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CHICAGO -- The firing of Dale Sveum had very little to do with what the former Chicago Cubs manager did wrong.

Sveum and his bosses knew when he was hired that the team would be varying degrees of bad for three or four seasons. The player development plan in the mid-to-lower minor leagues seems to be moving along nicely. A group of projected impact players might be making its way to Wrigley Field by the end of the 2014 season.

What president of baseball operations Theo Epstein desires in a manager is a stronger presence, a persona that will push his office and owner Tom Ricketts toward a championship mentality in a shorter period time than was initially planned. Epstein and Co. are held captive by a depleted baseball revenue stream. Money for the baseball operation will be limited for another three years due to a covenant agreement in the sale language of the team to the Ricketts family.

Simply put, Cubs ownership will need to be more creative in finding revenue within the business. That will be the only way they will convince a manager like Joe Girardi to come on board.

Epstein has watched with interest as his former manager with the Boston Red Sox, Terry Francona, pushes a morbidly drab Cleveland Indians organization to new heights in 2013. By insisting on some offensive help if he decided to take the job, Francona used the clout of his well-heeled résumé to leverage a commitment to win now.

Epstein knows that the plan to renovate Wrigley Field and add important revenue streams for his baseball program have fallen hopelessly behind for now. That knowledge pushes his creative and competitive nature to find a quicker route to success. What would be a smarter avenue to that goal than hiring Girardi?

This Girardi plan will also get the full endorsement of the business office, led by president Crane Kenney. Kenney is the mastermind of the renovation of Wrigley. He needs a bit more time to set his revenue plan into high gear. With the WGN TV and radio rights coming up for renewal after 2014, the team does not yet see the windfall billions coming its way until after 2018. The Cubs have lost close to 700,000 tickets sold per season since 2008. At this point, they need to stop the decline of season-ticket sales. The "Girardi factor" directs a way for season-ticket holders to see a direct path to championship baseball coming back to the north side of Chicago.

Girardi fits into all the criteria that Epstein is looking for in a manager. "The job will require someone who is dynamic," Epstein said on Monday. "It will require tremendous creativity to tackle the issues. I think we will find that in the next manager. It requires tremendous energy, and part of the reason we are here today is that we decided the job requires some change."

Girardi fits the bill in all of those areas. He would bring a world championship aura back to Chicago after winning as a player and as a manager in New York. Epstein went as far as to say that the future manager of the Cubs must at least understand the culture of "Cub Nation" before being considered for the gig. “Candidates who have the Cub experience in their background will have the built-in advantage of knowing the marketplace and the franchise," Epstein said. "[That candidate] might be better equipped in that one area to deal with that gauntlet that, at times, can be managing the Cubs. Yes, I think it helps [to have a Cubs background], [but] is it a prerequisite or does it mean it can‘t be repaired if you haven’t been through here? No.

"There is a bit more of an adjustment period when you have not been through here, as I have discovered when you come from the outside.”

Wrigleyville rooftop owner Beth Murphy said Thursday she needs to see more details before forming an opinion on Tom Ricketts' proposal to renovate Wrigley Field.

Ricketts laid out his plans Wednesday, and that was the first time the rooftop owners saw the rendering for the 6,000 square foot Jumbotron that would be in left field. Rooftop owners, who have a contract with the Cubs to sell tickets to watch games from their buildings and give 17 percent of the revenue to the team, are worried the new signage will block their views.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said Wednesday that without new signage in the outfield at Wrigley Field the Cubs will consider leaving the historic ballpark.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said Tuesday he will need more revenue streams if he is to make the Cubs a consistent contender, echoing what chairman Tom Ricketts said the previous day.

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CHICAGO -- In Tom Ricketts' short tenure as chairman of the Chicago Cubs, the team has been awful, attendance has gone down and the long-awaited celebratory shovel still hasn't hit the ground to renovate Wrigley Field.]

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Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said Monday that the framework for a deal to renovate Wrigley Field, which was agreed to by the City of Chicago, will bring a World Series to a fan base that hasn't seen a championship since 1908.

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A goat's head was delivered to Wrigley Field on Wednesday addressed to Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, a team spokesman confirmed.

