2004 - NSBB at the Convention

[mlpeel]

Well, the first day of the Convention is in the books: time for those of us who attended to start passing stuff along. Our new moderator Serena, NSBB special guest HoopsCubs, and myself will pass along our observations in this thread; I hope some of the other posters attending join in here to share their experiences also. I'll start the ball rolling.

 

Friday generally isn't a day where much information passes around at the Convention: it's more of a time for introductions and revving the crowd. This crowd needed *very* little revving this year: I've never seen so many people on the first night, and the atmosphere was electric. As usual, the Opening Ceremony started late -- 20 minutes or so this time. Some of the players listed on the program weren't introduced (Carlos Zambrano, Joe Girardi, and Bill Madlock were the ones I caught), so I suspect they were waiting on those guys and finally went forward without them. There were still a lot of players: most of the '84 Cubs were present, with Ryno and the Red Baron drawing the biggest hands (they later led the singing of "Take Me Out To the Ballgame -- well, they sorta did, anyway: Sandberg sang a line or two and then his mike went quiet, and I don't think Sutcliffe did anything beyond drafting Sandberg as his co-singer). But the crowd had plenty of roar in reserve when the current Cubs were finally introduced: Todd Walker got a great hand and Baker drew solid applause, but Prior topped them and Woodie topped Prior. But the biggest crowd response went to the last person introduced: Ron Santo. Ron, who looked energetic and moved well with just a cane for assistance, threw out the first ball: then he (as the other players already had) tossed his Cubs hat into the crowd -- except his hit the chandelier and landed in the area roped off from the fans.

 

The usual video presentation showing last year's highlights followed -- the highlights were a little higher than years past, of course, starting with Sosa's 500th homer and working toward the division title (I could have done without the replays of Choi's and Prior's collisions, though). As it progressed into fan shots, I began edging out of the room (no easy feat in *that* room, let me tell you): because of the late start, the show was running overtime, and I wanted to get into good position for the interview with Hendry and Baker on WGN SportsCentral at 7.

 

As it happened, I was foiled: an hour before broadcast, the WGN SportsCentral room was already half full with people, so I didn't get my usual front row seats. It doesn't matter much for this show, though: there's no audience participation, so whatever the WGN guys ask is what you hear. This segment really lasted only 15 minutes rather than the billed half hour (the intro and a lot of commercials trimmed off time with Baker and Hendry); but a few nuggets of info popped up.

 

Kerry Wood signed a 1 year deal today, avoiding arbitration. Hendry and Wood's agents are still working on a longer pact.

 

Corey Patterson may not be 100% by the beginning of spring training, but the Cubs still have hopes he'll be ready by Opening Day. But an earlier WGN interview with Dusty Baker mentioned that the Cubs have signed Calvin Murray, a backup center fielder who played for Baker in San Francisco a few years back; they're hedging their bets a bit.

 

The Cubs hired ex-Boston manager Grady Little as a special assistant to Hendry: he'll help out on the field in spring training, then switch to more of a scouting role, scouting AL players for potential trades and giving the Cubs a fresh pair of eyes on their minor leaguers. This is pretty much the same role Ron Schueler filled with the organization last year; Schueler's not back, so the Cubs have pretty much replaced him with Little.

 

Grudzielanek will hit at the top of the order, first or second, again; when Goodwin plays, he may hit leadoff, while Walker will generally hit leadoff when he plays.

[Tim]

Well, the first day of the Convention is in the books: time for those of us who attended to start passing stuff along. Our new moderator Serena, NSBB special guest HoopsCubs, and myself will pass along our observations in this thread; I hope some of the other posters attending join in here to share their experiences also. I'll start the ball rolling.

 

Friday generally isn't a day where much information passes around at the Convention: it's more of a time for introductions and revving the crowd. This crowd needed *very* little revving this year: I've never seen so many people on the first night, and the atmosphere was electric. As usual, the Opening Ceremony started late -- 20 minutes or so this time. Some of the players listed on the program weren't introduced (Carlos Zambrano, Joe Girardi, and Bill Madlock were the ones I caught), so I suspect they were waiting on those guys and finally went forward without them. There were still a lot of players: most of the '84 Cubs were present, with Ryno and the Red Baron drawing the biggest hands (they later led the singing of "Take Me Out To the Ballgame -- well, they sorta did, anyway: Sandberg sang a line or two and then his mike went quiet, and I don't think Sutcliffe did anything beyond drafting Sandberg as his co-singer). But the crowd had plenty of roar in reserve when the current Cubs were finally introduced: Todd Walker got a great hand and Baker drew solid applause, but Prior topped them and Woodie topped Prior. But the biggest crowd response went to the last person introduced: Ron Santo. Ron, who looked energetic and moved well with just a cane for assistance, threw out the first ball: then he (as the other players already had) tossed his Cubs hat into the crowd -- except his hit the chandelier and landed in the area roped off from the fans.

