Hey Bruce...do you have time for a few questions?

[CubfaninCA]

If you have a problem with it stop reading the posts then. It is blatantly obvious that Hendry indeed is a moron after he signs Neifi to a 2 year 5 mil contract. What do you want us to do hold hands and jump for joy? Always look the other way when a GM single-handely is imploding the organization? Maybe Hendry can read these posts and finally realize the idiotic moves he has been making.

No, its not blatantly obvious that Hendry is a moron. No it is not a fact that Hendry is single-handedly imploding the organization. There is far more evidence to support that Hendry is not a moron and has improved this ball club than there is evidence to support the contrary.

 

How soon you all forget. I'll let Bruce Miles take over now...

 

Some of Hendry’s best moves have come during off-season

By Bruce Miles

Daily Herald Sports Writer

Posted Tuesday, November 08, 2005

 

The bad news for Cubs fans is that general manager Jim Hendry faces his most challenging off-season to date.

 

The good news is that Hendry has done some of his best work in the fall and winter.

 

Here are Hendry’s top five off-season transactions since he became the Cubs’ GM in 2002:

 

1. 1B Hee Seop Choi and minor-league pitcher Michael Nannini to the Florida Marlins for 1B Derrek Lee, Nov. 25, 2003: A few holdout Cubs fans talk wistfully of Choi’s potential, but Lee has blossomed into the superstar the Cubs hoped he would become. The 30-year-old Lee enjoyed an MVP-caliber season this year, winning the National League batting title (.335) to go along with 46 home runs and 107 RBI. The Marlins traded Choi to the Dodgers, and he couldn’t crack their lineup.

 

2. C Todd Hundley and OF Chad Hermansen to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2B Mark Grudzielanek and 1B Eric Karros, Dec. 4, 2002: Hundley’s career came off the tracks with the Cubs, and he looked untradeable with two years left on a big contract. Somehow, Hendry convinced the Dodgers to take him. The Cubs took on a couple of big contracts with Grudzielanek and Karros, but both helped them win the NL Central in 2003. Grudzielanek had another good season with the Cardinals this year.

 

3. C Damian Miller to the Oakland Athletics for C Michael Barrett, Dec. 16, 2003: Miller was actually a “player to be named later” in this deal.

 

Hendry got the catcher he had sought for some time in Barrett, who has turned out to be the top offensive backstlop in the NL. Barrett is still a work in progress behind the plate.

 

4. RHP Ryan Dempster, signed as a free agent, Jan. 22, 2004: The Cubs took a chance that Dempster would rebound from reconstructive elbow surgery. Dempster did so late in ’04 and then saved 33 games in 35 chances this year as the Cubs’ closer.

 

5. C Henry Blanco signed as a free agent, Dec. 8, 2004: Few people thought much of the signing at the time, but Blanco became a force behind the plate for the Cubs this year, with pitchers loving the way he worked. He batted .242 with 6 homers and 25 RBI.

 

Honorable mention: RF Sammy Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles for IF-OF Jerry Hairston Jr., IF Mike Fontenot and RHP Dave Crouthers, Feb. 2, 2005: This was classic addition by subtraction, as the Cubs couldn’t live with Sosa any longer. Sosa’s career was on the slide with the Cubs, and he may have hit bottom in Baltimore.

How does a moron or a complete idiot or any of the other names he has been called do all of that in just a couple of years?

 

Pull your heads out of your butts people and see both sides. Is he perfect? No. Is he a moron? No. Does he have differing views on baseball than some of us? Clearly. Does that mean that he is wrong and we are right? No.

 

You are free to over-react and vent all you want on these pages. But it does get old. Especially when there is evidence presented to you that counters many of the over-reactions. That evidence often gets ignored and the bashing continues. There are more sides to be seen and understood than just your own.

 

Good post. I guess Bruce Miles is a moron for suggesting that Hendry's competent?? Some people are forgetting how little Hendry inherited when he took over as GM. How many guys who started the the 2003 season do we want back now?? Choi? Grudz? AGonz? Lenny Harris? Alou? Patterson? Sosa? Miller?? It's ridiculous to expect Hendry to have 8 great replacements after 2 years. Lee, Walker, Nomar, ARam & Barrett's was a good start. They just need a little more restructing now.

