The Cubs have announced their long-awaited formation of a regional sports network. The organization will partner with Sinclair Broadcast Group to launch the “Marquee Sports Network” beginning with the 2020 season.
There’s risk and opportunity aplenty in taking this route, as the Cubs will now be seeking to work out carriage deals for a channel reliant all but entirely on their ballclub and brand. Obviously, it’s quite a popular franchise, but one that — like any other — is hardly immune to on-field downturns or off-field controversy and won’t have live games to market for much of the year.
The Ricketts-owned Cubs have obviously thought through all of the competing considerations and decided to take the plunge. This is hardly their first notable business initiative. Rather, the move comes on the heels of a multi-year, multi-fronted plan to overhaul the organization’s business and baseball operations. There have certainly been some notable successes along the way, though there’s also suddenly quite a bit more uncertainty (at least on the baseball side) than anyone anticipated when a young Cubbies squad broke the curse in 2016.
In the announcement, Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney promised a “Cubs-centric” network that will feature the iconic organization but also some unspecified “other local sports programming.” (The remaining three Chicago professional sports teams are already committed to remain with NBC Sports Chicago.) Kenney adds that the the network will “feature uncompromising, in-depth and behind-the-scenes coverage.”
Sinclair, which is best known for its conservative-oriented news coverage, is one of the country’s most powerful media companies. The company is presently bidding against MLB and others for the regional sports networks that are being auctioned due to Disney’s pending acquisition of certain Fox media assets. Sinclair already has media ties to White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf through the Stadium network.
If the partners are successful in structuring and marketing this channel, they could reap major profits. It’s not hard to imagine how that might continue to support investments in the club’s baseball operations. Indeed, the organization has long emphasized the connectivity between its business initiatives and roster-building efforts, with salary ramping up quite significantly over the past several years. On the heels of a disappointing conclusion to the 2018 season, though, the Cubs are wrapping up a surprisingly inactive 2018-19 offseason with clear budgetary limitations in place.
$$$$
If you think any of that $ will go towards building a high dollar team you are in for a surprise. It will go into the Ricketts pockets. Keep in mind that every action and every non-action has consequences and that the Russell action, the Hayward and Darvish incorrect actions and the free agent non-action will come back to bite them. I seriously believe that Bryant, Baez and one or two others will go elsewhere when their contracts are up. I hope I am wrong as I have been a Cubs fan for over 65 years but many of the Rickets/Epstein decisions are beginning to stink!
You don’t deserve to enjoy any of the Cubs success. You old guys should go watch Lawrence Welk re-runs and relive your youth.
I apologize. In my old age I must have forgotten that only you snowflakes have all the answers and yes, I do realize and appreciate what they have done in recent years. Do you think they will win the NL central this year?
I’m not a 65 year long Cub fan, but a 39 year one and agree that we should not back off holding them accountable, but they have been to 3 straight NLCS and have a World Series W. What era of Cub fandom can claim that?
So until they are “lovable losers,” let’s not detract from what they have accomplished.
Does anybody give the Ricketts family just a LITTLE credit and applause for putting somewhere between $500 million and $750 million of THEIR money back into the NEEDED renovations and upgrades at Wrigley?? That’s a LOT of money out of their own pockets (ZERO taxpayer, ZERO city) to re-invest into the park over a 5 year period.
Oh, I get that the hotel and restaurants and building, etc are all part of their empire and they are actually paying themselves, but it’s not like they are spending all of their money completely foolishly.
And, not that I’m an expert, but it probably cost more than I can afford to start up a sports network.
I’m not quite 65–but I am enjoying the heck out of this run—even if it happens to have only one World Series win. This is easily the highlight of baseball in Chicago during my lifetime and a four to five to whatever run isn’t going to be matched competing at this level with the opportunity to play meaningful games in October.
Sign Bryce please lol.
Please dont sign bryce Harper. They have no room for him. Hes not needed. What they need to do is play albert almora every day. I like Happ but he can play 2nd and share time with Zobrist.
