Random thoughts as the Ricketts family begins its second official week as Cubs' owners:

• What's taking these people so long to get the Cubs into the World Series? Shouldn't they have crashed the Phillies-Yankees party by now?

• It's unsettling that both Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts and U.S. President Barack Obama are so young. Isn't a baseball owner supposed to limp around on a wooden leg like Bill Veeck and a president supposed to be all wrinkled like Ronald Reagan? You know, instead of me limping around all wrinkled?

• Tom Ricketts wants to stay in Wrigley Field forever. Doesn't he realize that the ballpark has been the only constant during the last 95 years of the Cubs' 101-year championship drought?

• When three of us from the Daily Herald met with Ricketts last month I felt like a father eyeballing a teenager showing up to take my daughter to the prom: "Make sure you have a World Series back home by midnight, young man."

• Some thought Ricketts came across at his introductory news conference like Mike McCaskey did at his. No, folks. We had to ask McCaskey whether we should call him Mike or Michael. Ricketts clearly is a Tom, thank goodness, not a Thomas.

• Speaking of other local sports owners, Ricketts admires the White Sox' Jerry Reinsdorf. Hopefully for the Cubs that doesn't mean it'll take their new owners 25 more years to win a World Series.

• The Rickettses are applauded for being Cub fans. Remember the manager who said, "If I do what the fans want, before long I'll be sitting up in the stands with them"? If the Cubs don't win what the fans want, the new owners will be awfully uncomfortable sitting up in the stands.

• When the Rickettses proposed buying the Cubs it probably sounded to their parents like a kid coming home and saying he wanted to drop out of college and join a rock band.

• Wasn't it surprising to hear Tom Ricketts say the goal is to contend for the World Series every year? Didn't you expect him to say the goal is to contend for last place every year?

• Ricketts doesn't believe in booing, doesn't understand it and never does it. A Cub fan that never boos? Never? Not even Milton Bradley? Are we sure he isn't one of those aliens who arrived Tuesday night on the premiere of "V"?

• Mr. Ricketts also insists that there isn't a Cub curse. Sorry, sir, but you're mistaken. No, there are no such things as curses; yes, the Cubs are cursed.

• The Rickettses following the Tribune Company is like any new stadium replacing the old Soldier Field, Rocky Wirtz replacing his old manm and any closer replacing good old Kevin Gregg. New can't be worse here.

• Does Tom Ricketts being out front signal that Crane Kenney won't be? Shucks.

• Ricketts sounds like a presidential candidate when he promises to modernize Wrigley Field, fortify the Cubs' front-office staff, and win a World Series. If he can accomplish all that maybe he really should run for president.

• Anyway, congratulations, all you Rickettses, and remember that your warranty expires 15 minutes before Carlos Marmol blows his first save opportunity.