the return is, you talk a lot about the baseball and I get that. But what about in your guys’ unique situation, investing in a young, unique type of a free agent over the long term deal, when you got the TV thing on the horizon, on the near horizon, and this being maybe a marketing opportunity as well, and a programming opportunity as well? Oh, so why not go out and sign one of the big-name guys to help move the chains? The value being deeper than just what’s on the field … I get where you’re going, but what I’m telling you is, the way we look at things is you gotta think long-term. It’s not just one season. …

But isn’t there an element of that though, that is long-term potentially? In terms of getting the channel delivered? Yeah, if you got the TV deal starting next year. Yeah possibly. But the fact is, we don’t think of it that way. We think we have a very, very good team. We think we’ll win our division. I don’t think that’ll be our issue. I think the issue, if we were to add even more dollars, I think we’d end up with just more problems down the line. The fact is, we have one of the top baseball budgets. We have top baseball guys who allocate those dollars and that should get us great results. GREENBERG: Mo’ money, mo’ problems, eh Tom? I see his point, but not in the case of two 26-year-old studs like Harper and Machado. Follow Biggie’s advice, Tom, throw your rollie to the sky, wave it side to side and keep your check-writing hand high. Tom, how tough is it to run a private business that’s a public trust, in general? All these things that you have to talk about that are certainly issues, but that get in way of running as big of a business as the Chicago Cubs are? Well, I mean I think in our culture, in our business, we always put the fans first and think about what’s best for the organization. And if you come at it from that perspective, I think a lot of decisions make themselves. Obviously, very high-profile. We’ve seen that the last few weeks. Anything we do is high-profile and we have to live with the consequences with everything that happens and all of the decisions that we make. So, um, we feel like we’ve delivered for the fans an organization they can be very proud of. We have a great team we’re going to put on the field this year. As long as we continue to do that, as long as we continue to focus on that, I think everything else, while it’s an aggravation at times, and it’s something we have to address at times, I think most of those problems will solve themselves. Outside of spending on the big-name free agents, some people are wondering why it took so long to wait to add relievers when prices were so depressed, money may have had to have been moved to add relievers they wanted earlier, why was the budget so restricted? That’s really a Theo question. It’s his budget, his responsibility. He decides the timing of all of it. Tom, in light of all this where do you see the next CBA discussions going? I don’t have any insight on the next CBA. Obviously, the stickiness of the free agent market has been a topic related back to what happens in the next CBA. But it’s a couple years away, and I don’t have any insight into what happens next. One question on Addison: How do you think he came off as far as his press conference? I think Addison did well. You know on that whole topic, I think owe a little shout-out to everybody in the Cubs organization. From the very beginning, we reached out to Melisa (Reidy, Russell’s ex-wife) and tried to think of what is the best possible answer for all the individuals involved. Came to the conclusion that the better path forward is to support Addison and give him the chance as a Cub to get this behind him and become a better person and see if he can’t live up to that. And he’s taken up the challenge. You saw the other day he’s committed publicly to do so. He’s got the support of his teammates and we’re all just hoping this was an experience he’ll learn from and never be in the same situation again.

GREENBERG: Shout-out was a weird word to use here. Patrick Mooney covered the Russell press conference here. Did Theo or anyone in baseball operations come to you and ask for more flexibility with the budget? Well, in every single team, every single GM asks for more money every single year. So in the grand scheme, of course. But Theo sees every single penny that goes in and out of the organization. They’re able to project what their payroll is going to be going forward. We know where their dollars are. He understands, it’s not like we make up a number every year. He knows what his budget is supposed to be and then he adjusts for it. GREENBERG: Give Theo more money, imo. A lot of players have been wondering about collusion. Can you say that’s not the case? I can say that’s not the case. I don’t think there’s any collusion. I have no idea what going on with the free agent market with respect to the Harper and Machado situations. But I don’t think anybody is colluding with anybody. It’s just a matter of finding the right fit and finding the right contract. As an owner, especially of a team with a lot at stake, you see what’s going on with the salaries in general, that they’re stagnating, dipped a little last year, the trend line is like that, while the revenues rise and the franchise values rise even higher, is that sustainable? The players are waking up to this and some of them are even talking about strikes and storm clouds and the CBA in three years. Is that sustainable and is it justifiable based on that players are basically the game? Yeah, there’s a lot in that question. First of all, players’ salaries did dip down a little bit, mainly because of (Robinson) Cano’s suspension. So, like it was flat to a little bit lower last year … GREENBERG: “Shout-out” to Tom for noting that question was ridiculously long. The free agent market was suppressed, so do you think that should’ve gone up? Yeah, so revenue was up a small amount in baseball. It’s not like it’s changed dramatically over the past few years and I really can’t speak to how other teams spend or don’t spend their money. What I know is that we stay up with the top spenders in the game and it’s all we can do. We give Theo as much resources as we can. Do you worry about a possible strike the next time around? You know, it’s a couple years away, I’m not thinking about it at the moment. If there’s issues between the union and the league we should probably start talking now. GREENBERG: I would love to see Joe Ricketts’ emails if the players go on strike. Question about Joe Maddon. Obviously he’s in the last year of his contract. Your reflection of him as a manager up to this point and your hopes for him in the future with this team. Once again, that’s a baseball decision, I can only say from a personal standpoint Joe’s done such an incredible job, and I like him as a person. That’s between Theo and his guys and Joe. GREENBERG: “That sounds like a Theo problem. Thank you very much, try the bison dogs!”

-- Cubs.com Bryant ready to show off old swing this spring By Jordan Bastian MESA, Ariz. -- As Kris Bryant spoke at his locker on Monday morning, Cubs pitcher Duane Underwood Jr. waited for several minutes just behind the throng of reporters. The size of the crowd combined with all the cameras made it impossible for Underwood to get to his own stall to prepare for the first full-squad workout of the spring. On the field or in the clubhouse, there will be no easing into this spring for Bryant. "The offseason was the time to ease into it, which I did," Bryant said. "Now, this is the time to go. There's no easing into it. I'm ready to go -- full steam ahead." Bryant has been in camp for a few days -- putting on a show in batting practice, gloving grounders and getting in his work behind the scenes -- but Monday marked his first meeting with the media. As the star relayed at Cubs Convention, there are currently no restrictions when it comes to the left shoulder injury that limited him to 102 games and sapped his slugging percentage last season. The Cubs would have much rather played deep into October, but one positive of the early postseason dismissal was an extra month of rest for Bryant. Rest, it turns out, is precisely what he required to let the shoulder heal before winter workouts. By December, Bryant was swinging aggressively without discomfort and getting back to his regular mechanics. "We didn't give it enough time to properly heal," Bryant said of last season. "Kind of like when you sprain an ankle and you keep walking on it or you keep exercising on it. It's not going to heal the way it should. That's kind of what I was doing. I'd take a week off and get back into things, swinging light and doing this and, for me, I really needed to just not do anything for like a month. "And that's kind of what I did this offseason. I went home and I didn't do anything, and then right when I got back into it, sure, I felt a little sore, but it was good soreness. And then a month after that I was like, 'Wow, it's completely gone. I feel great. I'm going to start swinging.' And I did and everything just kind of took off from there." Bryant said he injured the shoulder on May 19, when he legged out an infield single against Cincinnati's Dylan Floro by diving headfirst into first base. He sustained bone bruising on the play, and it impacted his production dramatically -- around two stints on the disabled list -- over the remainder of the season. Heading into that ill-fated game against the Reds, Bryant was sporting a .311/.428/.595 line through 38 games. From that point on, he hit .249/.339/.378 in 64 games and adopted a two-handed swing later in the year in an effort to reduce stress on the shoulder. Bryant believes Cubs fans will recognize his old swing -- the one that helped him win the National League MVP Award in 2016 -- when they see him this year. "I've been a really good baseball player with that swing my whole life," Bryant said. "I was looking at me when I was 8 years old and I swung the same way, so I'm not going to change anything just because I