No thank you. His value is not the same to the Cubs as it would be to a mid market team. The Cubs are already a national brand with plenty of star talent on their roster. They don’t need to invest 300+ million on one player. It’s just not a good fit. I predicted he’d go to the Dodgers, but for the same reasons I just mentioned, he’s really not a good fit there either. The Giants, Phillies or Nats make the most sense, both from a business standpoint and a competitive standpoint.
Great. But now there’s no excuse to hoard money next off-season.
Plenty of excuses will remain. For an example, see SportsNet New York (SNY), which is majority owned/controlled by the Mets. It has been a successful cash cow for years, and yet look at the Mets payroll (and attendant excuses) during that time.
I don’t think using anything owned by the Wilpon family is all that useful as an example of working economics…
The payroll is north of $220 million
Exactly. They’ll have a top 5 payroll this year, at least. They are definitely not “hoarding” money.
I know. But they can afford more and I care more about the quality of the the team than I do the profit margins of it.
I’ll give Ricketts the benefit of the doubt for now since he’s never been cheap in the past, but if this tv venture is successful and all the money goes into his pocket instead, I’m not gonna be happy.
“I care more about the quality of the team than I do the profit margins of it.”
This should be the beginning and end of every fan’s thought process regarding contracts. The knee-jerk alignment with ownership would seem bizarre if dumb poor/middle class Americans weren’t so evidently getting snowed by smart rich ones everywhere else in their lives.
These days there’s a very weird trend of trying to live vicariously through the rich, even to your own detriment. I don’t get it at all.
And herein lies the answer as to why the Cubs won’t spend any money. Their money is tied up in this venture, not the on-field product.
I have heard whispers that they haven’t been hearing the kind of numbers they hoped for re: carriage agreements.
It will be interesting considering Comcast is a part owner of NBC Sports Chicago.
It might be less interesting than you suspect. Comcast is a minority owner of SNY in New York, but that doesn’t keep SNY off Spectrum cable. It is all about the bottom line.
Comcast are not part owner of NBC, they are THE owner of NBC. NBC is just a branch of Comcast.
Anyone who has paid any attention to this story for any reasonable period of time should not be surprised by any of this. The dreams of a big tv pay day have been dead for the better part of the decade. That the narrative has perpetuated should be the real surprise, but we are talking about a fan base that is largely subjected to the most ignorant sports talk radio market in the observable universe.
Yeah, that 200+ million dollar payroll just doesn’t cut it. They must spend 300 million and then 400 million. They are only outspending your Braves by 70+ million. It’s amazing how dumb some people are on these comments.
Fans of teams like that only wish they were set like the Cubs…
Need I remind you the Braves dominated television for years on TBS?
Braves are mid-market, Cubs are large market.
I’m not saying they haven’t spent, they just aren’t spending anymore. I also understand spending as much as they did on J-Hey was crippling.
A lot of why they won’t spend money rn is because they have big contracts for heyward and Lester, not to mention they know they’ll have to pay Rizzo Baez and Bryant big time money within a few years
Bryant’s gone, no way he signs there.
Why not. Theres no reason for him to leave. If hes smart he will drop Boras as his agent. They’ll offer him a deal he cant refuse. They dont need to offer him anything right now. And have yet to do so. They have 3 more years of arbitration years. He’s arb deals with increase by at least 3 to 5 mil a year. They’ll offer him at least 9/290.. that’s just to start. Full no trade. Theres not a single reason why he would leave. He is part of one the best 1-2 combos at the 3rd and 4th spot in the lineup. When healthy rizzo and Bryant are easily 2 of the best players in the league. Both are in top 20 of the top 100. Plus you add contreas and Baez also both in the top 30. Baez should be top 15. That’s a scary lineup. Then add 40 potential Homers from Schwarber. Thats 200 possible home runs..
The Cubs have have money coming off the books the next few years, so that excuse doesn’t hold water. I think the bad contracts have taken some luster off Epstein, and the Ricketts family said no to adding more payroll this year.
Green is a horrible color on you…
Oh, it suits him just fine. Besides, that’s like telling a tiger to change his stripes.
Once again, you can’t respond to sensible arguments with logic and reason. You’re either some animalistic sociopath showing your predatory stripes” on the internet, or you’re not smart/sophisticated/mature enough to acknowledge imperfection in a freaking baseball team you happen to root for. Theo Epstein is far from perfect, and that’s ok. Everyone exercises bad judgement at some point. That’s life. If he’s lucky, Heyward and Darvish might finally be productive this season. If the Cubs continue to decline, however, Ricketts will hit the reset button.
