2007 Cubs Convention Thread

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Hey guys...just checking in. I took quite a few notes from the Meet the Management session. I probably won't have time to post those until Monday afternoon sometime...maybe tomorrow night if I'm not too tired from the flight.

 

I also went to part of the sports medicine session, the Vine Line session with Jenkins, Trout and Zambrano and the session with Hendry and McDonough.

 

I'll try to post some stuff later. I'm exhausted.

 

Did you check out the Down on the Farm segment?

 

Down on the Farm is tomorrow morning. I may or may not be able to make that one due to having to get to the airport. I'm definitely going to try to attend.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Hey guys...just checking in. I took quite a few notes from the Meet the Management session. I probably won't have time to post those until Monday afternoon sometime...maybe tomorrow night if I'm not too tired from the flight.

 

I also went to part of the sports medicine session, the Vine Line session with Jenkins, Trout and Zambrano and the session with Hendry and McDonough.

 

I'll try to post some stuff later. I'm exhausted.

 

Did you check out the Down on the Farm segment?

 

Down on the Farm is tomorrow morning. I may or may not be able to make that one due to having to get to the airport. I'm definitely going to try to attend.

 

Here's hoping you make it!

[Fred Hornkohl]

Hey guys...just checking in. I took quite a few notes from the Meet the Management session. I probably won't have time to post those until Monday afternoon sometime...maybe tomorrow night if I'm not too tired from the flight.

 

I also went to part of the sports medicine session, the Vine Line session with Jenkins, Trout and Zambrano and the session with Hendry and McDonough.

 

I'll try to post some stuff later. I'm exhausted.

 

Did you check out the Down on the Farm segment?

 

Down on the Farm is tomorrow morning. I may or may not be able to make that one due to having to get to the airport. I'm definitely going to try to attend.

 

Here's hoping you make it!

 

I'm pretty sure it's early enough that Vance and I will both make it.

[A New Era]

down on the farm segment? Someone please clarify.

[Butterscup1679666578]

down on the farm segment? Someone please clarify.

 

my drunkeness assumes it has to do with the farm system.

[XZero771679666304]

down on the farm segment? Someone please clarify.

 

my drunkeness assumes it has to do with the farm system.

 

Are you drunk every night, or just the weekends? :P

[C.C.]

down on the farm segment? Someone please clarify.

 

my drunkeness assumes it has to do with the farm system.

 

Are you drunk every night, or just the weekends? :P

 

For me...During the season every damn day, in the offseason weekends...

[C.C.]

One of the best segments for me was the “The Boy of Zimmer 1989”. On the panel was Les Lanscaster, Ryne Sandberg, Doug Dascenzo, Dwight Smith, Jerome Walton, Mike Bielecki and of course Mark Grace. All of them really, really respected Zimmer. And I didn’t realize how much of a hardass Zimmer was?!? Smith explained that one time he didn’t see his name in the lineup card and he asked Zimmer How come he wasn’t in the lineup? Zimmer snapped back “Because I’m the manager!” The same situation happened to Grace when he wasn’t in the lineup and he asked Zim why he wasn’t in the lineup, and Zimmer snapped back “Because I want to win today!”

 

Another great story was when they had men on second and third and Smith was up. He mentioned he was hitting .320 on the team and Zimmer wanted me to bunt. He went on to say I wanted to hit, not bunt the ball. So the play went on and he couldn’t get the bunt down and after the game Zimmer called Dwight into his office and told him. “If I say to you bunt, you bunt! And Smith said “I tried coach, I TRIED!” Then Zimmer picked up the phone and said “I’ll ship you back to Iowa, THEY TRY IN IOWA!” Dwight Smith said after that everything was “Yes, Mr. Zimmer!”

 

Sandberg said you had no doubt that Zimmer was the manager because he would say it all the time. He demanded you play the game right.

 

More Tidbits:

 

Smith said that Grace would always say to other players “If you can’t hit .300, don’t talk to me”.

 

They all talked about Dunston being a class teammate and human-being, and one of the more giving players they played with.

 

They all said that the playoffs were still a painful memory, because they still think they were the better team.

 

They all went on to say it was a true team. There were no egos and all the young players including Grace said they learned the game from Sandberg and Dawson.

[Butterscup1679666578]

down on the farm segment? Someone please clarify.

 

my drunkeness assumes it has to do with the farm system.

 

Are you drunk every night, or just the weekends? :P

 

haha just friday and saturday nights, and usually i only drink on one of those nights, but i decided that since this was my first weekend back at school i could drink both nights. :D

[Twiggy]

Can't wait to see what they have to say Vance. I'm going to make it a priority to attend next years convention.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

down on the farm segment? Someone please clarify.

 

my drunkeness assumes it has to do with the farm system.

 

Exactly.

[Garwilly]

My wife is on Murton's lap, on the Cubs.com frontpage. How does this happen?

