Ricketts Family Annoyance Thread

[SKO]

Can we end this thread yet? http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-cubs-emerged-from-the-stone-age-1445014187

The office Tom Ricketts inherited when he took over the Chicago Cubs in 2009 was a windowless room beneath the upper deck of Wrigley Field. A closet just outside his door contained all of the team's computer servers, which were covered by a cafeteria tray to shield them from the water that would leak through the ceiling when it rained.

But the most dramatic overhaul had more to do with how the team operates than its surroundings. While slashing the major-league payroll, the Cubs spent nearly $6 million on technology upgrades. Those have enabled executives to collect and carve up data on prospective customers and prospective sluggers alike.

When Ricketts hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations in late 2011, the Cubs started using technology in ways they never had before. They built a proprietary computer database called Ivy, which houses everything from scouting reports to advanced statistics. They trained scouts to shoot and instantly upload video of amateur players.

These were not revolutionary advances within the industry. But for the Cubs, it felt like the space age. The team's previous information hub was a lone secretary who kept player contracts in file cabinets.

[Chuck to Chuck]

Can we end this thread yet? http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-cubs-emerged-from-the-stone-age-1445014187

The office Tom Ricketts inherited when he took over the Chicago Cubs in 2009 was a windowless room beneath the upper deck of Wrigley Field. A closet just outside his door contained all of the team's computer servers, which were covered by a cafeteria tray to shield them from the water that would leak through the ceiling when it rained.

But the most dramatic overhaul had more to do with how the team operates than its surroundings. While slashing the major-league payroll, the Cubs spent nearly $6 million on technology upgrades. Those have enabled executives to collect and carve up data on prospective customers and prospective sluggers alike.

When Ricketts hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations in late 2011, the Cubs started using technology in ways they never had before. They built a proprietary computer database called Ivy, which houses everything from scouting reports to advanced statistics. They trained scouts to shoot and instantly upload video of amateur players.

These were not revolutionary advances within the industry. But for the Cubs, it felt like the space age. The team's previous information hub was a lone secretary who kept player contracts in file cabinets.

The payroll slashing started with the arrival of Theo, 2 years after they bought the team and 6 years after they started due diligence.  That's when everything changed.

The Ricketts didn't know what to do when they bought the team.  They thought current practice was good enough.  Took them 5 1/2 years to figure out it wasn't.

There is not enough praise in the universe for Theo Epstein.  Ricketts gets a shitton of credit for closing that deal and following through by staying out of his way.

But there's still annoyance for blowing two years not realizing there was a problem that was obvious to nearly everyone.

[SKO]

Yes, yes it is time to end this thread.

[Quality Start Machine]

Can we end this thread yet? http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-cubs-emerged-from-the-stone-age-1445014187

The office Tom Ricketts inherited when he took over the Chicago Cubs in 2009 was a windowless room beneath the upper deck of Wrigley Field. A closet just outside his door contained all of the team's computer servers, which were covered by a cafeteria tray to shield them from the water that would leak through the ceiling when it rained.

But the most dramatic overhaul had more to do with how the team operates than its surroundings. While slashing the major-league payroll, the Cubs spent nearly $6 million on technology upgrades. Those have enabled executives to collect and carve up data on prospective customers and prospective sluggers alike.

When Ricketts hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations in late 2011, the Cubs started using technology in ways they never had before. They built a proprietary computer database called Ivy, which houses everything from scouting reports to advanced statistics. They trained scouts to shoot and instantly upload video of amateur players.

These were not revolutionary advances within the industry. But for the Cubs, it felt like the space age. The team's previous information hub was a lone secretary who kept player contracts in file cabinets.

Bah. I'll be impressed when the Cardinals hack them.

[SKO]

Can we end this thread yet? http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-cubs-emerged-from-the-stone-age-1445014187

The office Tom Ricketts inherited when he took over the Chicago Cubs in 2009 was a windowless room beneath the upper deck of Wrigley Field. A closet just outside his door contained all of the team's computer servers, which were covered by a cafeteria tray to shield them from the water that would leak through the ceiling when it rained.

But the most dramatic overhaul had more to do with how the team operates than its surroundings. While slashing the major-league payroll, the Cubs spent nearly $6 million on technology upgrades. Those have enabled executives to collect and carve up data on prospective customers and prospective sluggers alike.

When Ricketts hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations in late 2011, the Cubs started using technology in ways they never had before. They built a proprietary computer database called Ivy, which houses everything from scouting reports to advanced statistics. They trained scouts to shoot and instantly upload video of amateur players.

These were not revolutionary advances within the industry. But for the Cubs, it felt like the space age. The team's previous information hub was a lone secretary who kept player contracts in file cabinets.