Your obsession and incoherent, infantile rants about the Cubs simply don’t deserve a dignified response. Sorry. Even this comment is ridiculous. You need to get over the fact that you’re girlfriend cheated on you with a Cubs fan, then left you for another Cubs fan. Remove that element and try common sense… perhaps some facts. FACT – The Cubs have won more games than ANYONE in baseball the last 4 years. FACT – They are currently on a 4 year playoff run and counting. FACT – This young core, that hasn’t even hit their peak years yet, also went to 3 straight NLCS and already have a ring. FACT – In spite of injuries to KEY guys and an unprecedented 42 games in 43 days down the stretch, the Cubs still finished one game short of the best record in the NL.
So, are you confusing Ricketts with the inept clowns running the Sox? Why on earth would he hit the “reset button”? Or do you not know what that term means? Doesn’t your mom constantly say it when referring to the night you were conceived?
Their payroll is over $200M, and you are complaining that they don’t spend any money?
And herein lies the answer to what happens when you live under power lines as a kid. Google is fun and easy KingBong (perhaps a bong is not the best choice for you) Anyway, the Cubs will have a top 5 (at least) payroll this year. They’ve spent PLENTY. All this deal does is give them the opportunity to spend even more moving forward. For instance when their young core needs to be re-signed. I know news like this is tough for the haters and the trolls, it must suck. But if you’re miserable now, pace yourself, this deal ensures that it’s only gonna get worse for you. A smart business side coupled with a smart baseball ops side… for a team that’s already a national brand and wildly popular…. Hmmmm, doesn’t bode well for the haters… hahahaha
What haters?
Triggered much?
Sure, they’ve spent plenty…in past years. In the present, they aren’t adding to keep up. This is why the Cardinals will likely pass them in the NL Central. That’s not hating, that’s reality.
Triggered? Hmmm, what part of hahaha seems triggered? And what do the Cards have to do with this? I didn’t see them mentioned in the article. Oh, you think they’ll surpass the Cubs this year? That’s what you consider “reality”? Haha, adorable. Let’s talk ACTUAL reality, cool?
Since this current team/front office knocked the Cards out of the playoffs in 2015, the Cubs have firmly planted them in their rearview. No wonder Bryant is bored with anything STL. Beat him, surpass the Cubs and THEN we can talk. Because the actual “reality” is, the Cards have been looking up at this current Cubs core for years. So perhaps it’s not “hating”, maybe you’re just delusional… either way, it’s gonna take more than salsa to catch the Cubs. Even with key injuries in the second half, even with them being forced to play an unprecedented 42 games in 43 days, the Cubs STILL finished one game short of the best record in the NL and comfortably ahead of the Cards. THAT is the “reality”.
The Cubs added every offseasons until this one.
Is Machado or Harper needed?
In my personal opinion no.
The Cubs have Rizzo, Baez, Russell ( for now ) and Bryant for the infield.
They have J-Hey, Almora and Schwarber in the outfield.
Catcher is Contreras
Off the bench they have Bote, Happ, Zobrist, Descalso, and Cartini.
So from there there in no room or need for someone like Harper or Machado.
Now let look at the rotation:
Lester, Hamels, Hendricks, Quintana, and Darvish
For the possible starting five while Chatwood and Montgomery as swing starters.
Now the really big question mark is the Pen, and who do you sign?
The two contracts that hurt the Cubs right now are Darvish and Chatwood. Neither pitchers earned their money, but Darvish could be excused because of injuries.
So unless you can show everyone a closer for the Cubs that will not cost too much then let be factual the Cubs do not need to spend that much.
Actually the Cubs are still strong even with injuries to Bryant and Darvish last year.
So if healthy all year the Cubs will win the division while Red Birds take a wild card spot.
Exactly. There is no logical reason to add a 300+ million “star” player. They have plenty of “star” players. Harper just isn’t a good fit. That future money will be better served going elsewhere to extend their contending window.
