Honestly, Len Kasper should be...

[JeffH]

...the Cubs' GM and Jim Hendry should be setting pins in a bowling alley.

[WrigleyField 22]

hmmm it certainly could work, but it has big potential to fail.

 

From a player perspective Len would do better as far as targeting the right kinds of players. He is smart enough to recognize important stats like OBP.

 

On the flip side there are probably a lot of paperwork/administrative things that he would need a lot of help doing. I can't imagine its just as easy as calling up a GM from another team and proposing a trade or telling a FA to sign his name on a contract.

 

 

John Paxson made a leap from the booth to GM for the Bulls and has done a great job. He apparently was able to learn the ins and outs of being GM on the fly. Maybe Kasper would make a similar easy transition, but I'd rather try someone with a little more experience and is just waiting to get a chance as GM. I like Len in the booth, lets keep him there.

[WrigleyField 22]

Oh and I hardly think Jim needs to be demoted all the way to bowling alley. Wasn't he in charge when we turned around our minor league program? He may just be in over his head as GM.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Oh and I hardly think Jim needs to be demoted all the way to bowling alley. Wasn't he in charge when we turned around our minor league program? He may just be in over his head as GM.

 

I think that could be the case. I think Hendry would make an excellent scout or director of scouting. I think he lacks the ability to make a good GM.

[bhogg]

Hendry would pick up pins that have cracks and weaknesses. After a while, they'd all break and the bowlers would be pissed.

[neely crenshaw]

hmmm it certainly could work, but it has big potential to fail.

 

.

 

as opposed to our roaring success this year?

[WrigleyField 22]

hmmm it certainly could work, but it has big potential to fail.

 

.

 

as opposed to our roaring success this year?

 

No as an addition to the years of failure.

[oldstyle81]

hmmm it certainly could work, but it has big potential to fail.

 

.

 

as opposed to our roaring success this year?

 

No as an addition to the years of failure.

 

he will never get the chance but if it worked, his name would forever be sacred in cubs fans hearts

[Abe Frohman]

What exactly has Hendry done/not done that makes him so hated? Did he overwork his young arms? I am in the minority, but I still think he has been a good GM. This year was a gigantic snowball, but there wasn't much of a Free Agent crop out there last offseason. He has made some great pickups the past few years, and he is strapped with a bum manager.

 

I wonder how close he was to actually getting the Cubs Beltran and Furcal.

[WrigleyField 22]

hmmm it certainly could work, but it has big potential to fail.

 

.

 

as opposed to our roaring success this year?

 

No as an addition to the years of failure.

 

he will never get the chance but if it worked, his name would forever be sacred in cubs fans hearts

 

Anyone who could turn around this mess of a franchise would be held sacred in hearts of Cubs fans. Anyone: Osama, Sadaam, Satan

 

If Hawk Harleson became GM and used his annoying catch phrases after any transaction (after releasing Rusch "He Gone", after signing a big Fa "Sign the dotted liiiiiiiiine... YES" etc etc and Cub fans would still love him as long as it worked.

[Dirt Dog Sparly]

 

Anyone who could turn around this mess of a franchise would be held sacred in hearts of Cubs fans. Anyone: Osama, Sadaam, Satan

 

If Hawk Harleson became GM and used his annoying catch phrases after any transaction (after releasing Rusch "He Gone", after signing a big Fa "Sign the dotted liiiiiiiiine... YES" etc etc and Cub fans would still love him as long as it worked.

 

That is quoted for the absolute, outstanding, do you see the light, truth.

[WrigleyField 22]

What exactly has Hendry done/not done that makes him so hated? Did he overwork his young arms? I am in the minority, but I still think he has been a good GM. This year was a gigantic snowball, but there wasn't much of a Free Agent crop out there last offseason. He has made some great pickups the past few years, and he is strapped with a bum manager.

 

I wonder how close he was to actually getting the Cubs Beltran and Furcal.

 

Done: Signed mediocre/bad players to multi year deals... counted on the health of Prior and Wood year after year...

 

Not Done: Traded players when their value was highest... target available players who address team needs like OBP.... fire Baker

 

Those are probably the main things, with there being many instances of each. Really his best deals were done when another team needed a salary dump... Aramis/Lofton, Lee, Grudz/Karros. Barrett was his best deal.

 

These reasons have all been discussed PLENTY of times in the past. Its been so beatin to death that some posters feel they will just call him fat nowadays, as if that explains anything.

[Soriano12]

I am in the minority, but I still think he has been a good GM. .

 

 

Please tell me your kidding right?

 

I really dont' feel like dropping my laundry list right now...there is

probably only so much space on the server.

[Abe Frohman]

I am in the minority, but I still think he has been a good GM. .

 

 

Please tell me your kidding right?

