If you're a super-diligent reader of this blog (Hi, Mom), you may recall that I periodically update readers on my season ticket waitlist progress. (e.g. Here.)

Well, here's another update. If you're a season ticket holder, please feel free to add your info in the comments.

Date I joined the Cubs Season Ticket Waitlist: October 3, 2006. I believe my initial position was 15,029.
As of February 13, 2007, I was still 15,029.<]]> - The complete post is available at The Cubdom http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2010/04/cubs-season-tickets-waitlist-update.html http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2010/04/cubs-season-tickets-waitlist-update.html Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:33:45 -0600
The rest of this post is available on The Cubdom. The sun is shining, the birds are tweeting (so are the Cubs bloggers for that matter), and it stays light until nearly 5:30 in Chicago... but the best news is that the Cubs are playing today!

Winter is dead. Spring is here... and the Cubs take the field, if only for a few innings at a time. God, I love Spring!

We have now gone from one field-destroying concert week each year to two field-destroying concert weeks... all in the name of a few more bucks. Well, at least I like their music.

Some other zingers from Fran Spielman's article:

"It's great for business in the neighborhood. It also provides real, first-rate entertainment at the park." - Tom Tunney

Thanks Alderman, I couldn't help but notice the implication that the Cubs aren't "real, first rate entertainment." I'm sure the ]]> - The complete post is available at The Cubdom http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2010/02/elton-john-billy-joel-and-dave-matthews-to-play-wrigley-in-2010.html http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2010/02/elton-john-billy-joel-and-dave-matthews-to-play-wrigley-in-2010.html Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:39:57 -0600
The rest of this post is available on The Cubdom. Sometimes, eight years are too much. Today, an interminable wait has ended for one of the greatest Cubs of all times. Andre Dawson, HOF.

His Cubby career only spanned six years, but it was marked by the almost unbelievable story of a free agent wanting to come to Chicago so badly, he signed a blank contract and single-handedly proved collusion among MLB owners during the 1986-1987 offseason. And how did he reward the club who he forced to take him on for half a million? How about 47 homers and an MVP season from a player on a last place club.

The legend of The Hawk is well chronicled elsewhere (Here and here for instance), so I won't go into tons of detail, but there really shouldn't have been any doubt about the Hawk, and his ele]]> - The complete post is available at The Cubdom http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2010/01/hawk-in-the-hall.html http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2010/01/hawk-in-the-hall.html Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:42:39 -0600
The rest of this post is available on The Cubdom. There's a special opportunity to meet Ryan Dempster at D'Agostino's Pizza in Wrigleyville tonight. Dempster, along with the good folks at MyWrigleyville.com are hosting a fundraiser for Dempster's Family Foundation.

The Ryan and Jenny Dempster Foundation is dedicated to helping people who suffer from DiGeorge's syndrome. (You may recall the stories from early this summer where Demp's newborn daughter was diagnosed with the disease.) It takes place at D'Agostino's tonight (December 17) from 6-9 pm.

For full details, check out the MyWrigleyville page, where you can buy tickets.

I used to think that being a 3rd string NFL quarterback would be pretty sweet. I mean, how many 3rd string QBs actually see playing time, but pretty much every team but the Bears has had their third stringer for something like 6 years. Job stability, decent salary, light workload, half the season off, and telling random women that you're an NFL quarterback. What could be better?

Well, I guess there's left handed Major League relievers. In this offseason's version of, "Jim Hendry, Really??!!" the Cubs GM has handed out a 2 year deal for $7.5 million to Jon Grabow. Jon's primary positive characteristic is that he throws the ball with his left hand. He's not that great, but apparently not that great still lands you $3.25 million/year... and unlike the NFL, you really can play until you're 45.

Other than Grabow, the Cub]]> - The complete post is available at The Cubdom http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/11/this-is-really-with-byron.html http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/11/this-is-really-with-byron.html Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:46:26 -0600
The rest of this post is available on The Cubdom. The Sam Zell era is over. It was horrible, but not. You see, short term thinking kills franchises. Franchises of any sport are built with steady hands thinking long term. For every 1997 Florida Marlins World Series title (purchased and disassembled within 2 years), are dozens of franchises with lost decades due to stupid short term moves. Think Kevin Brown's Dodgers, Albert Belle's Orioles, Mike Hampton's Rockies... or Alfonso Soriano's Cubs.

For years, the Dodgers, Orioles, and Rockies were hampered by enormous contracts given to players who never produced, or didn't produce well enough to justify what happened to the rest of the roster. In the last few years, the Cubs have made disastrous signing after disastrous signing. They've ballooned their payroll while never quite assembling a championship caliber team... and all of this was designed to create "instant value" so Sam Z]]> - The complete post is available at The Cubdom http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/10/cubs-sold-to-ricketts-finally.html http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/10/cubs-sold-to-ricketts-finally.html Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:28:10 -0600
The rest of this post is available on The Cubdom. The next to last hurdle in the Cubs sale process has just been cleared. The MLB Owners unanimously approved the sale of the Cubs to the Ricketts family. Linky Link

Since I think Sam Zell has been an atrocious owner (worse than the other TribCo suits that preceded him), I'm thrilled to see Tom Ricketts one step closer. The only big step left is the writing of checks and the turning over of keys.

I'll close with an off-the wall idea. MLB Owners should be required to leave a security deposit with their fan bases. I'm not sure on the details, but it should be something like 20% of the purchase price of the franchise. After 10 years, the fan base should then be allowed to vote on whether the owners can stay or ]]> - The complete post is available at The Cubdom http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/10/mlb-approves-cubs-sale.html http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/10/mlb-approves-cubs-sale.html Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:09:46 -0600
The rest of this post is available on The Cubdom. Stick a fork in 'em.

