Time to blame Jim Hendry.......

[OldHappyCubFan]

While I like him as our GM, I feel he has made many errors this season.

 

1) No closer- While Dempster has done well, hes been inconsistent. You never know which Dempster you're going to get on any given day.

 

2) Bullpen- Hendry has done NOTHING to help the Bullpen. That equates to losing one run games and two run games.

 

3) Leadoff man- While we have Jerry Hairston Jr, hes NOT an everyday caliber kind of player. He plays hard, but hes just not an everyday starter. There has to be consistentcy to our lineup, and Hairston over a full year, won't put up the numbers consistently.

 

4) Starting Pitching- The Cubs continue to entrust the entire team to Wood and Prior, which is a giant mistake. These guys have had 2 injury filled seasons, when will Hendry realize these guys can't anchor a team, if they can barely pitch 3 games without a cramp, injury, or some other excuse. The Cubs can use one more quality starter in my opinion.

 

 

These changes are needed if they are to be a playoff/World Series caliber team. This whole season you've seen a Cardinal and White Sox team, with all the solid qualitys that I have listed above. They have leadoff men, solid bullpens, and a closer that has performed pretty well.

 

While I don't like Dusty Baker, I feel alot of the garbage hes had to use this season in Bullpen roles, and leadoff roles, is a direct result of Hendry's planning. Baker can't rely on any given guy in the bullpen including Dempster. He also has too many options for the starting lineup. Hendry's given him these garbage part timing players to mess around with.

[Wheelimus]

1) disagree. Up to now Dempster has been nothing but consistent in the closer role. Everyone blows one now and then, it was his turn. He was brought in to a bad situation and it blew up in his face. It happens.

 

2) well, he's done nothing transaction wise. They've done a lot of in house tinkering all year. Williamson will be back soon and that will give a shot in the arm. But they could stand to deal for 1 more arm.

 

3) they were banking on Corey Patterson working all off season to become a leadoff hitter. Didn't pay off. I'm not 100% sold on Hairston either, and he's underperformed since going full time. Right now the only real alternative i'm seeing is Juan Pierre...

 

4) disagree. We're stacked in starting pitching. Glendon Rusch hasn't done well in the bullpen but has always been quality for the Cubs as a starter. We've got Sergio Mitre. Rich Hill is close to being ready. Etc. And I don't think Prior is the problem. How on earth can you blame Mark for getting beaned with a hit ball? Wood, well, you're preaching to the choir...

[halplm]

I've stopped being a Hendry fan, but another manager could have won more with what Hendry gave him, even with the injuries.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

While I like him as our GM, I feel he has made many errors this season.

 

1) No closer- While Dempster has done well, hes been inconsistent. You never know which Dempster you're going to get on any given day.

 

2) Bullpen- Hendry has done NOTHING to help the Bullpen. That equates to losing one run games and two run games.

 

3) Leadoff man- While we have Jerry Hairston Jr, hes NOT an everyday caliber kind of player. He plays hard, but hes just not an everyday starter. There has to be consistentcy to our lineup, and Hairston over a full year, won't put up the numbers consistently.

 

4) Starting Pitching- The Cubs continue to entrust the entire team to Wood and Prior, which is a giant mistake. These guys have had 2 injury filled seasons, when will Hendry realize these guys can't anchor a team, if they can barely pitch 3 games without a cramp, injury, or some other excuse. The Cubs can use one more quality starter in my opinion.

 

 

These changes are needed if they are to be a playoff/World Series caliber team. This whole season you've seen a Cardinal and White Sox team, with all the solid qualitys that I have listed above. They have leadoff men, solid bullpens, and a closer that has performed pretty well.

 

While I don't like Dusty Baker, I feel alot of the garbage hes had to use this season in Bullpen roles, and leadoff roles, is a direct result of Hendry's planning. Baker can't rely on any given guy in the bullpen including Dempster. He also has too many options for the starting lineup. Hendry's given him these garbage part timing players to mess around with.

 

1) Dempster has been outstanding as our closer. One bad relief outing doesn't change that.

