NCCubFan

In one of my leagues I'm benching Dunn in favor of Wali Lundy this week. That tells you what I think of Dunn's matchup against Baltimore.

He got hurt doing cartwheels in the outfield before a game. Ranks right up there with the Sammy sneeze and Jose Cardenal not being able to play because the crickets were too loud the night before and he couldn't sleep. He tore up his knee (that was after he already missed some time with a shoulder injury). It didn't end his career, but he was never the same after that.

Back on track with 650 points last week (second in the NSBB division, behind Rich Kotite Alumni's 700 points). For the season, I'm still second in the group (behind Seth's Midgets) and up to #322 overall (a jump of over 100 positions in one week).

For a Cub fan that's a duty, not a right. After all, if any thought is hopeful it's automatically delusional. :D

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Lee, I agree with you. Prior is another story since his injuries are an annual event (although 2006 was the first time they basically ruined his entire season).

If we were talking about football rather than baseball a 2-4 start might justify panic. :D I'm sorry, I have trouble respecting anyone quoting meatloaf . . . :D I actually attended a Cub game this past season where Meat threw out the ceremonial first pitch. I found it interesting that a well-known singer was at the game but did not lead the 7th inning stretch.

http://dese.mo.gov/moheritage/images/TheViewFromIndependence/TheViewFromIndependence44.jpg :D

If we were talking about football rather than baseball a 2-4 start might justify panic. :D

I'd say getting back to the playoffs, or at least having a record good enough to get into the playoffs most years. And I don't think I'd excuse Hendry even if there are injuries; he's used that excuse once too often. Part of his job is to build a team capable of winning despite injuries.

Not necessarily. A player could be willing to give his current team a hometown discount but still want to find out his market value to determine what amount to base the discount on. My reaction was that I was nervous, and ready to villify Hendry IF Ramirez signed elsewhere, but not assuming that he was gone just because he filed for free agency.

As a Bears fan I have a QB dilemma as well. I have Grossman on all three of my fantasy teams, but lately the trend has been that Grossman sucks when he's in my lineup but plays great when I bench him. He was in my lineup against the Cardinals and the Dolphins, but benched against the 49ers and the Giants. Fortunately I have other options (Rivers, McNair, Eli Manning). Maybe the solution is to start Grossman in at least one of my leagues but not all of them.

Exactly. Signing the players keeps from making a terrible team even worse, but they still need to get alot better. Hendry has, in my opinion, earned a temporary stay of execution, but he still needs to do A LOT more.

I agree with respect to the GM, but not the ownership. The problem isn't the amount of money the Trib is willing to spend, but rather how Hendry uses it.

Wrong trade. Palmeiro was part of the trade to Texas for Mitch Williams and others. All the Cubs had to give up for Nipper and Schiraldi was a mediocre reliever named Lee Smith.

No way on trading Lee and Z. Completely starting from scratch is unacceptable. Retooling with the idea of winning in 2008 would be OK (as long as it's with a new General Manager), but expecting loyal fans to sit through yet another major rebuilding program and going beyond a century without a championship is out of the question.

They should have a contest with a prize for the person who hits Hendry with the rottenest egg.

I think the Cubs MUST sign Aramis Ramirez.

I'd guess that WGN will still buy the rights to carry games. The Cubs were on WGN before they were owned by the Trib; I can't see why they wouldn't be after. Would you want to broadcast bad baseball? No, but WGN has for decades.

It's long past time to let him loose. But better late than never, before he can do even more damage. Regardless of whether Ramirez leaves or not, if Hendry still has a job with the Cubs he needs to be held responsible for delivering a winner in 2007, no excuses, regardless of how impossible the job seems. He created this mess with lousy moves, he needs to be held responsible for fixing it. Screwing up what they had in 2003 is unacceptable, period, and he needs to be held accountable.

I'd guess that WGN will still buy the rights to carry games. The Cubs were on WGN before they were owned by the Trib; I can't see why they wouldn't be after.

Bruce's responses to our questions have now been posted in the chat forum: Premium Non-premium Thanks once again to Bruce for his valued contributions to the board.

Bruce's responses to our questions have now been posted in the chat forum: Premium Non-premium Thanks once again to Bruce for his valued contributions to the board.

