A bleacher bum just like you

Tom Ricketts and his family have been introduced as the ninth owners of the Cubs. Ricketts is a bona-fide Cubs fan, not a corporate entity hiding inside a neo-Gothic tower on Michigan Avenue. He likes to drink beer and sit in the bleachers. He knows the pain of 2003 and the disappointment of 2007, ‘08 and — especially — ’09.

He’s an owner Cubs fans can appreciate because he’s one of them. So unfurl the wish list. There is a bustling free-agent market ready to swing open its doors. Chone Figgins, John Lackey and Fernando Rodney are all seeking new homes. A Cubs owner who is a Cubs fan is getting his new toy today. The timing couldn’t be better.

Except for one thing.

Anyone expecting a dramatic shift in philosophy will be in for a huge letdown. The Cubs might be getting a new owner, but they will keep doing business the same old way. At least for the next year or two. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it could be a blind-side blow to frustrated Cubs fans craving instant change.

In fact, this might be the most dormant offseason for the Cubs during Jim Hendry’s eight winters as general manager. Ricketts won’t start throwing money around to right 101 years’ worth of wrongs.

‘‘There is no silver bullet to winning a World Series,’’ Ricketts told the Sun-Times. ‘‘And it's not like they are not spending money already. From my standpoint, the way you win a World Series is to consistently make the playoffs and hope that you're the team that is the hot one when you get to that point.

‘‘The way you consistently make the playoffs is to have the right player-development process, to have the right guys drafting the right talented kids and the right coaches and scouts working together to see them be productive at the major-league level. And just trying to be there every year. There's no load up for one season or there's never any one guy or one contract or one level of spending that's going to get you there. You just have to be consistent and you have to keep the right people pushing the team forward. And you have to build from the bottom up.’’

Ricketts has a sound baseball philosophy, but that won’t soothe the masses. If you want a glimpse at how the Ricketts era will begin, study the final two years of the Tribune Company’s tenure under president Crane Kenney, who remarkably retains his title even without the security blanket he enjoyed in The Tower.

When team executives meet in Arizona next month to map the future, Hendry can expect a payroll in the $143 million range ? a tick above what he had last season. With so many contracts ballooning in 2010, there won’t be any room for a big deal. And don’t expect Ricketts to cave in at the last minute to get that big name.

After he pops the corks on the bottles of champagne that have been chilling in his refrigerator, he will have a long list of tasks to tackle. Wrigley Field needs some pampering. There are plans for a major face-lift around Clark and Addison. Wrigley’s restrooms will get overdue upgrades and long-awaited plans for a Cubs hall of fame in the neighborhood will soon be unveiled.

The new owner is seeking new revenue streams. That means more year-round restaurants and storefronts to push merchandise. That is where the first pushes will be seen.

‘‘You have to be respectful of why Wrigley is different than other stadiums and why the Cubs are different than other teams,’’ Ricketts said. ‘‘I think you owe that to the fans and you owe that to future generations. That said, you also can't let the game pass you by. You can't be so beholden to tradition that you miss ways that other teams are leveraging their clubs to have more economic power than you do.’’

As for the product on the field, look for the Cubs to begin touting the future of their emerging prospects ? Tyler Colvin, Josh Vitters and Andrew Cashner. No doubt, this talk will be met with skepticism from fans who remember being burned by Corey Patterson, Felix Pie and Mike Fontenot.

‘‘From what I see, and from what I know, I think there is a lot more talent coming through the Cubs system than maybe ever,’’ Ricketts said. ‘‘They have a lot of people they are very excited about. I'll be down at the [organizational] meetings for that week of Nov. 2, hearing what all of the coaches and scouts say about that talent. I think they have drafted well, as of late, and they have some guys that they think are going to be real contributors.’’

As for Hendry, his contract guarantees him a Cubs paycheck through 2012, but he will be under his tightest scrutiny in Year 1 of the Ricketts era. Another flop that mirrors the minus-touch he had in 2009 and Hendry will be residing in an Ed Lynch-style exile.

‘‘From our standpoint today, Jim's our guy,’’ Ricketts said. ‘‘He has the opportunity to mold the team for next season. You know, after next season, we'll take a look and see how it went. But he has 100 percent of our support and we think he's the right guy. I think he's had a pretty good track record. This year was disappointing, but in general, I think the team's headed in the right direction.’’ Manager Lou Piniella has stressed he plans to return for the last season of his contract and promises to walk away from managing— anywhere—after 2010.

‘‘It's our understanding that he's coming back next year,’’ Ricketts said. ‘‘I think he's one of the best managers in baseball. And we want him to come back.’’

Any thoughts of trying to coax Piniella to stay beyond 2010? ‘‘I think you take it one day at a time,’’ Ricketts said. ‘‘I have no idea. We're excited to have him back next year. And we'll just stop there and see how it goes.’’

As for the biggest piece of unwanted baggage that accompanied the deal, beleaguered outfielder Milton Bradley and the remaining two years and $21 million left on his contract will be Hendry’s problem. The new owner isn’t expected to say he will gladly eat Bradley’s salary. Whatever the Cubs must pay to get rid of Bradley—and he remains a goner—will count against Hendry’s $143 million or so payroll.

How will the Cubs operate in Year 1 of the Ricketts era? The bathrooms will be nicer. There will be a wider choice of concessions. There might even been that hall of fame with Ernie Banks eager to greet you at the door.

Fans will love it all.

But it won’t have staying power if the players don’t deliver on a World Series-championship promise a century in the making. Remember what The Who wailed in their 1970s hit ‘‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’’? Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Here’s hoping Ricketts — and profit-obsessed Kenney — put as much thought into the product on the field as they do into the next revenue stream behind the counter.