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Column: Jed Hoyer is still optimistic the Chicago Cubs are on the right path — despite evidence to the contrary

Jed Hoyer knows the drill.When the Chicago Cubs hit a new low, the team president gathers reporters together to defend the manager, his game plan and the organization as a whole.AdvertisementTheo Epstein did it more than a decade ago, praising manager Dale Sveum, the rebuild and the Rickettses during the 2012 and ‘13 seasons, before whacking Sveum after two years on the job.On Thursday it was Hoyer’s turn to defend the job performance of manager David Ross, praise the rebuild that can’t be called a rebuild and ensure fans the Cubs remain on the right path. He did so for more than a half hour in the home dugout at Wrigley Field before a game against the San Diego Padres as the Cubs tried to end a brutal nine-game losing streak.AdvertisementIt was a difficult task for Hoyer. Eleven months after selling off his biggest stars and embarking on a new and less expensive path, the Cubs are worse off than they were before the 2021 trade deadline. They began the day only a half-game ahead of the lowly Cincinnati Reds, and were going through one of the worst nine-game stretches in franchise history, including being outscored 61-15 over the last five losses. But after listening to Hoyer suggest things were progressing OK before the losing streak, I could only shake my head. How could anyone buy that narrative after what they’ve seen in 2022?“I didn’t say I had a sense (of how long),” he said of the timetable for competing. “I have a sense of how to build the next great team and where we want to go. I didn’t give you any sense of timing. I don’t have a feel for that.”Sorry, but haven’t the Cubs regressed from last season when it comes to seeing that “next great Cubs team” come to fruition?“This is a frustrating moment in time,” Hoyer said. “Whether we feel that way in a month or two months, I don’t know. Right now, certainly … Listen, the frustration that’s in your voice is probably the frustration that is in everyone’s voice over the way we’ve played. I’d say candidly. I felt like we were battling and really competing through (June 10). Our record in one-run games was certainly well below average, and our run difference was like -10, which is really competitive.“Obviously that’s really changed over the last five days. I’m trying mentally, obviously what we’ve seen since Saturday (an 8-0 loss to the New York Yankees), that’s been a real struggle and really frustrating that our bullpen that was really good has struggled, and we haven’t been able to prevent any runs. But try to remember, prior to that we were battling.”Battling is fine when you’re a small market team with low ticket prices. It doesn’t cut it when you’re a big market team still charging among the highest ticket prices in the game. If I sounded “frustrated,” my apologies to Hoyer. I meant to sound disgusted.Asked by another reporter if the Cubs timeline feels further away than when the season began, Hoyer said he would “have a better answer for that later in the season,” citing injuries.AdvertisementExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 26Cubs starting pitcher Caleb Kilian sits in the dugout after the first inning against the Padres on June 15, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)“Even from a record standpoint, even before this stretch, we weren’t where we want to be,” he said. “You’re asking me to make some pretty global statements based on that.”With the Cubs falling so far and so fast, most fans believes Willson Contreras is as good as gone. Being so far from contending means the Cubs probably have no choice now but to trade him to get something of value before he likely leaves as a free agent.“That’s not something I’m going to answer,” Hoyer said.Hoyer also declined to discuss whether he’s spoken with Contreras about his future. Contreras and Kyle Hendricks are the only players who could bring some real value in return, especially with Marcus Stroman out with right shoulder inflammation.Hoyer said Stroman would be back “fairly soon.” But Stroman hasn’t even begun playing catch, so how soon could that be?“We’ll know more once he throws,” Hoyer said.AdvertisementWeeks? Months?“I don’t know,” Hoyer said. “Hopefully weeks.”ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 24Chicago Cubs center fielder Christopher Morel warms up to face the San Diego Padres as the sun sets June 13, 2022 at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)As for Ross’ status, Hoyer said the third-year manager has done a “great job,” and he doesn’t “see any issues with (Ross) whatsoever.”Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Epstein said much the same about Sveum in 2013. The difference is Hoyer’s close relationship with Ross, whom he signed to an extension before the season.Hoyer’s most prominent moves since the summer sell-off haven’t worked out so far. Stroman and Seiya Suzuki, his two biggest free-agent signings, are on the injured list and were inconsistent at best when healthy. Nick Madrigal, acquired from the White Sox in the Craig Kimbrel deal, is out again with a groin injury and hasn’t hit when healthy. Wade Miley has pitched well but made only four starts and has thrown 19 innings between stints on the IL.The biggest positives have been Contreras’ season, Christopher Morel’s emergence and Keegan Thompson’s performance before moving into the rotation.Advertisement“I have all the confidence in the world we’re going to get there,” Hoyer said. “But sometimes things speed up, and sometimes things slow down. I’m not smart enough to know when something is going to happen, but I do know, and have the ultimate confidence, that we’re going to be successful. I knew that same thing last time.”Hoyer quoted Epstein’s clichéd remark that “things are not linear,” meaning every plan goes through ups and downs rather than a slow, steady progression. He said he speaks with Chairman Tom Ricketts “all the time” about the state of the team, and that everyone has “questions” about why the Cubs are struggling as much as they have.“Those are questions I’m up late at night asking as well,” he said.Whoever is listening must be shaking their head.