 

The usual video presentation showing last year's highlights followed -- the highlights were a little higher than years past, of course, starting with Sosa's 500th homer and working toward the division title (I could have done without the replays of Choi's and Prior's collisions, though). As it progressed into fan shots, I began edging out of the room (no easy feat in *that* room, let me tell you): because of the late start, the show was running overtime, and I wanted to get into good position for the interview with Hendry and Baker on WGN SportsCentral at 7.

 

As it happened, I was foiled: an hour before broadcast, the WGN SportsCentral room was already half full with people, so I didn't get my usual front row seats. It doesn't matter much for this show, though: there's no audience participation, so whatever the WGN guys ask is what you hear. This segment really lasted only 15 minutes rather than the billed half hour (the intro and a lot of commercials trimmed off time with Baker and Hendry); but a few nuggets of info popped up.

 

Kerry Wood signed a 1 year deal today, avoiding arbitration. Hendry and Wood's agents are still working on a longer pact.

 

Corey Patterson may not be 100% by the beginning of spring training, but the Cubs still have hopes he'll be ready by Opening Day. But an earlier WGN interview with Dusty Baker mentioned that the Cubs have signed Calvin Murray, a backup center fielder who played for Baker in San Francisco a few years back; they're hedging their bets a bit.

 

The Cubs hired ex-Boston manager Grady Little as a special assistant to Hendry: he'll help out on the field in spring training, then switch to more of a scouting role, scouting AL players for potential trades and giving the Cubs a fresh pair of eyes on their minor leaguers. This is pretty much the same role Ron Schueler filled with the organization last year; Schueler's not back, so the Cubs have pretty much replaced him with Little.

 

Grudzielanek will hit at the top of the order, first or second, again; when Goodwin plays, he may hit leadoff, while Walker will generally hit leadoff when he plays.

Sounds like a great time. I wish I could have been there. :(

 

I look forward to the reports tomorrow when things really heat up!

[brinoch]

Mark, thanks for the update. I can tell you that I will be living vicariously through you, Hoops, Serena, Ernie and the rest of the NSBB crowd who is at the convention!

[Jon]

I can't say much right now, as I don't have the time, but I will say that things started off well. What really struck me was how positive everyone was regarding how the season ended. It seemed like a lot of people accepted what happened in the NLCS (as as evident during the interviews of Lee and Hollandsworth during Sports Central, which, by the way, was very enjoyable) and everyone is looking forward, not backwards.

 

I was able to get Borowski's autograph in the autograph scavenger hunt game, even though I got in his line about 20 minutes after it started. I congratulated him on his new deal and am glad to have met him. He seemed a little tired, but I think his wife was with him and it's probably a great time for him and his family.

 

In addition, despite not having much of a voice, Santo looked great. I can't wait to meet him and get his autograph tomorrow morning. I'll try to post more tomorrow night, but if not, then Sunday night and Monday.

[shnsajax]

Just listening to it on the radio, I did get a little tired of listening to Game 6 and Game 7 recaps, but jokes were made and the crowd seemed to be able to laugh about it. Was there still a lot of discussion about it throughout the day.

[SCCubbieFAN]

Hey all. Don't have anything much to add. This is my first convention and I am a bit overwhelmed by the number of people in attendance. My best observation is organized chaos. I'm with my dad who is 73 years old and we are commuting everyday from Joliet. I'm going down by myself this morning and then hooking up with him and my brother & sister-in-law and my daughter at Bergoff for lunch, then dad and I will do some more convention things this afternoon. This is his first convention as well. Would love to meet some of you guys but have no idea how to find you without standing in the hall with a sign on my chest. Got some good t-shirts for $10.00 each. Also got a good picture of Fergie at his book signing. Enjoyed the 1st day and looking forward to a better 2nd day. Paul

[SCCubbieFAN]

Just got back from day 2. Much better things today. Started w/meet the new Cubs, panel discussion w/Lee, Barrett, Hawkins, Todd, & Todd. I asked the FAs the question whether or not they read the various fan message boards and, if so, did the fan comments have any bearing on them choosing to come to the Cubs. Basically they all said they try to stay away from the media and stuff like that because one bad comment amoung 100 good comments will stick in their memory. Next was meet Dusty and his staff--Larry, Sarge, Pole, and Wendell. Most memorable comment was Grudz is the 2nd baseman, Walker was not promised anything. Walker will be given time at 2nd, 3rd, left, and 1st. Sounds like he will be the new supersub. Last thing was panel discussion with Fergie, Billy Williams, Stoney, Chip as moderator, Sutcliff, and Banks. Talked some about Pete Rose situation, steroid use in baseball, money aspect, the pitching staff. Didn't get any autographs, lines way too long. Got some great pictures of the players and coaches on all the panels, and got a picture of Jose Cardinal signing autographs. Got to meet posters Mark Kangas, Ernie59, and BillHands. Depating on whether to got back for the final day. All in all a great convention. Paul

[CuseCubFan69]

SCCF,

 

You have to watch out for that crew! :lol: How's Bill doing? I miss her posts.