 

2) The bullpen has had struggles, but relief is one of the most fickle to project, and in the long run, it made sense to count on our glut of arms(Mitre, Leicester, Wellemeyer, Wuertz, Novoa) to fill a couple spots on the pen. Remember, this pen would look a lot better if we had the Hawkins of last year in a setup role.

 

3) Walker is a better leadoff hitter than Hairston, and right now he's probably one of the best leadoff options in the league, nevermind the team. I put it on Dusty for not trying Walker there.

 

4) Wood has injury issues, but Hendry has no choice but to build his team around the talent in the rotation. Prior is not injury-prone, most of his time missed is due to accidents that could happen to any player(line drive off the elbow, collision on the basepaths). Prior has been very good since returning.

[chicubs]

Honestly besides D-Lee, A-Ram, and T-Walk, I dont think there is a player, manager, or executive who you cant blame. My order of blame:

 

1) Dusty: Pretty obvious especially after today's game. I wouldnt trust him coaching a little league game much less a team with a 90 million dollar pay roll....Not going to go any further so to prevent a bash-dusty thread.

 

2) Injuries: Pitching injuries crippled us early on along with the HUGE Nomar injury which could have prevented a lot of our offensive collapses throughout the year. It also has resulted in doubling the number of Baker's different lineups.

 

3) Jim: Still like him, but we always needed relief help, but for some reason we stood pat and even traded away a quality reliever - The Farns. We look even worse considering our payroll.

 

4) Specific players: Corey, Kerry, Neifi (excluding hot start), Holla, Dubois (maybe not fair), Wuertz, Bartosh, and Novoa have all been absolutely horrid.

 

I agree with all your points except for Dempster. Dempster is just fine. Getting to Dempster and putting him in situations to succeed is another matter.

 

I also agree that it is time to seriously look at the future of Kerry Wood. I know almost everyone has a man-crush on the guy. But those people need to face the facts:

 

A) He is as soft as the Pacer's Johnathen Bender.

B) He is stubborn. Doesnt fix mechanics which lead to injury.

C) HE IS NOT THAT GOOD! Wild and inconsistent come to mind even when healthy. People act like hes won the Cy Young award 10 times. He hasnt even won 15 games!!!

D) He will eventually be way too expensive. Someone will overpay him when the time comes. Might as well get something for him.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I also agree that it is time to seriously look at the future of Kerry Wood. I know almost everyone has a man-crush on the guy. But those people need to face the facts:

 

A) He is as soft as the Pacer's Johnathen Bender.

B) He is stubborn. Doesnt fix mechanics which lead to injury.

C) HE IS NOT THAT GOOD! Wild and inconsistent come to mind even when healthy. People act like hes won the Cy Young award 10 times. He hasnt even won 15 games!!!

 

None of these are facts. For all we know Wood pitches through incredible pain everytime he goes out there, or he wants to leave as soon as the slightest pain. We just don't know. Similarly, changing pitching mechanics is not easy, and Wood has done it at least two times following injuries. I think that is evidence enough that he is at the very least open to new ideas. And lastly, for seemingly the hundredth time since he got hurt, WOOD IS A VERY GOOD PITCHER WHEN HEALTHY. Even in his shortened and suppposedly inconsistent year last year, he was around the 20 best starters in the game. Never mind that he's consistently been great the last three years(going by ERA+), and that argument is undeniably and absolutely false.

[chicubs]

None of these are facts. For all we know Wood pitches through incredible pain everytime he goes out there, or he wants to leave as soon as the slightest pain. We just don't know. Similarly, changing pitching mechanics is not easy, and Wood has done it at least two times following injuries. I think that is evidence enough that he is at the very least open to new ideas. And lastly, for seemingly the hundredth time since he got hurt, WOOD IS A VERY GOOD PITCHER WHEN HEALTHY. Even in his shortened and suppposedly inconsistent year last year, he was around the 20 best starters in the game. Never mind that he's consistently been great the last three years(going by ERA+), and that argument is undeniably and absolutely false.

