So what does it cost to witness 102 years of baseball futility?  More than any other team.

That’s right Cubs fans, your team hasn’t won a World Series since 1908, but to see the 2010 edition will set you back $52.56 per seat at beautiful Wrigley Field, according to Team Market Report’s annual Fan Cost Index. (And no, the price of admission doesn’t guarantee a win.)

TMR, a Wilmette company, each year releases a price index that measures everything from parking to concessions to ticket costs and this year the North Siders top the list.

The average ticket in MLB costs $26.79, up just slightly from a year ago.

The report shows that the Cubbies had the second highest price increase — up 10.1 percent for 2010.

An family of four can expect to spend a bundle. Figure in hot dogs ($4.25 each), beer ($6.25 each), sodas ($3.75 each), parking ($25.00) and a couple of baseball caps ($20 each), and taking the tribe out Wrigley Field will set you back a cool $329.74.  Don’t leave home without that credit card.

So basically the Cubs have won exactly zero Championships since 1908, but they feel they can charge the most?  I was discussing this with one of the many people who emailed me about this story, and we concluded that it was ludicrous how much a Cubs game costs.  While an argument can be made that what I described at the beginning of this article about how it is the BEST way to spend a summer day may be enough to justify the prices they charge, in terms of a day watching professional sports it is outrageous.  A Bears game may cost more, but that’s worth it in an entirely different way.  A Bulls game is significantly less, so there’s no real comparison there.

The one thing that Mr. Ricketts and our dearly-departed friends at the Tribune have done is attempt to build a winner by spending more than almost any other team on payroll.  I give them credit for that and while I will continue to bitch and moan about ticket prices, I will keep going to the ballpark so long as they continue to spend money and show a commitment to success on the field. (Who am I kidding, I’ll keep going to the park pretty much no matter what, amirite?)

That being said, here are some observations on Ricketts’ press conference:

On payroll: He made clear that he will not be raising the payroll that much this season.  He said it might go up a little bit, but don’t expect any huge signings.  He kept reiterating that there is no “silver bullet” that will automatically win the World Series.

On management of the team: Ricketts says he will not be a hands-on owner like Steinbrenner, but he also won’t fade into the background.  He wants to be “seen but not heard” around the field.  He is also going to keep the current structure of the team in place, meaning Jim Hendry will run the team and report to Crane Kenney, who will report to Ricketts.

On creating a winner: Ricketts was adamant that there is no free agent that will save the team.  Instead, he focused a lot on player development, scouting, and drafting.  For now it seems like he will keep the current scouting system in place, but they are looking to improve greatly in that area.

On Milton Bradley: He is not going to be involved in personnel.  He insisted that this will be Hendry and other management’s job.

On Wrigley Field: Wrigley Field will not change.  He will not be tearing out seats or adding luxury boxes.  He seems to be strongly in favor of preserving the tradition of the field.  He also said he has no plans for a jumbotron now.  And don’t worry, he reassured the media and fans that the troughs in the men’s bathrooms aren’t going anywhere.

On the Wrigleyville neighborhood: He wants that triangle building across the street.  Bad.  You could tell by his answers to questions about it.  Hopefully he is able to establish a good relationship with the neighborhood, unlike his predecessor, but this is not a good start.  Only time will tell how the community reacts to his push for the new building.

All in all he seemed to have a very good attitude about everything.  He clearly respects the tradition of Wrigley and wants to put a winning ballclub on the field consistently.  So far so good with this new ownership group.