The Scarlet Letter
Team Prez Sends Note to Ticket Holders

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

If you're a season-ticket holder, you likely got a letter from the Cubs recently. Unfortunately, it didn't contain a press release announcing the trade of Alfonso Soriano. No, it was a note from team president Tom Ricketts thanking fans for their support and talking about the future. Ricketts has gotten some grief for several things, but he seems focused on helping the team grow its own talent: "In the end, it is organizations with strong farm systems that win championships and I am convinced that our organization is making progress." Let's hope he's right.

Muskat Ramblings: Thanks from the Ricketts
Chicago Breaking Sports: Ricketts: Spend more on player development
Tales from Aisle 424: Letter from Tom Ricketts: Intro (We're not worthy!)

Ticket to Ride
Cubs Change Ticket Prices: Some Up, Some Down
The Cubs are changing their ticket-pricing structure, and that's not a metaphor for "they're raising prices." The series against the more popular teams — Yankees, White Sox, and Cardinals — will cost more. Meanwhile, the prices in other series will decrease by an average of eight percent. And in what might be an effort to address the sea of empty bleacher seats we saw, the number of cheaper ("bronze") bleacher games will increase from six to 15. Actual numbers for the plan haven't been announced yet. So... great. Now about that pitching staff....

Chicago Breaking Sports: Cubs add new pricing tier but keep overall price 'flat'
MLB: Cubs tweak prices for 2011

Hello, Larry
A Statistical Defense of Cubs' Pitching Coach
Larry Rothschild is slightly more popular in Chicago than Tony LaRussa — and maybe only because Rothschild doesn't wear those stale-ass Blu Blockers. But Another Cubs Blog looks at the numbers and concludes the pitching coach is actually — gasp! — good at his job. The blog notes the Cubs led the NL in strikeouts from 2002 through 2008, and finished a respectable fourth this season. "He's a very good pitching coach and the Cubs would be much worse off if he left," Another Cubs Blog concludes.

Another Cubs Blog: Larry Rothschild and home runs

Par for the Course
Fore! Sandberg Loosens up Over 18 Holes
We thought we'd see Paris Hilton accepting the Nobel Prize for literature before we saw Ryne Sandberg telling a mildly risque joke. And yet there it was, when Sandberg hit the links with the Tribune's Teddy Greenstein. So it seems Sandberg might have loosened up some since his playing days, when the withdrawn infielder made lukewarm oatmeal look electrifying, but he's not quite content: He still wants to be the Cubs' manager, and he's confident about his chances. "I feel good about what I've done to prepare," he says.

Chicago Tribune: 18 holes with Ryne Sandberg

Sammy Sosa's corked bat is up for auction... Phenom prospect Brett Jackson is tearing it up at the Pan Am games... The Lakeview Post Office officially became the Steve Goodman Post Office yesterday... ESPN Chicago's Sarah Spain was at our Fan Appreciation Party and interviewed Joel and others about the Cubs' next manager, Carlos Zambrano, and statues at Wrigley.

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