[CubfaninCA]

After reading this entire thread, I find it hard to fathom why Jim Hendry would waste his time coming on here to discuss anything. The number of times he's called an idiot, moron, etc is mind boogling. How many actually buy tickets? How many experts do we have here that insult people in baseball and think they know so much more, actually understand there is more to a business than selective numbers?

Yep, I'd pay to see

Bobby Hill 2b

Hee Flop Choi 1B

Brendan Harris 3B

Cedeno SS

DuBois LF

Bradley CF

Murton RF

Miller C

Kelton bench

Grieve bench

 

Jeminez bench/starter

 

 

It goes on and on....

 

Every time some is released, we have threads on picking them up, it is immature and tiresome IMO.

If someone is offended, I'm sorry. But it isn't fantasy baseball, as DoPo found out. If I get banned for this, well that's the breaks. It should be a free exchange, not a group think board. If you expect mature people to frequent the board, then you should not demand they be fired, call them idiots and morons and act like you could do so much better. If you can, please explain why you aren't working in baseball.

If you have a problem with it stop reading the posts then. It is blatantly obvious that Hendry indeed is a moron after he signs Neifi to a 2 year 5 mil contract. What do you want us to do hold hands and jump for joy? Always look the other way when a GM single-handely is imploding the organization? Maybe Hendry can read these posts and finally realize the idiotic moves he has been making.

 

Why the heck would Jim Hendry spend any time on this board after all the incessant bashing??

[Outshined_One]

The Cubs Convention is going to be a madhouse at this rate, especially when they open up the floor to fan questions for Dusty, Hendry, and company. They put themselves willingly through those things, needless to say.

 

Also, if Hendry doesn't have the spine to handle criticism from a large group of people who are not insiders in the baseball world, boohoo. If that were the case, he wouldn't listen to us anyways unless we kissed up to him.

 

Then again, given the fact that Hendry has not won any new Cubs fans with the Rusch and Neifi deals, maybe he wouldn't even listen to us to begin with.

[UMFan83]

The Cubs Convention is going to be a madhouse at this rate, especially when they open up the floor to fan questions for Dusty, Hendry, and company. They put themselves willingly through those things, needless to say.

 

Also, if Hendry doesn't have the spine to handle criticism from a large group of people who are not insiders in the baseball world, boohoo. If that were the case, he wouldn't listen to us anyways unless we kissed up to him.

 

Then again, given the fact that Hendry has not won any new Cubs fans with the Rusch and Neifi deals, maybe he wouldn't even listen to us to begin with.

 

Yeah right. I'd say the questions are pre-arranged, but I know people who have asked before. I guess the question askers are just scared to speak out.

 

Can you imagine:

 

"How do you justify overpaying the market value (cite example of a player comperable or better to Neifi getting signed this offseason for similar role for much less) for a player who is below average at best and a player you know your questionable manager will end up starting over your up and coming player just because he was alive for Jimmy Carter's presidency?

[CubsWin]

The Cubs Convention is going to be a madhouse at this rate, especially when they open up the floor to fan questions for Dusty, Hendry, and company. They put themselves willingly through those things, needless to say.

 

Also, if Hendry doesn't have the spine to handle criticism from a large group of people who are not insiders in the baseball world, boohoo. If that were the case, he wouldn't listen to us anyways unless we kissed up to him.

 

Then again, given the fact that Hendry has not won any new Cubs fans with the Rusch and Neifi deals, maybe he wouldn't even listen to us to begin with.

 

Yeah right. I'd say the questions are pre-arranged, but I know people who have asked before. I guess the question askers are just scared to speak out.

 

Can you imagine:

 

"How do you justify overpaying the market value (cite example of a player comperable or better to Neifi getting signed this offseason for similar role for much less) for a player who is below average at best and a player you know your questionable manager will end up starting over your up and coming player just because he was alive for Jimmy Carter's presidency?

I say why not? If that is how you really feel, why not ask the question? If you think those things are the truth and have the means to justify them, then it would be as good of a question as any other, wouldn't it?

[Balsa]

The Cubs Convention is going to be a madhouse at this rate, especially when they open up the floor to fan questions for Dusty, Hendry, and company. They put themselves willingly through those things, needless to say.

