Hendry on 670/Mac and Spiegs

[Bruno7481]

i don't know about everybody else, but i sure as hell thought fonenot would struggle this year.

 

You thought he would hit .226/.299/.382 in a platoon situation?

 

i didn't think he would suck that bad, but i definitely thought there was a high probability of him sucking pretty bad.

 

Must have been a lucky guess.

[sneakypower]

what did Pecota have us winning the division by, six games?

[Guest]

you see, i'm not just making stuff up...

 

Expected 2009 Fontenot/Miles = Expected 2009 DeRosa

 

Expected 2009 Gregg > Expected 2009 Ascanio/Guzman/Stevens/Olson/whoever would've gotten that extra spot

 

 

well, i guess i just disagree with this. and i'm not a huge derosa fan by any means. hope i'm wrong.

 

Oh I know you've said that for a while, I'm just saying that going in to the season you were pretty alone in that sentiment, as there was both popular opinions and projections that said otherwise.

hahahahahaha!

No he wasn't. I'm not going to drag up old threads though

[Derwood]

what did Pecota have us winning the division by, six games?

 

I imagine Pecota was way, way off on some of it's Cardinal projections

[TruffleShuffle]

pecota needs a dave duncan adjustment.

[WilcoFan]

pecota needs a dave duncan adjustment.

 

They can create a more general Cardinals stat for PECOTA that takes into account both Duncan and LaRussa. They could call it the Statistical Transfer of Effort Reflected On Individual Deftness and Strength.

[BeerHere]

The thing that really scares me the most about Hendry, is that it seems like it's more important to him for him to be "right" than for the team to be good. If Bradley had a great year and the team still tanked, it really seems like Hendry would be OK with it. He had a choice to make - Bradley, Abreu, Dunn and he chose Bradley. As long as he feels like he made the right decision, he's fine and he will defend that position aggressively, no matter what happens because it's important for him to be "right".

 

As far as the WSCR interview is concerned, McNeil is a sox homer and hates everything that has to do with the Cubs. He is a good interviewer though because he isn't afraid to ask tough questions and that is somewhat rare in Chicago sports talk radio. Everyone knows this and if Hendry was surprised by the tone of the interview then shame on him. A tough interviewer on a sox radio station, yet Hendry agreed to take the call. It's his bad if he expected anything different.

[kujay]

what did Pecota have us winning the division by, six games?

 

That's sort of the point Hendry tried to make. In a backhanded way, his answer to the whole interview was, "these guys all played like [expletive] and there's no reason they should have."

 

He asked Mac where he picked the Cubs to finish before the season. He said first, of course, and Hendry said everyone loved the team in the winter. So, basically, don't blame him.

 

Problem is, and Mac pointed this out, a lot of us did have concerns about this team. The Bradley signing (which a lot of folks here and elsewhere loved), Gregg, etc.

[SouthSideRyan]

The thing that really scares me the most about Hendry, is that it seems like it's more important to him for him to be "right" than for the team to be good. If Bradley had a great year and the team still tanked, it really seems like Hendry would be OK with it. He had a choice to make - Bradley, Abreu, Dunn and he chose Bradley. As long as he feels like he made the right decision, he's fine and he will defend that position aggressively, no matter what happens because it's important for him to be "right".

 

He very well may have made the right decision.

[illiniguy]

The thing that really scares me the most about Hendry, is that it seems like it's more important to him for him to be "right" than for the team to be good. If Bradley had a great year and the team still tanked, it really seems like Hendry would be OK with it. He had a choice to make - Bradley, Abreu, Dunn and he chose Bradley. As long as he feels like he made the right decision, he's fine and he will defend that position aggressively, no matter what happens because it's important for him to be "right".

 

He very well may have made the right decision.

I would have still liked Dunn just because of age. But, Bradley was a good sign.

[BeerHere]

The thing that really scares me the most about Hendry, is that it seems like it's more important to him for him to be "right" than for the team to be good. If Bradley had a great year and the team still tanked, it really seems like Hendry would be OK with it. He had a choice to make - Bradley, Abreu, Dunn and he chose Bradley. As long as he feels like he made the right decision, he's fine and he will defend that position aggressively, no matter what happens because it's important for him to be "right".

 

He very well may have made the right decision.

Possibly, but I could have used Miles or Gregg in the argument as well. I'm not trying to rip Bradley here, but point is that it really seems like Hendry is putting his decisions ahead of the team success in terms of importance to him.

[biittner77]

The thing that really scares me the most about Hendry, is that it seems like it's more important to him for him to be "right" than for the team to be good. If Bradley had a great year and the team still tanked, it really seems like Hendry would be OK with it. He had a choice to make - Bradley, Abreu, Dunn and he chose Bradley. As long as he feels like he made the right decision, he's fine and he will defend that position aggressively, no matter what happens because it's important for him to be "right".

 

He very well may have made the right decision.

