If our rotation keeps up...

[Jon]

The Cubs, like most of baseball, believe in traditional "positions," such as leadoff hitter and closer, instead of viewing players as what they are, which is either a hitter/fielder or pitcher. Their desire to groom a closer was the reason why Marmol went to the 'pen. They have long believed that he could be their closer of the future.

 

Of course, these beliefs are also partly responsible for why we absolutely must have a LOOGY in our bullpen, why we can't have three left-handed starters in the rotation, and why Hendry has been obsessed with finding a left-handed hitter. Rather than determining personnel moves based on what players actually produce or have the ability of producing, he's been looking at players who can fill those roles.

 

To be fair, the GMs in baseball that don't adhere to these beliefs are rare, and even those that practice the exception do so for only a select belief, rather than across the board (such as Towers and his bullpen; Towers is still keen on the other traditional views).

 

It seems a bit rough to paint Hendry as a villain in this respect, given the vast majority of his peers are right there with him.

Sure, and I did say "like most of baseball," but I don't think the criticism is any less warranted. Peer influence, especially in regards to how certain traits are valued, is a strong force in MLB, but for someone whose job it is to make these kinds of decisions, they have to be constantly re-evaluating their direction to make sure it's the right one. Hendry may very well do that, but he certainly hasn't hit one that I agree with.

[Guest]

This is why Mark Cuban is needed so badly in baseball.

[ctcf]

This is why Mark Cuban is needed so badly in baseball.

 

Speaking of which, whats the latest on the sale of the Cubs?

[Clem Fandango]

This is why Mark Cuban is needed so badly in baseball.

 

Speaking of which, whats the latest on the sale of the Cubs?

 

Sam Zell sold me 6 square feet of advertising space on the center field scoreboard for $73 and a corn dog. I'm putting one of these over the clock: :roll: