Laura

Was excited to watch the Bears Sunday night.

Hasn't heard from the Cubs yet.

Ha. A couple of other posters are still having trouble accessing the board, so I'd like to let them know any suggestions. Thanks.

How did you end up getting on, CCP?

Sullivan lists this as his Priority One in today's Trib and kicks off speculation as to how much that will cost.

That's where I'm at now, too. :?

Someone sitting behind home plate held up a "Hendry Sucks" sign during the 9th inning of ... Saturday's game, I think.

If you stream it online, you could use a program like audacity to record it for future listening. Or you could ask WGN Radio to make it available as a podcast, as they often do, but the chances of you getting a definite answer on that before the broadcast may be slim.

It's most important to follow one's own advice. Stay civil in discussions here or you won't be here long.

The link above also contains the other blog entries, so you can get a sense of their take on Girardi. The call-in line for Sports Central: 312-591-7200 Link to Listen Online: WGN Radio AM 720 (click listen live in top LH corner)

I changed the thread title to reflect uncertainty. The overall subject of the Tribune being sold or not being sold is legit for discussion regardless of the veracity of this particular rumor.

I'm not convinced that time wasn't Monday at noon, in Hendry's eyes. Or maybe Sunday night. As Dusty said, he should have been evaluated on his body of work, not the past couple of months. Hendry should have done this a long time ago, and I think the amount of time and energy it took to convince himself to make the change took away from whatever effort he might have been able to make to find a replacement. A returning GM who is looking to replace an outgoing manager whose contract was expiring and was a lame duck doesn't need to do an exhaustive search, especially when he went through a search 4 years before. A new GM needs to do a search. A guy who just took over the job should get a chance to conduct a search. A guy who inherited his previous manager should be allowed time to do a search. But a sitting GM replacing the guy he hired 4 years prior should have that replacement in-line immediately following the dismissal of the original. Bear in mind this is the organization that accepted the resignation of its president about 2 months ago but didn't inform Hendry of this until 2-3 days ago ... yet didn't replace Hendry. I wonder when McDonough was tapped for the job. A lack of any sort of urgency has been the hallmark of the Cubs. McDonough specifically said that he was in the urgency business now ... I guess we'll see whether that means anything at all.

First, Welcome to the forums! :) I posted this to the Emergency NSBB board, so I might as well re-post it here. AP News Hence many theories about McDonough being named just to maintain status quo and keep the Cubs' value stable.

Since the tentative schedule has been released by the Cubs, I'm going to unsticky this. Thanks for the research!

yay, mute!

Too much so. :? Goat Riders (link above) also has a Q&A with Bruce Miles up!

Here's his brief MLB.com bio: LINK

I heard it rumored on WGN this morning that he would be going to Seattle. Seattle has reiterated support for Hargrove several times in the past couple of weeks, including in emails to season ticket holders. Steadily dropping attendance may force some changes.

I'm curious as to what he'd do with an older rotation and more talented bullpen, in that case. When the Marlins played the Cubs in April, wasn't part of the story that Florida didn't have any lefties in their bullpen at that time?

Girardi may end up being my default selection, since I would prefer him over Piniella who seems to be getting the most buzz in media circles. I was most interested in Fredi Gonzalez, but he may be hired before Hendry makes a phone call to him. I have friends who greatly prefer Girardi. I have heard your list, CubinNY, but I'll take it and expand it with the rationale I've heard. 1. He use to play for the Cubs He "gets" the Cubs, Wrigley Field and Cubs fans in a way that previous managers have not. Bruce Miles wrote an excellent article a few days ago about how Dusty never seemed to warm to Chicago or to Cubs fans (one telling detail was how Dusty often wore his watch set to Pacific Time). Girardi knows that it can be really cold in April; that the park plays differently depending on the wind; that Cubs fans will usually show up, even if it is to boo; that day games aren't an excuse for losing even if they've been used that way too often. Girardi was also a team captain with the Cubs (insert obligatory comment about how he deserved to be team captain) and the union rep, at least in '02, so he had a team leadership role while he played. Anyone who remembers watching Cubs games during Girardi's tenure will recall many comments about how he'd make a fine manager someday, so in a sense we've been programmed for years into accepting him as a manager. 2. He went to Northwestern The first observation (which NW alums would love) seems to be that this means he is really smart. And he has an engineering degree, I believe, so that's further evidence! Just think of the intellect that could be on display during Cards-Cubs games. Second is that he has strong local roots. He'd be committed to the Cubs managerial job because of that. The Cubs gig is and should be a coveted job ... but ... if you're seeking a 'name' manager, which Hendry may well be doing, then you have to anticipate that a Big Name may have Higher Aspirations than the job you're offering. One concern with Piniella is that he'd just be biding time until the Yankees job opened up. Because of his local history, people don't think that would be a concern with Girardi. 3. He was the Yankees bench coach I heard this cited more when he was available before being hired by the Marlins (when some hoped the Cubs would swoop in and hire him then), and that was to compensate for his then-lack-of managerial experience. The followup observations are that the Yankees emphasize running a professional clubhouse and that one learns to interact with the media if one serves in any capacity with the NYY. I've also heard: He was a catcher and catchers tend to make good managers He had to play young players / rooks in Florida and he won (comparatively speaking) with them He continued to manage well in Florida despite the messy situation there and the rumors he was fired mid-season He knows how to construct a lineup

http://bc.images.trb.com/media/graphic/2005-04/16841579.jpg Len Kasper, Broadcaster for the Chicago, has graciously agreed for a third time to answer questions from posters on NSBB! If you would like to send a comment to Len, or if you would like to ask Len a question, feel free to post it here. The deadline for submitting questions is Wednesday, October 4 at 10:00 P.M. Central time. Once Len has had an opportunity to answer them, the responses will be posted. Please post your questions in the Chat Schedule/Questions for Guests Forum. This session will be coordinated as in accordance with The NSBB Q & A Guidelines. Thank you to Len for again taking the time to answer our questions!

I'm glad to see Dusty go. I think he handled the announcement quite well and I hope that continues on both sides in the days to come.