On paper the cubs are stacked. What exactly makes you think they can’t keep up in that division? Because the cardinals got goldy and miller? What about the starting rotation? Cubs easily have the best 40 man in that division, without signing a superstar player.
Are you dumb? The Cubs have a payroll north of 220 million. Second only behind the red sox. Bryant and baez will both command massive extensions. . Also don’t be surprised if they go after Aranado or Trout. Do me a favor chop your own neck with your dumb braves war cry.
If they Cubs are now going to get this added stream and this is now set in stone, does that change their payroll any? Could they justify feeling more comfortable spending now that this is in place and it isn’t as much a hypothetical as it has been in the past? I also wonder if it will be a largely public channel. I know many people that rooted for the Braves because of them being on TBS all the time. Could bring a lot more publicity to the Cubs.
Everyone has known this was coming for a LONG time. I doubt this changes anything with their 2019 payroll, and if it somehow does, they timed everything really poorly.
They were a cash cow BEFORE this. Their payroll will easily be top 5 in the entire game. Their nationwide popularity, “brand”, is what allowed this to happen to begin with. Naturally it will only enhance their ability to spend moving forward. There are no negatives here, this is a great day for the organization.
These deals end up being great for the owners but rarely equate to more spending on the product.
Simply not true. MASN and YES (Boston & NYY) beg to differ. Also, keep in mind, BEFORE this deal, the Cubs already will have at least a top 5 payroll in the game.
I think that’s kind of the point… They were already able to support a top 5 payroll easily. To think their spending is going to increase drastically because of this deal is a little far fetched. They aren’t going to put a $300+M team on the field every year – most of the revenue from this deal will likely go elsewhere.
Right. It just gives them more financial flexibility/stability if needed. It will certainly allow them to sustain a top 3-5 payroll in the game. The Ricketts were already pouring a ton of money to the baseball ops side.
Yeah, I think I’m done with Major League Baseball. These people are gross.
Really this is what does it for you?
Seeya
Byeeee
Kick Rocks!
They don’t like you because you have a mind, and probably a life. There is nothing more depressing than guys who are into this stuff, and spend time online defending people like this.
Partnering with Sinclair…blah. I mean, it pairs well with an islamophobic patriarch, I suppose.
Go Cubs…
Must see bigot TV.
I find it funny how intentionally ignorant people are about that whole story. Media sets out a smear campaign and you all go at it like a pig looking for truffles
Sorry…Joe’s comments were clear examples of racism / Islamophobia…what are the pigs and I missing?
get off your soap box, please.
It might surprise you to learn many Cubs fans don’t have a problem with anything Joe Ricketts said. So glad I jumped off the Cub bandwagon in my youth.
Yet here you are…. AGAIN. Obsessing over the Cubs… AGAIN. Are you sure you jumped off that “bandwagon”? It appears a shoelace may have gotten caught. Does this article have anything to do with the Northwest Indiana White Sux?!? You’re so transparent, it would be comical if it wasn’t so damn thirsty and pathetic.
BTW, I’m glad those emails were exposed. Disgusting what Joe Ricketts said and even more disgusting about how his racist mind really works. I’m glad Tom Ricketts did the right thing and made no excuses for his father. Most Cub fans DO have a BIG problem with that POS. Luckily he has very little to do with the Cubs.
This is exactly right. I think its universally understood that Joe is a tool but his actions don’t represent the Cubs.
Thanks, more virtue signaling is definitely what this site needs.
Sinclair and the Ricketts, a match made in…somewhere
I don’t understand why, in the middle of a competitive window, Ricketts won’t continue to go for it, regardless of the luxury tax. I’m not sure that a long term deal for Harper would be a wise move, but Kimbrel would seriously bolster that bullpen at a time when their farm system hasn’t. Counting on Morrow just seems risky.
I must have missed the big sell off. When did they trade the core of the team away? Oh, I get it, you want them to buy more expensive free agents like Yu Darvish. The Ricketts family have done nothing but put the baseball operations at the forefront and still fans complain. Lets bring back the Tribune…eh?
They have a window right now, Sherlock. Thus, the “continue to go for it” part that you also missed. There is no reason for them to worry about the luxury tax this year. Every team (except maybe the Pirates) in their division got better. They didn’t.
