New GM in 2008

[YearofDaCubs]

Interim president or not, Hendry should have been out of here. The president resigns, the manager is let go and clearly the GM was lacking. He should have been gone.

[Coach C]

That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. The writers of that idea need to be fired immediately

While we're in agreement that it is a silly idea, it is the Cubs we're talking about here, and the odds of the Cubs pulling this stunt off is pretty high.

[Bull]

get a huge bag of money and throw it at billy beane

no way. Beane's greatest attribute is that he's cheap; he's good value. You pay him big bucks and he loses his appeal.

[Proven Veteran]

Beane is also part owner of the A's and will probably make a ton of money after they move to Fremont.

[Rebel_Cubbie]

I'd love to have Beane here, but didn't he turn down a truck load of cash from the Red Sox a couple of years ago? Why would he want to come here now?

 

My read on Beane is that he prefers the small mkt challenge, and appreciates that it comes with less pressure. Think about it - if the team ever flounders his job isn't as likely to be on the line, nor his head on the block (like Hendry's is).

 

What bigger challenge is there than getting the Cubs to the WS?

[Bull]

get a huge bag of money and throw it at billy beane

no way. Beane's greatest attribute is that he's cheap; he's good value. You pay him big bucks and he loses his appeal.

 

Don't tell me nobody got this...

 

 

 

Maybe it just wasn't funny.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

get a huge bag of money and throw it at billy beane

no way. Beane's greatest attribute is that he's cheap; he's good value. You pay him big bucks and he loses his appeal.

 

Don't tell me nobody got this...

 

 

 

Maybe it just wasn't funny.

 

LOL its a MONEYBALL joke!!!121

[10man]

get a huge bag of money and throw it at billy beane

 

I guarantee that Beane would get us to the WS in less than 3 years.

 

Because Oakland has got there so often, right?

 

He'd be an upgrade, but he's not a complete savior either. Getting to the WS is a combination of design, talent, and lots of luck. I don't thnk you can realistically guarantee anybody could do it in 3 years.

 

Actually, Oakland has performed pretty well with spare parts. Unleash the Cubs budget on Billy Beane and there's a pretty strong chance he could build a perennial contender.

 

I agree, I think he would do better. But is he considered a failure if he doesn't get the Cubs to WS within 3 years? That is the point I was trying to make.

 

I see. In my opinion, 5 years would probably more realistic, with the three-year mark being a great point to take stock of the changes so far. I don't doubt that he could get us to the WS in three years, but as has been said before, it requires a lot of things to come together, some of which are out of Beane's control. If he could get the team to the playoffs in successive years, that would be a wonderful start.

 

Crap, I don't even know why I'm allowing myself to entertain this idea. It'll never happen.

Didn't Beane already turn down a huge bag of money from Boston? What makes you think he'll want a huge bag of money from a team that doesn't even know who it's owner is gonna be?

[Bruno7481]

Thoughts on Brian Cashman?

[jersey cubs fan]

Thoughts on Brian Cashman?

 

Not interested.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Thoughts on Brian Cashman?

 

ugh, no thanks

[Bruno7481]

Thoughts on Brian Cashman?

 

ugh, no thanks

 

Yeah, I', in the same boat. I bet this is his final year with the Yankees though, and if the Cubs are looking for a GM you know his name will be linked.

[YearofDaCubs]

Thoughts on Brian Cashman?

 

ugh, no thanks

 

Yeah, I', in the same boat. I bet this is his final year with the Yankees though, and if the Cubs are looking for a GM you know his name will be linked.

Cashman? HAHAH no way! The guy is terrible! Look at the contracts and trades he has done in the past, say hell no to Cashman.

[Guest]

Thoughts on Brian Cashman?

 

ugh, no thanks

 

Yeah, I', in the same boat. I bet this is his final year with the Yankees though, and if the Cubs are looking for a GM you know his name will be linked.

Cashman? HAHAH no way! The guy is terrible! Look at the contracts and trades he has done in the past, say hell no to Cashman.

 

Cashman is similar to Hendry with even more money to spend.

[jersey cubs fan]

A Yankees fan just told me that Gammons reported Pinielle has an out in his contract that can be exercised if the Cubs are sold, and that Hendry has told his inner circle he should have hired Girardi.

 

I don't know anything about the validity of the report, but it's kind of interesting in that the whole "inner circle" thing is really a George/Yankees idea. You never hear about the Cubs people and their inner circle.

 

A tiff would make sense, but it would be funny if Hendry was somehow blaming Piniella for the issues.

[frostwyrm]

A Yankees fan just told me that Gammons reported Pinielle has an out in his contract that can be exercised if the Cubs are sold, and that Hendry has told his inner circle he should have hired Girardi.

 

I don't know anything about the validity of the report, but it's kind of interesting in that the whole "inner circle" thing is really a George/Yankees idea. You never hear about the Cubs people and their inner circle.

 

A tiff would make sense, but it would be funny if Hendry was somehow blaming Piniella for the issues.

 

Maybe it's true. Bruce at the Herald apparently heard something to the effect that Lou is not happy with Hendry's performance. Could be mutual. I don't suppose Bruce will reveal his source on this.

 

There have been rumblings that Piniella is growing impatient with the roster given to him by Hendry, but he insisted he and higher-ups are on the same page. Hendry refused to say whether he was considering roster changes.

 

“Everybody’s on the same page here,” Piniella said. “Everybody wants to win.”

