Not If, But When

Karma’s a bitch, or so they say, and the Cubs would certainly seem to be proof of that.  Or maybe the Ricketts’ family made a deal with a crossroads’ demon, and it’s come do.  Either way, I say team president Theo Epstein will be gone sooner than later.

 

Epstein is East Coast, and the Ricketts aren’t even Midwest, not unless you consider Nebraska the Midwest.  (Sorry, it’s part of the Great Plains.)  Epstein strikes me left of center politically while old man Joe Ricketts exists somewhere on the far side of the 18^th century and two of his sons are pretty much card-carrying Trump Republicans.  Daughter Laura Ricketts is a Democrat, but in the Chicago primary elections this February she went after Wrigleyville alderman Tom Tunney with all the finesse of a mob boss.  Of particular interest is that Epstein was not mentioned as being among those members of the Cubs’ front office who contributed to the aldermanic campaigns of Tunney primary opponents.

 

So, already this year Epstein has had to endure the email dump that showed just how reactionary Joe Ricketts is (and how reluctant Cubs’ chairman and son Tom is to criticize the man who bankrolled the family’s purchase of the team in 2009.)  Now comes an incident Tuesday night against the Marlins at Wrigley Field, a place not exactly beloved by African-American players.

 

Former Cubs’ outfielder Doug Glanville was reporting by the home dugout when some guy flashed a sign currently popular in white nationalist circles; talk about your friendly confines.  Within thirty-six hours, the team moved to slap a permanent ban on the guy, but the damage has been done, with people asking, isn’t that the kind of person at least some of the Ricketts are comfortable with?  Throw in the never-ending Addison Russell saga, and I think you have a certain team president looking to work his World Series magic for a third team, most likely one on the East Coast.

If not back East, why not on the South Side?