Column: Chicago Cubs fans finally get their chance to ask Chairman Tom Ricketts about his team’s decision making

It has been five long years since Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts held a question-and-answer session with fans at the Cubs Convention.

The annual “Meet the Owners” panel was canceled in 2019 amid the Addison Russell controversy and a lack of free-agent spending. When the Rickettses decided not to face the fans again at the 2020 convention, most felt they were ducking their customers to avoid their wrath.

“I know a lot of people make a big deal of the fact that we don’t do our panel, which we really enjoy,” co-owner Laura Ricketts said of the controversy before the 2020 convention. “But we were like the lowest-rated panel. A lot of people come to it, I think, because there’s nothing else going on maybe. But I told Tom we should just do it anyway next year.”

As it turned out, that chance didn’t come. The convention was canceled in 2021 and ‘22 because of the pandemic. Meanwhile, the Cubs sold off their stars in the summer of 2021 and began a rebuild, but the Rickettses never had to explain a thing.

But the Cubs Convention returns next weekend at the Sheraton Grand Chicago, and the team confirmed Monday that Tom Ricketts will be back on stage Saturday morning answering questions for about an hour. A spokesman could not confirm if Laura or Todd Ricketts, the other siblings who co-own the team, would be on the panel, as they’ve been in years past.

Either way, one Ricketts will be talking, which is better than none. Credit Tom Ricketts for agreeing to return to the hot seat, knowing there will likely be some fan venom along with the occasional softball question.

Chicago owners aren’t exactly known for their willingness to face the music. White Sox and Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said last summer in an interview series on Chicago CEOs that explaining his teams’ decision making to fans isn’t necessary.

“In the beginning I thought it was very important to be always open and honest, to answer every question that was ever asked of you,” Reinsdorf said. “I now understand that you can’t do that, that the things we do, the decisions that we make, cannot be totally explained to the media and to the public. We just have to make our decisions and hope to God they work out.”

In other words, you can’t handle the truth.

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Ricketts and the Cubs are in a much different place than they were in 2020, when the last convention kicked off at the Sheraton.

President Theo Epstein is gone, as are most of the players who were fan favorites, including Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Willson Contreras.

President Jed Hoyer, who was basically the equivalent of a potted plant during the “Meet Cubs Management” sessions with Epstein, will now be front and center for the first time. General manager Carter Hawkins will join Hoyer on Saturday, succeeding him as the “designated plant.”

The Cubs have yet to reveal the list of players attending, but new shortstop Dansby Swanson will be one of the attendees.

Marquee Sports Network will televise the proceedings for the first time after the network was booed three years ago as it was just about to launch. While addressing the crowd on opening night in 2020, Tom Ricketts promised Cubs fans they would have the best relationship with fans than any sports organization “in the world.”

“And that starts with the Marquee Network,” he added.

Fans began booing, which seemed to surprise Ricketts.

“What do you have against the Marquee Network?” he asked.

The booing continued.

“Believe me, you won’t be booing about that in a year,” he said. “You guys won’t be booing about the Marquee Network in one year.”

Three years later, Ricketts can ask again and see if he gets a different response.

Marquee Network, co-owned by the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcasting, has been around long enough for Cubs fans to gauge whether it’s better or worse than its predecessors, WGN-TV and NBC Sports Chicago, formerly Comcast SportsNet.

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One thing we know for sure it that ratings have dropped 56% since its 2020 launch, according to a Tribune report.

“Our ratings have declined with the team’s performance,” Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney told the Tribune in October. “We know that they’ll go back up when the team starts to compete a little more.”

Kenney, who also will have a question-and-answer session Saturday, can elaborate on the network’s progress. But the Cubs insist they do plan to compete in 2023 and last month signed Swanson, one of the premier free agents, to a seven-year, $177 million deal.

Swanson figures to fill the role Rizzo assumed during the original rebuild as a clubhouse leader, a middle-of-the-order hitter and a prominent presence with the media who can get Cubs fans to buy in to the plan.

Other additions include starter Jameson Taillon, center fielder Cody Bellinger and first baseman Eric Hosmer, some of whom are expected to be at the convention.

Ricketts has been widely criticized for the teardown and for lowering the payroll despite several new revenue streams, including the Marquee, added signage and the addition of a sportsbook at Wrigley Field that’s nearing completion.

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Hoyer’s refusal to admit it was a rebuild was a running joke the last two years. But now it’s clear the Cubs are at least trying to make the playoffs and build toward a championship core.

Hoyer last month agreed with a premise that Swanson’s contract, along with last year’s signings of Marcus Stroman and Seiya Suzuki, means Ricketts should be “vindicated” for his willingness to spend intelligently.

“Yeah, the last two offseasons we have been aggressive,” Hoyer said, naming off the key free agents. “Obviously we took our step back financially after the (COVID-19) year, but we’re building back.”

Cubs fans can now hear Ricketts give his explanation for the rebuild, the ticket prices, the network or any other topic.

They might not like the answers, but they have to like the fact he’s letting them ask the questions. Finally.