 

Also, if Hendry doesn't have the spine to handle criticism from a large group of people who are not insiders in the baseball world, boohoo. If that were the case, he wouldn't listen to us anyways unless we kissed up to him.

 

Then again, given the fact that Hendry has not won any new Cubs fans with the Rusch and Neifi deals, maybe he wouldn't even listen to us to begin with.

 

Yeah right. I'd say the questions are pre-arranged, but I know people who have asked before. I guess the question askers are just scared to speak out.

 

Can you imagine:

 

"How do you justify overpaying the market value (cite example of a player comperable or better to Neifi getting signed this offseason for similar role for much less) for a player who is below average at best and a player you know your questionable manager will end up starting over your up and coming player just because he was alive for Jimmy Carter's presidency?

 

You really don't know? Because for all this foaming at the mouth the people do here, it's a lot harder to actually speak up to the person in real life than bash him mercilessly on an internet board.

[CubsWin]

The Cubs Convention is going to be a madhouse at this rate, especially when they open up the floor to fan questions for Dusty, Hendry, and company. They put themselves willingly through those things, needless to say.

 

Also, if Hendry doesn't have the spine to handle criticism from a large group of people who are not insiders in the baseball world, boohoo. If that were the case, he wouldn't listen to us anyways unless we kissed up to him.

 

Then again, given the fact that Hendry has not won any new Cubs fans with the Rusch and Neifi deals, maybe he wouldn't even listen to us to begin with.

 

Yeah right. I'd say the questions are pre-arranged, but I know people who have asked before. I guess the question askers are just scared to speak out.

 

Can you imagine:

 

"How do you justify overpaying the market value (cite example of a player comperable or better to Neifi getting signed this offseason for similar role for much less) for a player who is below average at best and a player you know your questionable manager will end up starting over your up and coming player just because he was alive for Jimmy Carter's presidency?

 

You really don't know? Because for all this foaming at the mouth the people do here, it's a lot harder to actually speak up to the person in real life than bash him mercilessly on an internet board.

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, I'm just trying to understand exactly what you mean.

 

Are you saying that the fans on this site who criticize players and management by calling them names don't really mean what they say?

[Balsa]

No, I think that when push came to shove, they wouldn't have enough conviction to say it away from the kneejerk groupthink that this board can sometimes become.

[WrigleyinEngland]

I would more than happily air my views to Hendry and Dustbag. Unfortunately i live over here in england so i cant get to see them, but they are more than welcome to my home phone number if they'd like a 'chat'!!!.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

No, I think that when push came to shove, they wouldn't have enough conviction to say it away from the kneejerk groupthink that this board can sometimes become.

 

OOOHHH...I love it when people use the word "groupthink"!

 

It's so obvious we all just get together and come up with mindless "groupthink."

 

Oooh yeah!

[Wheelimus]

No, I think that when push came to shove, they wouldn't have enough conviction to say it away from the kneejerk groupthink that this board can sometimes become.

 

OOOHHH...I love it when people use the word "groupthink"!

 

It's so obvious we all just get together and come up with mindless "groupthink."

 

Oooh yeah!

 

Better "group think" then "group not think"...which anyone who is happy with Neifi Perez for 2 years at 5 mil guaranteed probably would prefer :lol:

[CubinNY]

I really do have to wonder why Hendry gave him so much and for two years. That is a question I'd like to see the sportswriters ask. It seems like an aweful high amount for a roster filler.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I really do have to wonder why Hendry gave him so much and for two years. That is a question I'd like to see the sportswriters ask. It seems like an aweful high amount for a roster filler.

 

I agree. I can understand that Hendry might see a value in Neifi Perez, I just don't see the need to pay him 2.5 per when there weren't other bidders for his services.

[Wheelimus]

And someone PLEASE put Mike Fontenot on suicide watch...

 

2nd year at AAA, and he puts up .272/.377/.430/.807

 

Does ANYONE doubt that he would be more useful than Neifi Perez in a utility role?

[RockTheIvy]

I think there is absolutely no way that this contract can be justified. 5 mil for a bench player over 2 years is ridiculous, especially when there are so many other holes to fill.

