October 2006: Q & A with Bruce Miles

[NCCubFan]

http://www.dailyherald.com/images/mugs/miles.jpg

 

Bruce Miles, Cubs' beat writer for the Daily Herald and regular NSBB contributor, has graciously agreed to answer questions from posters on NSBB! If you would like to send a comment to Bruce, or if you would like to ask Bruce a question, feel free to post it here. The deadline for submitting questions is Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 12:00 noon Central time. Once Bruce has had an opportunity to answer them, the responses will be posted.

 

This session will be coordinated as in accordance with The NSBB Q & A Guidelines.

 

Thank you to Bruce for again taking the time to interact with us on such an up close and personal level, as well as his contributions on an ongoing basis.

 

As always, thank you to all of you for making NSBB such a wonderful community! :cheers:

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Bruce,

 

Thanks again for taking the time. A few questions if you don't mind.

 

Other than the big three of Piniella, Girardi, and Brenly, who else do you anticipate getting interviewed or will the scope of the search be limited to those three?

 

Does Jim know Larry Dierker exists?

 

Who do you anticipate being the Cubs primary free agent target?

 

Is there any interest in the front office in trading for Andruw Jones? Would the Braves be inclinded to trade him and at what price?

[CubinNY]

Bruce,

 

It seems to me that the entire Cubs organization is in a state of flux. Do you think McDonough is a "care taker" President? What effect if any, do think this will have on the short and long term status of the Cubs?

 

It seems to me like the Cubs are adrift with no real direction.

 

Thanks for contributing to our community.

 

CubinNY

[NCCubFan]

Do you think the Tribune will sell the Cubs? If so, do you have a feel for who might be a potential buyer? And finally, if the Cubs are for sale, do you think this will limit their ability to spend money during the offseason?

 

Thanks again for your valuable contributions to NSBB.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Thanks for taking your time to answer our questions (and post on the board and have impromptu chats too!).

 

Are there any players Hendry is likely to hone in on this offseason, be it via trade or free agency?

 

With the way Alex Rodriguez has fallen out of favor in New York, is he on Jim Hendry's radar?

[TXCubsFan]

Bruce,

 

Thanks for taking time to answer our questions at NSBB.

 

What has been your impression of the development of Ronny Cedeno and Angel Guzman in 2006? They seem to have played below their natural talent. I get the sense, however, that young Venezulean players can be very emotional, which might have impacted their performance.

 

Do you think Carlos Zambrano can help one or both mature / blossom into major league starters in 2007?

[Larry Horse]

Bruce,

 

Who would you like to see the Cubs hire as manager?

[Mizzou]

Bruce,

 

You're awesome.

 

Is Hendry finally starting to see the light as far as OBP goes?

 

Joe Girardi... are you in favor or against him being the next Cubs manager?

 

What's your favorite kind of beer? Rolling Rock?

[sethuel1]

Bruce,

 

Please tell me your favorite beer is not Rolling Rock.

 

Do you think Pie is ready? What solution would you like to see for CF for the next several years? What solution do you see the Cubs doing?

 

Also, should (and will) the Cubs re-sign Kerry Wood?

 

Thanks.

 

Seth

[Andy]

Bruce,

 

Have you ever written a terribly scathing article about the Cubs and pulled it back because you determined it too critical?

 

If Joe Torre really is getting fired, do you think Hendry might take a look at him?

 

Are most sportswriters really as dumb as they sound writing?

 

Thanks again.

[Yeti]

Bruce,

first off i'd like to thank you for the time you spend on the forums, your insight and comments make this place a much more informitive and enjoyable board.

 

my question(although we may have an answer by the time you get a chance to answer these questions) is, what do you think the chances of Bruce Bochy being hired as the next manager of the Cubs are? also, do you think that waiting for Bochy is the reason that JH is moving slowly on hiring a manager?

[USSoccer]

Bruce,

 

Thank you for being a part of our online community!