had an injury last year. I'm over the injury. I've done everything I need to do to get over it, and I'm back to who I am." And that would provide a tremendous boost for a Cubs lineup that struggled without Bryant at full strength last season. "Any time I take the baseball field," Bryant said, "whether it's a Spring Training game or an actual game, I'm looking to do damage. That's kind of my mindset this year." -- Cubs.com Bryant revisits St. Louis chatter at Cubs camp By Jordan Bastian MESA, Ariz. -- It did not take long for Kris Bryant's comments inside a packed Sheraton Grand Chicago last month to make their way to St. Louis. His audience of blue-and-white-clad Cubs fans was laughing and cheering, but the Cardinals players who caught wind of his remarks most certainly were not. On Monday, when Bryant held court with reporters prior to the Cubs' first full-squad workout of Spring Training, he was able to laugh at the "boring" controversy that riled up one of baseball's best rivalries. Chicago's star third baseman emphasized that his comments about St. Louis were aimed at firing up Cubs fans and he is willing to clear the air with Yadier Molina, if the Cardinals catcher feels that is necessary. "If he's willing to," Bryant said. "I don't think I said anything wrong. I'm not taking anything back. It was just kind of I think things were taken out of context a little bit." The context is that Bryant was a guest on stage with former Cubs pitcher and current broadcaster Ryan Dempster, whose late-night comedy show has become a staple at Cubs Convention. During their chat, Dempster mentioned that Bryant met rapper Nelly while attending a Florida Georgia Line concert in Las Vegas, where the third baseman and his friend, Bryce Harper, live in the offseason. "He's a big Cardinals fan," Bryant said on stage of Nelly. The crowd of Cubs fans predictably erupted in boos, and Bryant joined them before continuing with his story. "He was trying to work the magic on Bryce," Bryant said. "But who would want to play in St. Louis? It's so boring. So boring. I always get asked like, 'Where do you like to play? Where do you not like to play?' And St. Louis is on the places I don't like to play." This was happening on the opening night for Cubs Convention on Jan. 18, while the Cardinals were kicking off their own fan fest in St. Louis. By the next morning, a video clip of the exchange between Bryant and Dempster was making the rounds on social media and some Cardinals players responded swiftly. On Instagram, Marcell Ozuna criticized the Cubs by saying, "They talk like tigers, but at the end they gonna be like little cat." During a radio hit, Cardinals pitcher John Brebbia quipped, "Cry me a river, loser."

Bryant was entertained by Brebbia's retort. "It's the perfect response to it," Bryant said. "I kind of got a chuckle out of it." Molina also took to Instagram, posting "players and leaders of their teams do not speak bad about any city. There should be respect and you should play and compete with respect. Only stupid players and losers make comments like the ones made by Bryant and Dempster." Bryant felt Molina came on a little strong with that reply. "Yeah. I think so," Bryant said. "I felt like I wasn't attacking anybody. I wasn't attacking anybody's family, the organization, the fans. I wasn't attacking anybody. It was totally taken out of context. I don't know. You'd have to ask him what he thinks about it, if he has anything to say since then. But it did come off a little strong -- kind of caught me off guard a little bit." The Cubs head to St. Louis for the first time in 2019 for a three-game series beginning on May 31. Mark your calendars. Bryant said he might even plan some activities around the city while he is in town. "You know what? I might have to explore a little bit when I get there -- find some more stuff to do," Bryant said with a smile. "I've definitely heard of some things more to do there, which I might actually get out and try to do." -- Cubs.com Tom Ricketts addresses father's emails, Addison By Jordan Bastian MESA, Ariz. -- Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts addressed the team on Monday morning as he does every spring, but this year, he needed to discuss more than just the baseball season ahead. Off-the-field issues have dominated the focus recently for Chicago, creating distractions from the upbeat feelings typically associated with the start of camp. Ricketts wanted to talk to the players, coaches and staff about the recently leaked e-mails containing racist and Islamophobic rhetoric from his father, Joe Ricketts, whose fortune paved the way to purchase the Cubs a decade ago. Then, the team's chairman met with reporters for more than a half-hour, touching on Addison Russell's 40-game suspension, the recent partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group for the launch of Marquee Sports Network next year and the payroll situation, among many other topics. "Obviously," Ricketts said, "this is a different kind of gathering than we've had the past few years." Prior to taking any questions, Ricketts started his news conference with an opening statement about his gathering with the team. There was the usual talk of expectations for the year ahead -- winning the World Series being the goal -- but Ricketts also condemned the language used by his father. As Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein emphasized last week, Ricketts said the team's actions will mean more than any words uttered into a microphone. Earlier on Monday morning, the Cubs and the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations released a joint statement about taking steps to combat Islamophobia, bigotry and racism. The press release detailed proposed plans to have notable Muslims participate in Cubs and Wrigley Field

traditions, combined with having the team support anti-hate PSAs, scholarships and more, which will be discussed further in the coming weeks. "Those aren't the values that my family was raised with," Ricketts said of the contents of the e-mails. "And I have to be honest, I was surprised to see the e-mails. Our family was never raised that way. I've never heard my father say anything that was even remotely racist. It just isn't our family values." Ricketts emphasized that his father is not involved with the Cubs' decision-making and does not benefit from the team's revenues in any way. "Not the ballpark. Not the hotel. Nothing," Ricketts said. On Friday, Russell held a near 20-minute news conference to answer questions about his suspension for violating MLB's Domestic Abuse Policy, as well as his ongoing treatment plan. Given the nature of the situation, and the fact that Russell can be a full participant in Spring Training, many of the shortstop's teammates have fielded questions on the issue since arriving to camp. Ricketts said Melisa Reidy, Russell's ex-wife, has been consulted throughout the past several months, as the Cubs have navigated their way through the decisions surrounding the shortstop. "[We] came to the conclusion that the better path forward was to support Addison," Ricketts said, "and give him a chance as a Cub to get this behind him and become a better person, and see if he can't live up to that. And he's taken up the challenge." Ricketts' hope was to have the focus -- while understandably centered on all these issues at the moment -- will turn back to the product on the baseball field. "Things aren't always going to go well every single year or every single month," Ricketts said. "It just feels like there's a few more distractions than normal this year. But hopefully by addressing it as best we can and finding the positive, things we can do to move forward, we can get everyone focused on baseball again." -- ESPNChicago.com Tom Ricketts: Cubs didn't spend money in offseason because, 'we don't have any more' By Jesse Rogers MESA, Ariz. -- While claiming he's confident there is no collusion occurring in baseball, Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts explained why his team didn't spend money -- and still won't -- on free agents this offseason. "That's a pretty easy question to answer," Ricketts said Monday. "We don't have any more." That comment took some by surprise for a team whose estimated worth is over $3 billion. Ricketts pointed out the Cubs have been a top-five payroll in baseball ever since they became contenders a few years ago, but they've never been the No. 1 spender. This season won't be any different. "We've put our money back on the field," Ricketts said. "Unfortunately, you just can't have a high-profile free agent every single year. Part of that is how much it costs. Whatever the $25-30 million it's going to cost, plus it's a 10-year commitment. You have to pay those dollars."

Ricketts was stating the obvious but not really explaining why the Cubs don't have the money. They're set to see a windfall beginning next year when their own television network debuts. He claimed rising salary costs due to arbitration as one reason they aren't spending big. "As much as I would love to have a great, new, exciting player, it just can't happen every year," Ricketts said. The Cubs have been active in the market in previous years but not this one. So while Manny Machado and Bryce Harper are still available to all teams, count the 2016 World Series champions out. It's the same stance they've had all offseason. With their continued availability as camps open, a new round of questions about collusion arose. "I can say that's not the case," Ricketts said. "I don't think there is any collusion. I have no idea what's going on with the free-agent market with respect to Harper and Machado, but I don't think anyone is colluding with anyone. "If there are issues between the union and the league, we should probably start talking now." -- ESPNChicago.com Kris Bryant happy to clear the air with Yadier Molina over comments about St. Louis By Jesse Rogers MESA, Ariz. -- Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant said he's more than happy to clear the air with Yadier Molina after offseason comments made by Bryant about the city of St. Louis raised the ire of the Cardinals' All-Star catcher. In a comedy sketch with former Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster last month, Bryant called St. Louis "boring," something Molina took exception to. "It (Molina's reaction) did take me by surprise," Bryant said as the Cubs began full squad workouts Monday. "I wasn't attacking his family, the organization or anything. ... You never know how people will react to what you say. That's how he looked at it." Molina claimed at the time that "only stupid players and losers" make fun of other cities. "It's good for the rivalry," Bryant said with a smile. "It was totally taken out of context. I think we all know that. It was a comedy show." Bryant made the comments as he was being "interviewed" by Dempster in a "Tonight Show" type of setting. Both took shots at St. Louis, and the sketch immediately went viral. "I was caught off guard," Bryant said. "I was thinking to myself, 'what really happened?' You never want to say the wrong thing. I think I've done a good job on the field to earn the respect of the players around the league, I do things the right way. I treat people the right way. I know I'm a good person." Bryant has heard from many people telling him about things to do in St. Louis. He said he may take that advice to heart when the Cubs play there next.

