A love letter from the Ricketts

[Band Beyond Youall]

From their e-mail a day ago:

Chicago Cubs
December 02, 2021



Cubs Fans,

Thank you again for being the best fans in baseball and providing
remarkable support and love to our team. We are constantly reminded of the
power of our sport to unite people, restore hope and provide joy. We hope
you know you are central to making that happen.

As a valued member of our Cubs family, we would like to share an update
with you on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Despite Major League Baseball's best efforts to reach an agreement with the
Players Association, the current CBA has expired. As a result, MLB has been
forced to commence a defensive lockout of Major League players. While we
share your disappointment in the situation our game finds itself in today,
we can assure you MLB negotiated in good faith and exhausted every
reasonable avenue to try to avoid the first work stoppage in nearly 30
years.

Today’s announcement does not necessarily mean games will be canceled. The
purpose of MLB taking this step is to create urgency to reach an agreement
as quickly as possible with the goal of avoiding impact to the 2022 season.


MLB is working around the clock to reach an agreement by offering solutions
aimed at addressing the Players Association's stated concerns in a manner
that is fair to both sides, improves competitive balance on the field so
every team has a chance to compete and improves and preserves the game of
baseball for all fans.

Until an agreement is reached, we are not permitted to sign free agents,
offer contract extensions, waive/option/release players or conduct trades.
We have prepared for this undesired outcome. Once a new agreement is
reached, we will be well positioned and ready to continue our work to build
the next great Cubs team.

We are confident there is a path to an agreement and both sides will work
together to protect, grow and strengthen the game we all love. In
cooperation with MLB, we are committed to keeping you informed throughout
this process. For the most up-to-date information from the League, please
visit mlb.com/update.

We appreciate your patience and support as we await a new agreement. We
know how important our team and sport are to you and your family. We can't
wait to share the magic of Wrigley Field and enjoy competitive baseball
with you in 2022.

Sincerely,
The Chicago Cubs



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permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used
herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

[Frank Sereno]

On 12/3/2021 2:55 AM, Band Beyond Youall wrote:
> From their e-mail a day ago:
>

> We appreciate your patience and support as we await a new agreement. We
> know how important our team and sport are to you and your family. We can't
> wait to share the magic of Wrigley Field and enjoy competitive baseball
> with you in 2022.
>
> Sincerely,
> The Chicago Cubs
>

So once again we are back to the days of selling sunshine (well,
not so much with all the night games) and Wrigley Field rather
than having a team that can compete at a championship level. From
listening to Hoyer, the Cubs are going back to the Jim Hendry
plan of building a team. Get a bunch of players past their prime,
hope they all have career years and maybe you can back your way
into the playoffs. I haven't heard any talk of building a
continuously contending team since Theo left.

So we finally broke the curse and now I think we are well on our
way to decades of incompetence.