 

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/cubs.asp

[rawaction]

On the Cashman thing, I think for several reasons GMs don't go from the Yanks to other teams. First, if you can't win in NY with that payroll, you can't win anywhere. Second, it's the top of the ladder job in the MLB, anything else would be a downgrade. Thirdly, he's not a good GM.

[rawaction]

A Yankees fan just told me that Gammons reported Pinielle has an out in his contract that can be exercised if the Cubs are sold, and that Hendry has told his inner circle he should have hired Girardi.

 

I don't know anything about the validity of the report, but it's kind of interesting in that the whole "inner circle" thing is really a George/Yankees idea. You never hear about the Cubs people and their inner circle.

 

A tiff would make sense, but it would be funny if Hendry was somehow blaming Piniella for the issues.

 

Maybe it's true. Bruce at the Herald apparently heard something to the effect that Lou is not happy with Hendry's performance. Could be mutual. I don't suppose Bruce will reveal his source on this.

 

There have been rumblings that Piniella is growing impatient with the roster given to him by Hendry, but he insisted he and higher-ups are on the same page. Hendry refused to say whether he was considering roster changes.

 

“Everybody’s on the same page here,” Piniella said. “Everybody wants to win.”

 

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/cubs.asp

 

This could be fun. On one hand, if the roster isn't good enough to the manager, then the GM has to look himself in the mirror. On antoher hand, if the manager is saying his roster is not good enough to win, then he's basically sold out his players. I don't think either guy wants to embarrass the other. Lou can't quit because it makes him look...well, like a quitter. Hendry can't fire him, because it makes his hiring decision look horrible.

 

As I see it, best case scenario is both get fired ASAP. Worst case is they finish out the year together and make up, and go into next year with Lou taking more of a part in the personnel decisions (see Parcells, buying the groceries speech). In between there are a ton of scenarios.

[CubinNY]

JP Richardi, Paul Depodesta

 

Please no re-treads. By that I mean A Baseball Man who knows The Game.

[jersey cubs fan]

Lou can't quit because it makes him look...well, like a quitter. Hendry can't fire him, because it makes his hiring decision look horrible.

 

As I see it, best case scenario is both get fired ASAP. Worst case is they finish out the year together and make up, and go into next year with Lou taking more of a part in the personnel decisions (see Parcells, buying the groceries speech). In between there are a ton of scenarios.

 

What about the scenario that Lou opts out at the end of the year to take the Yankees job, while Hendry is replaced, allowing a new owner to hire a new GM who can then hire his own manager? I think that might be the most likely good case.

 

Of course, best case is Hendry fixes this mess and they go on to enjoy a great season together, but how likely is that? I think that's the only way both return next year anyway.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

who wouldn't grow impatient with a Hendry roster?

[rawaction]

Lou can't quit because it makes him look...well, like a quitter. Hendry can't fire him, because it makes his hiring decision look horrible.

 

As I see it, best case scenario is both get fired ASAP. Worst case is they finish out the year together and make up, and go into next year with Lou taking more of a part in the personnel decisions (see Parcells, buying the groceries speech). In between there are a ton of scenarios.

 

What about the scenario that Lou opts out at the end of the year to take the Yankees job, while Hendry is replaced, allowing a new owner to hire a new GM who can then hire his own manager? I think that might be the most likely good case.

 

Of course, best case is Hendry fixes this mess and they go on to enjoy a great season together, but how likely is that? I think that's the only way both return next year anyway.

 

I don't know. I see the Yanks being more interested in Girardi. But I would enjoy this scenario.

[OBPMatters]

Lou can't quit because it makes him look...well, like a quitter. Hendry can't fire him, because it makes his hiring decision look horrible.

 

As I see it, best case scenario is both get fired ASAP. Worst case is they finish out the year together and make up, and go into next year with Lou taking more of a part in the personnel decisions (see Parcells, buying the groceries speech). In between there are a ton of scenarios.

 

What about the scenario that Lou opts out at the end of the year to take the Yankees job, while Hendry is replaced, allowing a new owner to hire a new GM who can then hire his own manager? I think that might be the most likely good case.

 

Of course, best case is Hendry fixes this mess and they go on to enjoy a great season together, but how likely is that? I think that's the only way both return next year anyway.

 

I don't know. I see the Yanks being more interested in Girardi. But I would enjoy this scenario.

 

I thought Steinbrenner and the Tampa crew weren't too high on Girardi. And I also thought Mattingly is being groomed for the job?

[Lockes Eye Scar]

yeah, I thought it was a given Donny Baseball would be the next manager of the Yanks. Uncle George is in love with him.

[3Dog]

DePodesta left LA on bad terms, vilified by the press and hated by the fans. One of the heavyweights in the LA media at the time (literally, I might add) labeled him "Stupidesta". But here's a different spin on why DePo struggled and why he was canned (from Wiki):

 

After the hugely successful season in 2004, the 2005 season resulted in the team's worst record since 1992 and second worst since moving to Los Angeles in 1958, mostly attributable to bad luck and injuries.

 

On October 29, 2005, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt fired DePodesta, citing his desire to see the club win and that DePodesta had not met those expectations. Reports surfaced that the real reason McCourt had fired DePodesta was his inability to find satisfactory managerial candidates to replace Jim Tracy. He was later replaced by Ned Colletti. Some have speculated that McCourt fired DePodesta in response to media criticism from T.J. Simers and Bill Plaschke, who were vehemently "anti-Moneyball" and referred to DePodesta as "Google Boy." Plaschke was always DePodesta's biggest critic, despite the Dodgers' resurgence.