[Old Style Man]

Wow. I am so jealous of all attending. Thanks for the updates. I can't wait til spring training. I'll be there from March 13th through the 17th. The thing that sounds so great is that everyone else is so optimistic, too. Kerry said this is the first year people have been asking about the World Series. Makes me shiver just thinking about it.

[CubsWin]

Wow. I am so jealous of all attending. Thanks for the updates. I can't wait til spring training. I'll be there from March 13th through the 17th. The thing that sounds so great is that everyone else is so optimistic, too. Kerry said this is the first year people have been asking about the World Series. Makes me shiver just thinking about it.

 

I know, I'm sitting here by my computer updating this thread every couple of minutes to see if anyone has posted what Saturday at the convention was like. I've never gone to the Cubs convention. But I'm lucky enough to go to spring training almost every year.

 

Thanks for the updates, Mark and everyone who is posting their experiences at the convention. It is great to live vicariously through you.

[mlpeel]

Trying to learn from yesterday's experience, I moved up my timetable: I arrived at "Meet Cubs Baseball Management" at 7:30, an hour and a half before it started. Close, but no cigar: the first 2 rows were already staked out. Still, third row wasn't bad. It wasn't long before I was joined by HoopsCubs; shortly afterward, Richard Smiley, who helps with my newsletter, joined us.

 

Spike O'Dell began the session at 9 sharp (well, nearly) and wasted no time turning the floor over to questions. Hendry had some interesting things to say:

 

Asked (by HoopsCubs, as it happens) about the Cubs' greater success in developing pitchers than hitters, Hendry replied hitting is the hardest thing to scout: pitching is easier because it's easier to see arm strength (some teams that can't find pitching may disagree). He further remarked that the gap between amateur and pro, always much wider in baseball than any other sport, is getting even wider these days as kids pursue other pastimes over baseball.

 

Angel Guzman won't be ready for action by Opening Day, but has a good chance of pitching by May 1.

 

Just as with Kerry Wood, the Cubs are working on a multi-year deal with Derrek Lee -- but not with Aramis Ramirez. HoopsCubs had some pretty plausible suggestions why not; I'll let him tell them.

 

Baker, asked how he helps to break in young players, said he talks to them a lot, telling the truth about the way things are and warning them of the pitfalls they can fall into. He added that he likes to bring around kids' parents -- and sometimes if a kid isn't paying attention to what Dusty tells him, Baker will get his parents on his case.

 

Baker also mentioned that what happens to Juan Cruz depends a lot on Cruz himself: if Maddux doesn't sign, Cruz will have the opportunity to win the #5 starter job, if Maddux does sign, Cruz will have the opportunity to grab the long man job. But Baker emphasized it was up to Cruz to seize that opportunity: nothing will be given to him.

 

 

HoopsCubs treated Smiley and myself to breakfast afterward; the long time gap until my next session vanished just in a twinkling as we talked baseball.

 

 

The noon session with Kerry Wood and Mark Prior was the most jam-packed room I've ever seen: the aisles were virtually impassable. Our heroes were hilarious: Prior's dry skepticism scored several funny points at the expense of host John Williams (a kid volunteered he'd just thrown a no-hitter; Williams asked his name and said, "Just for future reference", whereupon Prior shot out, "Like you'll remember") while Kerry's ability to entertain a crowd seems to grow every year (when discussing a Wood home run last year, Williams suggested, "Now, you knew he was going to throw a strike there, didn't you? You were thinking along with the pitcher..." when Kerry cut him off, "Hey, I'm not going to pretend I knew what I was doing. I swung, and the ball hit the bat."). The questions were largely run-of-the-mill, giving the aces the chance to clown around a good deal. Asked about their role models as pitchers, Wood mentioned Clemens and Nolan Ryan; Prior agreed those 2 were the guys for power pitchers like them to study, but added Greg Maddux to his list. I asked them about their mix of pitches: Kerry said he throws more sliders than curves and mentioned that it's a fairly new pitch for him, one he's just developed in the last few years; Prior answered that he throws 60-65% fastballs, concentrating on moving the ball around to change the hitters eye plane, and added, "It's no secret I don't throw many change-ups" -- implying the majority of the remainder are curves.