[Mephistopheles]

How sweet.

 

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/images/2007/01/21/EfLagl2A.jpg

[ZMovieman]

Ugh. I just discovered I could have gone to the convention yesterday, but my mother didn't call me because she thought I had rehearsal yesterday. Stupid theatre...

[Garwilly]

How sweet.

 

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/images/2007/01/21/EfLagl2A.jpg

 

Thanks for the help KC

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

How sweet.

 

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/images/2007/01/21/EfLagl2A.jpg

 

Thanks for the help KC

 

Gary,

 

She looks like she's really enjoying that pic! And tell your brother, thanks for the help in getting my Marshall jersey signed!

[Mephistopheles]

Matt Murton seems to be enjoying it as well. Marshall is just like whatever.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Ok, I'm going to do a better write up on this tomorrow...and there's a lot I heard but didn't take notes. And even when I did take notes, it was sporadic at best as all I had was the hotel note pad.

 

Anyway, I went to the following sessions: Meet Cubs Management (Hendry, Bush, Piniella), Evolution of Sports Medicine (Dr. Adams along with Davis, Barrett, Pafko, and Hundley), Vine Line Live (Zambrano, Cardwell, Jenkins, and Trout) A New Beginning (Hendry, and John McDonough) It's a No Hitter (Cardwell, Pappas, and Hooten with Hundley) and Down on the Farm. I also heard about 15 mins of Meet Cubs Business Management.

 

A few highights, and I'm sure some of this has been covered in other threads as it was reported by the media.

 

Apparently, many of the Cubs are in better shape. Dempster has according to Hendry lost 30 lbs. Wood has lost weight and Eyre has dropped 15 lbs. We'll see if this team is better conditioned this year.

 

Hendry mentioned OBP a number of times even pimping the A's in his discussion of hiring Perry. Unfortunately, he also made a few "head scratchers" as well.

 

When asked about the contracts that escalated so much in 2009, Hendry insisted that we were not mortgaging the future for a "win now" idea and that he felt that the contracts escalating like that was just the way teams usually structure those. He didn't seem concerned at all.

 

When questioned about corporate groups using the field before games, Hendry insisted the field would be available anytime Lou or the coaches wanted to get work in.

 

As has been stated numerous times, Hendry made it clear the Cubs had targeted Soriano from the get-go. Lou called Soriano the best lead-off hitter in baseball, and Bush compared him to Ricky Henderson.

 

Hendry stated no one sets out to ignore OBP. He said, "There are still great players that are not big on-base guys."

 

Many times Hendry paid complimentary comments to Murton.

 

Lou said we couldn't blame Rothschild for the injuries. Said you can blame the manager if he sends the pitcher out for 140, 100 pitches every time out.

 

Hendry downplayed the idea of a Jones trade.

 

Hendry on Pie, "Those kind of players let you know when they're ready."

 

Lou said Pie will get lots of ABs in the spring.

 

Hendry's fun stat of the weekend: "Marquis has more wins that Zito over the last three years."

 

Several times Hendry said Pie's path would not be blocked.

 

When asked about all the "what ifs" this team has, Hendry commented he didn't see them as "what ifs" but that he saw the team having "tremendous depth."

 

Hendry believes we have the best bullpen in the National League.

 

Piniella said a good offensive team needs to have a "340 OBP or above."

 

While season ticket prices are frozen, the cost of single game tickets will rise by $5 per ticket.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Matt Murton seems to be enjoying it as well. Marshall is just like whatever.

 

Murton's thinking "I have cute chick in my lap"...Marshall is thinking "I 'm about to be kicked in the crotch."

[Mephistopheles]

Nah Sean's thinking "Why don't I have thick red hair. This is proof girls love it"

[nilodnayr]

Matt Murton seems to be enjoying it as well. Marshall is just like whatever.

 

Marshall is almost giving her a foot massage. You dont give another man's girl a foot massage and you don't put her in your five.

[nilodnayr]

While season ticket prices are frozen, the cost of single game tickets will rise by $5 per ticket.

 

Wow...that should rank us as one of the highest increases in ticket prices.

[nilodnayr]

Thanks for the review Vance.

 

Looks like we aren't going to hire Tangotiger as an assistant or anything, but at least we are taking some baby steps.

[J.R.]

While season ticket prices are frozen, the cost of single game tickets will rise by $5 per ticket.

 

Wow...that should rank us as one of the highest increases in ticket prices.

 

AFAIK, it's +$5 on the premium seating, +$2 on everything else.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

While season ticket prices are frozen, the cost of single game tickets will rise by $5 per ticket.

 

Wow...that should rank us as one of the highest increases in ticket prices.

 

AFAIK, it's +$5 on the premium seating, +$2 on everything else.

 

J.R. that could be right. I entered as he was giving that answer and my notes are a little shaky there. I am certain you are right on the premium charge. It could be only a $2 increase on the other.