The math is in, and the Cubs are out. Yet another season (#101) comes to an end without a World Series title, and even though it's been a mathematical improbability for about a month, tonight's Rockies win makes it impossible for the Cubs to reach the post-season.

However, like the good Cubs fan I am, there's still a few reasons to stay positive. First, we have a new owner. I'm a little worried about the next few years, but I think over the long haul, Tom Ricketts has what it takes to be a successful owner. Corporations aren't the best for baseball teams, their profit motives generally get in the way. Not that Ricketts is guaranteed to be the next George Steinbrenner, but he could be a good one. And that's better than living with Sam Zell.

Once Ricketts closes on the deal in November, (after the owners meeting), the Cubs will be under large]]> - The complete post is available at The Cubdom http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/09/dem-cubbies---deyre-done.html http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/09/dem-cubbies---deyre-done.html Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:40:32 -0600
The rest of this post is available on The Cubdom. The annual Air and Water Show is in town this weekend, and so are the Cubs, so it was with a pronounced eye-roll that I read Dave van Dyck's article in the Trib.

Air Show jets spook players at Wrigley

A squadron of jets sent a jolt through players and 41,619 fans Friday at Wrigley Field.

In the second inning, just as Pittsburgh's Charlie Morton was ready to pitch to Ryan Theriot, five jets appeared over the stadium from behind home plate, exiting at center fie]]> - The complete post is available at The Cubdom http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/08/air-water-and-the-cubs.html http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/08/air-water-and-the-cubs.html Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:46:28 -0600
The rest of this post is available on The Cubdom. Bronson Arroyo, the Reds starting pitcher, is making news by publicly declaring that he is taking diet supplements that are not on the approved list of supplements that have been tested by MLB.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who last month admitted to using a now-banned supplement earlier in his career, says he uses a number of over-the-counter supplements not on Major League Baseball's approved list, according to a USA Today report.

With the much more stringent anti-enhancement rules in MLB, Arroyo's admission is a rare moment of media-honesty from a MLB player. I can't decide if I'm proud of Arroyo for making his own decisions and publicly stating that he's willing to take the risk of running afoul of MLB's substance abuse policy, or if he's being a selfish in]]> - The complete post is available at The Cubdom http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/08/bronson-arroyo-honest-selfish-or-both.html http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/08/bronson-arroyo-honest-selfish-or-both.html Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:13:40 -0600
The rest of this post is available on The Cubdom. Depressed that our much ballyhooed 2009 Cubs were .500 at the All-Star break? Here's 5 reasons to stoke your Cubbie-Optimism.

5. Milton Bradley is hitting .239 and slugging .369. For a guy with a .277 career average and a .451 slugging percentage, he's severely underperforming his career numbers... and there's a long history of ballplayers who have horrible halves of a season, but typically they come back to perform in line with their past achievements (the technical term is 'reversion to the mean'). So, even if Milton merely performs at his career numbers, we're looking at a 40 point bump to his average and 80 points to his slugging. Sure, Bradley might not turn it around, but with the return of Aramis Ramirez in the lineup, Bradley's likely to see better pitches as he'll often be batting with Ramirez on base. Or, better yet, with Ramirez protecting him from lower in ]]> - The complete post is available at The Cubdom http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/07/5-reasons-for-mid-season-optimism.html http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/07/5-reasons-for-mid-season-optimism.html Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:26:49 -0600
The rest of this post is available on The Cubdom. The Cubs have been sold... almost. According to a breaking news alert I received from the Chicago Tribune, the Ricketts family has closed the sale from the Tribune Company. The only remaining hurdle is the MLB owners approval, and that is all but a formality as Bud Selig has already paved the way.

For Cubs fans, this is a triumphant day. The Tribune Company ownership wasn't all bad, but the last few years of having the team on the sale bloc has been particularly painful. Here's hoping Ricketts has enough money left to splurge on a few mid-season trades and turn this season around. First up, Jake Peavy!

]]> - The complete post is available at The Cubdom http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/07/cubs-sold-to-tom-ricketts.html http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/07/cubs-sold-to-tom-ricketts.html Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:02:14 -0600
The rest of this post is available on The Cubdom. Every year, I publish my all-star ballot. My criteria is to look at stats, but sometimes disregard the stats if I am a big fan of a particular player. So, for 2009, here's my ASG ballot.

Position	American League	National League
First Base	Cabrera, M., DET	Pujols, A., STL
Second Base	Hill, A., TOR	Utley, C., PHI
Third Base	Rodriguez, A., NYY	Wright, D., NYM
Shortstop	Jeter, D., NYY	Ramirez, H., FLA
Catcher	Mauer, J., MIN	Rodr]]> - The complete post is available at The Cubdom http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/07/all-star-voting-2009.html http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/07/all-star-voting-2009.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:02:22 -0600 The rest of this post is available on The Cubdom. This Cubs team is doing a whole lot of nothing this year. They've been cruising at or around .500 for about two months and my patience is running thin. Don't get me wrong, they could turn it around, play solid baseball, and cruise to the NL Central title, but there's little as frustrating as an under performing team with big expectations. I know the talent is there, but they're doing jack squat with it. In related news, I had to buy my co-worker a king-size snickers bar after the Sox won the weekend series. Suck! ]]> - The complete post is available at The Cubdom http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/06/this-team-is-killing-me.html http://www.thecubdom.com/archives/2009/06/this-team-is-killing-me.html Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:51:30 -0600 The rest of this post is available on The Cubdom.