erik316wttn

Pass on Hermida, please.

Baseball in November sucks.

You're missing the point, man. Can he catch the ball?

The world ending in 2012 would probably put a hitch in the plan. Stupid Mayans.

The Cubs are a lot closer to a championship than you give them credit for. They had one of the top pitching staff's in the league last year, and suffered from abysmal production from an offense that looked pretty good on paper before the season started. This isn't the time for a complete overhaul or an owner with a jumpy trigger finger. Especially considering the number of dollars the Cubs are committed to. I'm interested to see what Hendry will be able to do this off season, with his job on the line. We have a pretty good team on paper. Listening to the NPR interview, player development is where a lot of the focus is going to go. Ricketts said free agency is to fill holes that you can't develop. I like this as a long term plan, but I don't get the feeling we'll see any major moves this offseason. and as I said in an earlier post, if we don't acquire one single impact player and open 2010 with the same team we had in 2009, I'd be just fine with that, so long as Ricketts spends this offseason finding the absolute best people available to develop young talent at every level.

And at the end of October, no less! Shocking!!

Don't tell me words don't matter. 'I have a dream' -- just words? 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal' -- just words? 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself' - just words? Just speeches? Ok, first off you're comparing a press conference of an owner of a professional sports team to the civil rights movement. That's like comparing apples to monster trucks. Right now, what Mr. Ricketts is saying sounds good, but Outshined is right... until he backs them up with results, they're just words. I'm not saying I don't think he'll do it, however.

This is my point, far more succinct than I could have put it. Thank you.

How so? If anything, people have been held more accountable in the past 15 years than in Cubs history. Lynch was shown the door fairly quickly. They realized Dusty was the wrong guy and let him go despite an "unprecedented level of success". They made a change in the draft room after a couple down years. They've fired hitting coaches and base coaches and have had 6 different managers. Something as arbitrary as "holding people accountable" isn't particularly meaningful. The thing that has held the Cubs back for so long has not been ownership, or accountability, but the wrong people making the wrong personel decisions. It's as simple as that. All this other stuff about putting the focus on winning and concentrating on the product on the field and all the rest are just words to keep the media busy. It all comes down to who they acquire to play baseball games, and they haven't acquired enough good players. Dusty had a 4-year deal and should have been shown the door sometime in 2005. They just didn't renew his contract. They didn't terminate him like they should have. And you cant argue that the clubhouse went to hell under his watch, too. And Hendry, while he's made some good moves, has been allowed to do more harm to this team than good without much interference from above, and hasn't stepped in to overrule the manager at times when he should have, either. I'm not one to say that the guy at the top should be putting his hands in every aspect of the business, but if he sees things going to hell, he's got to step in and do something, which is something Hendry doesn't do, and Baker never did, due to either stubbornness or ignorance.

I think the thing that I'm most optimistic about is the fact that people in the organization will be held accountable for their performance, from the front office to coaches to the players. That is something that has been sorely lacking in the history of this franchise, especially the last 15 years or so.

I like what I heard, and I have no doubt that he plans to follow through, but planning to follow through and actually doing it are two different things. I hope today was the start of a new chapter in the history of the Cubs, the day we look back on when we win the World Series someday and say "That was the day where it all started."

Interesting quote: Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but that sounds like they expect Hendry to do well this year or he's gone. Finally.

He's saying a slight increase in payroll and ticket prices for next year.

I know. This is going to be a very compelling offseason. He hasn't said much in the way of his plans for personnel, though, both in the front office and in the dugout.

I'm glad he wants to keep Wrigley and not take a wrecking ball to it the first chance he gets.

I wish he would have given a timeline on that goal of winning the World Series.

What station is the press conference on? 670?

So you want to trade one mental case for another?

He actually said that he's the most influential person who's ever played in Yankee Stadium. If he honestly believes that, I would like some of whatever powerful narcotic he's taking. He couldn't even carry Babe Ruth's jock when it comes to influence.

Not that I disagree, but Burrell EASILY has the best contract of any of those choices, if they are actual choices. He has 1/$9 mil left on his deal. The rest have multiple years and way more money left. I understand that money would most likely have to be going to the Rays, but if it wasn't a lot, at least Burrell would be a one year rental, instead of 2,3 or 5 like the rest of those names. And it's not like any of those guys are great defenders. We're not comparing Burrell to Clemente here. I'd like to think Hendry could get something decent in a deal for Bradley, but all of those guys have something bad about them... bad defense, bad contract or bad offense. Some have more than one of those. Burrell might be the lesser of evils at this point.

I really hope that Ricketts emphasizes the Minor League system above everything else. If the Cubs want to be contenders for years and years, replenishing from the farm is a huge priority. I'd be happy without a single major FA signing this offseason if he dedicated it to finding the best and brightest to develop young talent.

I'm sure Mets fans aren't digging this matchup, either.

I think this has the potential to be a phenomenal World Series. We can see pitchers duels, slugfests, back-and-forth matchups... I can't wait for Game 1. I think the teams are pretty evenly matched offensively (the Yanks might have a slight edge), but the Yankees have the edge in starting pitching. However, I still think the Phils find a way and take it in 7.

Best part of that article. Kerry should retire a Cub.

Angels escaped by the skin of their teeth.