The Pirates got better at last year’s trade deadline. They could have a sneaky good rotation. The bats will be a question, though.
You’re right. They probably won’t make many waves, but they’ve got some great arms.
Pecota has the Cubs tied for last place in the NL Central. Some window.
Pecota has been wrong the last four years on the Cubs—why stop now?
Every NL central team except the Cubs getting better should scare the Cubs. The Cubs against the REDS were 11-8. The Reds have now improved, so maybe 9-10. The Pirates were 10-9, so maybe now 9-10. Cards were 9-10, so now 8-11. Brewers were 11-9, so 10-9.
This likely takes them out of the playoffs. Otherwise, it puts them in the Wild Card spot which is a coin toss.
The Ricketts family has actually done quite a bit outside of putting the “baseball operations at the forefront.”
I can’t help but feel this is all a little late. Now that the cubs won in 2016, the interest just isn’t there like it was. Maybe I’m wrong.
You’re wrong
I dunno. I’m a Mariners fan so I’m not in Chicago, but if the White Sox sign one of the big FAs that looks like a way more interesting team moving forward.
The cubs look like a team that had a magic year of pitching that carried a team of propspects who are now mostly busting out. Which was cool as hell, but it’s probably over. Just let it die
If you were in Chicago, perhaps you’d know how wrong you are. The Cubs were more popular/sold more than the Sox even when they were bad.
Locations of the two parks have a lot to do with their respective popularity in the area
Say what you really mean, Chester.
You’re wrong. They are the dominant team in a huge baseball city.
A dominant team that lost game 163 and the wild card game, at home.
Ha, I love the selective reasoning. Sooo the same team that has made the playoffs 4 consecutive years(and counting) winning more games than any team in baseball over that stretch? Including 3 straight NLCS and a ring already in the bank with a young PROVEN championship core (not “prospects”) A proven ML core that hasn’t even entered their prime ages yet? Yeah, THAT “dominant team”. If you’re gonna troll, do it better. At least try to be clever… haha
Yeah, sum up the entire franchise in one game. They’ve dominated, 4 straight playoff appearances, 3 straight League Championship Series, a world series, an MVP in Bryant, almost 2 other MVP’s (Baez & Rizzo), Arrieta while a Cub gave them a Cy Young, Hendricks (era title that year and Lester were runners up for the Cy Young in 16.The Cubs have an off year in 18 and STILL made the postseason but yeah the dominant team in Chicago is who? The White Sox? They weren’t even the dominant team in 05 let alone the last 5 years.
Right, and 2018 ended badly, but if one game back of the best record in the NL is a bad year (especially considering all the key injuries) I’ll take it!
I understand your desire to take shots at the White Sox, but what world were you living in during the ‘05 season? They had the second best record in baseball and capped the season off with one of the most dominant postseason runs in baseball history…
Priggs, in his defense, ESPN and MLB network literally consistently forget about the Sox and ‘05. You can’t expect NON Sox fans to remember it. Seriously. Also, what I think he’s referring to is a flash in the pan. Meaning that the 05 team was a group of vet players that had a magical run, nothing sustainable. This wasn’t a young core that grew together as a consistent contender, thus a flash in the pan.
This Cubs team, as well as the Boston team that Theo built, clearly was/is a sustainable contender. 4 straight playoff appearances (and counting) inc 3 straight NLCS, a ring already in the bank, winning more games than anyone in baseball during that span with a core that hasn’t even reached their peak years yet.
While the Sox went right back to being bad and irrelevant after 05. I’m assuming that’s why the national media and most MLB fans keep forgetting about them.
As far as taking shots at the Sox and their fans. They bring it on themselves with their obsession and infantile trolling of anything Cubs. This comment section is another glaring example. The Sox have NOTHING to do with this article, yet the usual suspects are littering the comment section.
Blah blah blah, blah blah Cubs popular now, blah blah. Look, the White Sox drew over 2 million to their park when they won. There’s nothing wrong with that. Sox fans are more discerning than Cubs fans. The Sox failed to put a competitive team on the field, and the fans responded by staying away, as it should be.
A Sox fan’s favorite thing to do, when they roll over and off their sisters, in Canaryville, is to find Cubs articles to bash the team on. You’ve got to admire their Single White Female-like dedication to their Cubs-bashing craft.