"I might have to explore a little bit when I get there," he stated. "I heard there were some more things to do there, which I might actually try to get out and do." Teammate Anthony Rizzo got a kick out of the whole ordeal. "I was kind of shocked, especially because of the respect Yadi has for us as a team and the way we play and the respect we have for the Cardinals," Rizzo said. "It was definitely not a dig at the St. Louis Cardinals. He just doesn't like going to St. Louis. "There are some cities I don't like going to, but I'll never say that," he added with a laugh. Rizzo was asked what he likes to do in St. Louis. "I go to the casino," he responded. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs partner with Muslim organizations in wake of emails By Jesse Rogers MESA, Ariz. -- On the same day the Cubs announced a partnership with several Chicago-area Muslim organizations, team owner Tom Ricketts expressed surprise over his father's association with racist and bigoted emails while continuing to distance the Cubs from the controversy. "The emails were unacceptable and have no place," Ricketts said Monday from Cubs camp. "My father has no direct role or economic interest in the team and that doesn't represent what this organization is. "Those aren't the values that my family was raised with. I was surprised to see the emails. I've never heard my father say anything that was even remotely racist. It's just not our family values." Ricketts spent much of his 30-minute news conference answering for his father -- and the emails, which were published by splinternews.com. They contained racist jokes and Islamophobia. As for the team's association with various Muslim organizations, a joint news release announced a desire for "genuine, meaningful and visible steps toward combating Islamophobia, bigotry and racism." Ricketts addressed the emails with his players before speaking with reporters. He wanted to clear the air before spring training begins in earnest. "I wanted to let them know if there was anything we had done in our organization that ever made them uncomfortable or we had missed, to let me know," Ricketts said. The controversy exploded just days before the team announced a partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group to create a television network dedicated to Cubs baseball. Sinclair's footprint in politics, which critics say skews very conservative, had no bearing on the Cubs' decision to sign up with the company, said Ricketts. The Ricketts family has many ties to the Republican Party. Tom Ricketts' brother Pete is the Republican governor of Nebraska and brother Todd is the Republican National Committee finance chair.

Joe Ricketts is the founder and former CEO of TD Ameritrade and has contributed to conservative political groups. "I think they will be great partners," Tom Ricketts said of Sinclair, the largest television station operator in the United States. "There is nothing political in anything we're doing with our new station." The latest round of off-the-field issues have been part of a larger picture for the Cubs over the last few months. On Friday, Addison Russell spoke publicly for the first time since being suspended for 40 games for violating baseball's domestic violence policies. Many fans did not want to see him wear a Cubs uniform again, but the team stood by him as he began counseling and therapy. At some point, Ricketts wants the team to get back to talking and playing baseball. It wasn't long ago the franchise was among the elite in sports. "The last thing an organization needs is more off-the-field distractions," Ricketts said. "We set out to be the best organization in sports and do what was right for our fans. We've crushed it. We've won the World Series. ... We've restored Wrigley Field. ... And on the community front we are the most charitable in sports. We've executed all those goals." -- NBC Sports Chicago Tom Ricketts on Cubs payroll situation: 'We don't have any more' money By Tony Andracki MESA, Ariz. — The Cubs payroll has been a hot-button issue all winter. The team spent big last winter on a free agent class led by Yu Darvish, then went out and won 95 games. But the Cubs were caught from behind by the Milwaukee Brewers and wound up at home on their couches — or barbecuing, as Anthony Rizzo said Monday — in the first week of October. As a follow up to the way 2018 ended, the Cubs have had a very quiet offseason. They picked up Cole Hamels' $20 million option (but also had to trade away Drew Smyly's $7 million deal to Texas to create room) and then have added only utility guy Daniel Descalso, reliever Brad Brach and a few other bullpen arms on minor deals as the market depressed closer to spring training. Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts gave his state of address to the team Monday ahead of the first full-squad workout and later met with the media, where he was asked about the organization's finances and why they didn't spend more money this winter. "That's a pretty easy question to answer — we don't have any more," Ricketts said. "We've been in the Top 5 in spending in baseball the last 5 or 6 years. We were in the top couple last year. We've put our money back on the field. Unfortunately, you just can't have a high-profile free agent every single year. "Part of that is how much it costs — the $25-$30 million it's gonna cost. Plus, it's a 10-year committment. You gotta pay all those dollars. We like the team we have, we made the best we have over the last few years. I think that we're well-positioned to win the division again. "As much as I would love to have a great, new, exciting player every single season, it just can't happen every year."

Ricketts did not have his usual panel at Cubs Convention last month, but spoke to radio stations leading up to that event about the blowback from fans for the lack of spending this winter. He echoed similar sentiments Monday, pointing to Hamels' option, the escalating salaries of arbitration-eligible players like Kris Bryant and the need to earmark money for down the line to retain their own players (like Bryant or Javy Baez). "We have to have the financial flexibility to keep the players we want to keep for the long run," Ricketts said. "We could try to sign a couple new players this year, but you can't spend that same dollar twice." Ricketts continually pointed out the importance of looking long-term with regards to the budget and payroll and said Theo Epstein's front office is able to project the budget for the next couple years. With Bryce Harper and Manny Machado still unsigned with March right around the corner, there's been a buzz that either player might sign a short-term, high-value deal and re-enter the free agent market in a year or two. When asked if the Cubs have limitations preventing the club from entering into one of those short-term, big-money contracts with a superstar player, Ricketts said: "I don't think there's any limitation in baseball in how much money you want to lose. I think there's some guys that have tested that. The most important thing you can do is think about not just this year, but the future. I think one of the biggest mistakes the previous ownership made is they considered every year a discrete of that. "As if: What do we have to do this year to sell our season tickets? What do we have to do to sell the suites? What do we have to do to get our sponsors back? You have to think of every year as part of a continuum and you have to think of it in terms of where you're gonna be 2, 3, 4, 5 years down the line. In those kinda go-for-it scenarios, a lot of times they don't work. "The correlation between your payroll and your wins is positive, but it's not dispositive. It doesn't decide how you're gonna do. The fact is that the correlation's been going down over time. More younger players are becoming more impactful earlier in their career and so you can't buy victories like you could maybe 20 years ago. You have to be thoughtful about where you put your resources and think long term." The Cubs are currently projected for an Opening Day payroll north of $212 million (according to Roster Resource), which would represent a $30 million increase from last year's $182 million mark (which was the highest Opening Day payroll in franchise history). But it's understandable fans are feeling impatient, especially given the minor additions to the Cubs roster while the rest of the division has been active and aggressive in improving their team on paper this offseason. The Cubs were aggressive last winter, spending money to augment the pitching staff by bringing in Darvish, Brandon Morrow, Steve Cishek and Tyler Chatwood. That obviously didn't work out in their favor, as only Cishek was able to make an impact throughout the entire season. That certainly has a carry-over effect and even with the new Cubs TV deal beginning a year from now, Ricketts balked at the notion a big-time free agent could help the club in its marketing endeavors for a new network.

"Yeah, possibly. The fact is that we don't think of it that way," Ricketts said. "We think we have a very, very good team. We think we'll win our division. We don't think that will be our issue. "I think the issue is if we're to add even more dollars, I think we'd end up with some more problems down the line. The fact is we have one of the top baseball budgets, we have top baseball guys who allocate those dollars and that should get us great results." -- NBC Sports Chicago Kris Bryant reacts to Yadier Molina and St. Louis backlash: 'I wasn't attacking anybody' By Tony Andracki MESA, Ariz. — A couple months ago, Kris Bryant would've been the last person anybody expected to stand at their locker on the first day of full-squad spring workouts and react to a war of words. Bryant typically doesn't rock the boat with his comments. He prefers to let his play on the field do the talking. But when he made an offhand comment about how St. Louis is "boring" at Cubs Convention last month, it took on a life of its own. Cardinals players responded back, calling Bryant a "loser" and defending their city. Yadier Molina had some strong comments on Instagram, saying "only stupid players and loser players make comments like the ones made by bryant." Bryant reacted to the whole ordeal Monday — a month after the original comments — and said he's still getting backlash and was completely surprised by the ire. He mostly just was confused how many people misunderstood the comment and how he said it. "I guess it's good for the rivalry; it'll be an interesting game," Bryant said. "But I think it was totally taken out of context. I think we all know that it was a comedy show with Ryan Dempster at a Cubs Convention, trying to get the fans excited for the season and I think it certainly did do that. There's nothing going on at that time of the year, so it's easy to kind of grab on to it and run from it." Bryant said he was aware of the backlash as it happened that mid-January weekend, and acknowledged it was a "perfect storm" in terms of media and fan attention while both teams were having their fanfests and not much else was dominating headlines in the baseball world. The Cubs star said he intends to get out and explore St. Louis more when the Cubs go there to get more of the lay of the land. But he still doesn't understand why there was so much vitriol, especially from a guy like Molina, one of the most respected players in the game. "Yeah I think [Yadi's response came off too strong]," Bryant said. "I wasn't attacking anybody, I wasn't attacking anybody's family, the organization, the fans. I wasn't attacking anybody. It was just totally taken out of context. You'd have to ask him what he thinks about it, if he has anything to say since then.