 

Actually, they are facts. Whether his is soft or not, it is clear that the guy cannot stay healthy whatsoever.

 

Yes, Kerry did change his mechanics, the change was not affecting the part which causes him to have arm trouble....Im not going to be nice to him cause "its hard to change"...Boo hoo. Its his job.

 

Bolded one of your key words.

 

Yah, hes been a good pitcher when healthy, not great, not unbelieveable. Solid, but not a number 1 starter who everyone should cringe to have to face. The media just always hyped him and Prior as an unbeatable 1-2 punch just because Kerry has great stuff. Thrower, not a pitcher.

 

Just wait in see come 2007 and tell me if you really want him then after two more inconsistent and unhealthy years.

[OldHappyCubFan]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Bingo.

 

Kerry Wood, is NOT that good. Hes an average 3rd starter in any rotation in the majors.

 

His career numbers are BAD for pitching for 6 seasons.

[chicubs]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Bingo.

 

Kerry Wood, is NOT that good. Hes an average 3rd starter in any rotation in the majors.

 

His career numbers are BAD for pitching for 6 seasons.

 

Ok, I sense the sarcasm.

 

Just in case, you arent sarcastic. His numbers are not "BAD". Im just frustrated that everyone here seems to be totally in love with him despite the fact that we cannot trust the guy at all to produce for us. Someone said earlier anything Kerry does is a bonus? Thats ridiculous. We just shouldnt give a free pass to Kerry.

Edited July 21, 2005 by chicubs

[Chocolate Milk]

D) He will eventually be way too expensive.

 

Eventually? More like currently.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

None of these are facts. For all we know Wood pitches through incredible pain everytime he goes out there, or he wants to leave as soon as the slightest pain. We just don't know. Similarly, changing pitching mechanics is not easy, and Wood has done it at least two times following injuries. I think that is evidence enough that he is at the very least open to new ideas. And lastly, for seemingly the hundredth time since he got hurt, WOOD IS A VERY GOOD PITCHER WHEN HEALTHY. Even in his shortened and suppposedly inconsistent year last year, he was around the 20 best starters in the game. Never mind that he's consistently been great the last three years(going by ERA+), and that argument is undeniably and absolutely false.

 

Actually, they are facts. Whether his is soft or not, it is clear that the guy cannot stay healthy whatsoever.

 

Yes, Kerry did change his mechanics, the change was not affecting the part which causes him to have arm trouble....Im not going to be nice to him cause "its hard to change"...Boo hoo. Its his job.

 

Bolded one of your key words.

 

Yah, hes been a good pitcher when healthy, not great, not unbelieveable. Solid, but not a number 1 starter who everyone should cringe to have to face. The media just always hyped him and Prior as an unbeatable 1-2 punch just because Kerry has great stuff. Thrower, not a pitcher.

 

Just wait in see come 2007 and tell me if you really want him then after two more inconsistent and unhealthy years.

 

Wood has been a number 1 starter for each of the past 4 years, the numbers bear it out. There is a distinct difference between gettin hurt and being "soft". It's a ridiculous assumption to make just because I guy gets hurt that he's "soft" and can't take it. It's really aggravating that seemingly everytime a player is frustrating to watch and/or is struggling, that people think it's something wrong with them personally. Lack of performance/health does not mean the person is "stubborn", or "soft", or "doesn't listen", or "stupid", or whatever.

[LoneStarCubFan]

While I like him as our GM, I feel he has made many errors this season.

 

1) No closer- While Dempster has done well, hes been inconsistent. You never know which Dempster you're going to get on any given day.

 

 

13 saves converted out of 14 chances and he's inconsistent?

 

ummm.... Get a grip.

[chicubs]

[

 

Wood has been a number 1 starter for each of the past 4 years, the numbers bear it out. There is a distinct difference between gettin hurt and being "soft". It's a ridiculous assumption to make just because I guy gets hurt that he's "soft" and can't take it. It's really aggravating that seemingly everytime a player is frustrating to watch and/or is struggling, that people think it's something wrong with them personally. Lack of performance/health does not mean the person is "stubborn", or "soft", or "doesn't listen", or "stupid", or whatever.