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The Chicago Cubs open their home schedule on Monday without a deal with the city and neighborhood for renovations to Wrigley Field, but team chairman Tom Ricketts said they are "100 percent committed" to seeing the project through and winning a World Series at the iconic ballpark.

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With a renovation of Wrigley Field -- including a JumboTron in right field -- reportedly close, Wrigleyville rooftop owners say they will use "any and all means necessary" to make sure the Chicago Cubs honor the remaining 11 years of the contract that protects their view of Wrigley Field.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported Friday that the Cubs and the city of Chicago are expected to agree on a Wrigley Field renovation deal in time for Monday's season opener. Sources told the paper that a few rooftops would be "minimally" affected by the addition of a JumboTron in right field and at least one more sign in left field.

The Wrigleyville Rooftops Association, which has 11 years left on a 20-year contract that calls for them to share 17 percent of their revenue with the Cubs, took issue with the news on Friday, claiming any addition that obscures their view of the park will essentially put them out of business.

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MESA, Ariz. -- Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts hopes to get approval by next month from the City of Chicago to move ahead in the fall on the five-year renovation plan of Wrigley Field.

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MESA, Ariz. -- Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts seemed upbeat about his planned renovations to Wrigley Field when speaking with the media on Sunday, even though the timing of the project remains uncertain.

While Ricketts forges ahead with his plans to complete the team's new spring training facility by next fall and a build a new state-of-the-art complex in the Dominican Republic in 2014, the gray area still revolves around the start of renovations at Wrigley Field. Due to the landmark status of Wrigley Field, the ownership group would need the approval of Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel to proceed with any changes to Wrigley's exterior.

"I think we have made a lot of progress and we are still working forward," Ricketts said at training camp Sunday. "The mayor's office has been very helpful, but (the renovation OK) is still in progress right now."

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MESA, Ariz. -- A rocky year on the field in 2012 hasn't dampened the enthusiasm of Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts about the direction his team is headed.

During a media gathering on Sunday, the club's owner and top executive offered his support of president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, saying Epstein's vision of the team's future is right on target with ownership's plans.

"I think the progress is tremendous," Ricketts said. "People can't see all the decisions that are made behind the scenes. I see these guys making hundreds of smart decisions during the course of the year. Some of them are public decisions, and a lot of them are smaller decisions made behind the scenes. I just have complete total confidence that they are moving us in the right direction."

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Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts and his business front office are asking the city of Chicago for some assistance in their proposed $300 million renovation of Wrigley Field.

The team announced Saturday its plans to start rehabbing the 98-year-old ballpark. It hopes to begin construction in the fall of 2014 if the city will sign off on the project and relax the landmark status on the historic site. The team had hoped to have money from an amusement tax retired to a fund that would help in part pay for the new construction. That idea was tabled by the city in late summer for political reasons.

"We have an opportunity here that is tremendous," Ricketts said at the Cubs' fan convention Saturday. "Give us some relief on some of the restrictions and we will take care of the rest."

The owner was referring to restrictions on any major constructions of a landmark status building.

Cubs president of baseball operations Crane Kenney made a presentation of the proposed renovation to 1,000 fans at a special seminar Saturday.

"I think we would like to be treated like the other 29 clubs," he said. "If they are going to be allowed build their business and put signs were they need them and hold games when they need them, they (the Ricketts family) are prepared to write the whole check themselves."

Kenney said the team does not need the landmark status altered for most of the ballpark renovation.

"Most of the elements that the landmark status covers we would never want to touch anyway," he said. "We just need the ability to add some of the marketing elements we need and the ability to host games when we want to."

The team is not sure it wants to add a digital scoreboard to go along with the historic center field hand-operated scoreboard that was installed in 1937.

"It's interesting how that has changed in time," Kenney said. "All of our focus groups have swung the other way. That is if it is done right; that is the key element. If it is done right and gives the fans a chance to see a great play again and to learn more about the players, they are supportive."

No official renderings or starting date is in place.

Kenney said his renovation team and the mayor's people have been in constant contact throughout the process.

