Bruce Miles

They've done a good bit of investigative work on Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano, whom they nearly got in 2000 in the Sammy Sosa traded that didn't happen. A lot of this will become more clear once a new manager is on board. What are their thoughts on Murton? They like him a lot, and believe it or not, they're well aware of the comparison of his second-half splits with those of Carlos Lee. What they may do is see if they can get more power in center field. They do believe Murton will hit more homers than he did this season. I believe that as well. He'd be a great option at about $400,000, allowing them to spend the money elsewhere. So they aren't necessarily sold on Juan Pierre? No, they're not sold on him, and they shouldn't be, especially if he comes in looking for $8 mil a year. What happens if he strains or pulls a leg muscle? He's not going to hit you a bunch of home runs. Really, he's one leg injury from being a totally ineffective player.

They've done a good bit of investigative work on Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano, whom they nearly got in 2000 in the Sammy Sosa traded that didn't happen. A lot of this will become more clear once a new manager is on board. What are their thoughts on Murton? They like him a lot, and believe it or not, they're well aware of the comparison of his second-half splits with those of Carlos Lee. What they may do is see if they can get more power in center field. They do believe Murton will hit more homers than he did this season. I believe that as well. He'd be a great option at about $400,000, allowing them to spend the money elsewhere. Bruce, Does this mean Andruw Jones is a trade target? I don't know if the Braves will make him available. If they do, the Cubs will look into it.

They've done a good bit of investigative work on Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano, whom they nearly got in 2000 in the Sammy Sosa traded that didn't happen. A lot of this will become more clear once a new manager is on board. What are their thoughts on Murton? They like him a lot, and believe it or not, they're well aware of the comparison of his second-half splits with those of Carlos Lee. What they may do is see if they can get more power in center field. They do believe Murton will hit more homers than he did this season. I believe that as well. He'd be a great option at about $400,000, allowing them to spend the money elsewhere. Do they see Soriano as an option in CF, as Rosenthal (I think) suggested? They won't rule out Soriano in center. He's a great offensive force. I'd find someplace for him.

They've done a good bit of investigative work on Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano, whom they nearly got in 2000 in the Sammy Sosa traded that didn't happen. A lot of this will become more clear once a new manager is on board. What are their thoughts on Murton? They like him a lot, and believe it or not, they're well aware of the comparison of his second-half splits with those of Carlos Lee. What they may do is see if they can get more power in center field. They do believe Murton will hit more homers than he did this season. I believe that as well. He'd be a great option at about $400,000, allowing them to spend the money elsewhere. I'm glad to hear that, but it makes me wonder why they would be doint investigative work on Carlos Lee. Unless, of course, they are willing to move Jones or put him in CF. I'd be shocked to see that (but glad). Good to hear Bruce. As a follow-up, has there been any more rumblings about guys like Jones, who apparantly came here because of Dusty, and may be really upset about him leaving? Would they look to move him, or is he trying to get moved? A lot of players make silly noise like that. I remember when Eric Young and Ricky Gutierrez were going to be a package deal wherever they went. Sure, they were. Jones will be a Cub next year, and he'll learn to like it. They're not looking to move him.

Yes, I am a Bears fan, and I'm old enough to have seen Bears games at Wrigley Field.

They've done a good bit of investigative work on Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano, whom they nearly got in 2000 in the Sammy Sosa traded that didn't happen. A lot of this will become more clear once a new manager is on board. What are their thoughts on Murton? They like him a lot, and believe it or not, they're well aware of the comparison of his second-half splits with those of Carlos Lee. What they may do is see if they can get more power in center field. They do believe Murton will hit more homers than he did this season. I believe that as well. He'd be a great option at about $400,000, allowing them to spend the money elsewhere.

There is no rift between McDonough and Hendry. That's a creation of some people who aren't there and don't ever talk to anybody. Girardi had more talent in Miami than Piniella did in Tampa. Piniella heard a lot of promises in Tampa that were not kept.

They've done a good bit of investigative work on Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano, whom they nearly got in 2000 in the Sammy Sosa traded that didn't happen. A lot of this will become more clear once a new manager is on board.

'Tis so. There's still a lot that needs to happen before there's a deal, but he's clearly the Cubs' guy. Bruce, any idea when the deal could get done? It's possible it could get done after this first round of interviews is done. A second "round" might include only Bochy, if he's made available.

Yes, but only if the Padres grant permission for the Cubs to talk to him.

If signing Piniella means that ARod will come to Chicago, then I support his hiring. Otherwise, I'd rather have Girardi. I wonder what Aramis thinks of Sweet Lou? Bruce - can you speak a bit more to this quote? A lot of us NSBB have just kind of assumed it to be true since they were together in Seattle. Is there any semi-concrete reason to believe they had a strong relationship, even one that would make Alex want to rejoin him? Also, do you believe this possibility is playing into Hendry's desire for Piniella? From what I've heard, Rodriguez and Piniella have remained close, with Piniella being somewhat of a confidant of A-Rod's. No, this possibility is not playing into Hendry's desire for Piniella. That's who he likes as manager. Remember, the Yankees still might not trade A-Rod, and he does have a no-trade on top of it. Nobody hires a manager based on the possibility he can get him one player.

'Tis so. There's still a lot that needs to happen before there's a deal, but he's clearly the Cubs' guy. Bruce, in your opinion, is this a good fit for the Cubs? It can be. The bigger part of the equation will be the players the GM brings in. I've talked to people in different cities who have covered Piniella. They say he's extremely prepared and that he doesn't leave the park on any day without knowing who might need the next day off. I'm told he's very adaptable to the talent he has. This isn't an endorsement or non-endorsement from me. It's just what I've been told.

'Tis so. There's still a lot that needs to happen before there's a deal, but he's clearly the Cubs' guy.