 

Wood has been our number 1 starter? HAHAHAHA!! Please tell that to opposing teams.

 

Maybe Kerry's not soft, but he sure leaves a lot of games. He'shurt so often, might as well call him soft...whatever, doesnt change the fact that the "man" cant stay healthy. If he's hurt, he shouldnt be pitching cause he obviously hurts the team when he does. Everyone just assumes hes a warrior because unlike Prior, his delivery is very violent and looks very much like his is trying to throw the ball through a brick wall.

 

Why do you think hes always getting hurt? Magic? Did Harry Potter cast a freakin spell on him? No. He refuses to change the issues in his mechanics that cause his arm ailments and that is stubborn.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

[

 

Wood has been a number 1 starter for each of the past 4 years, the numbers bear it out. There is a distinct difference between gettin hurt and being "soft". It's a ridiculous assumption to make just because I guy gets hurt that he's "soft" and can't take it. It's really aggravating that seemingly everytime a player is frustrating to watch and/or is struggling, that people think it's something wrong with them personally. Lack of performance/health does not mean the person is "stubborn", or "soft", or "doesn't listen", or "stupid", or whatever.

 

Wood has been our number 1 starter? HAHAHAHA!! Please tell that to opposing teams.

 

Maybe Kerry's not soft, but he sure leaves a lot of games. He'shurt so often, might as well call him soft...whatever, doesnt change the fact that the "man" cant stay healthy. If he's hurt, he shouldnt be pitching cause he obviously hurts the team when he does. Everyone just assumes hes a warrior because unlike Prior, his delivery is very violent and looks very much like his is trying to throw the ball through a brick wall.

 

Why do you think hes always getting hurt? Magic? Did Harry Potter cast a freakin spell on him? No. He refuses to change the issues in his mechanics that cause his arm ailments and that is stubborn.

 

Wood has been A number one starter, not OUR number one starter. He's been among the top pitchers in the league for the last 4 years, look at the numbers if you like. Making judgments about his character is a ridiculous thing to do. Neifi hasn't gotten any better in his career, he hasn't made adjustments to his swing mechanics, he must be stubborn too. It's a ridiculous,unnecessary connection to attempt to make.

[OldHappyCubFan]

13 saves converted out of 14 chances and he's inconsistent?

 

ummm.... Get a grip.

 

Dempster does seem to walk alot of betters. He invites blown saves. While he ends up getting the outs, its going to come back and bite his ass sooner or later.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

13 saves converted out of 14 chances and he's inconsistent?

 

ummm.... Get a grip.

 

Dempster does seem to walk alot of betters. He invites blown saves. While he ends up getting the outs, its going to come back and bite his ass sooner or later.

 

His WHIP as a closer going into today was under 1. That's really really good, even if he does walk more people than ideal. So his great rate at preventing hits has made up for his walk rate thus far.

[YearofDaCubs]

Truth be told the way I see a #1 starter is I want to see a 3 era or below. Anything more than I think you can be considered a #2. There are not that many #1s around, those are the pitchers that should be called aces.

[imb]

So Kenny Rogers and John Patterson are number one starters?

 

I'm not saying that Wood is a number one starter. He definitely has the stuff to be one, that's for sure. But by your standard, Prior, Zambrano, Santana, Peavy, arent number one starters.

[JonnyRed]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Bingo.

 

Kerry Wood, is NOT that good. Hes an average 3rd starter in any rotation in the majors.

 

His career numbers are BAD for pitching for 6 seasons.

 

Come on....Have you seen may third starters lately? When healthy (I know that's not often enough these days) he is among the most dominant pitchers in the game. Do we forget that Woody is responsible for winning us our only playoff series in the past 90 years? How many third starters have a career batting average against of .215? Or have a stikeout title and 4 200+ strikeout seasons to their credit? Before you go off touting his low win total, remember that he typically has gotten low run support and lost 3-4 games a year because of the bullpen. I'm as frustrated with KW's injuries as the next guy, but don't go doubting his talent.

