Chicago Cubs: Tom Ricketts’ self-congratulatory sideshow is an embarrassment

On Tuesday, the Chicago Cubs made it 12 consecutive losses – the third-longest skid in franchise history – and it’s not over yet. But you’d never know that looking at the news coming out of 1060 W. Addison on Monday, laying out plans for a celebration of the end of the all-encompassing renovation of Wrigley Field and the surrounding area.

This Thursday, the organization will release a documentary on the overhaul of the Friendly Confines on Marquee Network on the team YouTube channel – which is all fine and well. I’m always here for some Wrigley Field content. But Ricketts will also host a re-dedication of the ballpark with city leaders, complete with a plaque… dedicated to himself and his family.

I kid you not. The self-serving nature of this ownership group apparently has no end.

So, in other words, we, as fans, are supposed to be excited to celebrate the accomplishments of an ownership group that swore up and down that this very renovation and revitalization would open up new revenue streams. Meanwhile, Ricketts and his front office failed to A) supplement a core that ended a 108-year World Series drought, B) extend any of the team’s key players before an all-out fire sale at the trade deadline and C) act, in any sense, like the large-market club they actually are.

Chicago Cubs: Tom Ricketts continues to embarrass himself and the team

Between the 1060 Project, the launch of Marquee Network and the recently-announced sportsbook that’s coming to Wrigley Field, there’s no way this organization is in the dire straits it claims to be experiencing. (And let’s not forget the millions of dollars they’re saving via the Confines being designated a national landmark and the fact those funds clearly aren’t going back into the baseball ops budget).

And for Ricketts, who somehow has burned through the what I’d once thought was endless capital that comes with bringing a championship to Wrigleyville, is easily the most loathed person in the neighborhood now.

But, OK. I’m sure fans will be thrilled to celebrate what ownership has done. Don’t get me wrong, the renovation of Wrigley and the neighborhood was absolutely critical. But contrary to what Ricketts and his PR staff seem to believe, timing actually does matter – and to host this while your team is in free fall is just about the worst look possible right now.

This is just the latest misstep from an ownership group that seems perfectly content peddling misinformation and outright lies that suit their narrative, while walking all over fans and patting themselves on the back. I doesn’t surprise anybody, but it’s a tough look, nonetheless.