Sports

LIV Golf has marquee names and giant purses. So why no TV deal?

For the Saudi-backed upstart LIV Golf tour, the strategy for luring top golfers like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson away from the prestige and stability of the PGA Tour was simple: Offer cash, and lots of it.The arrival of the new tour and the defection of PGA Tour stars were major disruptions in what has been a stable and even staid sport. But when the first LIV event was finally held outside London last weekend after months of anticipation, it was not shown on television in the United States. And it’s unlikely that any American network will be broadcasting LIV events anytime soon.AdvertisementThe reason boils down to this: The networks are happy airing the PGA Tour.“We are positioned as the home of golf in this country,” said Pete Bevacqua, chair of NBC Sports, which shows by far the most golf in the United States. “We are not only satisfied where we are, but unbelievably pleased where we are.”AdvertisementSome golfers couldn’t resist the pull of the new tour, whose events are shorter than the PGA Tour’s (three days instead of four) and offer huge payouts, with individual winners receiving $4 million and the members of winning teams sharing $3 million, far more than most PGA Tour events. Even last-place finishers get $120,000; PGA Tour players who don’t make the cut after two rounds get nothing.But the LIV tour got nowhere with those who might have aired its events in the United States. Representatives for LIV Golf spoke with most American broadcasters but did not have substantive discussions about a media rights agreement with any of them, according to people familiar with those discussions. LIV broached the idea of buying time to show the London tournament on Fox — an inversion of the normal business relationship, where the media company pays the sports organization to show its event — but discussions did not go far.Charl Schwartzel of South Africa plays a tee shot during the final round of the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational at the Centurion Club in St. Albans, England, June 11, 2022. (Alastair Grant/AP)In the end, the London tournament was not on American broadcast TV or popular sports streaming platforms such as Peacock and ESPN+. Instead, golf fans could watch it on the streaming service DAZN, YouTube, Facebook or LIV Golf’s website, without commercials.Limited viewership numbers suggest not many of them did. The final round of the London event attracted an average of 68,761 viewers on YouTube and fewer than 5,000 on Facebook, according to Apex Marketing, a sports and entertainment analytics firm. On the same weekend, 812,000 viewers watched the final round of the PGA Tour’s Canadian Open on Golf Channel, and 2.78 million watched when coverage switched over to CBS.The absence of a media rights agreement would normally threaten the survival of a new sports league. But LIV Golf is not a commercial entity with a profit imperative. It is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and part of a larger effort by the kingdom to improve its image around the world. Players who have joined the LIV tour have been accused of helping to “sportswash” Saudi Arabia’s record of human rights abuses, including the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.LIV did not respond to a request for comment.But NBC and other broadcast networks have a long list of reasons other than reputational damage to steer clear of the new venture.LIV’s main barrier to entry in the United States is that most major media companies are deeply invested in the success of its competitor, the PGA Tour. NBC, CBS and ESPN are collectively in the first year of a nine-year, $6 billion-plus agreement to show the PGA Tour in the United States, while Warner Bros. Discovery (which owns TNT and TBS) is paying the PGA Tour $2 billion to show the tour worldwide.AdvertisementThe media companies are not contractually restricted from showing LIV, according to the people familiar with the deals, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private agreements. But they believe that doing so would draw attention away from the tour on which they are spending billions.Fox, which has a history of risk-taking in sports (it is currently investing in spring football), might seem like a good candidate to team up with LIV, but Fox does not televise any golf, and that is by design. The network had the rights to broadcast the U.S. Open through 2026 but paid money to give up those rights to NBC.Even if networks wanted to take a chance on LIV Golf, the logistical challenges would be significant. Golf monopolizes entire weekends throughout the year and is more expensive to produce than arena- and stadium-based sports. (Golf presents a particularly difficult hurdle for Fox, which rarely puts sports on its streaming service, Tubi, meaning it is difficult to show golf when schedules collide.)LIV Golf also did not have any stars on board until recently, and it is not clear whether it will attract enough top golfers to make its events attractive to fans. Questions about the tour’s backing have been uncomfortable for those who have joined.“I would ask any player who has left or any player who would ever consider leaving, ‘Have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?’” Jay Monahan, commissioner of the PGA Tour, said in a televised interview Sunday.Players who have signed contracts with LIV have been booted from the PGA Tour, though that could soon become the subject of litigation. Players have also been dropped by sponsors, either because of the association with Saudi Arabia or because companies don’t want to support golfers competing on a tour few are watching.AdvertisementStill, many of those involved in the PGA Tour media deal acknowledged that interest in the PGA Tour would decrease if LIV lured away more top golfers. They believe the PGA Tour’s appeal lies in the world’s best golfers competing against one another every weekend, and LIV is directly threatening that.LIV’s future may depend partly on whether LIV players are allowed to play in the four major golf tournaments — none of which is run by the PGA Tour. Augusta National Golf Club hosts the Masters; the United States Golf Association stages the U.S. Open; the Professional Golfers Association of America runs the PGA Championship; and the R & A puts on the British Open.If allowed to compete in majors, LIV golfers could earn huge paydays on the less-taxing LIV tour while continuing to play in the legacy-defining events in front of millions of fans.“Majors are extremely important to professional golfers, and they will be a key variable whether this is successful or not,” said David Levy, a former president of Turner Sports who created the Match, a high-stakes golf exhibition.This year’s third major, the U.S. Open, is at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, this weekend, and LIV golfers are present. The USGA, which organizes the tournament, said in a carefully worded statement last week that any golfer who had qualified would be allowed to compete. But the USGA noted that its decision “should not be construed as the USGA supporting an alternative organizing entity,” and Wednesday, the organization’s CEO, Mike Whan, said that he could foresee a day when players were denied entry to the U.S. Open based on which tour they came from.The other majors have not said whether they will bar LIV golfers from their events. Nor have these tournaments said whether they will continue to extend lifetime invitations to players who have won them. (Mickelson has exemptions from the Masters and PGA Championship for life, for instance.) Decisions are expected this fall and winter as plans are solidified for tournaments in 2023.AdvertisementA sometimes overlooked golf body, the Official World Golf Ranking, is also expected to have influence. The organization bestows ranking points on golfers based on their performance, and tournaments use those rankings to determine eligibility. Currently, LIV golfers do not receive ranking points, meaning they will inevitably fall in the world rankings and lose their eligibility to compete in the majors.LIV has said it will submit an application to have its events ranked. That application will be considered by the governing board of the Official World Golf Ranking, whose chair is Peter Dawson, an English former professional golfer. The board also includes representatives from each of the four majors, along with the PGA Tour, the European Tour and the International Federation of PGA Tours, an umbrella organization of professional golf tours.While the PGA Tour will almost certainly vote against LIV’s application, it is less certain how the other tours will vote. And even if they also vote no, if representatives from the four majors all vote to allow LIV’s golfers to accrue ranking points — and therefore signal they are comfortable with LIV golfers competing in their events — LIV Golf might just succeed in attracting more golfers.c.2022 The New York Times Company

