New Miles article.....

[Larry Horse]

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/cubs.asp

 

“When you don’t perform up to what you had hoped your own expectations were, we all look at all of ourselves and try to improve,” Hendry said. “I think we’ll go into spring training with a lot of intensity. The last couple of years, whether we had misfortune or not injury wise, we had found ourselves significantly behind the Cardinals by the month of May or the middle of May."

 

Unfortunately, one way they could "try to improve" would be to fire the "dude". But sadly that won't happen.

 

And also, Jim, for the love of god, SHUT UP ABOUT THE INJURIES! When you base your success on players that have a tendency to get injured, don't then bring up injuries as an excuse.

 

That injury mantra is getting very old.......

Edited October 13, 2005 by Larry Horse

[CuseCubFan69]

I may be wrong but didn't the Astros start 15-30? I would think that's a bad start.

[Larry Horse]

I may be wrong but didn't the Astros start 15-30? I would think that's a bad start.

 

Good point

[CuseCubFan69]

I may be wrong but didn't the Astros start 15-30? I would think that's a bad start.

 

Good point

 

That's what bothers me about this team...it's always something or someone elses fault. Hendry and Baker are a lot more like each other then I originally thought.

[Balsa]

I have a question for Bruce if he's reading...?

 

How many of these 'news release' articles do you have to do for every 'opinion' article? Because, unless I'm mistaken, the primary focus of this article was to inform those who didn't read the Cubs website.

[Bruce Miles]

During the season, I do one column or "opinion piece" per week. Those run on Fridays. The rest of the time, I report on the news.

Each reporter gives the essentials of the news. Each also tries to add his or her own interpretation of the events. I was the one who asked most of the questions of Hendry on the conference call yesterday. I asked the question about the fundamentals, given the fact that they hired all the coaches back. I also asked Hendry what he thought Larry's strengths are.

I'm not sure how many people read the Cubs web site. I'm not sure how many people read all four newspapers that cover the Cubs.

So each reporter has to make sure to cover all the news points (facts) while trying to put the events into some sort of context or perspective.

Back to ALCS duty at Comiskey, er, the Cell.

[mg420]

During the season, I do one column or "opinion piece" per week. Those run on Fridays. The rest of the time, I report on the news.

Each reporter gives the essentials of the news. Each also tries to add his or her own interpretation of the events. I was the one who asked most of the questions of Hendry on the conference call yesterday. I asked the question about the fundamentals, given the fact that they hired all the coaches back. I also asked Hendry what he thought Larry's strengths are.

I'm not sure how many people read the Cubs web site. I'm not sure how many people read all four newspapers that cover the Cubs.

So each reporter has to make sure to cover all the news points (facts) while trying to put the events into some sort of context or perspective.

Back to ALCS duty at Comiskey, er, the Cell.

 

it will always be comiskey to me. the cell sounds like a bad j-lo movie 2 me.

Edited October 13, 2005 by mg420

[CubsWin]

I may be wrong but didn't the Astros start 15-30? I would think that's a bad start.

 

Good point

 

That's what bothers me about this team...it's always something or someone elses fault. Hendry and Baker are a lot more like each other then I originally thought.

I think, to a certain extent, Baker has negatively affected the Cubs performance and Hendry's gambles not paying off certainly did as well. But it seems to me that there is a randomness to baseball, a certain amount of the outcome of games just isn't controllable. It helps to have a 200 million dollar payroll, or have a roster of great OBP guys, or have the best scouts in the business, but those are the controllable parts.

 

Is everything somebody's fault in baseball?

[Diffusion]

“The last couple of years, whether we had misfortune or not injury wise, we had found ourselves significantly behind the Cardinals by the month of May or the middle of May."

 

How on earth can you insinuate that this phrase involves Hendry shifting the blame to someone else? What he says is that, regardless of whether of not they've suffered an undue number of injuries, which I personally find to be true, the job that the Cubs (of which Hendry is part) have done has not been good enough, and that's also true, and pretty honest and frank of Hendry as well. Unless you think that Hendry regards being significantly because the Cardinals by the month of May good enough.