"It did come off a little strong, kinda caught me off guard a little bit. But hey, you never know what people will react to what you say. Everybody's got a different mindset in how they approach things and what they look at. That's how we look at it." Despite that, Bryant said he's open to clearing the air with Molina if necessary. "If he's willing to," Bryant said. "I don't think I said anything wrong, so I'm not gonna like take anything back. I think things were taken out of context." Bryant may think twice about what he says in front of cameras in the future, but then again, he has always been a thoughtful speaker who considers what he says before he says it. This is not a guy who tries to make waves. He's just here to play baseball. "You never want to say the wrong thing," Bryant said. "I think I've done a good job on the field to kinda earn the respect of the players around the league. "I do things the right way, I treat people the right way, I treat fans the right way. At the end of the day, I know who I am as a person. I know I'm a good person." -- NBC Sports Chicago Tom Ricketts addresses media for first time since dad's emails were exposed By Tim Stebbins Cubs chairman and team owner Tom Ricketts addressed the media Monday for the first time since his father's emails were leaked. “We know he’s not that guy. It’s easy to take some emails and try to paint a picture." Ricketts said. "We know who my father is. We know he’s not the person that some of the articles want to make him to be." Joe Ricketts had several private emails published by Splinter that contain racially insensitive language, particularly directed towards Muslims. He also forwarded jokes with racial slurs in the punchlines. Both Tom and Joe released statements shortly after the emails were leaked. The former also said that he apologized to Cubs players in his annual meeting with the team for the distraction. “Those aren’t the values my family was raised with," Ricketts said. "I was surprised to see the emails…I’ve never heard my father say anything that was even remotely racist. Just wasn’t our family values. “I love him, he’s my dad, he’s a great man.” Tom Ricketts and the leaders of several Muslim groups (CAIR-Chicago, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago – CIOGC and the IL Muslim Civic Coalition) met following the publication of Ricketts' emails. In a joint statement Monday, the Cubs and CAIR-Chicago announced steps toward combating Islamophobia, bigotry and racism. According to a press release, the meeting concluded with a discussion on a proposed plan of action. The plan includes:

The participation of notable Muslims in Cubs and Wrigley Field traditions, anti-hate PSAs featuring Cubs personnel helping to raise public awareness against Islamophobia, as well as Cubs support for three community initiatives: anti-bullying efforts, diversity and inclusion training and scholarships. The details of these and other initiatives, as well as the implementation timeline, will be discussed in subsequent meetings in the coming weeks. “We are encouraged the Cubs, led by Tom Ricketts, responded swiftly and genuinely in partnering with us to turn the situation around," CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab said. "As a result, the Cubs are taking a significant step forward and will use the power of their brand and voice to fight Islamophobia, racism and bigotry. "We hope other franchises follow their lead. This active commitment to our shared values of Everybody In is not only great for the brand, but for all fans, for the affected communities and for our city as a whole.” -- NBC Sports Chicago Kris Bryant has no intentions of altering his swing again By Tony Andracki MESA, Ariz. — Kris Bryant is 100 percent healthy. Let's get that out of the way right now. The Cubs superstar showed up to Cubs camp this spring with only a memory of the shoulder injury that hampered him in 2018. He said he took about a month off after last year ended to let his shoulder fully heal and then got back into the swing of things (pun intended). He felt soreness in that left shoulder initially, but said it was only natural soreness from use, not a re-injury or aggravation of any kind. Nobody can guarantee the tricky shoulder injury will come back, but Bryant did everything he could this winter to make sure it was firmly in the rearview mirror. He said he even got to the point where his left shoulder was stronger than the right and he was doing more weight on his left side. Now that he's in camp, Bryant does not plan to ease into things and is "looking to do damage." He also has no intentions of ever going back to that two-handed finish to his swing that became a major talking point late last season. "Last year, I could understand it, trying to battle through certain things, maybe trying to alleviate what I was feeling," Bryant said. "But I've been a really dang good baseball player with that swing my whole life. I was looking at me when I was 8 years old and I swung the same way. "I'm not gonna change anything just because I had an injury last year. I'm over the injury. I've done everything I needed to do to get over it and I'm back to who I am."

Bryant initially injured that shoulder on a headfirst dive into first base in Cincinnati last May. He obviously doesn't want to do that again, but also admitted his instincts take over sometimes. He's entering his age-27 season and looking for a rebound after setting new career lows pretty much across the board from an offensive profile. Now that the shoulder is no longer a stressor weighing him down, Bryant is ready to just focus on baseball. "I know how to hit, I know how to finish with one hand," he said. "That's always been who I am. I have no concerns whatsoever about my swing. Now I just have to worry about what that guy's throwing to me and how he's going to try to get me out and try to put all my focus into that, which is refreshing." -- NBC Sports Chicago Ricketts on new Cubs TV network: "Having our own channel is the next step in becoming the best organization in the world" By Cam Ellis Cubs owner Tom Ricketts addressed the media this morning, covering a wide-variety of topics, including his father's racist emails, budgetary restrictions, and the Cubs' new TV deal. In regards to the deal, Ricketts first talked about the partnership with Sinclair: Sinclair is going to be a great partner. We've been talking about them for several years. They have a lot of experience in the space. They have a lot of TV stations, they have a lot of experience. It's a strategic iniative that fits well with them and that deal will be a great deal for our fans, and a great deal for the organization. I think it's completely unrelated to what happens on my dad's front and it's completely unrelated to anything that happens on the political front. Later on, he was pressed on whether Cubs fans will have to pay more for the new Marquee Network, due in 2020: I think there's a lot of misperception in the market. First of all, there is this whole concept of free television - if you get your free channels through cable or through a dish, you're paying for them. Those aren't free. I think people have a misperception there. With respect to having a second channel, it's really about serving the fans. By separating ourselves, we can do right by the organization and we can do right by the fans - and that is putting all the games in one place, which is probably the single biggest complaint I get from people. To put all the games in one place, do all the shoulder programming, the gameday programming the way we want to do it. We have a production team that can go look at players personal lives in depth and bring those players off the page. We can just a lot more. Frankly, it's what the biggest and some other teams in our sport have done, and if there's one thing this organization did historically not well, it's handle the big picture and big problems very well. This is a big thing. Having our own channel is the next step in becoming the best organization in the world.” -- NBC Sports Chicago Cubs' owner Tom Ricketts: I don't think there's any collusion By Cam Ellis

