Chicago Cubs: Tom Ricketts Is Finally Proving to Be a Great MLB Owner

There is no reason to crown the Chicago Cubs' Tom Ricketts as the world's greatest owner, but I don't think any Cubs' fan can argue that he isn't making the moves to give Chicago their best chance at contention. 

While waiting on the arrival of newly hired Theo Epstein, the Cubs have supposedly snagged another big name in Jed Hoyer. Hoyer, of course, is the San Diego Padres' general manager. If that move gets done it looks as if Chicago will be looking to bring back the magic that happened for Boston in 2004 and 2007. 

What is so great about these moves by Ricketts, is that both Epstein and Hoyer were under contract. That didn't stop Ricketts, though. He knew what he had to do, and instead of looking like the lackadaisical owner he has been over the past few years, it finally looks like he knows what he is doing.

It is great to see an owner being this aggressive. It is what Cub fans want to see. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that someone is putting their best foot forward. Ricketts could have easily went after a guy who was available, but instead he went straight to one of the biggest franchises in the sport and asked to speak to the GM who broke the Boston Red Sox World Series "curse." And you know what, he got him. That says a lot about Ricketts and his drive and passion for doing great things for this franchise.

The one major flaw in Ricketts' agenda as owner is that he wanted to play GM of sorts. While past owners like George Steinbrenner have had a huge hand in their team's moves, Ricketts really doesn't have the track record to make those type of decisions. The one thing Ricketts is known for is being a business man, and he looks to be doing serious business in Chicago.

The one major issue that Cubs' fans were worried about was what kind of control Ricketts would be willing to hand over. When it was said that Ricketts had given Epstein more power then he had in Boston, it finally looked as if Ricketts was ready to take a backseat and let the professionals handle his investment.

Isn't it ironic that it took a man in the stockbroking business this long to figure out something so simple? It is what his family's entire business model is built around. Ricketts finally gets it though, and it is his first step in becoming a great owner of this franchise.

Look, Ricketts will never receive any real praise until he brings Chicago a World Series, and he knows that. There is no arguing, however, that he has been putting himself in the best position possible once the Chicago Cubs' 2011 season ended.

Nothing is set in stone in terms of what result this will have on the North Side, but Tom Ricketts has done a fantastic job of transitioning toward bringing this franchise around.

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