 

After that session, Ernie59 came up and introduced himself. Like me, he's an Arlington Heights resident: he lives near a park where I occasionally play softball. Hope you plan to post a little about what you saw at the Convention, Ernie!

 

 

I wanted to attend the session with the new Cubs -- Derrek Lee, Michael Barrett, LaTroy Hawkins, Todd Walker, Todd Hollandsworth -- but I was late and therefore stuck outside in the hall. So I went on for my 2:00: "The State of the Industry", MacPhail's only session this year. Even this session had the first row booked 45 minutes before showtime; but at least by the time it started there weren't too many people standing and the aisles remained passable. MacPahil started out by saying he was always impressed by how knowledgeable Cubs fans are and that he was expecting some tough questions.

 

As always, MacPhail had a lot to say in his answers; he stressed the Cubs' commitment to amateur scouting and said they'd never cut back on the scouting staff; he mentioned the team still has limited payroll flexibility for the '04 season (he emphasized the Cubs *will* have the ability to make acquisitions in July if they're in the race) and is in excellent shape going into '05; the Cubs have the highest payroll in the division; WGN is cutting back on the celebrity interviews during the seventh inning; the 4 additional night games are still being blocked by the city, with no explanation of City Hall's specific objection after 2 months; the Cubs, who traded away 2 players who won Rookie of the Year with other teams, need to do a better job of figuring out which of their top prospects are the real keepers; he described the farm system as "above average" but not great. For you "Moneyball" fans, MacPhail repeated the Cubs' scouting report on A's first round draft pick Jeremy Brown: "he's fat, his dad's fat, he can't throw, and the right field fence was 275 feet away." For you Angel Guzman fans, he made 2 remarkable statements: Guzman was hitting 97 on the radar gun the last time MacPhail saw him pitch, and MacPhail believes the Cubs would have won it all if Guzman hadn't had a season-ending injury.

 

 

As I left the session, I was wondering where to find a phone: I wanted to buzz Serena to try to meet her. As it happened, I didn't need one: she called out to me from behind (she'd spotted me in the morning session, but the crush was simply to great to keep track of me). I went downstairs with Serena and her friends to have a drink and talk Cubs for a few hours. I had a great time; I'm sure Serena's ears will recover soon from the workout they received...

 

 

"Meet Cubs Business Management" and "Down on the Farm" tomorrow!

[HoopsCubs]

A couple of quick highlight snippets from the session with Jim Hendry and Dusty Baker on Saturday morning:

 

(1) The funniest moment of the convention thus far (my opinion) is when one fan asked Dusty to re-live the decision of whether to take Prior out earlier in game 2 with a big lead. Dusty's response: "Well, first, as we found out in game 6 later, the Marlins do have an explosive offense, so I wanted Mark to go a little longer; second, he was not even close to his ceiling on pitch count; third, and most important, the bullpen was not in good shape: Remlinger and Borowski were hurt. Farnsworth had been overused. Guthrie was struggling. Veres was struggling. ALFONSECA - YOU GUYS WOULD HAVE KILLED ME IF I HAD BROUGHT HIM IN."

 

Rip roaring laughter and claps for almost 30 seconds. Mark's Daytona Cubs shirt almost split from his laughter.

 

(2) Second funniest moment was when a fan asked Dusty what surprised him the most about the Cubs, Cub fans, the city, etc... Of course, the fan was probably hoping he'd day something like, "well, I knew the fans here were great, but not this great, etc..." Dusty's actual response: "The strength and magnitude of this goat thing." People, this is an animal."

 

 

(3) Mark and I each got our questions in. Mark asked Hendry about being a GM, what it takes, how do things work, how do things fall in place, etc..., and asked him specifically about the Derrek Lee deal. Hendry mentioned constant communication is the key. He had talked to Larry Beinfest about several things for several days. Suddenly, when the Baltimore deal hit a snag, Beinfest called Hendry, and the deal was done in 36 hours. Expect the unexpected, and be prepared. I asked Hendry if there were fundamental differences between scouting and developing pitchers vs. position players citing the great success he has had with bringing up pitchers vs. the overall lack of success of position players (other than Corey Patterson). Jim responded that it is easier to scout pitchers because you are focused on arm slot and arm speed. It's easy to project. Position players have to be great athletes in general, and they tend to be difficult to project because there is such a gap in performance level of hitting between high school/college level and the minor leagues, and then the major leagues. He did feel we would see another position player or two soon (I'm speculating after discussing with Mark that Hendry may have been referring to Brendan Harris).