……….they should just demote themselves to single A and rename the ball club to the “Bridgeport SisterF u c kers.”
Oh boy now they can watch reruns of that one season every day 24 7. I see this network about as successful as the last 110 years have been for this organization.
Why are you the way you are?
Tv networks are designed to make money. Making money is something the Chicago Cubs have always been good at.
And for filler, they can always replay the Cubs-Cardinals playoff series of 2015. Glad to see that you are an expert on TV networks and how they lack being successful, also.
Great. Now Trump will sing the 7th inning stretch.
The yes network showed that doing this can lead to huge gains
There’s something hilarious about the Ricketts boys taking their team off of WGN (the reason that these Omaha-based trustafarians are Cubs fans in the first place) and putting it on this new Sinclair network (no doubt their bigoted father approves lol).
I’m sure if this deal goes south the Ricketts boys will whine and complain and blame someone else like they usually do.
I wonder which one pays better, fox, or owning your own?
Deplorable
I think people are over reacting when it comes to the political views of sinclair. Fox didnt exactally inject political commentary during their baseball broadcasts, unless mccarver or ozzie guieen or teleprompter reading rodriguez was trying to, but no one understands what they are saying anyway. Fox did drop the free Saturday broadcasts however.
Importtant issue is how many games will be broadcast on this network vs the local broadcasts and whether any cable company will pick this channel up. Having a dispute on cable fees would even hurt sports bars.
Agreed. It’s always a toddler-like reaction from liberals. I watch games on liberal NBC, and I (or any other Conservative) cries about it.
When in 2020 does Sebastian Gorka sing the 7th inning stretch?
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!! Excellent work, well done……………………….with the Sean Hannity choir as a back up………
Hopefully they go into this looking at the overall picture and not just the dollars and cents. Don’t shutout the fans from watching cubby ballgames like the Dodgers did to their fans.
Yeah, I was wondering what the hold up was. I think it might have something to do with what you’re referring to. I live in LA and I remember the issues with the Dodgers (and Lakers) broadcasting rights with various carriers, namely DirectTV, but most of that was worked out. But yes, this is a great move by the Cubs organization. Should be huge moving forward for them, on and off the field.
The real advantage to owning your own RSN is that you can shield revenue, for Revenue Sharing computation, from broadcast rights, washing it through start-up costs (initially) and then operational expenses. The Red Sox claim they get 80M from NESN, a completely ridiculous figure; the package is worth at lest 4 times that much, probably more.
Carriage will be an issue, as they seek to recover expenses through charging cable companies a fee. What made Turner successful was that Ted offered TBS to cable companies for free, giving them an extra channel at no cost. And when Henry/Warner bought the Sox, they took NESN off a pay tier and made it possible for everybody to join Red Sox Nation. I SUSPECT Theo, who certainly was involved in that decision (at least in some way) will remember that.
YEEEESSSSSS!!! Finally! Officially “official”!
Great *sigh*, Sinclair media, the company that put out a mass market statement on all of their owned networks ironically touting independence in reporting and bias from owners. I love the Cubs but I hate the backroom politics
Rickets and Sinclair. But nothing to see here. LOL.
Glad I’m not a Flubs fan.
At this point, I would take the cubs resigning some players
Not to seem like i’m trolling…i’m not, just observing…but this seems a terrible time to announce this new network. The Cubs got tossed from the WC playoff game, they are totally inactive this winter and watch the Cardinals close in on them, and now Ricketts opens his mouth with what sounds like Trump rhetoric…again, poor timing for the Cubs.
In actuality, this network was announced about five years ago. We all knew that it would coincide with the expiration of the current TV deal. This has been in the works for a LONG, LONG time and losing a wild card game, the Cardinals (or Reds or Padres or Mariners) signing someone, or some emails from the past or the current president have very little to do with the timing of the official partnership and/or official announcement. It would certainly be much nicer on a 75 degree day in June, after a win, but that would seem a little self gratifying, don’t you think??
Hope they do behind the scenes stories on how some of their current and former players use PEDs, how their coaches and others used iWatches to steal signs, how Addison Russell treats his next girlfriend or wife, etc. Instead it will be more and more of drinking the Kool Aid for flubs fans.
