Ricketts family introduced as Cubs owners

Tom Ricketts may have just been giving Chicago Cubs fans lip service today, but the new team owner sounded committed to winning during his family's introductory news conference.

Ricketts said that he believes a world championship — something that has eluded the Cubs for 101 years — could be acheivable as early as next season. He also said there would be a slight bump in the team's payroll, which had already swelled to $135 million in 2009. That's good news for Cubs fans that was accompanied by some bad news — Ricketts also said ticket prices would be increased slightly.

Ticket increases are something Cubs fans have gotten as used to as sorrow in October. As long as Ricketts gets the Cubs to win, and spends whatever is necessary to make that happen, he'll make me and scores of fans everywhere very happy. While he acknowledged today that team ownership is a business, he also seems like a fan, and someone very committed to on-the-field success.

Part of me hoped that Ricketts would follow the T.G. Smith plan for the Cubs — to blow the entire thing up, starting with the dismissals of general manager Jim Hendry and manager Lou Piniella. Instead Ricketts did what I figured he would, saying that both Hendry and Piniella would stay aboard, at least into 2010. He was noncommital on the future of outfielder Milton Bradley, which is what he should be at this point.