 

Jeez. The guy goes as far as any GM can towards saying "the job that I have done, the job that we have done has not been good enough", and people here criticise him for trying to shift the blame onto others?

 

Your grievance seems to be that he says "whether we had misfortune or not injury wise", that he even brings up the topic of injuries at all. I personally fail to see how any honest assessment of the last two years for the Cubs can neglect to mention the injuries that this ballclub has suffered which go well beyond what could reasonably be expected, even taking into account that Hendry is not afraid to gamble on players with a history of injury (which isn't actually a weakness in itself: rather the weakness is that Hendry doesn't insure himself against possible further injuries sufficiently). And there's nothing that Hendry is that isn't honest. How many other GMs do you see at this stage of the season saying "we haven't lived up to our own expectations, our performances have been unacceptable, and we have to improve", quite clearly including himself in all that?

[CubsWin]

“The last couple of years, whether we had misfortune or not injury wise, we had found ourselves significantly behind the Cardinals by the month of May or the middle of May."

 

How on earth can you insinuate that this phrase involves Hendry shifting the blame to someone else? What he says is that, regardless of whether of not they've suffered an undue number of injuries, which I personally find to be true, the job that the Cubs (of which Hendry is part) have done has not been good enough, and that's also true, and pretty honest and frank of Hendry as well. Unless you think that Hendry regards being significantly because the Cardinals by the month of May good enough.

 

Jeez. The guy goes as far as any GM can towards saying "the job that I have done, the job that we have done has not been good enough", and people here criticise him for trying to shift the blame onto others?

 

Your grievance seems to be that he says "whether we had misfortune or not injury wise", that he even brings up the topic of injuries at all. I personally fail to see how any honest assessment of the last two years for the Cubs can neglect to mention the injuries that this ballclub has suffered which go well beyond what could reasonably be expected, even taking into account that Hendry is not afraid to gamble on players with a history of injury (which isn't actually a weakness in itself: rather the weakness is that Hendry doesn't insure himself against possible further injuries sufficiently). And there's nothing that Hendry is that isn't honest. How many other GMs do you see at this stage of the season saying "we haven't lived up to our own expectations, our performances have been unacceptable, and we have to improve", quite clearly including himself in all that?

Well put, diffusion. Clearly, I agree with you. If you simply take time to read his quote and understand it, you can't possibly come to the conclusion that he is shifting blame. In cannot be denied that what he is saying is regardless of injuries, I haven't been good enough.

[frostwyrm]

The media is too soft on Hendry when he blames pitchers' health problems on bad luck. I wish a reporter would ask Hendry about the huge pitch counts compiled by Wood and Prior in 2003 and how it affected their longterm health and the team's chances to win in 2004 and 2005. Nobody in the media ever mentions that Prior and Wood were 1 and 2 in the majors in pitches per start in 2003 and that they were rode especially hard down the stretch. Hendry is acountable for that because he hired a brain-dead manager who was known to ignore high pitch counts to handle a young staff.

[Larry Horse]

Hendry might also want to try and remember, before bringing up the injuries again, that the Cubs were healthy the last month of the season in 04 when the wildcard was choked away.

[TheDude]

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/cubs.asp

 

“When you don’t perform up to what you had hoped your own expectations were, we all look at all of ourselves and try to improve,” Hendry said. “I think we’ll go into spring training with a lot of intensity. The last couple of years, whether we had misfortune or not injury wise, we had found ourselves significantly behind the Cardinals by the month of May or the middle of May."

 

Unfortunately, one way they could "try to improve" would be to fire the "dude". But sadly that won't happen.

 

And also, Jim, for the love of god, SHUT UP ABOUT THE INJURIES! When you base your success on players that have a tendency to get injured, don't then bring up injuries as an excuse.

 

That injury mantra is getting very old.......