During his Monday morning press conference, Cubs owner Tom Ricketts was asked several questions regarding this year's historically cold free agent market. Rickett's dispelled the notion of any nefarious behavior, pointing to the arbitration process and smarter data as driving forces behind the lack of big-time spending: "There's two things, and I think maybe the baseball people [in the media room] understand and the fans don't: as those players get through arbitration, they're getting pretty substantial raises. So this offseason, even though Kris Bryant and Javy Baez aren't new players, they got pretty substantial raises going into this season. On top of that, we signed Cole Hamels, who doesn't necessairly feel like a free agent because we picked up his contract that was our option, but those contracts put us well above well above where we've ever spent before." For what it's worth, the Cubs avoided arbitration with both Bryant and Baez this offseason. Bryant recieved a $2 million raise ($10.8 mil in '18, $12.9 in '19) while Baez will make $4.5 million ($657,00 in '18, $5.2 mil in '19) more. He was also directly asked about the legitimacy of the MLB-owners-are-colluding argument: "I can say that is not the case. I don't think there's any collusion. I have no idea what is going on with free agents like the Harper and Machado situation. I don' think anybody's colluding with anybody. I think it’s about finding the right fit. I think it's just a matter of finding the right conract.” Ricketts also touched on his father's racist emails, the Cubs' new TV deal, their lack of spending this winter, and more. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs Q&A: Is Kris Bryant capable of a rebound season? What's up with the pessimistic NL Central projections? By Mark Gonzales The Tribune’s Mark Gonzales answers readers’ Cubs questions. I think Baseball Prospectus has a broken computer. I see somewhere between 93 and 97 wins with a healthy Kris Bryant, and Yu Darvish getting 12-14 wins (165 innings) taking the pressure off both the other starters and the bullpen. Any thoughts? — John Wilhelm I think 95 wins should be the goal, with the expectation that Bryant’s power returns and Darvish’s contributions make the rotation stronger or at least compensates for any regression. I think they need more consistency from Jose Quintana (lower walk rate early in the season) and more power from Willson Contreras. The bullpen will be a revolving door, so if it can come close to matching last season, it will be in decent shape. But don’t discount this division. It will be as deep as it was in 2015, when the Cubs earned the second National League wild-card berth with 97 wins. The Cards and Reds are seriously improved, and the Brewers have a solid team and Josh Hader. Therefore, I am not shocked that the Cubs have been predicted as a possible last-place team. I think they’ll finish fourth unless everything breaks right for them. Am I being too pessimistic? — Gary Wilbur

I thought fourth place was a small possibility until the Pirates traded Ivan Nova to the White Sox. Keep in mind that Cubs President Theo Epstein was ready to move some players in late July of 2017 had they not embarked on an impressive winning streak to start the second half. Team officials have put more faith in the young core players than I would have. I don’t think Ben Zobrist will hit .305 or play 139 games, so it’s up to players like Ian Happ to improve considerably, and for a collection of relievers to pick up the slack for the departure of Jesse Chavez and Justin Wilson (who was spectacular in stranding inherited runners). I think the Cubs can finish anywhere from first to third place in the NL Central. The Cardinals acquired the Jerry West of baseball in Paul Goldschmidt, but the bullpen needs more help than just adding Andrew Miller. They also need a healthy Marcell Ozuna. The Brewers present a problem with their multiple lineup combinations, and I believe Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff will take positive steps in their development. How much will the "pissed off" factor, to quote Jon Lester, fuel the Cubs for 162 games? Personally, I think they're being discounted quite a bit for a 95-win team where just about everybody not named Baez, Rizzo and Zobrist had mediocre to subpar to nonexistent seasons. — Bill Renje We’ll find out the true mettle of this team, since the franchise is at a crossroad with so much trust that the young players will meet the front office’s expectations. Veteran leaders like Lester and Cole Hamels can only do so much. Anthony Rizzo might have said it best when asked Monday before the first full-squad workout about the mood of the clubhouse. “I’ve been here for two hours,” he said. “From what I heard, it’s been amazing with the energy. It’s Feb. 18. Every clubhouse is energetic. It’s the first day and I picked out my outfit last night like I was going to school the first day. In three to four weeks, ask me the question, and I might give you a good answer.” Translation: Words don’t mean a lot when you’re trying to retire Paul Goldschmidt with the bases loaded or trying to solve Josh Hader trailing by one with two innings left. Is the absence of Addison Russell’s glove and range (and Jason Heyward’s late season bad rating) what got the defense downgraded? — Larry Rogers Those are very valid observations. I was surprised to see Russell rank third among NL shortstops in range factor (4.22) and fifth in defensive runs saved because of his throwing issues. I didn’t think Heyward’s defense dropped off significantly, but his range will be worth watching. I still think the Cubs need to add to their lineup to compete in the division. We need a 40/120. Can Bryant be that guy? Or Javy? — Dave Sawyer Don’t count on Bryce Harper or Manny Machado joining the Cubs this season. Chairman Tom Ricketts, without mentioning names, made that clear Monday.

I think Bryant and Baez have the potential to hit 40 home runs and drive in 100 runs. But the bigger issue will be how this team improves in situational hitting. I think the addition of Daniel Descalso will help the offense get the big hit in late-inning situations. So, how long is the media going to keep flogging Addison Russell? Isn't there something else by now, that qualifies as "news?” — Dave Markl Friday marked the first time Russell spoke to media members since the charges of spousal abuse were raised by the victim in September. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that spousal abuse is a serious issue, and his public acknowledgment is one of the first steps in his rehab. The biggest concern remains the state of the victim, and the team is committed to providing her with the necessary resources. The second issue is making sure Russell completes the steps necessary to become a better person. Spousal abuse is an issue that was deemed serious enough by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association to put a policy in the collective bargaining agreement, and everyone who employed by a major league team should be held accountable for their actions. -- Chicago Tribune Kris Bryant after recovery from shoulder injury: 'I'm back to who I am' By Mark Gonzales The Cubs’ sudden exit from the postseason gave Kris Bryant and his left shoulder the rest he needed but wasn’t afforded last season. “I just think we didn’t give it enough time to properly heal,” Bryant said Monday before the Cubs’ first full-squad workout. “And when you sprain an ankle and keep walking on it, or you keep exercising, it’s not going to heal the way it should, and that’s what I was doing.” Thanks to a lengthy break and a program that he said has made his left shoulder stronger than his right shoulder, Bryant, 27, may be healthy enough to regain the power he showed during his first three seasons. “I feel like the offseason was the time to ease into it, which I did,” Bryant said. “This is the time to go. There is no easing into it. I’m ready to go, full-steam ahead. It’s not like I’m going to be swinging for the fences. But any time I take the baseball field, whether it’s a spring training game or national game, I’m looking to do damage. And that’s kind of my mindset this year.” Bryant never regained his power last year after two stints on the disabled list caused him to miss 50 games. He finished with 13 home runs — one-third of his career high when he earned 2016 National League Most Valuable Player honors and half of his 2015 total when he won the NL Rookie of the Year award. Bryant tried to play through the pain for more than a month after suffering a bone bruise on a headfirst slide on May 19. He hit only one home run in his next 28 games before going on the disabled list for 17 days.

“I know there was a bone bruising from the impact at first base,” Bryant said. “The only really proper way to heal a bone bruise is to not use it constantly, and swinging one-handed in that joint probably wasn’t pretty good for it.” Bryant returned July 11 and hit a home run in his second at-bat, but he hit only two extra-base hits in his next 35 at-bats, returned to the DL July 24 and didn’t return until Sept. 1. His inability to generate power was evident as Bryant appeared to look to hit more to right field, especially against left-handers. Bryant batted .372 with a .721 slugging percentage against left-handers, compared with a .244 average and .386 slugging percentage against right-handers. A .412 slugging percentage in the final 26 games indicated that more rest but no surgery was required once the Cubs were eliminated by the Rockies in the NL wild-card game. “I’d take a week off, then get back into things, swinging light,” Bryant said of his rehab last summer. “I just needed to not do anything for a month, and that’s what I did this offseason. I went home (to Las Vegas) and didn’t do anything. And right when I got back into it, I felt a little sore and good soreness. A month (into) it, I felt ‘Oh, wow. It’s completely gone. I feel great. I’ll start swinging.’ And I did and everything took over from there, and it felt great.” Bryant wanted to get his shoulder strong enough that he didn’t have to think about it. “And that’s really what happened,” said Bryant, who resumed hitting in early December. “We were doing a ton of work on the shoulder, shoulder exercises and I think I got to a point where my left shoulder was stronger than my right shoulder. “I was doing more weight (work) on my left side than my right side and I’d never done it before. So that’s a good sign. I just went into hitting and just swung, and it came back to me.” During the latter stages of his second stint on the DL last summer, Bryant tried to compensate for the shoulder by keeping his right hand on the bat longer. He doesn’t have to worry about that anymore. “I know how to hit,” Bryant said. “I know how to finish with one hand, and it’s always been who I am. I have no concern whatsoever in terms of my swing. Now I just have to worry about what that guy is throwing me and how he’s going to try to get me out and put my all my focus into that, which is refreshing. “Last year I could understand (keeping the right hand on the bat longer). I was trying to battle through certain things. To try to alleviate what I was feeling. I’ve been a really dang good baseball player with my swing my whole life. “I was looking at me when I was 8 years old and swung the same way. I’m not going to change anything because I had an injury last year. I’m over the injury. I’ve done everything I’ve needed to do to get over it, and I’m back to who I am.” -- Chicago Tribune Column: Is giving the Ricketts family your money supporting a right-wing agenda? It's a question Cubs fans need to consider By Paul Sullivan