[JonnyRed]

While I like him as our GM, I feel he has made many errors this season.

 

1) No closer- While Dempster has done well, hes been inconsistent. You never know which Dempster you're going to get on any given day.

 

 

Mind telling me who you would have liked Hendry to sign? Go ahead and pick from the following categories...

 

Injured: Perceival, Benetiz

Ineffective: Kolb

Questionable at the time: Urbina

 

Hendry had a lot to choose from, didn't he?

[OldHappyCubFan]

Mind telling me who you would have liked Hendry to sign? Go ahead and pick from the following categories...

 

Injured: Perceival, Benetiz

Ineffective: Kolb

Questionable at the time: Urbina

 

Hendry had a lot to choose from, didn't he?

 

While that is correct, Hendry still didn't recognize the need of a closer. He still turned a blind eye to that position.

 

He had no idea Percieval and Benetiz would go out injured.

[chicubs]

Mind telling me who you would have liked Hendry to sign? Go ahead and pick from the following categories...

 

Injured: Perceival, Benetiz

Ineffective: Kolb

Questionable at the time: Urbina

 

Hendry had a lot to choose from, didn't he?

 

While that is correct, Hendry still didn't recognize the need of a closer. He still turned a blind eye to that position.

 

He had no idea Percieval and Benetiz would go out injured.

 

Actually, he wasnt concerned about them getting injured. He just didnt want to pay the pricetag.

[Backtobanks]

There is only one thing that I think you can blame Hendry for and that is that he has a tendency to overpay for bench players (Blanco, Macias, etc.). He had a closer coming out of spring training (Dempster), but Dusty wanted Hawkins to close. He suggested that Dubois play regularly in LF, but Dusty wanted Hollandsworth to play. He has built a minor league system that is considered to be very good. He made sure that the team had an adequate substitute in case Nomar got injured. He made sure that the team had a couple of pitchers who could start in case Wood or Prior got injured. He did addition by subtraction to rid the team of Sosa. Besides injuries, I think the biggest problem has been Baker's misuse of the players that Hendry has provided. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Patterson wasn't a leadoff hitter, that Hairston and Walker ought to bat at the top of the lineup, that Hawkins wasn't a closer, that Remlinger isn't a loogy, that Macias shouldn't be the first bat off the bench, etc. I would assume that many of you are long time Cub fans who are just as frustrated as I am, but Hendry isn't the problem. He has put together a team that, when healthy, should have challenged the Cards last year and this year. With the reserves that he has provided, this team is still in the hunt for the WC (and should have won it last year). And finally, Murton, Pie, Hill, Van Buren, Pinto, etc. give us hope for the future.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

Mind telling me who you would have liked Hendry to sign? Go ahead and pick from the following categories...

 

Injured: Perceival, Benetiz

Ineffective: Kolb

Questionable at the time: Urbina

 

Hendry had a lot to choose from, didn't he?

 

While that is correct, Hendry still didn't recognize the need of a closer. He still turned a blind eye to that position.

 

He had no idea Percieval and Benetiz would go out injured.

 

Actually, he wasnt concerned about them getting injured. He just didnt want to pay the pricetag.

Is that supposed to be an insult or complement? I know I didn't want to give any of those pitchers that much money. The fact that they got injured only justifies my belief. And to OHCF, Hendry was looking into acquiring all of them but he felt that they weren't worth the amount they got. There were rumors of us acquiring all of them during the offseason, though.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I was going to refute the four points in the original post, but others have done it as well if not better than I could.

 

I don't hold today's debacle against Dempster. That's not an easy situation to get out of. Until today, he had only blown one save.

 

The bullpen has been a sign of weakness, but had Dusty began the year using Dempster where Hendry had envisioned him, I think we might be in a much better position. Dusty's irrational loyalty to letting Hawkins close is not Hendry's fault. I think it was clear from offseason statements who Hendry felt should be the closer.