After reading his quote again, it's pretty clear Hendry isn't using an injury mantra. He is basically saying injuries are not an excuse.

 

So you're slamming him for something he didn't say.

[Larry Horse]

After rereading the quote, I was wrong about his statement.

 

But then again, why even mention injuries?

Edited October 13, 2005 by Larry Horse

[CubinNY]

But then again, why even mention injuries?

 

Exactly. And Diffusion, every GM whose team is not currently playing baseball would say exactly what Hendry has said. I give him no extra credit for being somewhat honest.

 

What I would like to here is:

 

"You know after a long time in this game I've come to the conclusion that I need to re-think some commonly held assumptions by Dusty, Gary, and myself. We need this organization, from instructional league to major league, to focus on the fundamentals,protecting outs, and becoming more patient at the plate. Our scouting department needs to begin to value production over tools. We need to draft better and then to do a better job of devloping players in our system. This includes looking to Latin America and the Pacific Rim. As a first step I've hired Leon Lee to be our director of scouting for the Pacific Rim. Finally, our pitching coaches need to focus on mechanics and throwing strikes.

 

We will begin working on these things today. Next year there will be no excuse for the lack of fundamental play exhibited by our ball club."

[TheDude]

But then again, why even mention injuries?

 

Exactly. And Diffusion, every GM whose team is not currently playing baseball would say exactly what Hendry has said. I give him no extra credit for being somewhat honest.

 

What I would like to here is:

 

"You know after a long time in this game I've come to the conclusion that I need to re-think some commonly held assumptions by Dusty, Gary, and myself. We need this organization, from instructional league to major league, to focus on the fundamentals,protecting outs, and becoming more patient at the plate. Our scouting department needs to begin to value production over tools. We need to draft better and then to do a better job of devloping players in our system. This includes looking to Latin America and the Pacific Rim. As a first step I've hired Leon Lee to be our director of scouting for the Pacific Rim. Finally, our pitching coaches need to focus on mechanics and throwing strikes.

 

We will begin working on these things today. Next year there will be no excuse for the lack of fundamental play exhibited by our ball club."

Your monologue for what Hendry should say is a completely different concept. Hendry was referring to expectations specific to the 2004 and 2005 seasons (or at least recent years). You are referring to an organizational overhaul. It apples and oranges.

[CubinNY]

Your monologue for what Hendry should say is a completely different concept. Hendry was referring to expectations specific to the 2004 and 2005 seasons (or at least recent years). You are referring to an organizational overhaul. It apples and oranges.

 

Whatever. What this organization needs is an overhaul. 03 is long gone and was a fluke in the first place.

 

Regarless this says you are wrong

 

“I think we’ll go into spring training with a lot of intensity.

[LoneStarCubFan]

The media is too soft on Hendry when he blames pitchers' health problems on bad luck. I wish a reporter would ask Hendry about the huge pitch counts compiled by Wood and Prior in 2003 and how it affected their longterm health and the team's chances to win in 2004 and 2005. Nobody in the media ever mentions that Prior and Wood were 1 and 2 in the majors in pitches per start in 2003 and that they were rode especially hard down the stretch. Hendry is acountable for that because he hired a brain-dead manager who was known to ignore high pitch counts to handle a young staff.

 

I'm definitely not a Dusty supporter and I completely agree that he has absolutely no clue how to manage a pitching staff but I have to disagree with the abuse he takes over the way Prior and Wood were used in 2003.

 

As the season unfolded, the Cubs had a legitimate shot at winning the division and playing deep into October in '03. The only way they were going to do that was by riding Wood and Prior as far as they would take them.

 

The MLB playoffs are the toughest to qualify for in professional sports, you have to suriving the longest grind of a regular season just to get there and you aren't guaranteed sucess from year to year. When you have a shot you have to do everything possible to get there because you don't know when that chance will come again.