Bah. I'll be impressed when the Cardinals hack them.

As soon as the article mentioned that database I immediately wondered about how strong the password requirements are.

[Oleg]

Can we end this thread yet? http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-cubs-emerged-from-the-stone-age-1445014187

The office Tom Ricketts inherited when he took over the Chicago Cubs in 2009 was a windowless room beneath the upper deck of Wrigley Field. A closet just outside his door contained all of the team's computer servers, which were covered by a cafeteria tray to shield them from the water that would leak through the ceiling when it rained.

But the most dramatic overhaul had more to do with how the team operates than its surroundings. While slashing the major-league payroll, the Cubs spent nearly $6 million on technology upgrades. Those have enabled executives to collect and carve up data on prospective customers and prospective sluggers alike.

When Ricketts hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations in late 2011, the Cubs started using technology in ways they never had before. They built a proprietary computer database called Ivy, which houses everything from scouting reports to advanced statistics. They trained scouts to shoot and instantly upload video of amateur players.

These were not revolutionary advances within the industry. But for the Cubs, it felt like the space age. The team's previous information hub was a lone secretary who kept player contracts in file cabinets.

Honestly, as someone who works in the technology industry in sales, $6MM isn't that much money.  Shit, there are companies that spend that on Oracle licensing alone each year.

[thehawk]

Can we end this thread yet? http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-cubs-emerged-from-the-stone-age-1445014187

The office Tom Ricketts inherited when he took over the Chicago Cubs in 2009 was a windowless room beneath the upper deck of Wrigley Field. A closet just outside his door contained all of the team's computer servers, which were covered by a cafeteria tray to shield them from the water that would leak through the ceiling when it rained.

But the most dramatic overhaul had more to do with how the team operates than its surroundings. While slashing the major-league payroll, the Cubs spent nearly $6 million on technology upgrades. Those have enabled executives to collect and carve up data on prospective customers and prospective sluggers alike.

When Ricketts hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations in late 2011, the Cubs started using technology in ways they never had before. They built a proprietary computer database called Ivy, which houses everything from scouting reports to advanced statistics. They trained scouts to shoot and instantly upload video of amateur players.

These were not revolutionary advances within the industry. But for the Cubs, it felt like the space age. The team's previous information hub was a lone secretary who kept player contracts in file cabinets.

Bah. I'll be impressed when the Cardinals hack them.

As soon as the article mentioned that database I immediately wondered about how strong the password requirements are.

Since Theo didn't leave his passwords on a Cardinals' server, I think we may be safe from the MLB version of North Korea.

[thehawk]

Can we end this thread yet? http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-cubs-emerged-from-the-stone-age-1445014187

The office Tom Ricketts inherited when he took over the Chicago Cubs in 2009 was a windowless room beneath the upper deck of Wrigley Field. A closet just outside his door contained all of the team's computer servers, which were covered by a cafeteria tray to shield them from the water that would leak through the ceiling when it rained.

But the most dramatic overhaul had more to do with how the team operates than its surroundings. While slashing the major-league payroll, the Cubs spent nearly $6 million on technology upgrades. Those have enabled executives to collect and carve up data on prospective customers and prospective sluggers alike.

When Ricketts hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations in late 2011, the Cubs started using technology in ways they never had before. They built a proprietary computer database called Ivy, which houses everything from scouting reports to advanced statistics. They trained scouts to shoot and instantly upload video of amateur players.

These were not revolutionary advances within the industry. But for the Cubs, it felt like the space age. The team's previous information hub was a lone secretary who kept player contracts in file cabinets.

Honestly, as someone who works in the technology industry in sales, $6MM isn't that much money.  Shit, there are companies that spend that on Oracle licensing alone each year.

DPD

Its a decent chunk of change for what is an essentially 300 person company.  Not enough to buy a Cray though

[CT III]

Can we end this thread yet? http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-cubs-emerged-from-the-stone-age-1445014187

The office Tom Ricketts inherited when he took over the Chicago Cubs in 2009 was a windowless room beneath the upper deck of Wrigley Field. A closet just outside his door contained all of the team's computer servers, which were covered by a cafeteria tray to shield them from the water that would leak through the ceiling when it rained.

But the most dramatic overhaul had more to do with how the team operates than its surroundings. While slashing the major-league payroll, the Cubs spent nearly $6 million on technology upgrades. Those have enabled executives to collect and carve up data on prospective customers and prospective sluggers alike.

When Ricketts hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations in late 2011, the Cubs started using technology in ways they never had before. They built a proprietary computer database called Ivy, which houses everything from scouting reports to advanced statistics. They trained scouts to shoot and instantly upload video of amateur players.

These were not revolutionary advances within the industry. But for the Cubs, it felt like the space age. The team's previous information hub was a lone secretary who kept player contracts in file cabinets.

