3Dog

You got the general idea where I was going with it, lawl..... :wink:

Wasn't Hendry's book called "Dollars To Donuts"?

Best Cub unis (IMO of course): from 1969-1971 and 1929-1932.

I agree with Caryatid, that Baker will use the occasion of his departure to take shots at the front office and blame everyone but himself. We'll be treated to stuff like "I was never given the proper players to win with" or "Promises were made to me but never honored". It would also not be surprising to hear "I'm not the first person of color in this town that never got a fair shake". He'll blame everything and everyone under the sun...and what do you know, he's already blamed the sun itself ("all those day games, dude")! I have followed this team since the Herman Franks era, and I can say with all certainty that Dusty Baker is THE WORST Cub manager I've seen. Make no mistake that since he's been here, it's been All About Dusty. He didn't manage the Cubs so much as he used them for his own self-aggrandizement. He came to Chicago not for what he could do for the Cubs, but instead for what the Cubs could do for him - namely, enhance his already over-inflated reputation. Two young power arms, the 2nd best power hitter in the NL (at that time), a nationwide fan base, and a huge media market...no wonder he said "I'm here to win, not develop"! The end of this miserable season can't get here fast enough.

I believe the pitcher he was alluding to was Denny McLain. During the 1967 pennant race McLain missed several starts due to a mysterious foot injury. McLain's explanation was that his foot fell asleep while relaxing at home, then when he suddenly got up his foot buckled under all that weight, causing a bone in his foot to snap. However the "real" story is that McLain, long known for his ties to the underworld and gamblers, got a visit from some of the Mob's enforcers while at home. As soon as McLain opened the door, the goons promptly smashed McLain's toes for not being ontime with a payment.

Very, very well said!

goony, I wouldn't even waste any more time on the Cubs. You'd be better served following the A's or the Red Sox.

I'm still checking this out for you guys...don't think I forgot! BTW Oldstyle, who is the hottie (and the one before) in your avatar?

This franchise will never be a serious pennant contender as long as Andy MacPhail is Team President.

Let me get back to you on this, StMarks. I might be able to help you out.

YES!! YES!! Someone gets it!!!! Though I'm sure many more of you out there do too......

And I'll bet the "nice" Goony twin is one of those "baseball people" lifers a la Dusty and Joe Morgan. :wink:

Goony, if you have not written a book yet please do! Or if you have then please tell us where we can buy them!

Perhaps Hendry should worry a little more about the state of his team (read: dump Rothschild and Baker and the rest of the coaching staff) than maintaining his good-guy rep in baseball circles.

Badger, I did the exact same thing moments after the Cubs won Game 4 of the 2003 NLCS, only it was a DVD recorder instead of a VCR. Ah, me.....at least I got to use it to record the Red Sox win it the following year! Other memories: 1) the famous 23-33 game against the Phils in 1979, which made me first notice this team with the neat stadium and the road uniforms with white pinstripes on a powder blue background. 2) a Saturday Game of the Week comeback win at Wrigley against the Pirates back in mid-1983, which put the Cubs just 3 games out even though they were a game under .500. A lot of the fans stayed after the game ended and you could hear them chanting and yelling in the background during Tony Kubek's post-game interview. That game cemented it for me. I was in for the long haul! 3) the strange but exhilirating feeling of 1984, when the Cubs won game after game and became a team you expected to win. After Game 2 against the Padres I knew this was the year we'd go all the way. Sigh...and to this day I cannot watch replays of Games 3, 4, and 5. 4) the 34-19 start through early June 1985 - again, it was a time when I'd put the game on and watch in complete confidence. Who knew all 5 starters would eventually get hurt and they'd go 43-66 the rest of the way? 5) Andre Dawson's superhuman 1987. 6) the thrill of early 1988, when young players like Maddux, Palmeiro, Dunston, Moyer mixed with veterans Sandberg, Sutcliffe, and Dawson to start out 43-36. 7) the giddiness of 1989, including the greatest Cub game I've ever watched: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=198909090CHN I will let anyone borrow my wife if they have a copy of this game!! 8 ) April 19, 1991: Dawson rips a pinch grand-slam to go ahead 4-3 in the top of the night, but an overripe Dave Smith blows it in the bottom of the 9th. I became so belligerent I was escorted out of the tavern where I witnessed this debacle. It was the 2nd angriest I've ever been after a Cub defeat. 9) My 2nd visit to Wrigley, and the 2nd greatest Cub game I've watched: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=199106300CHN 10) Kerry Wood's 20 K game, after which I boasted "this kid will make us all forget Maddux"...well, not exactly. 11) Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS - if you haven't already guessed, the angriest I've ever been after a Cub loss. I shook for 3 days, I was so pissed. 12) Seats behind home plate for the infamous Barrett-Oswalt brouhaha in August 2004. A hot, humid day where the fans were just as heated as the players, if not moreso. Will they win it in my lifetime? Who knows? But sharing these memories is the next best thing.

This excerpt from Miles' column really frosts my apples: Who's he crappin'? Fine if he and Hendry and MacPhail want to delude themselves with all that rah-rah BS and using the 2005 Astros as a spurious benchmark, but to then think the fans will buy into it speaks to the low opinion they have towards those Who Never Played The Game. The loathing they have for fans who desire more than just the Wrigley Experience is reprehensible. As is their refusal to think in the long-term when it comes to constructing a championship-caliber ballclub.

Bill James.

Excellent point, Dalgreen. Arrogance is exactly what it is. Matter of fact I can hear a voice that sounds just like Joe Morgan's saying "unless you played the game, you can't have a true understanding of it".

Could MacPhail/Hendry's concern over the appearance of fans and the media dictating personnel moves be so great that they are purposefully and spitefully rejecting the call for OBP, moderation in pitch counts, etc?

Fair enough. I probably read my own opinions into his statement. However I do feel much of a player's "talent" is derived from his mental approach, and I would suggest that the ability to get on base and throw strikes consistently requires at least a modicum of thought on the part of the player.

Agreed. I've even invented a phrase for it - "neck-down baseball".

I hear they're going to have Hendry on WGN again, and they plan on asking him "Honey glazed or cream-filled?"

Thanks Dobson. Now we need the Cub brain trust to start paying attention to this RCAA!

I knew Neifi was bad but not THAT bad! By what measurement is he the 2nd worst of all time? OPB, SLG?