 

If Baker had put those two on pitch counts and pulled them from games that the Cubs wound up losing and it kept them out of the playoffs, Baker would have been crucified for it in Chicago. "95 years without a World Series and he wants to play it safe?" would have been the cry. Other than keeping Prior in the game against the Braves when he ran into Giles, I can't get worked up over their usage that year. There's plenty of other stuff to hammer Dusty about.

 

Like moving Wood to the bullpen this year instead of shutting him down immediately, which was completely ridiculous.

[goonys evil twin]

The media is too soft on Hendry when he blames pitchers' health problems on bad luck. I wish a reporter would ask Hendry about the huge pitch counts compiled by Wood and Prior in 2003 and how it affected their longterm health and the team's chances to win in 2004 and 2005. Nobody in the media ever mentions that Prior and Wood were 1 and 2 in the majors in pitches per start in 2003 and that they were rode especially hard down the stretch. Hendry is acountable for that because he hired a brain-dead manager who was known to ignore high pitch counts to handle a young staff.

 

I'm definitely not a Dusty supporter and I completely agree that he has absolutely no clue how to manage a pitching staff but I have to disagree with the abuse he takes over the way Prior and Wood were used in 2003.

 

As the season unfolded, the Cubs had a legitimate shot at winning the division and playing deep into October in '03. The only way they were going to do that was by riding Wood and Prior as far as they would take them.

 

The MLB playoffs are the toughest to qualify for in professional sports, you have to suriving the longest grind of a regular season just to get there and you aren't guaranteed sucess from year to year. When you have a shot you have to do everything possible to get there because you don't know when that chance will come again.

 

If Baker had put those two on pitch counts and pulled them from games that the Cubs wound up losing and it kept them out of the playoffs, Baker would have been crucified for it in Chicago. "95 years without a World Series and he wants to play it safe?" would have been the cry. Other than keeping Prior in the game against the Braves when he ran into Giles, I can't get worked up over their usage that year. There's plenty of other stuff to hammer Dusty about.

 

Like moving Wood to the bullpen this year instead of shutting him down immediately, which was completely ridiculous.

 

You're talking about two opposite extremes. It wasn't a matter of putting them on pitch counts. We weren't asking him to pull them after 100 pitches no matter the situation. The problem was 130 pitch outings in extreme heat and humidity. Or keeping the guys in to throw 120 pitches with an 8 run lead. This stuff was repeated over and over. Starters aren't as effective when they are gassed, and these guys clearly got gassed with the high counts, and those extreme outings were followed by lesser outings. A smart manager would find a way to pull the guys in a reasonable fashion. Riding your horses into the ground is never smart, especially when they are young. If you want to run Maddux up to 130 some game, go right ahead, he's got no future. Wood, Prior and Zambrano, however, were supposed to anchor the staff for years, not just that inning when you pushed them above and beyond.

[YearofDaCubs]

The media is too soft on Hendry when he blames pitchers' health problems on bad luck. I wish a reporter would ask Hendry about the huge pitch counts compiled by Wood and Prior in 2003 and how it affected their longterm health and the team's chances to win in 2004 and 2005. Nobody in the media ever mentions that Prior and Wood were 1 and 2 in the majors in pitches per start in 2003 and that they were rode especially hard down the stretch. Hendry is acountable for that because he hired a brain-dead manager who was known to ignore high pitch counts to handle a young staff.

I didnt want to believe that Wood and Prior were getting injured more frequently because of 2003, but there is no denying that both of them haven't been the same since that year. Be it because of injury or possibly overacheiving they have not been the same and have been injured every year since then.

[Diffusion]

Every GM whose team is not currently playing baseball would say exactly what Hendry has said. I give him no extra credit for being somewhat honest.

 

1) Find me some similar quotes from other GMs, because I don't find what you're saying about other GMs taking it on the chin themselves to be true.

 

2) The guy's honest not just when the Cubs aren't playing baseball, but all the time. He's as straight as they come. And he's respected for that across baseball.