Honestly, as someone who works in the technology industry in sales, $6MM isn't that much money.  Shit, there are companies that spend that on Oracle licensing alone each year.

DPD

Its a decent chunk of change for what is an essentially 300 person company.  Not enough to buy a Cray though

I like how they tied it to the payroll slashing, as though the two were related.  HOW MANY PLAYERS DID THE CUBS LOSE OUT ON FOR WANT OF $6MM THEO?!?

[morpheus]

Can we end this thread yet? http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-cubs-emerged-from-the-stone-age-1445014187

The office Tom Ricketts inherited when he took over the Chicago Cubs in 2009 was a windowless room beneath the upper deck of Wrigley Field. A closet just outside his door contained all of the team's computer servers, which were covered by a cafeteria tray to shield them from the water that would leak through the ceiling when it rained.

But the most dramatic overhaul had more to do with how the team operates than its surroundings. While slashing the major-league payroll, the Cubs spent nearly $6 million on technology upgrades. Those have enabled executives to collect and carve up data on prospective customers and prospective sluggers alike.

When Ricketts hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations in late 2011, the Cubs started using technology in ways they never had before. They built a proprietary computer database called Ivy, which houses everything from scouting reports to advanced statistics. They trained scouts to shoot and instantly upload video of amateur players.

These were not revolutionary advances within the industry. But for the Cubs, it felt like the space age. The team's previous information hub was a lone secretary who kept player contracts in file cabinets.

I thought I had read this before somewhere.

It's a big change from the previous regime, whose old-school methods prompted the overhaul. When one of Epstein's hires told scouts they'd be using Microsoft Excel for scheduling, one asked, "Sorry, but what is Excel?"

"Hendry is a great guy, but this was the Stone Age," says a player-development source no longer with the team. "A report would be, 'Plus-plus makeup -- I love this kid.' What does that even mean?" Scouts did not take video of players -- a basic and invaluable task with today's technology. The job of one executive under the computer-shy Hendry consisted of scanning the Internet for relevant stories and distributing printouts twice a day. "Theo finally told him to stop," the source says. "They let the guy go, which is sad, but nobody needs stuff that's three hours old when they have MLB Trade Rumors up on their computers and the app on their phone."

[morpheus]

DPD, but there are a lot of quotes in that article that are rather prescient.

Scouting/player development VP Jason McLeod dubbed Baez, Bryant, Almora and Soler the Core Four. If even three of them come close to fulfilling their potential, they'll represent a homegrown Cubs trio unseen since the days of Banks, Williams and Santo. Analysts who project prospects for a living rank the Core Four among baseball's top 30, with Baez and Bryant in the top 15.

...Will it work? Not this year. Barring something unforeseen, the eternal mantra of the Cubs fan -- wait 'til next year -- applies for at least one more summer. "We're not naive, but we do feel we're on the right track," Hoyer says. "We knew it would take time."

Yeah, that's about right.

[Canadouche]

Can we end this thread yet? http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-cubs-emerged-from-the-stone-age-1445014187

The office Tom Ricketts inherited when he took over the Chicago Cubs in 2009 was a windowless room beneath the upper deck of Wrigley Field. A closet just outside his door contained all of the team's computer servers, which were covered by a cafeteria tray to shield them from the water that would leak through the ceiling when it rained.

But the most dramatic overhaul had more to do with how the team operates than its surroundings. While slashing the major-league payroll, the Cubs spent nearly $6 million on technology upgrades. Those have enabled executives to collect and carve up data on prospective customers and prospective sluggers alike.

When Ricketts hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations in late 2011, the Cubs started using technology in ways they never had before. They built a proprietary computer database called Ivy, which houses everything from scouting reports to advanced statistics. They trained scouts to shoot and instantly upload video of amateur players.

These were not revolutionary advances within the industry. But for the Cubs, it felt like the space age. The team's previous information hub was a lone secretary who kept player contracts in file cabinets.

Bah. I'll be impressed when the Cardinals hack them.

As soon as the article mentioned that database I immediately wondered about how strong the password requirements are.

Words and numbers. Nobody could ever guess "cubs1908"

[Saul Goodman]

So we finally know the name of the system, since some in the baseball media have been obsessed with finding it out after Theo left Carmine behind in Boston. Great. It's Ivy. Hooray.

[Chuck to Chuck]

So we finally know the name of the system, since some in the baseball media have been obsessed with finding it out after Theo left Carmine behind in Boston. Great. It's Ivy. Hooray.

Guess we know what they call the IM system.

[Saul Goodman]

Wittenmyer reports that president of business operations Crane Kenney has signed a contract extension that will keep him with the organization through at least the 2020 season.