 

What insights can you give us on the Ramirez contract situation? Has Hendry or anyone in the organization indicating anything other than a commitment to making sure he's a Cub in 2007?

[jacey]

Any chance the Cubs go after ARod? He is still young and looks like he'll continue to produce pretty darn good numbers. Do we have any talent outside of Pie that the Yanks would take in return?

[sandberg23]

Bruce - Thanks for taking time for this!

 

How difficult is it to watch this team and then write about them when they are so terrible?

 

What moves do you foresee for the Cubs this winter?

 

Thanks again for all your contributions.

[goonys evil twin]

A hallmark of the Andy MacPhail era, at least the past several years, has been to spread around the money as much as possible, getting a bunch of $1-5 million players who are mediocre, but might provide a little stability. Do the Cubs appear to be willing to continue this low risk low reward spread it around philosophy. Or are they willing to take some risks by acquiring actual impact players? Would they be willing to spend $10m on a stud and make up with spending $350,000 for a couple kids to fill roles on the bench, instead of $2-3m veterans who provide nothing more than a typical AAAA player?

 

Similarly, are the Cubs aware of the fact that statistically, the peak years for players is in the 26-28 year old range? Usually a guy will have a return to that peak level once or twice in the 29-33 year range, but typically speaking position players decline starting at 30.

[TheDude]

Bruce, do you believe (or better yet have knowledge) that the Cubs are interested in joining the bid on the posting process for Japanese pitcher Matsuzaka?

 

Are the Cubs going to seriously entertain a bidding war with the Yankees for major pitching talent, like Schmidt or Zito?

 

Thanks.

[Mark Priors Calves]

Looking back on the 2006 season, how would you rate the clubhouse chemistry of the team? Do you think it played a role on the outcome of the season?

 

Are you of the stance winning breeds good chemistry or good chemisty breeds winning?

 

Thanks.

[JGalt73]

Bruce,

 

Great work.

 

I'm curious as to your take on the influence of Baker (or any Cubs skipper) on the personnel decisions of Jim Hendry. Is there a bigger influence with in season call-ups than there is during offseason acquisitions? Do you have a thought on the percentage of the personnel decision that the manger infuses into the proceedings?

 

Thanks!

[Roast]

Bruce!

 

Thanks for taking time to answer our questions; I have a couple, if you dont mind.

 

I am planning to pursue Sports Writing as a career after I graduate High School this year and I have a couple of questions about that..

 

What kind of degree is the 'norm' when it comes to a position like yours?

 

What kind of college is normally required? 2 year, 4 year, More?

 

What would you say is the average salary (Not your salary, I'm sure you're paid millions for your brilliant work :P) for a position like yours?

 

Also, a personal request, if you get a chance anytime in the near future; please take a peek at the PM I sent you a few weeks ago. If you dont have time, however, I fully understand.

 

Thanks for your time!

[Backtobanks]

Do you have any inside information on the behind the scenes issues that Phil Nevin hinted at?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Bruce, I've read your intereview at BCB in which you mentioned the Cubs were beginning to pay more attention to sabermetrics and couldn't ignore this year's horrendous stats (runs scored, OBP, SLG). You felt it would be a gradual process to blend the statistical side with the Cubs' scouting. Could you expand on that process and how you think the Cubs plan on becoming more sabermetrically-inclined?

[RichHillIsABeast]

Sr. Miles,

 

Are you a Bears fan?

 

What's your favorite ballpark snack?

 

Any word on whether or not Jones will have surgery to fix his shoulder?

 

What do the Cubs think about Barrett's defense?

 

Thanks! :D

[CuseCubFan69]

Has Hendry learned anything about his past mistakes and can succeed in building a winner in Chicago or is he going to continue along the same path he has? I'm just worried that bad luck, injuries and clutch hitting are his reasons why the Cubs lost and not the fact that he hasn't built a very good team or picked a decent manager.