Thanks once again to Bruce for answering our questions and in general for his contributions to our site. Sorry it took so long to get these posted.

Moot point now. Too bad I didn't answer awhile back and say it was Piniella all along. The Cubs never considered Larry, and he's not interested in managing. As I said before, he's got a pretty good gig now in Houston. Alfonso Soriano, as of now. I'm not sure what the Braves are thinking, but the Cubs would have interest. I believe McDonough is long term as long as the Trib owns the team. That's a whole different question. McDonough is a very bright guy, and I think he'll do well. Losing will make it look that way. I believe they'd like to keep the team if their finances permit it. If put up for sale, they'd draw buyers. They'll spend the money this fall and winter. I think $110 million to $115 million is realistic. Soriano, Zito, Schmidt, among others. He'll look at those guys. A lot will depend on what happens with Pierre. If the Yankees seek to trade him and A-Rod waives his no-trade, yes, Hendry would pursue. They're well aware that their the laughingstock of baseball as far as their views on OBP and walks are concerned. National columnists in the mainstream media have picked up on it. Improving OBP will be one of the topics at the organizational meetings next month. It should be a no-brainer, based on what happened this year. Few organizations change philosophies overnight, so that's what I meant by this being a gradual process. Piniella's presence will help. Cedeno experienced some awful growing pains. He probably needs to mature a little more. He failed to adjust to pitchers when they adjusted to them. Guzman was coming off a series of injuries and clearly wasn't ready. Zambrano has matured greatly, and I'm sure he can help these guys. I was intrigued by Bochy. Yes, to a degree. I was ambivalent. It was hard for me to get a good read on Joe. Sam Adams Pie doesn't appear ready. I'd sign Soriano and put him in CF. Failing that, I'd look to trade for Carl Crawford or Vernon Wells. The Cubs like all these guys. I believe so. It's always good to take a second look at something after you've "cooled off." I've edited stuff out, but I've never pulled an entire piece because I thought it was too critical. I'll pretend you didn't ask that. I don't know why the Padres made or are making him available. If Piniella hadn't come here, Hendry would have attempted to hire Bochy. The negotiations are ongoing. Hendry expects to hear back from Kinzer later in the week. I think Ramirez will return, but this may take a couple more weeks. If he's available, yes. People think the media love negativity. That's not necessarily true. For a beat writer, it's much more fun to cover a winning team. The 1998, 2001 and 2003 teams were great to cover. The losing wears on you, especially when it looks like you're watching the same game day after day. A solid bat in the middle of the lineup and two starting pitchers. That's a start. This would be the ideal thing to do, and the Cubs can do it with the likes of Murton and Theriot on the roster. I think they'll attempt to acquire two to three high-salary guys. I'm not sure what their philosophy is when the question is worded this way. Moises Alou has done reasonably well past his prime, as did Sammy for a time. I fear a guy like Juan Pierre might have peaked already. They are seriously considering posting. They'll get into a bidding war to a point. They'll have to determine how Zito may pitch going from a big part with huge foul territory to Wrigley Field. Winning breeds chemistry. This team was bad because it had too many bad players. To me, they looked like a first-year expansion team in many games. I do believe in the human element and that a good workplace can maybe lift a guy when he's not feeling well, but talent trumps almost anything. Baker had little influence over in-season call-ups. Field managers rely on the reports they get from the minor-league staff. Baker didn't have a lot of influence over Hendry on player acquisition. Get a degree in journalism, communication, English or liberal arts. A four year degree is necessary, but you don't necessarily have to go beyond that and get a master's. Salaries are all over the place and are based on market size, how many papers are in that market, experience of the writer and so forth. Usually, you'll have to start out covering prep sports and work your way up. No. I'm just glad he's gone. Yes. As I said before, I'm old enough to have seen them play at Wrigley Field. Peanuts An all-beef hot dog with mustard and onions (no ketchup) They're trying to work through it with rehab, but they'll need to decide soon so he isn't set back in spring. Like everybody else, they want him to improve, but their feeling is that he's made strides. This winter will tell a lot. If they can start to change their philosophies on how they procure players, even beginning with small changes, you'll see improvement. Otherwise, any success they have will be hit and miss.