There was little chance Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts was going to change anyone’s mind about his father’s reputation when he addressed the team and the media Monday morning at Sloan Park. The damage was done, and Joe Ricketts’ words couldn’t be power-washed away like those chalk-written messages from Cubs fans on the bleacher walls outside Wrigley Field during the 2016 World Series. But Tom Ricketts tried his best anyway, suggesting his father’s racist and Islamophobic emails didn’t mean he actually is racist. “Those aren’t the values that my family was raised with,” Tom said. “I have to be honest, I was surprised to see the emails. Our family was never raised that way. I never heard my father say anything that was remotely racist.” Tom went on to talk about what a “great man” his father is, saying he has “done incredible things” such as supporting children’s charities in “Islamic East Africa.” The emails Cubs President Theo Epstein termed “disgusting” weren’t a true indicator of Joe Ricketts’ views, Tom seemed to be saying. “He’s done all the right things,” Tom said. “He just probably could’ve been more careful about which emails he brought in and a couple he sent. I love him. I don’t see him in that light. I think he’s a great man, and it’s just an unfortunate situation.” It’s no surprise Tom would defend his father after Splinter News obtained and published the emails, and give him credit for facing the media and answering every question Monday. I have no doubt he and his siblings love their dad and continue to hold him in high regard. Family is family. But what’s really unfortunate is the truth of the matter, which is the Cubs were purchased with money from a man who harbors racist thoughts. Tom conceded the “dollars that were ultimately used to purchase the club were created by the wealth (Joe) created,” but he tried to distance his father from the Cubs brand. In the end, whether Joe has any connection with the way his four children run the franchise is irrelevant, and all the good the siblings have done with their own charitable contributions was marred by their father’s message of intolerance. “We know he’s not that guy,” Tom said. “It’s easy to take some emails and try to paint a picture, but we know who my father is. And he’s not the person that some of the articles want to make him to be.” Yes, it is easy to paint that picture. Go back and re-read the emails if you have any doubts. If Joe Ricketts believes in an inclusive society, he has a strange way of showing it. That’s not to say the Cubs are a right-wing organization. Tom’s sister, Laura Ricketts, is a progressive whose politics are far removed from those of her father or her brothers Pete and Todd. But Joe’s emails, combined with Todd Ricketts working as the top fundraiser for President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign and the team’s new TV partnership with the right-wing Sinclair Broadcast Group, sends an inadvertent message that to spend money on the Cubs is to support a conservative agenda. Don’t forget that polarizing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos also has a minority stake in the team thanks to her relationship with the Rickettses.

Tom Ricketts maintained Joe’s emails are a “totally separate issue” from the Sinclair deal and “completely unrelated to anything that happens on the political front.” Perhaps, but if the Cubs want to disassociate themselves from this perception, maybe Todd should recuse himself from the board while he fundraises for Trump. That’s unlikely to happen, of course. The Cubs are hoping this all blows over, and once the season starts and the weather warms, it probably will die down. When you’re sitting in the sun on a July afternoon at Wrigley, you’re probably not thinking about Joe Ricketts’ emails. Tom Ricketts apologized to the team for the emails being a “distraction,” even though some didn’t know what he was talking about. “To the level it was a distraction among the group, I’m not 100 percent sure,” manager Joe Maddon said. “I don’t think it was a heavy distraction. I would almost imagine some weren’t even aware of it, to be honest with you, the way it all came about. But the fact that he was straight up about apologizing the way he did, I know our players have a lot of respect for him and his family. “We are treated so well. And you see him all the time. You see all of them all the time, and they’re always there. So when he stands in front of the group like that, and he was very sincerely apologetic about all of this, I’m certain it was pretty much buried there today among us.” Will the email saga be buried by Cubs fans, or will it cause some to reconsider giving their hard-earned money to the Rickettses? We grew up calling Wrigley “the friendly confines.” Now we’re not quite sure. -- Chicago Tribune With Bryce Harper and Manny Machado still unsigned, Cubs players voice concern: 'It just seems like a storm brewing now' By Paul Sullivan Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo joked Monday he came up with a plan for the Cubs to sign Bryce Harper or Manny Machado. “So this is what happened,” Rizzo said. “I offered him half of my 12 (million) that I’m making this year. But he turned it down. Put that report out.” Harper or Machado? “Both,” he said. “Three (million each). I split it in half.” As Cubs camp got into full swing with position players reporting, the free-agent freeze continues to be on everyone’s mind. Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts flat-out said there has been no collusion between owners. “I can say that’s not the case,” he said. “I don’t think there is any collusion. I have no idea what’s going on with the free-agent market with respect to the Harper and Machado situations.

“But I don’t think anybody is colluding with anybody. I think it’s just a matter of (them) finding the right fit, finding the right contract.” Kris Bryant, the players union representative, pointed out the Ricketts family “can sell the Cubs for a lot of money” if they decided to. “They know they can,” he said. “We certainly appreciate all they’ve done for us here, around Wrigley. It’s such a cool environment to play in. But at the same time it’s just got to change. We are the game. Look at Javy (Baez) and the personality he brings, and the guys in this room. There’s so much and the fans want to come see us play. “I’ve read stuff on how fans are complaining about the price of tickets and hot dogs and beers at the game. Yeah, it’d be nice to lower that, but I don’t think they’re going to because people are showing up and paying for it. It’s pretty expensive. I totally understand. I wouldn’t want to pay $10 for a little bowl of nachos, but people are doing it, and I guess that’s just good business. “If people are buying it, (prices are) going to keep going up. But it just seems like a storm brewing now. Some fans are upset. Players are upset. I don’t know MLB’s stance. They might even be upset. I think it’d be kind of smart right now (to) get some things hammered out.” Commissioner Rob Manfred said Sunday in Florida the lack of big-name signings is just a matter of market forces in action. “I’m not ascribing blame,” Manfred told reporters. “(But) I do think certain things can be an impediment to making agreements. When you’re pronouncing three years ahead of free agency that a player is going to be a $400 million player — and there’s never been a $400 million player in any sport — that becomes an impediment to the bargaining process. I do believe that.” Bryant agreed with Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright’s assessment that there’s a “100 percent” certainty of a strike down the road if the system isn’t changed. The five-year collective bargaining agreement runs through 2021. “It certainly looks like it’s going that way,” Bryant said. “Two offseasons in a row where this has happened, it’s just unfortunate that it has come to this. I feel like the last CBA we kind of got it stuck to us. But this one coming up (in ’21), there’s going to be a lot of fighting for us to get back to where we want to be.” Ricketts said he’s not “thinking about” a potential strike, adding, “If there are issues between the union and the league we probably should start talking now.” Ricketts acknowledged player salaries have dipped, but said MLB revenue was up only “a small amount.” “I know we stay up with the top spenders of the game,” he said. “That’s all we can do. Give (President Theo Epstein) as much resources as we can.” Rizzo agreed with Astros ace Justin Verlander, who said a number of the many rebuilding teams could sign a Harper or Machado if they wanted. “I back what Verlander said — it’s a good start if you want to rebuild, those two (players),” Rizzo said. “I’m sure teams will come to terms and they’re going to get signed when the time comes, but it’s crazy how it’s so long.”

