Memo to the Ricketts Family: You Can't Sell Losing at Wrigley Field Any Longer

It used to be that no matter how awful the team played, fans would fill the stadium in droves, leading to White Sox fans' criticisms of Wrigley Field as being the biggest outdoor tavern—a place that Cubs fans went to mostly get drunk and if they lost, oh well, it's a shame.

There are those of us who are old enough to recall a time when there was little interest in the Cubs. But that was a long time ago, before Harry Carey and Dallas Green came along and reinvigorated a moribund organization.

The infamous Lee Elia tirade included the line "Eighty-five percent of the (bleeping) world is working. The other 15 percent come out here."

But I'm sure that when the Ricketts family plunked down all that debt to purchase the Cubs, they didn't do so with the idea that Wrigley Field needed to be replaced. It was done with the assumption that the ballpark would continue to be a cash cow and that fans would continue to flock to the field in droves.

Lately, the only things flocking are the seagulls that show up around the seventh inning to clean up the mess left by the faithful sitting in the bleachers.

Now comes word from Peter Gammons that the place "is a dump" and that many Cubs fans wouldn't be as opposed to blowing up the park—an act once thought to be almost sacrilegious.

I've often thought the park was not conducive to winning. From a fan standpoint, it is not comfortable and the parking situation remains ridiculous.

But it's from a player's perspective that I have always had the most concern.

From the idiot C.U.B.S. (Citizens United for Baseball in Sunshine) "fans" who don't want night games to the lack of modern amenities such as a real bullpen and hitting space, this park isn't doing the Cubs any favors when it comes to winning, that's for sure.

Meanwhile, expectations have been raised.

Whether it's the near-miss of 2003, the consecutive division titles in 2007-2008 or the advent of sports talk radio finally convincing Cubs fans that supporting the team by showing up to the park every day is a dumb idea, fans want more.

They want to win.

And this current band of Cubs is not only losing, but is doing so in embarrassing fashion, with a minor league roster, a minor league manager and a minor league pitching coach.

Keep in mind that the Ricketts have never chosen to hire a baseball man to watch over the baseball side of the house and provide evaluation and Cubs fans are left with the distinct impression that not much will change, no matter what happens next.

Sure, a change at the GM position would be welcome and it's looking more and more likely with every losing day. But where is the pedigree within the Ricketts family that suggests they know who to go out and hire?

I think the Ricketts may be just now starting to realize that simply fixing up the ballpark via the Boston Red Sox plan won't guarantee interest in the club long term. However, even doing that has proved to be a challenging task as the city fights them every step of the way.

So far, the only thing the Ricketts have done is to say the right things about how important player development is and how you need to build from within.

That's all very nice, but what if you don't have the baseball people in place to orchestrate this activity? Then where does the hope come from?  

It was Benjamin Franklin who once said, "He that lives upon hope will die fasting."

We're getting awfully hungry, Cubs fans.