If you had the right players, would Dusty Baker be OK as their manager? :D

My feeling is that they're trying to talk themselves into Girardi because he seems to be the overwhelming "people's choice." They have concerns about what went on in Florida. At this point, I think they like Piniella best, can be talked into Girardi and would like Brenly if the other options failed. What I don't understand is why the Cubs have to take so long when they knew Baker wasn't coming back since September at the latest, I mean really, what the heck has Hendry been doing all this time? In fairness, they had to wait to see how the Girardi thing played out. It's one thing for the Marlins to seek permission to talk to a team's third base coach, quite another for the Cubs to ask to talk with another team's manager while that team was still playing. On top of that, they need to ask some questions on both sides on what exactly happened down there. The Giants will take their time hiring a manager, too. As long as you get it done by the organizational meetings in November and don't lose out on your man, there's no real reason to rush. If this is your last chance to get it right, you better well take your time and get it right. Is there any concerns about losing out on coaches (such as Kranitz staying with the Marlins)? There should be, and I suppose that's the flip side of taking your time. Kranitz did a nice job. It'd be nice if they got him and promoted Alan Dunn from Iowa to bullpen coach.

My feeling is that they're trying to talk themselves into Girardi because he seems to be the overwhelming "people's choice." They have concerns about what went on in Florida. At this point, I think they like Piniella best, can be talked into Girardi and would like Brenly if the other options failed. What I don't understand is why the Cubs have to take so long when they knew Baker wasn't coming back since September at the latest, I mean really, what the heck has Hendry been doing all this time? In fairness, they had to wait to see how the Girardi thing played out. It's one thing for the Marlins to seek permission to talk to a team's third base coach, quite another for the Cubs to ask to talk with another team's manager while that team was still playing. On top of that, they need to ask some questions on both sides on what exactly happened down there. The Giants will take their time hiring a manager, too. As long as you get it done by the organizational meetings in November and don't lose out on your man, there's no real reason to rush. If this is your last chance to get it right, you better well take your time and get it right.

My feeling is that they're trying to talk themselves into Girardi because he seems to be the overwhelming "people's choice." They have concerns about what went on in Florida. At this point, I think they like Piniella best, can be talked into Girardi and would like Brenly if the other options failed.

Well, the kid sent me an e-mail and told me he admired my work. You guys know what a sucker I am for flattery, so I said yes. And it went very well. He did a good job with the interview.

George Washington, about 15 million of them per year, gives the Cubs the best chance of keeping Aramis. Will the Cubs go that high? Don't know. Both sides might settle at $13.5 million plus incentives, e.g. groundballs run out. :D

George Washington, about 15 million of them per year, gives the Cubs the best chance of keeping Aramis.

No, I don't know who at this point the manager will be. I heard whispers that aside from two of the coaches on the Baker staff, it wasn't what you'd call a hard-working staff. From a media standpoint, other than Larry, they just weren't very easy to deal with. Some of these guys were "Baker's guys," and they shared Dusty's distrust of the media, except, of course, for the San Francisco media. Whether it's Piniella or Girardi, I do know the next staff will work much harder, based simply on comparisons with the recently fired staff. what I know about Piniella and Girardi and what I've heard the front office will be demanding.

I agree with you on this. What do you know about Kranitz? Rick is an outstanding instructor. He was Greg Maddux's first pitching coach way back when. You remember when Jaime Navarro had a good year with the Cubs? Kranitz gets a lot of credit for that. He worked in the Cubs' minor-league system for a long time, and you saw the results he got with the Marlins' young pitchers. He'd be terrific. And to be fair, Rick will give Larry a lot of credit for his own professional development. It's fashionable to pick on Rothschild, and it will be a tough sell to the public to bring him back, but he worked very hard, and some of the stuff that went on wasn't his fault. Thanks Bruce for that info....I would like to know more about the relationship between Baker and Rothschild and Rothschild and the pitchers. You touched on something that has bothered me the whole time involving these two relationships. Do you know how they were and did they have a conflict between the two? For some reason I just don't see Larry and Dusty as having a close relationship, a professional one for the fans and press to see but IMO they just seemed to not get along or had different philosophies. You've hit it pretty good. They got along, but Dusty would have been better served listening to and following Larry's advice instead of overruling him. Funny thing, Larry had the most contact with the media of any of Dusty's coaches by far. I don't know if it was part of Dusty's us-against-them philosophy or what, but I won't miss it. The coaches under Riggleman and Baylor all were friendly and accessible. You will see a totally different dynamic and a much more open atmosphere with the new coaching staff beginning in spring training. I'm looking forward to it.

I agree with you on this. What do you know about Kranitz? Rick is an outstanding instructor. He was Greg Maddux's first pitching coach way back when. You remember when Jaime Navarro had a good year with the Cubs? Kranitz gets a lot of credit for that. He worked in the Cubs' minor-league system for a long time, and you saw the results he got with the Marlins' young pitchers. He'd be terrific. And to be fair, Rick will give Larry a lot of credit for his own professional development. It's fashionable to pick on Rothschild, and it will be a tough sell to the public to bring him back, but he worked very hard, and some of the stuff that went on wasn't his fault.

My story on the coaches points to the past working relationship between Piniella and Rothschild. If Piniella comes here, Rothschild has a chance to come back. If Girardi is the guy, Rick Kranitz will be the pitching coach.

Lineups Rockies Matsui, 2B Salazar, CF Atkins, 3B Holliday, LF Helton, 1B Hawpe, RF Tulowitzki, SS Iannetta, C Fogg, P Cubs Pierre, CF The Riot, 2B Ramirez, 3B Jones, RF Murton, LF Mabry, 1B Blanco, C Cedeno, SS Zambrano, P