"Everything you do needs the city's approval," Kenney said. "Any building in the city, you can't (start work) without getting the right permits for electrical and plumbing or mechanical, so we need city support to get this off the ground, and thousands of jobs are waiting. We expect to get a lot of support from the city because, certainly, we could use more employment in the city."

CHICAGO -- Before the 2010 season, their first as owners of the Chicago Cubs, the Ricketts family raised ticket prices by 10 percent, continuing a trend of major price increases from the last few years of Tribune Company ownership.

While the Cubs didn’t make the playoffs in 2009, they had a winning record and 2010 was only two years removed from the Cubs having the best record in the National League.

But things have changed. For the third straight season, all losing affairs of increasing magnitude, the Chicago Cubs are lowering season ticket prices for the 2013 season.

According to data from Team Marketing Report and the 2013 season ticket data sent out today by the team, the Cubs’ average season ticket price will be $44.61, down from $45.83 last season, which was the third-highest in baseball. All prices include the 12 percent amusement tax.

That figure doesn’t include the 3,500 or so club box seats the Cubs now consider “premium” seats. If you factor in those “premium” seats, the Cubs’ average ticket is $48.96, down from $50.06.

Of course, a severe downgrade of fortune has coincided with the Ricketts family takeover. Since the 2008 playoffs, the team’s record has declined each season, with 2012’s 101-loss campaign marking only the third time in franchise history the team has lost 100 games.

But Wrigley Field is a tourist draw and there is a long waiting list for season ticket holders.

According to David Kronheim, who runs the analytics site numbertamer.com, the Cubs’ 2012 attendance total of 2,882,756 was the highest-ever for a team that lost 100 games. The 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks had the previous record of 2,519,560.

Still, it broke the Cubs’ streak of eight straight seasons drawing more than 3 million as the Cubs lost an average of 1,669 fans per game. The Cubs’ 2012 average of 35,590 is way down from the franchise peak of 40,743 in 2008. By the end of the season no-shows outnumbered the fans in their seats as the actual attendance looked to be a fraction of the announced numbers.

For the season, individual tickets will be priced $1-$2 more for the second straight season. In the past, the Cubs were one of the few teams not to price individual games tickets higher.

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Tom Ricketts, the chairman of the board of the Chicago Cubs, promised fans that the long journey to a world championship team will occur on his watch.

In a lengthy letter sent to season-ticket holders, the Cubs' top executive gave an update on the team's entire system, including projects in both the Dominican Republic (building a team complex) and Mesa, Ariz. (a new spring training facility).

Ricketts ended the letter with this promise to the season-ticket holders: "In the end, we (Ricketts and his family) are fans and our goal is to win. We're committed to building a champion the right way. The franchise has imparted on a path that will present challenges along the way but the destination is promising."

The Ricketts family purchased a 95 percent ownership from businessman Sam Zell and the Tribune company in October 2009. (The purchase price was $855 million with Zell retaining 5 percent for tax relief.) Since the acquisition, the Cubs have had a break-even record or better for only four out of 486 games played.

Ricketts admitted Thursday that watching postseason play is difficult with the Cubs still looking light years away from their ultimate goal after a 101-loss season in 2012.

"It would be hard to go to someone else's stadium and watch that," Ricketts said at a dedication for a new high school stadium that Cub Charities and the Kerry and Sarah Wood foundation paid for. "It's tough because the other day I sent out congratulatory texts to some of the owners in the playoffs and it just kills you because you want to be on the other side of that."

The Cubs, according to Ricketts, will put all of their profits and resources back into the development of the franchise and their related ventures. That confirmed a promise Ricketts made on the day he and his family purchased the storied franchise.

The team and the city of Chicago remain at a stalemate on future renovations of Wrigley field. Because of the landmark status of Wrigley Field, the Cubs must receive the approval of the mayor before any structural changes can take place. Although some major headway was made early in 2012 toward a partnership, political differences between the mayor and Joe Ricketts caused an icy logjam in talks.

Offseason plans for the Cubs will include some minor additions and enhancements. The city did OK a 56-seat addition that will feature new rows in front of the current wall behind home plate.

"We have a few smaller projects that we will do this year," Ricketts said. "There is always some cement to be repaired. More maintenance than renovation."