 

I really dont' feel like dropping my laundry list right now...there is

probably only so much space on the server.

 

I am kinda rethinking that when I consider signing Jones to a 3 year deal, and the unbelievable salaries he gave Rusch and Neifi. Maybe I am putting myself in the running for the "Nut Hair" award.

[Soriano12]

I am in the minority, but I still think he has been a good GM. .

 

 

Please tell me your kidding right?

 

I really dont' feel like dropping my laundry list right now...there is

probably only so much space on the server.

 

I am kinda rethinking that when I consider signing Jones to a 3 year deal, and the unbelievable salaries he gave Rusch and Neifi. Maybe I am putting myself in the running for the "Nut Hair" award.

 

 

Hendry does have some "wheeling n' dealing" skills. I will admit that.

 

I was most impressed with the Nomar deal where he got Nomar(and Murton to boot) for some no-names.

 

But he has been simply swining n' missing of late.

Not to mention sipping on the Wood/Prior kool-aid

the Rush, Neifi contracts. and so on.

 

He will have one offseason to fix this mess...let's see how he works under fire.

[neely crenshaw]

how close was he to signing furcal? about a "neifi" amount. plain and simple do not overpay for neifury..and you have the money to overpay for the guy you really wanted...

[Soriano12]

how close was he to signing furcal?

 

about 2-3, if I am not mistaken.

 

Then he dished out nearly 7 mil combined to neifi/rusch in 06.

 

He could have locked up Furcal. Kept CPatt(and Nolasco/Pinto to boot)

and we would be in alot better situation.

[CubColtPacer]

how close was he to signing furcal? about a "neifi" amount. plain and simple do not overpay for neifury..and you have the money to overpay for the guy you really wanted...

 

True, but Furcal would be absolutely hated if he were here as well. He's the same offensively as Murton this year making 13 million dollars, and his defense at shortstop is not exactly considered the greatest. Would he have been better than the current options signed for 2006 that made up that 13 million? Yeah-but at least we get to try again here in the offseason, while Furcal would have resigned us to having a player that was overpaid by at least 5-6 million dollars for 2 more years after this one.

[CoolHandLuke]

and he is strapped with a bum manager.

 

He is not "strapped" with a bum manager. He hired Baker and has the power to fire Baker. Not only that, but his philosophies are apparantly in line with Baker's. Hendry is no doubt part of the problem.

[BigbadB]

Furcal- .361 OBP/ 94 runs scored.

 

Pierre- .334 OBP/ 70 runs scored.

 

Now, take the 18 times that Pierre has been caught stealing off his OBP and what do you have. It's even worse. Furcal has been caught stealing 11 times.

 

Pierre, Rusch and Neifi's salary's combined equals Furcal. Furcal would have costed a draft pick. Pierre costed Nolasco, Pinto and Mitre.

 

The Cubs could have landed Furcal and signed Lofton on the cheap.

 

Who ran over Lee? People say there is no such thing as a curse, but how else do you explain the success of the Dodgers with guys like Mueller, Nomar, Furcal, Lofton and now Maddux, and the Cubs best player gets injured most of the year by one of those guys while the rest of the team spontaneously combusts.

 

I don't believe in curses. What I do believe is that Hendry and Baker have had way more than enough time to prove they don't belong here.

[Soriano12]

 

Pierre, Rusch and Neifi's salary's combined equals Furcal. Furcal would have costed a draft pick. Pierre costed Nolasco, Pinto and Mitre.

 

exactly. Yeah you would have had to overpay for Furcal, but you would have made the money back out of the contributions from Nolasco and maybe Pinto.

 

Oh well...looks like the Marlins screwed the BoSox even worse.

[BigbadB]

I said that and I really wasn't all that excited about Furcal. I wanted Nomar back.

 

Furcal wouldn't have needed to be brought up in what if discussions if Hendry went after the players he very easily could have lured here. Guys like Vlady, Beltran, Tejada, etc...

 

Overpay for a good player= worth it if a good player puts your team over the top.

 

Overpay for a mediocre player= lack of funding to sign a good player and he isn't good enough to put your team over the top.

[Soriano12]

Not signing Beltran was a massive failure by the organization.

 

Granted they were eating the Sosa contract but they were also loosing a ton of power in the OF(Sosa & Alou).

 

I dont understand why Hendry, MacPhail, Tribune board of directors couldn't have found a way to either absorb extra money for Beltran, or maybe struture the deal to the big $$$ kicked in after Sosa's contract was completly gone.

[Abe Frohman]

It all went to hell when Stoney left.

[SouthSideRyan]

I'm pretty sick of reading about Hendry being a fool for counting on Prior to be healthy. Prior had a run of fluke injuries before this season, and very little else.