 

(4) Whether he was doing it on purpose or not, Dusty kept referring to Kenny Lofton. Even when a fan asked who would lead-off, he said either Grudz or Lofton. After hearing the chuckles from the crowd, he corrected himself and said he meant Goodwin.

 

(5) Angel Guzman: Hendry said he is the top pitching prospect on the Cubs. He'll be at full strength by May 1. They will be cautious with him.

 

(6) In his days as Twins GM, Cubs GM, Cubs President and Cubs CEO, no player under Andy MacPhail has ever gone to an arbitration hearing. Hendry is very proud of his boss' record. "Arbitration is a terrible thing: no good can come from it." He is still very thankful for his GM job, and said MacPhail was very generous to give up the GM title even when he knew the Cubs were about to get real good real soon.

 

(7) Re-hash from Sports Central: Grudz is the starting 2B noo ifas, ands or buts; Walker was brought in for depth.

 

(8) What if Maddux doesn't sign, who will be the 5th starter? Hendry said it probably would be Cruz, Wellemeyer or Mitre.

 

(9) Future deals. Wood got his 1 year deal, and they are probably just 2-3 weeks away from finalizing the multi-year deal. No snags expected. Hendry has met with Derrek Lee's representatives, and they will probably give him a 1-year deal immediately, and in parallel work out the multi-year terms (same process as Kerry). Nothing being done with Aramis.

 

Mark and I thought this was interesting on Aramis. There could be 3 explanations for Hendry's almost don't care tone: (1) The Cubs still have his rights in 2005, so there is no need for urgency; (2) With so many potential free agents at 3B after 2004, Hendry is reasonably confident about filling 3B with a quality, experienced player (either Aramis or someone else); (3) maybe Harris will play 3B.

 

(10) A fan asked Where does Juan Cruz fit in? Dusty: "We are in a business of performance. Where Juan Cruz fits depends solely on Juan Cruz. If Maddux does not come here, he's got a gret shot to be the #5 guy. If Maddux does come, he has a shot to be the long guy in the bullpen."

 

(11) A fan asked about the Cubs lack of fundamentals, especially bunting. Dusty: "Vince Coleman will be an instructor in the spring."

 

(12) A fan stated Bako seemed to struggle behind the plate in the 2nd half especially with passed balls. Baker: "First he was banged up a little. Second, our staff is tough to catch. Wood throws 1000 miles an hour. Zambrano never throws a ball straight. For that matter, neither does Clement. Given all the factors, our catchers did a great job last year."

 

(13) Who's the number 1 pitcher? Dusty: "You can make a case for Wood, Prior and even Zambrano." He had to be diplomatic there.

 

 

(14) What influence has Moneyball and resurgence of Sabermetrics had on Hendry, like OBP? Jim: "Numbers are important, and I have people on staff who collect all that for me. Still, scouting is a people business. And no computer will tell you how a player will play in the 7th, 8th or 9th with the game on the line. Aramis Ramirez and Randall Simon didn't have the best of "Moneyball" numbers, but scouts told us that these 2 guys can help us win games, because they have tremendus heart and will, and that is what they did for us."

 

(15) No speed on the team other than Corey. Dusty: "That's true, but we'll do a lot of hit and run, and movement stuff, and get the job done."

 

 

Enjoy!

Hoops

[Mushimus]

For you Angel Guzman fans, he made 2 remarkable statements: Guzman was hitting 97 on the radar gun the last time MacPhail saw him pitch, and MacPhail believes the Cubs would have won it all if Guzman hadn't had a season-ending injury.

 

Wow that's a really bold statement by andy. Once again thanks mark and all of the others who post their experiences at the convention, we all appreciate it. :P

Edited January 18, 2004 by Mushimus

[mlpeel]

Just for you, Jeff!

 

Me: "Japan is an increasing source of talent for the majors. Ichiro Suzuki seems to have opened the floodgates. Seattle had to pay a multi-million dollar posting fee just for the rights to negotiate with Suzuki. Under the Payroll Tax, does such a posting fee count toward player payroll or is it a separate non-taxed expense?"

 

MacPhail: (pause) "That is the toughest question I've heard in the last 9 years. I don't know."

 

MacPhail then spoke a bit about recruiting in Japan. He mentioned that ex-major leaguer Mike Pagliarulo runs a scouting service specializing in Japan: if the Cubs are interested in a player, they can send someone like Gary Hughes over and Pagliarulo's service will help out. The Cubs aren't really looking for an Ichiro there, but "there has to be a left-handed reliever" and other types of players who can help the Cubs.

 

After the meeting, MacPhail said he was about 80% certain a posting fee would count toward the Payroll Tax, but the only guys who'd know for certain are owner labor lawyer Rob Manfred and union attorney Michael Weiner.

[1908]

Just for you, Jeff!