Bryant knows fans have little sympathy for players, especially for players of Harper and Machado’s caliber who ultimately will get paid big money. “Look, I get it,” Bryant said. “It’s very hard to sympathize with guys making millions of dollars to play a game. I totally get it. And I don’t want that to come off as insensitive, that we’re expecting all this (money). But at the same time, you see the revenues going up and players kind of staying (put), and (owners) not wanting to sign guys that are worthy of being signed. And that’s not good for the game. The best players aren’t going to be on the field, and you’re signing all these guys to minor-league deals. Some of these guys are worthy of being on big-league teams. “Mike Moustakas is worthy of signing a multiyear deal after proving himself two years in a row. This guy should not be getting a one-year deal. I know he likes playing in Milwaukee and it’s fun to play against him and I love the guy. I’m just using him as an example. What we have going for us is we realize we’re the product. We provide the entertainment on the field and we know that. I think in a couple years it’s going to be a dogfight. From now until then there are some things that are going to have to change. It’s an awkward situation to be in.” Bryant said it would be wise for any team to sign Harper “even if it’s $40-$50 million” per year. “A team is going to get that back in marketing revenue,” Bryant said, pointing to jersey sales and other merchandising. “He’s going to do so much stuff for the team off the field in terms of making (them) money.” Rizzo signed a seven-year, $41 million deal in 2013 that includes team options through 2021, choosing security over the risk of injury. He missed out on the nine-figure deals that are becoming more commonplace. Now most players are opting to wait for free agency, where the megadeals kept going up until last year’s free-agent reckoning. “Everyone is so young now and you’re prime is 18-22,” Rizzo said. “It’s just the game is good, the money is good. It’s just a matter of guys not getting what they’re worth and what they’ve earned. And (some) guys are getting it, but it seems like big free agents aren’t. If I was a fan, I’d be all over (teams) signing the best players in the game. But I play first base for the Chicago Cubs, so I’m very happy where I’m at.” But Rizzo said he understood the Cubs’ decision not to pursue Harper. “No, I think they were pretty clear all offseason that this is the group we believe in,” he said. Ricketts claimed “we don’t have any more” money to spend, and the Cubs have to think “long-term.” The Cubs’ last two megabucks free-agent signings, Jason Heyward and Yu Darvish, have thus far not paid off in terms of overall performance. “You just can’t have a high-profile free agent every single year,” Ricketts said. “Part of that obviously is how much it costs — the $25-$30 million is going to cost. Plus it’s a 10-year commitment, and you’ve got to pay those dollars. “We like the team we have. As much as I’d love to have a great, new exciting player every single year, it just can’t happen.” --

Chicago Tribune 5 takeaways from Cubs spring training, including Ben Zobrist's excused absence and bulletin board material By Mark Gonzales Here are five takeaways from the Cubs’ first full-squad workout Monday: 1. Ben Zobrist didn’t attend Monday’s workout. Ben Zobrist didn’t attend Monday’s first full-squad workout because of an excused absence. The Cubs said he was attending to a personal matter and weren’t sure when he would arrive. The switch-hitting Zobrist, 37, is coming off one of his best seasons, in which he batted .305 with a .378 on-base percentage in 139 games. Maddon plans to discuss a schedule with Zobrist, who was sidelined for the first 10 days of 2018 spring training because of lower-back stiffness. Zobrist’s absence will allow Ian Happ and David Bote to get more playing time at second base. 2. Cubs send message to players in response to dire forecast. The Cubs’ daily practice schedule often includes a slogan or thought of the day that is posted on a clubhouse wall. Monday’s message was “80-82 5TH PLACE IN THE CENTRAL” — PECOTA. The line was Fangraphs’ forecast for the Cubs to finish last in the National League Central. “Yeah, and Bryce Harper is going to the Cubs,” Anthony Rizzo quipped. Former bench coach Brandon Hyde used to post the slogans, which had a more positive tone. “I promise you, I’ll forget about (prediction) that early,” Maddon said. “The motivation is that you got eliminated early last year. The motivation is that you really want to prove something from last year.” 3. Expect catcher Willson Contreras to handle another heavy workload. Willson Contreras could stay on the same routine that led to him starting 123 games and ending up with a major-league-leading 1,109 2/3 innings caught in 2018. “I really don’t think it was a fatigue factor, although you can argue when a guy doesn’t hit he probably is a little tired,” Maddon said of Contreras’ second-half slump. “His tiredness is more mental than physical.” Maddon would like to stick with a plan that involves Contreras starting three consecutive games and occasionally a fourt. Contreras started on four consecutive days five times in 2018. “Go through each team and see how satisfied they were with their catching,” Maddon said.

Contreras batted .279 in the first half and was selected to the NL All-Star team but batted .200 with a .294 slugging percentage in the second half. 4. Joe Maddon expresses “ton of respect” for Bruce Bochy. Joe Maddon paid tribute to Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who will retire after the 2019 season. Maddon’s association with Bochy dates to the early 1990s when Bochy was a manager in the Class A California League and Maddon was a roving instructor in the Angels organization. “He’s got a great way about him,” Maddon said. “He’s got a really great bedside manner. He really sees things of the moment. You saw that.” Maddon’s respect for Bochy extends from his managing of the bullpen to accommodating a photo request for his son Joey. Maddon believes if the Cubs hadn’t rallied in the ninth inning to beat Bochy’s Giants in the fourth game of the 2016 NL Division Series, “it still might be 109 or 110 or 111 (years since Cubs won a World Series title). That game there might have been the biggest game I’ve been involved with since being a Cub.” 5. Wet weather limits Cubs. The Cubs adjusted to the wet conditions that curtailed some of their first full-squad workout. They performed some baserunning drills, and hitters tracked pitches before hitting batting practice off the coaches. “I thought we actually did a lot for the day in spite of the weather,” Maddon said. -- Chicago Tribune Kris Bryant says his 'St. Louis is so boring' comment was taken out of context By Mark Gonzales Kris Bryant said he was “caught off-guard” by the backlash regarding his comments about St. Louis “being so boring,” but added his comments in January were taken out of context. “It’s still going on,” the Cubs slugger said Monday prior to the Cubs’ first full-squad workout. “I guess it’s good for the rivalry. There will be interesting games. “It was taken totally out of context. I think we all know that. It was a comedy show with Ryan Dempster at a Cubs Convention, trying to get the fans excited for the season. I think it certainly did do that. “There nothing really going on at that time of the year. It’s easy to grab on to it and run with hit.” Bryant said later that night, he realized the magnitude of his comments. “Oh man, I was thinking to myself, ‘what really happened?’” he recalled.

“You never know. You never want to say the wrong thing. I think I’ve done a good job on the field to earn the respect of the players around the league. I do things the right way. I treat fans the right way. And at the end of the day, I know who I am as a person. And I know I’m a good person.” Bryant thought Yadier Molina’s response on Instagram that stated “only stupid players and losers make comments like the ones made by Bryant and Dempster" was too strong. “I felt like I wasn’t attacking anyone,” Bryant replied. “I wasn’t attacking anyone’s family or organization or fans. I wasn’t attacking anybody. It was totally taken out of context. You’d have to ask him, what he thinks about it, if he has anything to say since then. “It did come off a little strong, caught me off guard a little bit. But you never know how people will react to what you say. Everybody has a different mindset on how they approach things and what they look at. That’s how he looked at it.” Bryant said he’s willing to meet with Molina if the Cardinals catcher wanted to discuss the comments. “I don’t think I said anything wrong. I’m not taking anything back. I think things were taken out of context a little bit.” Bryant’s comments coincided with the Cardinals’ fan convention, creating “a perfect storm for media and fan attention.” “I might have to explore a little bit when I get there, find some more stuff to do. I’ve definitely heard of more things to do there, which I might actually get out to do.” -- Chicago Tribune Tom Ricketts addresses Cubs about racist email controversy, then defends his father as 'a great man' By Mark Gonzales Addressing the team Monday morning before the first full-squad workout of spring training, Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts reassured players that his father’s racist emails don’t represent the organization. In a 34-minute news conference that followed, Ricketts defended his father — calling him “a great man” — as well as the team’s new television partnership with conservative-leaning Sinclair Broadcast Group, its decision not to pursue high-profile free agents this offseason and its support of suspended shortstop Addison Russell. “I wanted to let (players) know if there was anything that we had done in our organization that ever made them uncomfortable or something we had missed, to let me know,” Ricketts said after delivering his annual spring training speech to the team. Ricketts spoke in a firm tone while addressing several non-baseball incidents that have clouded the offseason. “He was very honest about everything, and the players listened,” manager Joe Maddon said.