Mmmmmmm, Cubbie Blue Kool Aid….,Oh Yeaaahhhhh!
Looks like somebody needs some attention.
Side note that’ll probably be taken the wrong way by a lot of people here – Am I the only one that doesn’t consider a Wild Card appearance as “making the playoffs”? To me, it’s one final game to decide who actually gets that last spot in the playoffs. I personally just consider it more of a play-in game rather than a playoff game, but maybe that’s just me though.
The wild card game, while pretty much the exact format as a game 163 “play in” game, is definitely a playoff game. Win and move on, lose and your season is done. No different from a game 5 in the division series or game 7 in the championship series or World Series. If anything the question should be “shouldnt a game 163 play in game be considered a playoff game?”
Fair enough.
Maybe it’s just the 1 game aspect of it that gets to me. Throughout the season, you NEVER play a team just once (barring weather or a game 163, obviously). I guess the fact that a team can “make the playoffs” and only play 1 game just doesn’t do it for me. That, and the fact that they’re playing another team that didn’t make the playoffs (again, my opinion).
I can accept that I’m technically wrong, but until the Wild Card teams either play against an actual playoff team (like the NFL) or play a legitimate series, I don’t see my opinion changing on the subject. Or maybe if the White Sox lose like 3 Wild Card games in a row and never make it past that, I can hang my hat on them technically making the playoffs 3 years in a row to hide my sorrow. A man can change.
The Wild Card teams should definitely have 3 games to determine who is the winner. The current 1 game format is dumb. 3 games, 3 days. Winner advances.
Now, Priggs—of all people—you who always have fair Sox insight and even have jabs that have merit–how do you come up with that question? All major league records list it as a playoff game and even, by definition, a round. To your credit, it is a play-in game, but part of the playoffs. (perhaps, this is just one of those jabs that doesn’t have merit)
Trust me, I have no problem taking jabs at any team/fans, including my own, but this one wasn’t intended to be a jab at the Cubs.
I just don’t see it as an actual playoff game. Unlike the NFL where the Wild Card teams play against teams that actually made the playoffs, you play against each other (2 non-playoff teams, in my opinion). It’s just an extra game to see who gets to play against an actual playoff team. It’s the only time in baseball (minus a game-163 scenario) where you only play the other team once. MLB can label it however they want, but I’d argue they do that solely for the purpose of making more money off the game (the reason it was added to begin with). To each their own I guess, but if I were a Cubs or A’s fan, I personally wouldn’t be celebrating about making the 2018 playoffs.
2018 finish was disappointing. But the last 4 years has been the golden age of the Cubs for a generation of people. For those saying the Cub run is over, I would say the evidence shows just the opposite. The Cubs won 95 games while losing 40 games because they didn’t score 2 runs. I think Theo expects some of those games to break in their favor this year.
Either way, the wildcard is a ridiculous concept on baseball. A team doesn’t even win their division – they finish second or even third – and still have a chance of being crowned “world champion”. Really??
Now, Kreev–since the inception of the wild card format(s)—a wild card team has won the World Series six times, the team with the best overall record in baseball that given season has also won it six times. Can you imagine football or hockey or basketball with just division winners in the playoffs? Well, you probably can—the Patriots and Warriors would still win.
Figures the Ricketts would be involved with Sinclair. They deserve each other.
How much will the subscription to this channel be? The Dodgers have had a hard time selling their channel to fans in CA.
The king of fake news now has the king of fake fans. Appropriate.
Sinclair owns CNN?
Forget B. Harper. We need Maldonado. I’m so tired of watching Contreras take strikes and turn them into balls. He’s the worst pitch framer ever.
That is DEFINITELY his biggest weakness. I agree on Maldonado.
If the Cubs move to Sinclair, they are admitting they are as racist and Conservative as Big Daddy Rickets. I won’t be paying any extra to put money in Sinclair’s pockets. Not one extra dime will I give to that propaganda machine. I’m guessing most Chicagoan’s would feel the same. Stupid move by the Rickets family. Wonder what the sister and her wife think about it.? There is other stuff to watch. No problem.