 

My biggest problem with the Bradley signing is that Pniella wanted a LH hitter that could bat between Lee and Ramirez. Bradley seemed like an odd fit there. I realize that a lot of people don't believe that batting order matter much but Bradley always struck me as a guy that was more suited to batting near the top of the order rather than the middle. It's possible that his struggles early in the season were partly a result of being too pull conscious because a clean up hitter is supposed to hit for more power.

[SouthSideRyan]

The thing that really scares me the most about Hendry, is that it seems like it's more important to him for him to be "right" than for the team to be good. If Bradley had a great year and the team still tanked, it really seems like Hendry would be OK with it. He had a choice to make - Bradley, Abreu, Dunn and he chose Bradley. As long as he feels like he made the right decision, he's fine and he will defend that position aggressively, no matter what happens because it's important for him to be "right".

 

He very well may have made the right decision.

Possibly, but I could have used Miles or Gregg in the argument as well. I'm not trying to rip Bradley here, but point is that it really seems like Hendry is putting his decisions ahead of the team success in terms of importance to him.

 

Understood, I just thought it was interesting to see how the other guys have fallen off while Bradley's #s went up(Not Dunn, but he is a 1B which kinda takes him out of the conversation)

 

Look below for Raul Ibanez!

[Backtobanks]

what did Pecota have us winning the division by, six games?

 

That's sort of the point Hendry tried to make. In a backhanded way, his answer to the whole interview was, "these guys all played like [expletive] and there's no reason they should have."

 

He asked Mac where he picked the Cubs to finish before the season. He said first, of course, and Hendry said everyone loved the team in the winter. So, basically, don't blame him.

 

Problem is, and Mac pointed this out, a lot of us did have concerns about this team. The Bradley signing (which a lot of folks here and elsewhere loved), Gregg, etc.

 

Part of what you hinted at is true: Hendry built a team that was the overwhelming choice to win the NL Central and possibly the NL championship. He can't be absolved of all blame, but nobody expected the injuries that crippled this team all year and the pitiful production generated by Soto, Fontenot, Bradley, and Soriano. Was there any reason to think that these 4 players wouldn't have at least 30 more HRs and 80 more RBIs? If those 4 players produced at 85% of what their career numbers show, the Cubs would be up there with the Cards. To put it another way, I would say that only DLee, Fukudome, Theriot, Fox, Wells, Guzman, and Lilly had decent (or better than expected) years. That means 72% of the roster had below-average years.

[jersey cubs fan]

Part of what you hinted at is true: Hendry built a team that was the overwhelming choice to win the NL Central and possibly the NL championship. He can't be absolved of all blame, but nobody expected the injuries that crippled this team all year and the pitiful production generated by Soto, Fontenot, Bradley, and Soriano.

 

Are you paying attention at all? How has Bradley had pitiful production?

 

When you build a team of 30-something players with injury histories, you have to expect injuries will be a problem.

[Soul]

I listened to that interview. I didn't see how Hendry was being a jerk, or being too "tense" or whatever Mac was trying to say.

 

Sure, they were pointed questions, and Hendry responded with some annoyance. But it wasn't really all that noteworthy, IMO.

 

I'm much more confused and upset about Lou's comment, where he emphasized that the expectations for the Cubs were all coming from the fans this year. Like, buh?!? What were YOUR expectations this year, Lou?

[Guest]

It's really rather simple. Someone must be to blame for a massive failure. You can blame the individual players, but they aren't so easily replaced given the large and lengthy contracts.

 

You can blame the manager, but the manager isn't the guy who brought these players to the team. You can blame the GM, and it fits to blame him since he is the one who brought the players here in the first place. It doesn't matter if we (the fans) agreed 100% with every move he made. The end result is failure and and this is not an organization that should take failure lightly.

 

Ever since the beginning of the MacPhail/Hendry regime, Cubs ownership has done nothing short of everything possible to help the GM put a winning product on the field. Payroll has gone up more than 50m over that period, playing in the weakest division in baseball, and the end result is just barely over .500 ball and a couple of playoff appearances.

 

Other GM's have been let go for much less. It's time to cut the chord. It's been time to cut the chord. I would have cut the chord after the 2004 season, since it was Hendry who hired Dusty. This team didn't just play mediocre baseball during Hendry's tenure, but they also ruined guys arms.

 

Let Hendry go GM for someone else if they honestly believe he is a successful GM. If he isn't removed by the end of this season, I can already hear what his newest plan will be. "We need to get younger".

 

Unfortunately, this team won't be getting younger any time soon. And Hendry doesn't deserve the time necessary to make the team younger.

[pitchcs]

"obviously"

[Backtobanks]

Part of what you hinted at is true: Hendry built a team that was the overwhelming choice to win the NL Central and possibly the NL championship. He can't be absolved of all blame, but nobody expected the injuries that crippled this team all year and the pitiful production generated by Soto, Fontenot, Bradley, and Soriano.