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On the cover: Illustration by Betsy Ochoa. For more of Ochoa’s work, go to betsyochoa.com. The vibrant rainbow stripes on the Pride flag have come to be…

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Seattle Storm star Sue Bird says the 2022 season will be her last in the WNBA

Seattle Storm star and five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird announced Thursday the 2022 season will be her last playing in the WNBA.The announcement by Bird, 41, ended any speculation about her future; she had acknowledged in February when she re-signed with Seattle that this would likely be her final season. She strongly considered retirement after last season before choosing to return for a 19th season as a player.AdvertisementBird’s announcement came a day before Seattle’s game at Connecticut. The Storm will close out their road trip on Sunday in New York, about 30 miles from where Bird grew up in Syosset, New York.“As the season has gone, like I said, I pretty much knew, and then once I saw the schedule, and then once I started packing for this trip a little bit, I was like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be my last time playing in New York. My last time playing in front of my family and friends.’ And so that’s why the timing of this is what it is,” Bird said in a video posted by the Storm on social media.Advertisement“I just really felt strongly about announcing my retirement, saying it was my last year so I can share that with my family and my friends, all the people in New York who have watched me growing up so they can come and see me play for the last time in my home state. So I’m excited about that. It’s also bittersweet.”Bird is a four-time WNBA champion, 12-time All-Star and the oldest player in the league. She has spent her entire WNBA career with Seattle since becoming the No. 1 draft pick in 2002 following her storied college career at UConn. This season is her 21st associated with the franchise although just her 19th playing after missing two seasons due to injuries. She is the league’s all-time leader in assists and the standard by which other point guards are judged.Bird turns 42 in October and was on the cusp of stepping away a year ago, and when the Storm were eliminated by the Phoenix Mercury in the playoffs, fans chanted “One more year! One more year!” as she did an on-court televised interview.Those cheers were egged on by Phoenix’s longtime star Diana Taurasi, Bird’s former college teammate at UConn and part of all five of those Olympic gold-medal runs.In the end, the fans — and Taurasi — got what they wanted. Bird came back, for exactly one more year.“Sue Bird is Storm basketball,” her WNBA team tweeted moments after Bird made her decision known. “Every moment, every memory has one constant. No. 10. It’s time for the final chapter.”