5/31 Cubs (Wells) @ Pirates (Ohlendorf) 12:35 WGNTV

[jersey cubs fan]

Maybe something changed when Ricketts took over, but Hendry reported to Kenney after McDonough left.

 

Will firing Piniella now change the fortunes of the team? There are examples of this in recent baseball history but for the most part, the talent plays to its ability over 162 games. Personally, I think Lou mailed it in last year by mid-June. And while he might have been re-energized at the beginning of this year, he looks like he has mailed it in already. When his only answers are "I don't know and what are you going to do?" even though he could actually make line-up changes but would rather watch Lee and Ramirez fail all day against the immortal Russ Ohlendorf, I think a change needs to be made.

 

Change for the sake of change isn't necessarily good, but how will the family react to 15,000 no-shows or unsold tickets come September? Last time this happened, changes were made at the Pres level and Manager level. Will those include the GM this time? In my opinion, Ricketts needs to do something to shake up this team because I don't think Hendry will.

 

Ricketts is technically his boss, but the future of the GM spot is almost definitely Ricketts decision. And a "shake up" probably won't do anything in the near term. They need to can Hendry and plan for 2011 and beyond. Whether that happens today, tomorrow or October probably doesn't matter. If November comes along and Hendry is still here, then I'll be pissed. Otherwise it's perfectly reasonable for a new owner to give current management a little time before cleaning house.

[Sammy Sofa]

Will firing Piniella now change the fortunes of the team? There are examples of this in recent baseball history but for the most part, the talent plays to its ability over 162 games. Personally, I think Lou mailed it in last year by mid-June. And while he might have been re-energized at the beginning of this year, he looks like he has mailed it in already. When his only answers are "I don't know and what are you going to do?" even though he could actually make line-up changes but would rather watch Lee and Ramirez fail all day against the immortal Russ Ohlendorf, I think a change needs to be made.

 

It's subjective, but I really don't understand when people try to explain when Lou "gave up" or "mailed it in." This is the same Lou that has been here the whole time.

[Ballgame64]

In public, Ricketts says the right things about winning, but what are they doing to improve the team? I didn't expect them to come in with an open checkbook, but to keep Crane Kenney as President. That is ridiculous. Remember, Tom Ricketts himself has said numerous times, Hendry makes the call on the manager. So just what is Ricketts going to do about the product on the field, if he lets the same people run the baseball side of this business?

 

What exactly would dumping Crane Kenney have done to improve the team this year?

So having someone above Jim Hendry who actually knows baseball isn't a good idea? Maybe having someone with the stones to fire the manager who admittingly says he doesn't know what to do? $4 million per year for the manager to act like he has given up.

 

Maybe it wouldn't help improve the team this year, but keeping Kenney sure isn't helping. As a fan, all I see is the status quo and that is not good enough. If I was the head of a group trying to purchase a franchise, I would have a plan in place for changes the first day I had control of the team and improving bathrooms would not have been high on the list. A winning team is the best fan experience, the best marketing plan and the best way to grow revenues.

 

Except it's difficult to field a winning team if one of the main avenues of revenue is a dump that's literally falling apart. Wrigley had to be and still has to be improved and renovated and its revenue streams need to be capitalized on (like through more advertising). The Ricketts don't have bottomless pockets. They need to ideally set in place what is necessary to provide them with the revenue stream which would allow them to to keep the Cubs' payroll high. Your shortsighted focus as to what you think should be their first priority would be an exceedingly foolish way to run a business that they just dropped a massive amount of money on. How do you propose they field a winning team if they don't focus right away on the areas that will bring them the money to do so?

 

So putting a bow on a pig makes the pig better? So winning games now is shortsighted focus? Then shortsighted I am, because next year isn't guaranteed to anyone. What brings more money than winning?

 

If you spend $845 million to purchase this, I would hope you had more money or investors to help you overcome some of the crap you purchased. Wrigley Field can be fixed up as much as you or anyone else wants, but what good does it do if the team is losing. The days of a full park when the team is bad seem to be over.

 

And since when does a high payroll = success? Payroll doesn't matter if the GM can't do his job and the manager fails to get the most out of the talent. So in your world it is more important to fix the ball park and worry about the Toyota sign and buying a roof top next door than to do something about the on field product. All those revenue streams you worry about won't amount to anything if attendance is 1.5 million because the team sucks.

 

Win games, go to the playoffs and win in the playoffs and the revenue streams will be there. Ask Rocky Wirtz. Did the Hawks do a lot of things behind the scenes, you bet. But McDonough and Wirtz understood they had to have a winning product to get the fans back. I realize the situations are not the same, but they placed winning at the top of the priority list...at least publicly. That is the big thing to me (and most people I know), I don't care what deals Ricketts is trying to make behind the scenes, but when the team is not good and all he seems focused on is more money, it makes me wonder what the priorities are.