 

Are you paying attention at all? How has Bradley had pitiful production?

 

When you build a team of 30-something players with injury histories, you have to expect injuries will be a problem.

 

I think the Cubs expected more than 12 HR and 37 RBI from Bradley. Maybe his production isn't pitiful, but it is less than what was expected. Aside from the Mets, I don't think any team was affected more than the Cubs. Not all of the players that missed significant time were over 30 (Zambrano, Soto) or had injury histories (DLee, Dempster, Ramirez, Johnson).

[inari]

12 HR 37 RBI

 

ARGH

[Larry Horse]

Same old story with Hendry in every interview.

 

First off....he seems to disappear when times get tough. But if it's the preseason or things are going well, he'll gladly come on talk. Especially if it's a situation where he knows the softballs are coming. And if one of his pickups is doing well, like last year with DeRosa, he'll be the first to bring up the naysayers about said deal.

 

Now if things are going badly and he miraculously comes out of his bunker, you sure as hell better not expect him to address any personnel moves that reflect badly on him. Nor sure you expect him to take any responsibility whatsoever. And if you have the nerve to actually ask him a tough question, he gets unbelievably defensive and short with his answers. I wonder if anyone could find a tape of Epstein or Cashman where they come off sounding like Hendry does during interviews when the tough questions are being asked.

 

It amazes me how thin-skinned Hendry is. I would think anyone who takes a GM job in a big market would have to realize you get the good with the bad, but Hendry has never caught on to that. I think he wants the spoils of a big-market job but he wants the small market treatment.

 

If he was in any other major market and got the results he has with the money he has spent, he would have been absolutely barbequed by the media long ago. He also would have been fired.

 

Hopefully the Ricketts will not be blinded by their Creighton connections with Hendry.

[Grit amp Heart]

Well, that conversation took off. I just hope that Hendry realizes that the problem isn't the guys, but just the health of the guys and acts accordingly. The Cubs don't need an overhaul to be the favorites in the NL Central next year. In fact, if the Cardinals sign Holliday and the Cubs bring back the entire team, making no upgrades or lateral moves, you'd still have to consider the Cubs and Cardinals a toss-up with a slight edge to Chicago. We just need to make one or two smart moves that make the team deeper. It doesn't need to be a sexy offseason for it to be a good one. I just hope Hendry doesn't feel pressure from the fan base or the new owners to make an overhaul.

 

Unfortunately, he probably will.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Same old story with Hendry in every interview.

 

First off....he seems to disappear when times get tough. But if it's the preseason or things are going well, he'll gladly come on talk. Especially if it's a situation where he knows the softballs are coming. And if one of his pickups is doing well, like last year with DeRosa, he'll be the first to bring up the naysayers about said deal.

 

Now if things are going badly and he miraculously comes out of his bunker, you sure as hell better not expect him to address any personnel moves that reflect badly on him. Nor sure you expect him to take any responsibility whatsoever. And if you have the nerve to actually ask him a tough question, he gets unbelievably defensive and short with his answers. I wonder if anyone could find a tape of Epstein or Cashman where they come off sounding like Hendry does during interviews when the tough questions are being asked.

 

It amazes me how thin-skinned Hendry is. I would think anyone who takes a GM job in a big market would have to realize you get the good with the bad, but Hendry has never caught on to that. I think he wants the spoils of a big-market job but he wants the small market treatment.

 

If he was in any other major market and got the results he has with the money he has spent, he would have been absolutely barbequed by the media long ago. He also would have been fired.

 

Hopefully the Ricketts will not be blinded by their Creighton connections with Hendry.

 

I don't really have any interest in whether Hendry is thin-skinned or not. In fact, I'd rather him err on the side of not putting up with any crap when it comes to the media, because their convictions and opinions are typically awful, and most definitely worse than Hendry's. Hendry should be able to explain his rationale, but if he'd rather be trite or not around when the media wants to try to convict him on his decisions, that's fine with me.

[NCCubFan]

pecota needs a dave duncan adjustment.

 

They can create a more general Cardinals stat for PECOTA that takes into account both Duncan and LaRussa. They could call it the Statistical Transfer of Effort Reflected On Individual Deftness and Strength.

Or, as Cubs N' Clippers would put it,

 

Statistical

Transfer of

Effort

Reflected

On

Individual

Deftness and

Strength

[Larry Horse]

I don't really have any interest in whether Hendry is thin-skinned or not. In fact, I'd rather him err on the side of not putting up with any crap when it comes to the media, because their convictions and opinions are typically awful, and most definitely worse than Hendry's. Hendry should be able to explain his rationale, but if he'd rather be trite or not around when the media wants to try to convict him on his decisions, that's fine with me.

 

Ahhh yes, the evil media.

 

If Hendry is going to react this way to failure, he should not agree to any interviews. Makes him and the Cubs look unprofessional.