It’s extremely rare, as a sports fan, to see an ownership change of one of your favorite teams. It’s also rare to cheer for a team who went from having the best owner in sports (Eddie Debartolo-49ers) to one of the worst (John Dork, I mean York). Having lived through one extreme to the other, I know what type of difference that makes. The 49ers won 5 SuperBowls on Debartolo’s watch, along with 14 NFC West titles, and a run of 16 straight years with at least 10 wins. Under John Dork’s tenure from ‘99-’08, the 49ers won no SuperBowls, appeared in none, won 1 division title, and was in charge of possibly the worst team in NFL history. The 2-14 ‘04 49ers were as talentless, if not more than, the 0-16 Detroit Lions squad. Ownership matters, and it’s why the Cubs are so fortunate to have Tom Ricketts as their new owner. Ricketts is a shrewd business man who will build the Cubs much like the Boston Red Sox have been built since new owner John Henry took the reigns of the team in 2002. Ricketts isn’t like the McCaskey family. (The Bears finished 9-7 last year, and it was just good enough to bring the “braintrust” back. Cubs fans don’t need that going into 2011). The Cubs aren’t his only source of income (He is a director of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation). He will put the money he makes from the Cubs back into the team. It will be a process for the Ricketts family, and that process will not officially begin until after the 2010 season. Why? Because Ricketts, perhaps wanting to see for himself what goofs he is inheriting, can do with their 2010 roster. He inherits the Greek priest calling Crane Kenney,  General Manager Jim Hendry, and manager waiting- to- be- fired Lou Piniella. The Cubs new marketing slogan is “Year One”, which is fine if some of the remains of the last century weren’t still here.

Hey look somebody woke up Lou! Piniella already has his bags packed ready to take a job with the New York Yankees. That's fine by me, I just wish he was already there.

Ricketts could have cleaned house Sam “Ace” Rothstein style and started fresh from the ground up. He, instead, chose to let the Cubs version of the 3-Stooges hang around for another year that will end without a World Series Championship. The economy effects everyone, especially people in sports– even a family who paid $900 million dollars for baseball’s biggest loser. I understand his position in keeping Moe, Larry, and Curly around for another year, but that’s why the Cubs need to be bad in 2010. Let’s face it, this team isn’t good enough to win the World Series, and if you know me, that’s all that matters for my sports teams. I want my teams to win hang banners and make fans of other teams jealous. Hendry littered this team with aging, over paid, bad, injured players whose contracts are crushing this team’s future. Mr. No-Trade Clause’s wrath will be felt long after he is out of town heading towards the nearest In-N-Out Burger. Maybe that’s why Ricketts kept him here for another lost season. My hope is that Ricketts already knows he’s going to whack the 3- headed monster after this season which is going to resemble last years 83 win total. This is why this team must fail in 2010……

If Hendry isn’t bad enough, how about the manager who is only back for another year to collect his money and sleep through another campaign? Piniella WAS a good manager, but his lone World Series title in ‘90 is a long time ago. He let this team be effected by Milton Bradley’s silliness last year when he could have saved their season after Milton left the Cell during the White Sox game last summer. Piniella had it right…..Bradley is “a piece of sh*t”, but Piniella showed his lack of a spine when he apologized to Milton when he didn’t have to. Lou didn’t feel the need to stand up for the other 24 guys– he was too busy blaming injuries and asking the media……”What do you want me to do?” Aren’t you excited knowing this guy is back this year???!!!

Meanwhile, Crane Kenney is still cashing Cubs checks for…..for…..for…..Jesus I have no idea why Kenney is still employed by the Cubs. The former Tribune suit who one day decided he was a “Baseball” guy is still here, but he has the shelf life Matt Leblanc’s “Joey” spin off had. I know it sucks to want to write off a season before it starts, but I want the Cubs to, one day, win the World Series and that will never happen with these 3 in their respective jobs. I don’t care if the Cubs compete for a division title until the inevitable September nose dive (if not sooner). What’s the best possible scenario? They win the Central and bow out in the first round again? I don’t need to see that. If Piniella was still in his prime, and Hendry had the Cubs in a good salary situation with young talent throughout the roster, I’d be all for trying to go for it. I’m not that dumb– not with this group.

Cubs tops prospect Starlin Castro is the biggest reason for me to watch the boys in blue this summer. It's just a matter of time before Castro becomes the Cubs' everyday shortstop.

This team has too many questions, and not nearly enough depth to sustain their eventual injury bug. They’re the Cubs. It’s already a win that an everyday player hasn’t torn or broken anything yet. Although my one time fantasy “sleeper” Angel Guzman’s shoulder is in 36 pieces, so I guess that could count. This team still relies on Alfonso Soriano, a 34 year old Derrick Lee, and the walking chandelier Aramis Ramirez to drive in runs. The top of the order isn’t exactly the ‘03 Marlins with Ryan Theriot (.343 OBP in ‘09) and Kosuke Fukudome providing minimal optimism. Both players love to fall off the map in September as evidenced by Fukudome’s .193 batting average after September 1st in his 2 years on the north side. Newcomer, Marlon Byrd, will hit 5th in Uncle Lou’s lineup for reasons that have no explanation. I like Byrd over Bradley in the clubhouse, but if he doesn’t improve on .386 slugging percentage, look out. Geovany Cheetos has lost the weight that Kirstie Alley only dreams of, and should be better than his ‘09 horror show of a season.

The pitching staff should be solid with Ryan Dempster looking to regain his ‘08 form. Randy Wells can be decent, Jeff Samardzija looks like Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn this spring, Carlos Zambrano is again talking a good game, and Ted Lilly is coming off shoulder surgery. Does that sound like a rotation that is primed for a big year? The bullpen could be hideous, which is sure to drive Piniella insane. I love Carlos Marmol, but how will he handle the closer’s role? He damn sure better be an improvement over Mr. Goggles ,Kevin Gregg. Gregg did achieve something last year, he over took Todd Hundley, Mark Guthrie, Steve Trachsel, and Dusty Baker as my most hated Cub.

As you can see, this isn’t a title contending team, and the last thing Cubs fans should want is a solid season that would prove to be fools gold leading Ricketts to retain the Cubs Moe, Larry, and Curly. Hope for the worst, Cubs fans, and it will eventually pay off. Hope they miss the playoffs and Ricketts will clean house and get a Team President with a vision, a General Manager with a plan, and a manager who has a pulse. Steve Stone as President works for me. Stoney has to be bored working  with that blithering idiot, Hawk Harrelson everyday. Stone doesn’t want to be an everyday GM, but team president would be a hard job for him to turn down. As I wrote before, Greg Maddux as the General Manager. Maddux has forgotten more about baseball in the past 20 minutes than Jim Hendry will ever know. That leads us to Ryne Sandberg being hired as the Cubs new manager. It makes too much sense, he’s worked his way up, he knows the everyday expectations of Wrigley, and most of all….he actually wants the job. I know it sucks to have to root for failure, but hey, you’ve been doing it your whole life anyway. What’s another year? That’s my 2011 fool proof Cubs plan, and until that plan, or one similar comes to fruition…….it’s wait ’till next year.