Cubs (Sort Of) Win With Maddux After Rough Week
By Rob Winn in News on Jan 24, 2014 4:35PM
The Cubs finally got some good news Thursday when new Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Greg Maddux announced that he couldn't choose to be enshrined as a Brave or a Cub, because both organizations meant too much to him.
In a statement he said, "My wife Kathy and I grew up in baseball in Chicago, and then we had just an amazing experience in Atlanta with the Braves. It's impossible for me to choose one of those teams for my Hall of Fame plaque, as the fans of both clubs in each of those cities were so wonderful."
Classy gesture from a classy man. That rounds out a rough spell for the Cubs, after they first became a laughing stock with the Clark the Cub fiasco, then lost out on prized Japanese ace pitcher Masahiro Tanaka and now they seem to be headed to court with the rooftop owners over the renovations to Wrigley Field. When Maddux made his announcement, you could imagine someone in the front office muttering, "At least someone respects us."
Few expected the Cubs would win the Tanaka sweepstakes, being the Yankees swept in with boatloads of cash and a chance to win. All the Cubs could offer was a life raft full of loose change and a certain loser. But the rooftop deal is different. As a supposed businessman, owner Tom Ricketts should be able to figure out a way to appease the city and the rooftop owners to begin the renovation process. After all, the renovation plan was announced in January of last year and if it actually comes to fruition the Titanic took less time to build. (Arguably the Cubs are on the same course.)
Rarely in Chicago does a vocal minority thwart the plans of big business, but Ricketts and Cubs have found a way. Now slowly the Cubs fans are speaking with their wallets, as the Cubs Convention featured its lowest attendance in years and game attendance is in a free fall. If the Cubs can't get anything done, maybe it's time to introduce Clark's special friend Addison. Surely Deadspin can work up a few renderings.