 

That being said if Dusty somehow changes his use of Neifi!, and puts him in as a defensive sub in the late innings of close games, I really don't have a problem. This is what the Red Sox did with Pokey Reese, who they signed for a million dollar, 1 year contract. Neifi! has value as a defensive sub, and should be used in that capacity.

 

Hopefully we will only see 150 ABs from Neifi! a year, even if they are some pretty expensive abs.

[CUBZ99]

And someone PLEASE put Mike Fontenot on suicide watch...

 

2nd year at AAA, and he puts up .272/.377/.430/.807

 

Does ANYONE doubt that he would be more useful than Neifi Perez in a utility role?

 

But can he catch the ball??

[USSoccer]

So I don't get it. Are the people that are backing up Hendry supporting this signing, or using the reaction to the signing as an opportunity to bash posters and trot out phrases like "groupthink"?

[Balsa]

No, I think that when push came to shove, they wouldn't have enough conviction to say it away from the kneejerk groupthink that this board can sometimes become.

 

OOOHHH...I love it when people use the word "groupthink"!

 

It's so obvious we all just get together and come up with mindless "groupthink."

 

Oooh yeah!

 

Hey, gimme some credit here. I almost got my nuts ripped off by this board after I suggested that we should trade CPatt over Burnitz early last year. Look how that turned out.

 

Sometimes this board gets a little hive-minded sometimes is all I'm saying.

 

I don't think it was a good signing, but I'm not calling the season yet either.

[RockTheIvy]

No, I think that when push came to shove, they wouldn't have enough conviction to say it away from the kneejerk groupthink that this board can sometimes become.

 

OOOHHH...I love it when people use the word "groupthink"!

 

It's so obvious we all just get together and come up with mindless "groupthink."

 

Oooh yeah!

 

Hey, gimme some credit here. I almost got my nuts ripped off by this board after I suggested that we should trade CPatt over Burnitz early last year. Look how that turned out.

 

Sometimes this board gets a little hive-minded sometimes is all I'm saying.

 

I don't think it was a good signing, but I'm not calling the season yet either.

 

In fairness, I think you are right.

[nick23]

I think there is absolutely no way that this contract can be justified. 5 mil for a bench player over 2 years is ridiculous, especially when there are so many other holes to fill.

 

That being said if Dusty somehow changes his use of Neifi!, and puts him in as a defensive sub in the late innings of close games, I really don't have a problem. This is what the Red Sox did with Pokey Reese, who they signed for a million dollar, 1 year contract. Neifi! has value as a defensive sub, and should be used in that capacity.

 

Hopefully we will only see 150 ABs from Neifi! a year, even if they are some pretty expensive abs.

But if we sign Furcal, you're not going to sub for him late in games. And if we have Cedeno playing second, I'm not sure if Neifi is better defensively than him. It's just so frustrating.

[RockTheIvy]

I think there is absolutely no way that this contract can be justified. 5 mil for a bench player over 2 years is ridiculous, especially when there are so many other holes to fill.

 

That being said if Dusty somehow changes his use of Neifi!, and puts him in as a defensive sub in the late innings of close games, I really don't have a problem. This is what the Red Sox did with Pokey Reese, who they signed for a million dollar, 1 year contract. Neifi! has value as a defensive sub, and should be used in that capacity.

 

Hopefully we will only see 150 ABs from Neifi! a year, even if they are some pretty expensive abs.

But if we sign Furcal, you're not going to sub for him late in games. And if we have Cedeno playing second, I'm not sure if Neifi is better defensively than him. It's just so frustrating.

 

I'm not sure they, the Chubbs management, don't think that Neifi! is better at 2B...which means you are probably right

[TheDude]

I really do have to wonder why Hendry gave him so much and for two years. That is a question I'd like to see the sportswriters ask. It seems like an aweful high amount for a roster filler.

 

I agree. I can understand that Hendry might see a value in Neifi Perez, I just don't see the need to pay him 2.5 per when there weren't other bidders for his services.

 

There is no justification. He is overpaid. But it should be noted that he did not get a raise - in 2005 his base salary was 1 million and he earned 1.5 million in incentives that kicked-in.

