The Cubs need to take down the "will return in 15 minutes" sign.

I was out of town and had to rent a car.
Hertz has a deal with one of the hotels near where I was staying, like a sattelite Hertz office.
I made arrangements to get the car, they said it would be ready by noon and I had a meeting at 1.
So I walked over they had a sign on the desk that said: "Sorry for the inconvenience. Will return in 15 minutes."
You've seen this sign somewhere at some point in your life.
I'm immediately steamed.
Then a woman walks up, but she wasn't from the states and obviously had never encountered such a thing.
"Well, they'll be back in 15 minutes." she says in broken English (I can't print her accent - it was weird).
I nod.
Then she laughs, "Ha. Wait. How do you know how long ago they put up the sign?"
I shrug, ten minutes has gone by.
She finally puts it all together - "This sign is a trick. We don't know anything."
And as she was saying this out loud, I couldn't help but think of our favorite team.

I read around, and overall it seems that the media (except for Cubs media) has really turned on the Cubs.
Bitter.
It's hard to blame them because they've nothing new to write about, right?
Here's my favorite one - it's a story by Jim Caple covering the Olympics, and for no reason at all he drags the Cubs in there.
I mean, when you use Cub Futility portrayed in a truly funny way - I get it and laugh as hard as anyone.
Remember this?
 
But Caple's useage is just weird.

Anyway, I'm not turning on the Cubs.
Could they be smarter about this?
You bet.
Why in the world Tom Ricketts would say out loud that the Cubs might go to the playoffs this year is beyond me.
There still are a ton of people out there who don't understand the Theo Epstein plan, and Tom's message will only enrage them later when Theo flips his best performing short range players come July.
People are mad that the Cubs didn't add anybody of significance over the winter.
They "spend like a small market team".
Yada yada.
This will probably be the summer that that frustration boils over and Cub Fans begin eating one another.

I still think very strongly that Theo is doing the right thing with the team.
But Cubs, be transparent.
Don't steam up the glass with hot playoff breath.
Manage people's expectations with reality and treat them like adults.
Do that, and you'll be taking down the "back in 15 minutes" sign.