[jersey cubs fan]

So putting a bow on a pig makes the pig better? So winning games now is shortsighted focus? Then shortsighted I am, because next year isn't guaranteed to anyone. What brings more money than winning?

 

If you spend $845 million to purchase this, I would hope you had more money or investors to help you overcome some of the crap you purchased. Wrigley Field can be fixed up as much as you or anyone else wants, but what good does it do if the team is losing. The days of a full park when the team is bad seem to be over.

 

And since when does a high payroll = success? Payroll doesn't matter if the GM can't do his job and the manager fails to get the most out of the talent. So in your world it is more important to fix the ball park and worry about the Toyota sign and buying a roof top next door than to do something about the on field product. All those revenue streams you worry about won't amount to anything if attendance is 1.5 million because the team sucks.

 

Win games, go to the playoffs and win in the playoffs and the revenue streams will be there. Ask Rocky Wirtz. Did the Hawks do a lot of things behind the scenes, you bet. But McDonough and Wirtz understood they had to have a winning product to get the fans back. I realize the situations are not the same, but they placed winning at the top of the priority list...at least publicly. That is the big thing to me (and most people I know), I don't care what deals Ricketts is trying to make behind the scenes, but when the team is not good and all he seems focused on is more money, it makes me wonder what the priorities are.

 

Now you are just not making sense. What is he supposed to do to make the team better. The 2010 Cubs were more or less put in place before 2008. There was essentially nothing Ricketts could have done between the time he bought them and today to make them better. Ricketts in't losing games

[SouthSideRyan]

If the park isn't taken care of, it won't be usable, and then you'll be bitching that they're spending 400M on a new park rather than putting it all into payroll.

[Ballgame64]

Will firing Piniella now change the fortunes of the team? There are examples of this in recent baseball history but for the most part, the talent plays to its ability over 162 games. Personally, I think Lou mailed it in last year by mid-June. And while he might have been re-energized at the beginning of this year, he looks like he has mailed it in already. When his only answers are "I don't know and what are you going to do?" even though he could actually make line-up changes but would rather watch Lee and Ramirez fail all day against the immortal Russ Ohlendorf, I think a change needs to be made.

 

It's subjective, but I really don't understand when people try to explain when Lou "gave up" or "mailed it in." This is the same Lou that has been here the whole time.

Remember in 2007 when he said he wants someone who can catch the damn ball? Remember in the 2nd game of 2007 when he walked to the mound and told Dempster (the closer at the time) its 30 degrees, we are up 3, throw strikes. I just don't see the same things from Lou. I don't expect to act like an idiot and get thrown out of games, but I expect more than "I don't know what to do". He doesn't have to throw players under the bus, but is it really that hard to separate Lee and Ramirez in the line-up? His big change to shake up the offense was to move the ice cold Marlon Byrd to the 2nd spot so he can make even more outs in a game? Maybe he hasn't mailed it in, but he sure isn't trying too hard to change the fortunes of this team from a line-up perspective.

[Ballgame64]

If the park isn't taken care of, it won't be usable, and then you'll be bitching that they're spending 400M on a new park rather than putting it all into payroll.

That is where you are wrong. I would love to see a new stadium with a retractable roof so if they make it to the World Series, they won't have to play in 30 degree weather. I am a Cub fan, not a Wrigley Field fan. When I listen to Ricketts blab on and on about the fan experience at Wrigley Field, I have to ask myself if he is a Cub fan or Wrigley Field fan. Can you be both, I guess, but the object of the exercise is to win the World Series, not have the "coolest" park.

[Ballgame64]

 

Now you are just not making sense. What is he supposed to do to make the team better. The 2010 Cubs were more or less put in place before 2008. There was essentially nothing Ricketts could have done between the time he bought them and today to make them better. Ricketts in't losing games

How about releasing John Grabow so Lou can't use him? The money is spent, there is nothing you can do about it now. Other teams admit their mistakes and cut their losses. One could argue firing Lou might help the team be better this year. I never said Ricketts is losing games and I know there are no guarantees, but to act like he can't do anything to try to help the team this year is silly.

[SouthSideRyan]

Well that just missed my point altogether. They're putting money into the park now, so they don't have to waste a boatload of money on a new one.