 

Me: "Japan is an increasing source of talent for the majors. Ichiro Suzuki seems to have opened the floodgates. Seattle had to pay a multi-million dollar posting fee just for the rights to negotiate with Suzuki. Under the Payroll Tax, does such a posting fee count toward player payroll or is it a separate non-taxed expense?"

 

MacPhail: (pause) "That is the toughest question I've heard in the last 9 years. I don't know."

 

MacPhail then spoke a bit about recruiting in Japan. He mentioned that ex-major leaguer Mike Pagliarulo runs a scouting service specializing in Japan: if the Cubs are interested in a player, they can send someone like Gary Hughes over and Pagliarulo's service will help out. The Cubs aren't really looking for an Ichiro there, but "there has to be a left-handed reliever" and other types of players who can help the Cubs.

 

After the meeting, MacPhail said he was about 80% certain a posting fee would count toward the Payroll Tax, but the only guys who'd know for certain are owner labor lawyer Rob Manfred and union attorney Michael Weiner.

Great stuff, Mark. Thanks!

[CubsWin]

Thank you, Mark and Hoops! Its almost like being there, even all the way from L.A. :D

[Tim]

Just for you, Jeff!

 

Me: "Japan is an increasing source of talent for the majors. Ichiro Suzuki seems to have opened the floodgates. Seattle had to pay a multi-million dollar posting fee just for the rights to negotiate with Suzuki. Under the Payroll Tax, does such a posting fee count toward player payroll or is it a separate non-taxed expense?"

 

MacPhail: (pause) "That is the toughest question I've heard in the last 9 years. I don't know."

 

MacPhail then spoke a bit about recruiting in Japan. He mentioned that ex-major leaguer Mike Pagliarulo runs a scouting service specializing in Japan: if the Cubs are interested in a player, they can send someone like Gary Hughes over and Pagliarulo's service will help out. The Cubs aren't really looking for an Ichiro there, but "there has to be a left-handed reliever" and other types of players who can help the Cubs.

 

After the meeting, MacPhail said he was about 80% certain a posting fee would count toward the Payroll Tax, but the only guys who'd know for certain are owner labor lawyer Rob Manfred and union attorney Michael Weiner.

Great stuff, Mark. Thanks!

How about a catcher, eh 1908?

[priorcruz]

A couple of quick highlight snippets from the session with Jim Hendry and Dusty Baker on Saturday morning:

 

(1) The funniest moment of the convention thus far (my opinion) is when one fan asked Dusty to re-live the decision of whether to take Prior out earlier in game 2 with a big lead. Dusty's response: "Well, first, as we found out in game 6 later, the Marlins do have an explosive offense, so I wanted Mark to go a little longer; second, he was not even close to his ceiling on pitch count; third, and most important, the bullpen was not in good shape: Remlinger and Borowski were hurt. Farnsworth had been overused. Guthrie was struggling. Veres was struggling. ALFONSECA - YOU GUYS WOULD HAVE KILLED ME IF I HAD BROUGHT HIM IN."

 

Rip roaring laughter and claps for almost 30 seconds. Mark's Daytona Cubs shirt almost split from his laughter.

 

(2) Second funniest moment was when a fan asked Dusty what surprised him the most about the Cubs, Cub fans, the city, etc... Of course, the fan was probably hoping he'd day something like, "well, I knew the fans here were great, but not this great, etc..." Dusty's actual response: "The strength and magnitude of this goat thing." People, this is an animal."

 

 

(3) Mark and I each got our questions in. Mark asked Hendry about being a GM, what it takes, how do things work, how do things fall in place, etc..., and asked him specifically about the Derrek Lee deal. Hendry mentioned constant communication is the key. He had talked to Larry Beinfest about several things for several days. Suddenly, when the Baltimore deal hit a snag, Beinfest called Hendry, and the deal was done in 36 hours. Expect the unexpected, and be prepared. I asked Hendry if there were fundamental differences between scouting and developing pitchers vs. position players citing the great success he has had with bringing up pitchers vs. the overall lack of success of position players (other than Corey Patterson). Jim responded that it is easier to scout pitchers because you are focused on arm slot and arm speed. It's easy to project. Position players have to be great athletes in general, and they tend to be difficult to project because there is such a gap in performance level of hitting between high school/college level and the minor leagues, and then the major leagues. He did feel we would see another position player or two soon (I'm speculating after discussing with Mark that Hendry may have been referring to Brendan Harris).

 

(4) Whether he was doing it on purpose or not, Dusty kept referring to Kenny Lofton. Even when a fan asked who would lead-off, he said either Grudz or Lofton. After hearing the chuckles from the crowd, he corrected himself and said he meant Goodwin.