Bye, bye.
Most people don’t give a darn. If they wanna see baseball and that’s what’s on, they won’t even care to ask who’s putting it on.
As Douglas Adams once observed, the most powerful force in the universe is ‘somebody else’s problem’
Please explain your logic. Also, the sister and her wife probably don’t gaf because they’re adults who realize that you can separate things and not be ideologically driven troglodytes.
Your level of triggered is quite hilarious though, so please, proceed.
Typical liberal. Wah, wah, wah. Baby needs his bottle. You don’t see any Republicans crying about, or boycotting games on liberal NBC, do you? Nope.
No need for Harper on this team. Machado is more versatile and we are not sure about Russell and Bryant’s health. I just want to know if I will be able to watch the Cubs from Texas on the new network or still have to go through MLB network?
Sinclair huh? Sean Hannity & Laura Ingraham will be doing play by play and color commentary for the games.
I’d prefer Lauren Southern
I’m not crazy that Chicago has 4 major league professional sports franchises besides the Cubs, not 3? White Sox, Bulls, Bears, and Fire? Unless we’re not counting the Bears because NFL teams don’t really have separate cable sports network deals? Or the Fire because it’s MLS (which I don’t agree with, but many still ignore that league).
MLS is not generally considered a ‘major league’ at the moment, rightly or wrongly.
Ugh, not those damn Sinclair people
I don’t get why people think this is going to help them build a better team. They already spend the max they can without crossing the luxury tax threshold. This is just a smart business decision. I just hope they offer a streaming package; as anyone living in the present day doesn’t piss money away on a pointless cable/satellite package anymore. Otherwise….. I’ll just keep getting MLBTV. Sure I can’t watch the games live due to blackouts, but I can watch them later. I treat it like a DVR service. Not to mention…. I get EVERY OTHER GAME in MLB as well.
5-10 years ago I’d say this is a GREAT move, just on the business end of it. Unlike typical fans, I really don’t care how much teams I follow spend on their payroll….. I just like smart business moves. BUT it isn’t 5-10 years ago. If this is solely going to be a cable channel I doubt it will be nearly as lucrative as people are thinking it is going to be. Toss in the fact Reinsdorf is likely going to do all he can to make cable/satellite providers to push the new Cubs channel on a higher package…. so if you want to watch Cubs games and are still slaves to subscription TV, you’ll have to upgrade your package more than likely to watch cubs games. Is watching the Cubs for 6 months out of the year really worth paying more in already pointless cable/satellite packages? Why would Reinsdorf do this? because the Sox and Bulls are still on NBC Sports Chicago. Any smart business man is going to try to corner his market and if he can push the Cubs to a higher TV package in order to get what is likely going to be a dull channel when the Cubs aren’t playing off his tier. BUT…… Reinsdorf runs his businesses HORRIBLY if the Bulls and Sox are any indication. Get a job with Reinsdorf and you’ll have a job for life regardless of how well you do your job….. so it won’t be a big shocker if the Cubs’ Marquee Network is in the same cable/satellite package as NBC Sports Chicago..
Seriously though….. Cubs would be VERY wise if they made this channel also an internet subscription streaming channel as well. Not only will they get people who cut the cord, but also…. the entire country has internet. People across the country who happen to be Cubs fans would be buying that streaming package up left and right. I still don’t get why broadcast TV channels, like NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, WGN, etc. aren’t also streaming online for free by now. I mean those channels are free…. so why do I HAVE to buy a dated looking antenna to watch them when I have perfectly good internet that can easily stream content. Like for football when I want to watch Bears games on Fox. Why can’t I watch those games on Fox’s website? Instead, in order to do that you have to have a cable/satellite service in existence already. Why? Fox is a free, broadcast channel….. so why can’t I watch it on their site…. for free. Makes no sense to me. Instead you get like 30-60 minutes of streaming before they force you to punch in your cable account info. Stupid.
Theo will leave this team bare like he did Boston all he did was preach minor league system minors minors minors look at them now they got nothing this widow will close and the Cubs will be plugging holes with high cost overstated free agents all the while the a Rickety sticky Family will just cash in on Cub fan loyaltyenjiy the next two years after that it’s gonna be a long road again