 

What I would like to hear is:

 

"You know after a long time in this game I've come to the conclusion that I need to re-think some commonly held assumptions by Dusty, Gary, and myself. We need this organization, from instructional league to major league, to focus on the fundamentals,protecting outs, and becoming more patient at the plate. Our scouting department needs to begin to value production over tools. We need to draft better and then to do a better job of devloping players in our system. This includes looking to Latin America and the Pacific Rim. As a first step I've hired Leon Lee to be our director of scouting for the Pacific Rim. Finally, our pitching coaches need to focus on mechanics and throwing strikes.

 

We will begin working on these things today. Next year there will be no excuse for the lack of fundamental play exhibited by our ball club."

 

Not only will that never be said, but it never should be said, and I thoroughly commend Hendry further for not having said all that stuff. Good luck getting any kind of positive response out of people after you've publicly sacrified them as scapegoats while, at least seemingly, saving your own skin. Whether or not all those things are true or not is an absolute irrelevance. There you're ripping to shreds the job that everyone else has done, telling them they have to improve, while completely ignoring the job that you yourself have done. And again, whether the GM's done a good job or not is absolutely irrelevant. If he's done a bad job, he's hanging others out to dry for his own failings, not the surest way of inciting respect. And if he's done a good job, you just end up looking like you're full of yourself. It's simply best to tip-toe around the issue publicly, and deal with things privately instead.

[TheDude]

Your monologue for what Hendry should say is a completely different concept. Hendry was referring to expectations specific to the 2004 and 2005 seasons (or at least recent years). You are referring to an organizational overhaul. It apples and oranges.

 

Whatever. What this organization needs is an overhaul. 03 is long gone and was a fluke in the first place.

 

Hostile much?

 

Whether you think the organization needs an overhaul or not has no relevence to slamming Hendry for his comments regarding the teams past performance.

 

Regarless this says you are wrong

“I think we’ll go into spring training with a lot of intensity.

 

Come on. That's GM rhetoric. You have to do better than that.

 

[edited to fix quoting problem]

[CubinNY]

 

What I would like to hear is:

 

"You know after a long time in this game I've come to the conclusion that I need to re-think some commonly held assumptions by Dusty, Gary, and myself. We need this organization, from instructional league to major league, to focus on the fundamentals,protecting outs, and becoming more patient at the plate. Our scouting department needs to begin to value production over tools. We need to draft better and then to do a better job of devloping players in our system. This includes looking to Latin America and the Pacific Rim. As a first step I've hired Leon Lee to be our director of scouting for the Pacific Rim. Finally, our pitching coaches need to focus on mechanics and throwing strikes.

 

We will begin working on these things today. Next year there will be no excuse for the lack of fundamental play exhibited by our ball club."

 

Last time I checked we included me. Look, if anyone thinks things are just peachy keen on Addison and Clarke they are deluding themselves. Hendry has done a piss poor job this past year handling resources as determined by turning the rescources into talent. Because of that the Cubs performance was medicore at best as determined by wins.

 

Sometimes people need a kick in the ass. There is no crying in baseball.

Edited October 14, 2005 by CubinNY

[CubinNY]

Come on. That's GM rhetoric. You have to do better than that.

 

I for one am hoping Hendry has more than rhetoric to fall back on next year.

[Connor McConnor]

But it seems to me that there is a randomness to baseball, a certain amount of the outcome of games just isn't controllable. It helps to have a 200 million dollar payroll, or have a roster of great OBP guys, or have the best scouts in the business, but those are the controllable parts.

 

Is everything somebody's fault in baseball?

 

Bravo! Baseball is unpredictable......thats what makes it exciting. Its also why middle of the road payroll teams like the White Sox and Marlins can (and do) make it to the post season and perhaps go all the way.

 

All the hand ringing over certain games, managers, pitches, plays.....may be inevitable due to the engrossing nature of the sport (if you are into it)....but a lot of what happens is chance.

 

By the way.....this is what is so frsustrating about the Cubs. You would think they would have made it to the Series BY ACCIDENT by now.