 

(5) Angel Guzman: Hendry said he is the top pitching prospect on the Cubs. He'll be at full strength by May 1. They will be cautious with him.

 

(6) In his days as Twins GM, Cubs GM, Cubs President and Cubs CEO, no player under Andy MacPhail has ever gone to an arbitration hearing. Hendry is very proud of his boss' record. "Arbitration is a terrible thing: no good can come from it." He is still very thankful for his GM job, and said MacPhail was very generous to give up the GM title even when he knew the Cubs were about to get real good real soon.

 

(7) Re-hash from Sports Central: Grudz is the starting 2B noo ifas, ands or buts; Walker was brought in for depth.

 

(8) What if Maddux doesn't sign, who will be the 5th starter? Hendry said it probably would be Cruz, Wellemeyer or Mitre.

 

(9) Future deals. Wood got his 1 year deal, and they are probably just 2-3 weeks away from finalizing the multi-year deal. No snags expected. Hendry has met with Derrek Lee's representatives, and they will probably give him a 1-year deal immediately, and in parallel work out the multi-year terms (same process as Kerry). Nothing being done with Aramis.

 

Mark and I thought this was interesting on Aramis. There could be 3 explanations for Hendry's almost don't care tone: (1) The Cubs still have his rights in 2005, so there is no need for urgency; (2) With so many potential free agents at 3B after 2004, Hendry is reasonably confident about filling 3B with a quality, experienced player (either Aramis or someone else); (3) maybe Harris will play 3B.

 

(10) A fan asked Where does Juan Cruz fit in? Dusty: "We are in a business of performance. Where Juan Cruz fits depends solely on Juan Cruz. If Maddux does not come here, he's got a gret shot to be the #5 guy. If Maddux does come, he has a shot to be the long guy in the bullpen."

 

(11) A fan asked about the Cubs lack of fundamentals, especially bunting. Dusty: "Vince Coleman will be an instructor in the spring."

 

(12) A fan stated Bako seemed to struggle behind the plate in the 2nd half especially with passed balls. Baker: "First he was banged up a little. Second, our staff is tough to catch. Wood throws 1000 miles an hour. Zambrano never throws a ball straight. For that matter, neither does Clement. Given all the factors, our catchers did a great job last year."

 

(13) Who's the number 1 pitcher? Dusty: "You can make a case for Wood, Prior and even Zambrano." He had to be diplomatic there.

 

 

(14) What influence has Moneyball and resurgence of Sabermetrics had on Hendry, like OBP? Jim: "Numbers are important, and I have people on staff who collect all that for me. Still, scouting is a people business. And no computer will tell you how a player will play in the 7th, 8th or 9th with the game on the line. Aramis Ramirez and Randall Simon didn't have the best of "Moneyball" numbers, but scouts told us that these 2 guys can help us win games, because they have tremendus heart and will, and that is what they did for us."

 

(15) No speed on the team other than Corey. Dusty: "That's true, but we'll do a lot of hit and run, and movement stuff, and get the job done."

 

 

Enjoy!

Hoops

 

Great stuff.....thanks for taking the time to post that.

 

The comment on Remlinger and Borowski being hurt in game 2 is the exact reason I think so much of the criticism of Baker on this site is unfounded...there is no way to know what is really going on short of being in the dugout...along with being an excellent motivator of players I happen to think Dusty does a great job of managing the game on a daily basis....rather than jump down his throat when an "obvious" move isn't made I find myself asking what is really going on that would cause a knowledgable baseball guy to do what he did.

 

It would be great if we could get the Remlinger from '02 back... 8) 8)

[hawkeyecub]

Great, great recaps, thank you guys very much. I wish I could be there this weekend, but at least with you guys there, I don't feel like I'm missing out as much.

[Tim]

Great stuff.....thanks for taking the time to post that.

 

The comment on Remlinger and Borowski being hurt in game 2 is the exact reason I think so much of the criticism of Baker on this site is unfounded...there is no way to know what is really going on short of being in the dugout...along with being an excellent motivator of players I happen to think Dusty does a great job of managing the game on a daily basis....rather than jump down his throat when an "obvious" move isn't made I find myself asking what is really going on that would cause a knowledgable baseball guy to do what he did.

 

It would be great if we could get the Remlinger from '02 back... 8) 8)

Well, Remmy's base stats were a little better in '02 than '03. However, one of the big differences was his usage. Remlinger is significantly better against righties than lefties. He always has been because of his repotoire. In 2003, Remmy faced lefties 37% of the time. In '02, he only faced lefties 28% of the time. Given that lefties hit .263 off him, that increase wasn't a good thing. It drove me crazy last year every time I saw Baker lift Farnsworth (who destroys lefties) to bring in Remmy (who gets lit up by lefties) just to get the lefty-lefty matchup.