[YearofDaCubs]

If you have a problem with it stop reading the posts then. It is blatantly obvious that Hendry indeed is a moron after he signs Neifi to a 2 year 5 mil contract. What do you want us to do hold hands and jump for joy? Always look the other way when a GM single-handely is imploding the organization? Maybe Hendry can read these posts and finally realize the idiotic moves he has been making.

No, its not blatantly obvious that Hendry is a moron. No it is not a fact that Hendry is single-handedly imploding the organization. There is far more evidence to support that Hendry is not a moron and has improved this ball club than there is evidence to support the contrary.

 

How soon you all forget. I'll let Bruce Miles take over now...

 

Some of Hendry’s best moves have come during off-season

By Bruce Miles

Daily Herald Sports Writer

Posted Tuesday, November 08, 2005

 

The bad news for Cubs fans is that general manager Jim Hendry faces his most challenging off-season to date.

 

The good news is that Hendry has done some of his best work in the fall and winter.

 

Here are Hendry’s top five off-season transactions since he became the Cubs’ GM in 2002:

 

1. 1B Hee Seop Choi and minor-league pitcher Michael Nannini to the Florida Marlins for 1B Derrek Lee, Nov. 25, 2003: A few holdout Cubs fans talk wistfully of Choi’s potential, but Lee has blossomed into the superstar the Cubs hoped he would become. The 30-year-old Lee enjoyed an MVP-caliber season this year, winning the National League batting title (.335) to go along with 46 home runs and 107 RBI. The Marlins traded Choi to the Dodgers, and he couldn’t crack their lineup.

 

2. C Todd Hundley and OF Chad Hermansen to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2B Mark Grudzielanek and 1B Eric Karros, Dec. 4, 2002: Hundley’s career came off the tracks with the Cubs, and he looked untradeable with two years left on a big contract. Somehow, Hendry convinced the Dodgers to take him. The Cubs took on a couple of big contracts with Grudzielanek and Karros, but both helped them win the NL Central in 2003. Grudzielanek had another good season with the Cardinals this year.

 

3. C Damian Miller to the Oakland Athletics for C Michael Barrett, Dec. 16, 2003: Miller was actually a “player to be named later” in this deal.

 

Hendry got the catcher he had sought for some time in Barrett, who has turned out to be the top offensive backstlop in the NL. Barrett is still a work in progress behind the plate.

 

4. RHP Ryan Dempster, signed as a free agent, Jan. 22, 2004: The Cubs took a chance that Dempster would rebound from reconstructive elbow surgery. Dempster did so late in ’04 and then saved 33 games in 35 chances this year as the Cubs’ closer.

 

5. C Henry Blanco signed as a free agent, Dec. 8, 2004: Few people thought much of the signing at the time, but Blanco became a force behind the plate for the Cubs this year, with pitchers loving the way he worked. He batted .242 with 6 homers and 25 RBI.

 

Honorable mention: RF Sammy Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles for IF-OF Jerry Hairston Jr., IF Mike Fontenot and RHP Dave Crouthers, Feb. 2, 2005: This was classic addition by subtraction, as the Cubs couldn’t live with Sosa any longer. Sosa’s career was on the slide with the Cubs, and he may have hit bottom in Baltimore.

How does a moron or a complete idiot or any of the other names he has been called do all of that in just a couple of years?

 

Pull your heads out of your butts people and see both sides. Is he perfect? No. Is he a moron? No. Does he have differing views on baseball than some of us? Clearly. Does that mean that he is wrong and we are right? No.

 

You are free to over-react and vent all you want on these pages. But it does get old. Especially when there is evidence presented to you that counters many of the over-reactions. That evidence often gets ignored and the bashing continues. There are more sides to be seen and understood than just your own.

From what I have seen from last offseason and this one yes he is a moron. Maybe you should get your head out of your butt. I guess 4th place in the division with a 100mil payroll is good enough for you. Well it isn't for me. So far this offseason has been a HUGE dissapointment.

[RynoRules]

If you have a problem with it stop reading the posts then. It is blatantly obvious that Hendry indeed is a moron after he signs Neifi to a 2 year 5 mil contract. What do you want us to do hold hands and jump for joy? Always look the other way when a GM single-handely is imploding the organization? Maybe Hendry can read these posts and finally realize the idiotic moves he has been making.

