Sveum Introduced as Cubs Manager

This morning Dale Sveum was officially introduced as the manager of the Chicago Cubs during a press conference. Here are some of the most important news and notes.

• The Cubs will be talking to their current coaches today, but the staff will most likely not be announced until after Thanksgiving.


• Sveum is really excited about Starlin Castro's offense. He said that he is a tough guy to pitch to.


• Whoever Sveum brings in as the infield coach will start working with Castro right away.


• Mike Maddux called Sveum one of the best baseball guys he knows.


• Robin Yount is not in the running to be the new Cubs pitching coach. Sveum said that that role will take awhile to fill.


• Sveum is a big believer in playing the game hard. He wants to see all of his players work hard every single day.


• "Losing is not okay. Not running out a fly is not okay," he said.


• On an unrelated note- all indications are that Kerry Wood will return to the Cubs next season. Expect him to re-sign soon.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Reaction as Theo Takes Over

Theo Epstein was introduced today as the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs. Click here for the article and video from CSN Chicago.

Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod will be introduced later in the week, no later than next Monday.

Here were some of the tweets that were being sent out today regarding #Esptein.

• Jon Heyman- Cherington said that compensation from the Cubs was agreed to be significant.


• Jon Heyman- No matter who was hired to run the Cubs, Quade was a goner. He was Hendery's guy. Of course, why pay Theo $3.7 million to leave status quo.


• CSN Mooney- Theo says he never asked for a contract extension or new role with the Red Sox.


• Len Kasper- The thing about Theo that is common among brightest people I've met--he's not condescending,he listens.Less is more. Great vibe.


• Chris DeLuca- Theo says if Francona hadn't left the Red Sox, he would have stayed another year.


• David Kaplan- By the way, yes that was Theo at Starbucks a couple of weeks ago. He confirmed.


• WGN TV- It certainly feels great to be a Cub today.


• Click here for more #Theo tweets.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Epstein's Press Conference Set

The press conference to introduce Theo Epstein as the general manager of the Chicago Cubs is set for tomorrow at Wrigley Field. The press conference will start at 11am and will likely be televised on CSN Chicago and WGN-TV Chicago. Look back at my recent posts for more Epstein coverage, and expected a recap tomorrow!

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Ricketts Press Conference

• The Opening Statement: "After 3 long years, we're very happy to say, today, the Ricketts family owns the Chicago Cubs. Pete, Todd ,and Laura joined Tom on the stage. They are all brothers and sisters.
• All of the family members love the team, stadium and city.
• Tom thanked his parents, the league, the other baseball owners, Bud Selig, Crane Kenney, everyone who works for the Chicago Cubs, advisers that helped them, and most of all the Cubs fans.
• The family has 3 messages to their fans: 1. We're going to win the World Series. 2. The Cubs are going to do everything they can to improve Wrigley Field and keep Wrigley Field. 3. The family loves the city of Chicago, and they intend to give back to the city and surrounding areas.
• "There's a lot of work to do, but everyone needs to know we're here for the long term, and we're here to win."
• Tom thinks having a family owner helps because they have one goal: winning, and they intend to invest in the team, and they can make a long term commitment.
• In the short term, Tom will be looking at ways to improve a day at Wrigley. He mentioned improving restrooms and food. The bigger picture is to plan for the next year to save Wrigley. It's a big project that will be started soon.
• They are working on the triangle building.
• "Saying your going to win the World Series and winning the World Series are two different things. The only way you are going to do it is drafting and developing the right players to give the GM talent coming up every year to help put the best team on the field.
• Tom plans to have a team every year that will be in the postseason.
• The Cubs want to have world class Spring Training facilities. The Cubs are going to be open minded and look for the best solution. Wherever they can have the best situation, the Cubs will go. They've talked to Mesa and Naples.
• Nothing has been finalized, but slight increases on ticket prices and payroll are expected.
• The minor league system is the real key.
• August was painful on the field and in the deal. Watching the team on the field was disappointing and difficult for everyone. It is expected to be turned around in 2010.
• There has been no discussion on PSLs.
• The Ricketts are excited to get started in making decisions that will give us a winner.
• There are spots in the stadium where the Cubs can have a sponsor without effecting the fan experience. There will not be a dramatic increase in the amount of signs at Wrigley Field.
• Tom and his family will be seen around the stadium a lot. They are going to walk around, see folks, and be in the stands.
• He has not spent a lot of time with Lou, but they strongly believe he is the right guy.
• Criticism is part of the job.
• Tom encourages fans talking about the team as long as it doesn't get too personal.
• Renovation proposals that would force the team to leave Wrigley for a time have not been considered.
• They are looking for 1-2 more executives.
• The Ricketts have not considered changing the name of Wrigley Field. That will not be looked at closely.
• Tom thinks the Cubs have a team that can win the World Series next year.
• They intend to own the team for a generation.
• The family will let the manager and the GM do their jobs.
• Ryne Sandberg and Tom have not spoken yet.
• If Jim Hendry decides that the Cubs should eat some money on a certain player, then it would be considered seriously by the family.
• "It's not about how much we're spending, it's about what we're getting for those dollars."
• Pete says that they will make sure families can still afford to get into Wrigley Field.
• The previous owners have spent enough dollars to put the right team on the field.
• "There is not curse. There is no curse. There is no curse. We're not going to put up with that, let's get that behind us."
• There's a special feeling in the bleachers that is different according to Tom.

It should be an interesting winter!