 

But that's just me...

[1908]

How about a catcher, eh 1908?

I hope so, Tim, I hope so.

[hawkeyecub]

Tim, what kind of performance are you expecting from Mercker this year, and if you think that he will change the way that Remmy is used?

Coming out of the bullpen last year he was effective, but had 17 BB's in 81 AB's with a .222 BA against lefties, compared to 15 BB's in 122 AB's, .230 BA against right-handers.

However looking at his 3 year splits, he is significantly better against LH than RH.

I'm curious if Dusty will use Remmy any differently this year than he did in 2003.

[priorcruz]

Great stuff.....thanks for taking the time to post that.

 

The comment on Remlinger and Borowski being hurt in game 2 is the exact reason I think so much of the criticism of Baker on this site is unfounded...there is no way to know what is really going on short of being in the dugout...along with being an excellent motivator of players I happen to think Dusty does a great job of managing the game on a daily basis....rather than jump down his throat when an "obvious" move isn't made I find myself asking what is really going on that would cause a knowledgable baseball guy to do what he did.

 

It would be great if we could get the Remlinger from '02 back... 8) 8)

Well, Remmy's base stats were a little better in '02 than '03. However, one of the big differences was his usage. Remlinger is significantly better against righties than lefties. He always has been because of his repotoire. In 2003, Remmy faced lefties 37% of the time. In '02, he only faced lefties 28% of the time. Given that lefties hit .263 off him, that increase wasn't a good thing. It drove me crazy last year every time I saw Baker lift Farnsworth (who destroys lefties) to bring in Remmy (who gets lit up by lefties) just to get the lefty-lefty matchup.

 

But that's just me...

 

Ironically the at-bat against Remlinger I remember the most last year was when he struck out Giambi in the June series at Wrigley...

 

I've read these comments before and the criticism seems to be well-founded...I suppose the comparison really needs to be Remlinger against lefties versus all other available options on a given day versus lefties...key term being available on a given day. Was it Dusty pulling Farns for Remlinger because he didn't want him to face the lefty or because he had thrown 20-30 pitches and he was worried about usage (Remlinger the next best option)??

 

I'd have been interested to hear Dusty's response to this situation...

 

Nothing to back this up but of all the relievers in the pen I get the sense that Farnsworth is most succeptible to wear and tear...I find myself wondering how often Farnsworth is "truly" available versus sitting in the pen with no conceivable shot at pitching in that game...this is exclusive of the obvious situations where he has pitched 2 days in a row or two out of three, etc.

[Tim]

Tim, what kind of performance are you expecting from Mercker this year, and if you think that he will change the way that Remmy is used?

Coming out of the bullpen last year he was effective, but had 17 BB's in 81 AB's with a .222 BA against lefties, compared to 15 BB's in 122 AB's, .230 BA against right-handers.

However looking at his 3 year splits, he is significantly better against LH than RH.

I'm curious if Dusty will use Remmy any differently this year than he did in 2003.

I expect Mercker to be comparable in effectiveness to Guthrie in '03. In other words, not bad, but not great, either. Given that comparison, I think Dusty will continue to use his relievers the same way as he did in '03. What would really help is if Sanchez has a breakthrough in Iowa and claims the sixth man spot by mid-year so that there are three lefties in the pen.

[Tim]

Ironically the at-bat against Remlinger I remember the most last year was when he struck out Giambi in the June series at Wrigley...

 

I've read these comments before and the criticism seems to be well-founded...I suppose the comparison really needs to be Remlinger against lefties versus all other available options on a given day versus lefties...key term being available on a given day. Was it Dusty pulling Farns for Remlinger because he didn't want him to face the lefty or because he had thrown 20-30 pitches and he was worried about usage (Remlinger the next best option)??

 

I'd have been interested to hear Dusty's response to this situation...

 

Nothing to back this up but of all the relievers in the pen I get the sense that Farnsworth is most succeptible to wear and tear...I find myself wondering how often Farnsworth is "truly" available versus sitting in the pen with no conceivable shot at pitching in that game...this is exclusive of the obvious situations where he has pitched 2 days in a row or two out of three, etc.

This link shows the splits versus lefties for all the Cubs pitchers. The relievers with better stats versus lefties were: Veres, Farnsy, Borowski, Wellemeyer. In fact, Veres was (and has been throughout his career) sensational against lefties and horrid versus righties. Yet, Baker didn't seem to grasp that Veres should have been his "LOOGY" last year.

 

As for Farnsy not being durable in the pen, he had injury issues in 2002, but seemed quite healthy in 2003. You may be right, but I didn't pick up anything along those lines last year.