No, its not blatantly obvious that Hendry is a moron. No it is not a fact that Hendry is single-handedly imploding the organization. There is far more evidence to support that Hendry is not a moron and has improved this ball club than there is evidence to support the contrary.

 

How soon you all forget. I'll let Bruce Miles take over now...

 

Some of Hendry’s best moves have come during off-season

By Bruce Miles

Daily Herald Sports Writer

Posted Tuesday, November 08, 2005

 

The bad news for Cubs fans is that general manager Jim Hendry faces his most challenging off-season to date.

 

The good news is that Hendry has done some of his best work in the fall and winter.

 

Here are Hendry’s top five off-season transactions since he became the Cubs’ GM in 2002:

 

1. 1B Hee Seop Choi and minor-league pitcher Michael Nannini to the Florida Marlins for 1B Derrek Lee, Nov. 25, 2003: A few holdout Cubs fans talk wistfully of Choi’s potential, but Lee has blossomed into the superstar the Cubs hoped he would become. The 30-year-old Lee enjoyed an MVP-caliber season this year, winning the National League batting title (.335) to go along with 46 home runs and 107 RBI. The Marlins traded Choi to the Dodgers, and he couldn’t crack their lineup.

 

2. C Todd Hundley and OF Chad Hermansen to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2B Mark Grudzielanek and 1B Eric Karros, Dec. 4, 2002: Hundley’s career came off the tracks with the Cubs, and he looked untradeable with two years left on a big contract. Somehow, Hendry convinced the Dodgers to take him. The Cubs took on a couple of big contracts with Grudzielanek and Karros, but both helped them win the NL Central in 2003. Grudzielanek had another good season with the Cardinals this year.

 

3. C Damian Miller to the Oakland Athletics for C Michael Barrett, Dec. 16, 2003: Miller was actually a “player to be named later” in this deal.

 

Hendry got the catcher he had sought for some time in Barrett, who has turned out to be the top offensive backstlop in the NL. Barrett is still a work in progress behind the plate.

 

4. RHP Ryan Dempster, signed as a free agent, Jan. 22, 2004: The Cubs took a chance that Dempster would rebound from reconstructive elbow surgery. Dempster did so late in ’04 and then saved 33 games in 35 chances this year as the Cubs’ closer.

 

5. C Henry Blanco signed as a free agent, Dec. 8, 2004: Few people thought much of the signing at the time, but Blanco became a force behind the plate for the Cubs this year, with pitchers loving the way he worked. He batted .242 with 6 homers and 25 RBI.

 

Honorable mention: RF Sammy Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles for IF-OF Jerry Hairston Jr., IF Mike Fontenot and RHP Dave Crouthers, Feb. 2, 2005: This was classic addition by subtraction, as the Cubs couldn’t live with Sosa any longer. Sosa’s career was on the slide with the Cubs, and he may have hit bottom in Baltimore.

How does a moron or a complete idiot or any of the other names he has been called do all of that in just a couple of years?

 

Pull your heads out of your butts people and see both sides. Is he perfect? No. Is he a moron? No. Does he have differing views on baseball than some of us? Clearly. Does that mean that he is wrong and we are right? No.

 

You are free to over-react and vent all you want on these pages. But it does get old. Especially when there is evidence presented to you that counters many of the over-reactions. That evidence often gets ignored and the bashing continues. There are more sides to be seen and understood than just your own.

From what I have seen from last offseason and this one yes he is a moron. Maybe you shoulg get your head out of your butt. I guess 4th place in the division with a 100mil payroll is good enough for you. Well it isn't for me. So far this offseason has been a HUGE dissapointment.

 

I know we are all frustrated, but when is this sort nonsense going to stop? Mods?

 

And by the way, this offseason is something like two weeks old. Lets wait and see what else happens before we hang JH in effigy (sp?). I don't like the Neifi deal, but am willing to wait and see wha happens next.

[CuseCubFan69]

I understand that this is an emotional topic but we need everyone to stick to the topic and not attack any posters or groups of posters. The players Patterson, Macias and Perez are lightning rods for this board and bring out a lot of emotion good and bad so please let's just try to stick to saying how you feel while throwing in facts and not slam a person that disagrees with your point of view.

 

Thank you.

Edited November 9, 2005 by CuseCubFan69