[jersey cubs fan]

 

Now you are just not making sense. What is he supposed to do to make the team better. The 2010 Cubs were more or less put in place before 2008. There was essentially nothing Ricketts could have done between the time he bought them and today to make them better. Ricketts in't losing games

How about releasing John Grabow so Lou can't use him? The money is spent, there is nothing you can do about it now. Other teams admit their mistakes and cut their losses. One could argue firing Lou might help the team be better this year. I never said Ricketts is losing games and I know there are no guarantees, but to act like he can't do anything to try to help the team this year is silly.

 

 

Let's just pretend he does some stuff like this and the Cubs win an extra 2-3 games. Then what? You have a brand new owner with a micro manager label who insists on stepping on the GM's toes and releasing injured players, somebody that nobody would like to work for and therefore somebody who is going to have to spend extra money to convince people to work for you.

[Ballgame64]

 

Now you are just not making sense. What is he supposed to do to make the team better. The 2010 Cubs were more or less put in place before 2008. There was essentially nothing Ricketts could have done between the time he bought them and today to make them better. Ricketts in't losing games

How about releasing John Grabow so Lou can't use him? The money is spent, there is nothing you can do about it now. Other teams admit their mistakes and cut their losses. One could argue firing Lou might help the team be better this year. I never said Ricketts is losing games and I know there are no guarantees, but to act like he can't do anything to try to help the team this year is silly.

 

 

Let's just pretend he does some stuff like this and the Cubs win an extra 2-3 games. Then what? You have a brand new owner with a micro manager label who insists on stepping on the GM's toes and releasing injured players, somebody that nobody would like to work for and therefore somebody who is going to have to spend extra money to convince people to work for you.

I agree, 2-3 wins probably won't make much difference to this team, but I don't think anyone would question Ricketts if he made a few changes. Also, I don't believe for one second that Grabow is on the DL because of an injury. The Cubs just did not want to have to make a difficult roster decision. So the easy way was to say his knee was bothering him with the hopes he and/or Larry can fix something to get better results.

[Ballgame64]

Well that just missed my point altogether. They're putting money into the park now, so they don't have to waste a boatload of money on a new one.

What point was that, wasting a boatload of money on a 80 year old building is much better. :scratch:

 

Isn't the reason most teams build a new stadium is so they have better facilities and more revenue streams?

[SouthSideRyan]

Most teams opened new stadiums because they got taxpayers to foot the bill. If you have a scenario where Chicago builds the Cubs a stadium then have it. It ain't gonna happen.

[Fred Hornkohl]

This is a really great discussion, but I'm going to ask you continue it in the CUBS Discussion Forum, since it's really no longer about Monday's game.

 

Thanx.

[Sammy Sofa]

Will firing Piniella now change the fortunes of the team? There are examples of this in recent baseball history but for the most part, the talent plays to its ability over 162 games. Personally, I think Lou mailed it in last year by mid-June. And while he might have been re-energized at the beginning of this year, he looks like he has mailed it in already. When his only answers are "I don't know and what are you going to do?" even though he could actually make line-up changes but would rather watch Lee and Ramirez fail all day against the immortal Russ Ohlendorf, I think a change needs to be made.

 

It's subjective, but I really don't understand when people try to explain when Lou "gave up" or "mailed it in." This is the same Lou that has been here the whole time.

Remember in 2007 when he said he wants someone who can catch the damn ball? Remember in the 2nd game of 2007 when he walked to the mound and told Dempster (the closer at the time) its 30 degrees, we are up 3, throw strikes. I just don't see the same things from Lou. I don't expect to act like an idiot and get thrown out of games, but I expect more than "I don't know what to do". He doesn't have to throw players under the bus, but is it really that hard to separate Lee and Ramirez in the line-up? His big change to shake up the offense was to move the ice cold Marlon Byrd to the 2nd spot so he can make even more outs in a game? Maybe he hasn't mailed it in, but he sure isn't trying too hard to change the fortunes of this team from a line-up perspective.

 

Talk about putting a bow on a pig; they just had an inning the other day where Lou went out to talk to the pitcher and the ump and then the next pitch thrown by the Cubs resulted in a DP. Whoopety-doo. And the "catch the damn ball" crap was just regurgitating the same single-minded focus that Hendry had at the time to "fix" the team that actually ignored everything else that was actually wrong so that they can just blame it on one "super problem" (catch the ball, lead off hitter, get more left handed, etc.). Lou is basically the same loopy, lazy guy he was when he got here. You expect more from a guy that never demonstrated his entire time he was here that he'd be an acceptable manager unless he had a team where their talent or performance that year could succeed in spite of managing.

[Sammy Sofa]

Also, I don't believe for one second that Grabow is on the DL because of an injury.

 

Why not? Grabow was overpaid, but this year is clearly beyond the pale in terms of how he usually pitches. There's a very good chance he's been pitching with an injury.