The meeting and news conference occurred a couple of hours after the Cubs announced a partnership with several Muslim groups to fight Islamophobia and bigotry in the wake of Splinter News publishing emails from family patriarch Joe Ricketts that endorsed racist jokes and conspiracy theories. “We’ll follow through on that kind of stuff,” Tom Ricketts vowed. “The fact is it’s kind of fresh. We want to do it right. We’ll make sure our actions back up our words.” Those actions could include the participation of notable Muslims in Cubs and Wrigley Field traditions; anti-hate public service announcements involving team personnel, helping to raise public awareness of Islamophobia; and support for community initiatives on anti-bullying, diversity and inclusion training and scholarships. Ricketts reiterated that his father’s emails were “unacceptable” but stressed that Joe Ricketts has no direct role or economic interest in the team. He said he “never heard my father say anything remotely racist.” “He realizes those statements cause pain,” Ricketts said. “But I love him. He’s my dad. He’s a great man.” Ricketts said his father’s charitable efforts have helped children throughout the world, including those attending 1,700 schools in Africa — “all over East Africa, too, and Islamic East Africa.” As for the team’s partnership with Sinclair on Marquee Sports Network, the new Cubs channel coming in 2020, Ricketts emphasized that the deal will be completely separate from Sinclair’s political leanings. “(Sinclair) has a strategic interest in getting into sports,” said Ricketts, pointing out that the company operates the Tennis Channel. “I think they’ll be great partners. There’s nothing political in anything we’re doing with our new station.” That partnership could be worth billions to the Cubs, but those potential wheelbarrows of cash won’t be spent this season on any remaining high-impact free agents. “We don’t have any more (money),” said Ricketts, who said a 10-year commitment of up to $300 million could negatively affect efforts to retain the Cubs’ young core players. He cited the large raises received by arbitration-eligible players Kris Bryant ($12.9 million) and Javier Baez ($5.2 million) and picking up the $20 million option on left-hander Cole Hamels. “Those contracts put us well above what we’ve ever spent before,” Ricketts said. The Cubs will face a financial penalty after this season for exceeding the luxury-tax threshold of $206 million. They also will face tough salary questions with Bryant, Baez and others leading up to the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement after 2021, but Ricketts dismissed accusations of collusion among owners. The Cubs denied President Theo Epstein’s request for more money for player payroll, but Ricketts said that all executives ask for more money and that Epstein “knows what his budget is supposed to be.” Ricketts rejected the idea of delaying some current projects so that money could be earmarked toward this season’s payroll.

“I don’t think there’s any limitation in baseball on how much money you want to lose,” Ricketts said. “There are some guys who tested that, but the most important thing you can do is think not just about this year but think about the future.” Ricketts criticized previous ownership for believing it had to spend to increase sales of season tickets, suites and sponsorships. “In those kind of ‘go-for-it’ scenarios, a lot of times they don’t work,” Ricketts said. The Cubs also have received backlash from their decision to retain Russell, who has 28 more games to serve on a 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. Ricketts said Russell “did well” Friday in his first news conference since the Cubs placed him on administrative leave Sept. 21. Russell admitted he inflicted “pain” and “hurt” on his ex-wife, Melisa Reidy. “We came to the conclusion the better path forward was to support Addison and give him a chance as a Cub to get this behind him and become a better person and see if he can live up to it,” Ricketts said. “He’s taken the challenge.” -- Chicago Tribune Column: Cubs' rash of off-field controversies could give team the motivation it needs By David Haugh Any day now, the conversation about the Cubs will return to baseball. Right? Please? At least that was the hope when Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts arrived Monday in Arizona for his annual spring training session. Ricketts had to awkwardly apologize for his father’s racist emails, answer for his new broadcast partner’s politics and address his shortstop’s domestic-violence suspension, among other non-baseball issues. Ricketts always resisted the lovable losers label the Cubs outgrew, but surely he never envisioned his team morphing into intolerable winners, a risk as these controversies mount. But the Cubs can blame nobody but themselves. They deserved the backlash from Splinter News publishing emails that revealed anti-Muslim sentiments of patriarch Joe Ricketts, whose fortune helped the family buy the team in 2009. Same goes for any trepidation fans feel about the Cubs partnering with Sinclair Broadcasting, a noted right-wing company known to influence ideology among their 191 news stations, to distribute Marquee Sports Network. As for the team’s support for admitted domestic abuser Addison Russell, Ricketts can’t be naive enough to believe Friday’s well-rehearsed news conference satisfied skeptics still wondering why Russell is in a Cubs uniform. The list goes on. Eye-catching headlines during a torturously long offseason also included the Ricketts family attempting to oust Ald. Tom Tunney from the 44th ward; Tom and his sister, Laura, supporting

different candidates for Chicago mayor; and brother Todd Ricketts expanding his role as a fundraiser for President Donald Trump. Was inducing political rhetoric part of a grand conspiracy to draw attention from the Cubs’ budget restrictions that kept a team worth $2.9 billion from pursuing big-ticket free agents in order to avoid the luxury tax? As mu The Cubs, with baseball’s third-highest payroll, easily can justify staying out of the auction for Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Their many young core players soon will be looking for their own lucrative long-term contracts. A legitimate baseball argument exists for the Cubs embracing the status quo. Oh, you remember baseball arguments. The day after the Cubs ended their 2018 season before anybody was ready, baseball arguments dominated every discussion. Blowing the National League Central to the Brewers and losing the wild-card game to the Rockies had nothing to do with social issues. Cubs President Theo Epstein honestly called the offense broken, and as the full team reported Monday for its first official day of spring training, it’s fair to wonder if Epstein did enough to fix it. It’s fair to wonder why the Cubs never found a true leadoff hitter or changed the dynamic of a lineup that lacked oomph when it needed it most in September. It’s fair to wonder if closer Brandon Morrow can stay healthy long enough to contribute and whether once-promising young players such as Willson Contreras, Albert Almora and Ian Happ can close the gap between potential and production. It’s fair to wonder how the Cubs will respond to Epstein’s call for urgency if manager Joe Maddon’s team gets off to a slow start in the final year of his contract. One guess: The Cubs will feel compelled to rally around Maddon. Regardless of the odd way Maddon’s popularity dipped since winning the 2016 World Series, loyalty connects him with key players. As it relates to Maddon’s future, they realize the renewed emphasis on April and May after Epstein’s edict. Their collective edge should be its sharpest by opening day since 2016. It would be a surprise if intensity is optional for the Cubs this spring. In a season that lasts about eight months from mid-February into October, every morsel of motivation offers a baseball player psychological sustenance. The Cubs can find plenty in the past several weeks and months. All of the interest in things unrelated to baseball gives a clubhouse an impetus to unite, similar to how the Patriots manufactured an enemy that doubted them on their way to a Super Bowl title. It’s not hard to imagine Anthony Rizzo leading a chorus of Cubs players and fans in October with the chant: “WE’RE STILL HERE!” When it comes to baseball’s postseason, the Cubs have every reason to believe they still will be where it matters most. Despite all of the preseason questions that have nothing to do with baseball. Despite the doubts expressed by PECOTA, Baseball Prospectus’ projection that predicted the Cubs would go 80-82. Despite all of the noise that induces the Cubs to cover their ears and dig in their heels. Forget the Cardinals and Brewers. The oldest rivalry in sports threatens to emerge for the Cubs in 2019: Us against the world. Sometimes, teams consider controversy a burden. For the Cubs, it could be a blessing.

-- Chicago Tribune Cubs and several Muslim groups announce effort to combat Islamophobia By Mark Gonzales The Cubs and the the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Monday announced a joint agreement to combat Islamophobia, bigotry and racism. “We have a tremendous opportunity to further our commitment to diversity and inclusion by joining the Chicago Muslim community in its efforts to eradicate bigotry and Islamophobia,” Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement. “My family and I want to thank Ahmed Rehab and Chicago Muslim leaders for the opportunity to meet and have a frank and constructive dialogue about building a better future.” Ricketts met recently with leaders of Council on American-Islamic Relations-Chicago, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago and the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition. The Cubs met with the groups after offensive emails from Joe Ricketts, the patriarch of the Cubs’ ownership family, fueled these groups to publicly condemn the language and content. In the statement, the Cubs proposed actions that include the participation of notable Muslims in Cubs and Wrigley Field traditions, anti-hate public service announcements featuring Cubs staff against Islamophobia, as well as Cubs support for three community initiatives: anti-bullying efforts, diversity and inclusion training and scholarships. More details will be discussed in future meetings in the upcoming weeks, the Cubs said. Ricketts met with the entire spring staff Monday morning and later addressed the media. “We are encouraged the Cubs, led by Tom Ricketts, responded swiftly and genuinely in partnering with us to turn the situation around,” Rehab, the executive director of CAIR-Chicago, said in a statement. “As a result, the Cubs are taking a significant step forward and will use the power of their brand and voice to fight Islamophobia, racism and bigotry. We hope other franchises follow their lead.” The meeting started with a talk on the history of Muslims in America and in Chicago, the Cubs said. After the discussion, several Muslims conveyed their history as longtime Cubs fans and how Joe Ricketts’ emails raised doubt about the family and organization’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Tom Ricketts apologized and expressed his desire to heal relationships in the Chicago Muslim community and provide his support in the fight against Islamophobia, the Cubs said in the statement. --