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Cubs President Tom Ricketts spoke to the media Monday morning at Mesa and discussed several issues, including Joe Ricketts' controversial emails, the Sinclair TV deal, Addison Russell, an independent agency and more again.
On his father's e-mails about racist jokes and conspiracy theories, Tom Ricketts said, "These are not the values of our family. … I have never heard my father say anything racist from a distance. "
Ricketts said that he had talked Monday to the team about the email-related controversy: "I've also said, look, sorry for the distraction."
"I wanted to tell them if anything we had done in our organization had made it comfortable or something that had eluded us to leave me now," Ricketts said.
Ricketts acknowledged that his father's emails caused "pain".
"But I love it," said Ricketts. "This is my father. That's a great man. He has helped children around the world through his charities. It supports 1,700 schools in Africa and throughout East Africa, as well as Islamic East Africa. He did the right things.
"He probably could have paid attention to the emails he had brought and to the couple he had sent."
Regarding the free agency problem, the Cubs did not actively defend Manny Machado, Bryce Harper or any of the other big players available.
"We're out of money," Ricketts said. "The fact is we're in the top five in baseball spending in five or six years. We put our money back on the ground. Unfortunately, you can not have a leading free agent every year. And part of that is the cost – $ 25-30 million (one year), plus a 10-year commitment.
"We are well positioned to win the division again. And although I would love to have a new exciting player every season, this can not happen every year. "
Ricketts said it was necessary to give strong increases to Kris Bryant and Javier Baez throughout the arbitration process, as well as to choose the $ 20 million option on the Cole left-handed Hamels, to maintain the competitive team now, while providing financial flexibility to maintain the players we want. keep long term. "
Ricketts has avoided the notion of delaying some projects around Wrigley Field simply to increase payroll for a season.
"I do not think there is any limit to baseball as to the money you want to lose," Ricketts said. "I think some guys have tested this, but the most important thing to do is not just thinking about this year, but thinking about the future.
Ricketts said the previous Cubs property "was a quiet event every year, trying to look at short-term sales of subscriptions, tickets and sponsorships.
"In this kind of" go ahead "scenario, most of the time, they do not work," Ricketts said.
He added, "I think we have the right guys. … we know where the dollars are.
Ricketts also said he did not think there would be any collusion among homeowners about this season's free agents.
Regarding the team's televised partnership with conservative Sinclair Broadcasting, he said: "(Sinclair) will be a great partner. There will be nothing political. "
"If there is one thing that this organization has not historically done well, it's that it has not handled the situation as a whole and the big ones well." problems, "Ricketts said. "And it's a great thing. We will have our own channel, it is the next step to become the best organization in the world. "
Ricketts said Addison Russell had "done well" Friday at a press conference during which he verbally confessed to wounding his ex-wife, Melisa, and causing her pain, which resulted in a suspension. 40 games for violating the NHL's domestic violence policy. .
"We came to the conclusion that the best way forward was to support Addison and give him a chance to leave him behind and become a better person and see if he could show it. worthy, "said Ricketts. "He has taken up the challenge."
Ricketts also discussed his relationship with Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, said that he was "not good".
"My personal relationships with him have not been good," Ricketts said. "Honestly, I think we can do better."
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