Benchwarmer

No thanks, Rocket. But I do know that Hewitt did a good job of protecting him from the media and fans at work. They floated the story of him being transferred to the U.K., re-routed calls to his direct line, etc... There but for the grace...

I don't know about now but back then national broadcasts had a delay. I used to watch a lot of sports with the radio on but not the national broadcasts and it was because of this. That game absolutely, 100% had a radio delay. We gave up on Steve Lyons after about 3 outs and let Ronnie give us 5 second spoilers for the remainder of the game. If the radio had a delay, how was Ronnie giving you spoilers? That would mean that the radio was ahead of what was on TV. Again..there's no 7 second delay on a live Cubs broadcast. And wasn't one in 2003.

I felt it was poorly done and full of factual errors. I felt I was watching the Zapruder film with all this isolation photography. One such error is the assertion there is a 7 second delay between the action and the WGN Radio broadcast. There's not. Besides, Steve Bartman reacted real time, not any sort of delayed broadcast. What was that all about? Spoiler alert: Far too much David Kaplan and his balding head.

Imagine you're a GM candidate. Which conversation makes you more likely to accept the job? "Our current farm director is under contract, but the terms are flexible so you can keep him, fire him, or reassign him as you see fit." "We have no farm director. You'll be starting at square one there." How about this one? "You want me to be GM of a team that hasn't won in 100+ years and turn this franchise into a WS winner. You want a new direction and yet, you've just recently signed 1-2 executives to long-term contracts. Don't you think(because of my experience and contacts) that I know already who the best minor league and farm people are for this franchise? Are you going to let me run the team as I see it or fill it full of your friends, Tom?"

Just look what Kenny Lofton did for us. A little tool in CF ain't bad.

This is just meddling on Ricketts' part. He's saddling the new GM with people he didn't hire and have questionable results. We have to keep Fleita because he speaks Spanish also? We have to keep Fleita because he wants to stay in Chicago? Maybe the key detail is that the Tigers apparently were granted permission to talk to Fleita during the season. If this is true, then I hope Ricketts has contacted clubs about talking with potential candidates. You simply can't wait until late November to make a final decision. If Ricketts had launched Hendry earlier...

I'll take Gibson's 1968 season. The guy pitched in 5 games, where he went over 9.0 innings and in one game went 12.1 innings. He had 13 shutouts and 28 complete games out of 34. That's pretty special. If you want to have some fun, check out what Elroy Face did in 1959..he won 18 games and did not start one game. I hate the quality start concept. This was invented so pitchers who couldn't finish what they start would feel good about themselves. A complete game is simply doing your job, saving the bullpen and keeping your team in the game. We need more of that and less of the 5.2 inning guys. I don't know if pitchers are throwing harder than they did 40-50 years ago, because there were a number of guys who could bring it. The difference I see is that a number of current pitchers get 2 strikes and can't put the batter away. Jim Palmer used to say 'I only have so many pitches on a given day and I'm not going to waste one, because I don't know where the limit is.' BTW..Jim Palmer never gave up a grand slam. Please don't confuse the fastest pitcher with being a good pitcher. If you only throw a 100 mph and forget location or have another pitch, you won't last long.

It's not necessarily an issue of Wilken being "forced" on anyone. It wouldn't be surprising if whoever takes over simply decides to keep him on for the time being, but it also wouldn't be surprising if he wasn't back. This will be interesting on timing, once the season ends. If Ricketts drags out the process into late November, then we're bumping up against the clock for signing free agents, etc... I think that a well connected GM candidate knows the people in the industry who he feels could help him pull this off. Does the new GM go in cold on day one and need to be briefed on the major league and minors or comes in knowing the talent and what needs to be done. My feeling is that Fielder and Pujols will sign later in the process and that will be too late for a few teams.

You're gonna have to move fast on this one, as they want resumes in by Wed.(tomorrow). Good Luck! Position: Director of Public Relations Reports To: Senior Vice President of Communications Responsibilities • Generate positive national and local media coverage for Chicago White Sox off-the-field initiatives, including: community relations outreach; marketing and advertising initiatives; social media programming; Chicago White Sox Charities efforts; player human interest and philanthropic initiatives; and the development of non-baseball organization story lines. • Assist the Senior Vice President of Communications with strategic communications for the organization, as well as reputation management, issues management and crisis communications, as required. • Lend public relations counsel and support to a variety of organization-wide programs, including SoxFest, Youth Baseball programming and the club's Volunteer Corps. • Drive and help lead the organization's Ethnic Outreach program, including its African-American and Latino initiatives. • Serve as spokesperson for the organization, when appropriate. • Direct the organization's relationship with public relations agencies and consultants. • Serve as key writer and editor on public communications for multiple departments, including marketing, sales, community relations and mass communications. • Develop and maintain relationships with key external audiences within Chicago media and community organizations. • Supervise, mentor and support staff, senior coordinator and intern. Requirements • 5-7 years of public relations or communications experience. • Familiarity of and pre-existing relationships with Chicago non-sports media. • Strong verbal and written communication skills. • Willingness to work long hours during the summer, including weekends and evenings. • Availability to be on call 24/7/365. Skills • Ability to create and maintain positive internal and external relationships with a variety of publics. • Fluent in Spanish (strongly recommended). • Ability to generate creative ideas and follow those concepts through to delivery. • Ability to self-start, problem-solve on the fly and multi-task. • Event planning skills a plus. • Familiarity with basic computer software: Word, Excel, Outlook, InDesign. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN APPLYING PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR RESUME BY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31st.

I'm a little skeptical about one's neighbor 'leaking' anything about the search for our new GM. There's a great deal of confidentiality involved in a position like that and she would have violated that trust. She may find herself out of a job if Tom Ricketts found out about it. Tell her to zip it. Our new GM should not have anyone forced upon him, he should able to hire/fire who he needs to do the job he was brought on board to do.

Apparently he didn't learn his lesson. Geo had to call timeout before a pitch during Wednesday's game in the 3rd inning, as Castro was out of position(by about 40 feet) over talking to ARAM. He ran back to a normal position. Not surprised the enablers were quiet about it. Even ARAM was mute. When our new GM, new mgr. and new coaching staff takes over, I'm sure this will change.

Internship with Cubs in their Media Dept. Unpaid, but can get you in the door. Contact the Media Relations people. Good Luck! The Chicago Cubs are seeking a full-time intern to assist with the team’s social media programming and public relations outreach for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year. As a member of the media relations department, this person will promote the baseball and non-baseball activities of the franchise, with responsibilities including proactive and reactive media relations, compiling media coverage, proofreading, research, writing and social media monitoring and outreach. RESPONSIBILITIES To assist with all aspects of the media relations office, including but not limited to: · Proactively monitor the club’s social media channels for opportunities to engage fans. · Help research and develop innovative social media programming for team consideration. · Pitch noteworthy community and corporate partner initiatives to local media. · Assist the media relations office with reactive media and social media inquiries. · Compile and archive local and national daily media clips, distribute internally throughout the office. · Proofread and edit Chicago Cubs Season-in-Review guide. · Answer telephones in the office, collect mail for the office, assist in clerical duties as they are needed. · Perform additional projects as needed by the Media Relations staff. REQUIREMENTS/QUALIFICATIONS · Undergraduate degree in public relations, journalism or communications-related field, or equivalent-related work experience. · Prior work experience or internship(s) in public relations, social media, sports or media. · Superb writing and editing skills are required, including proficient knowledge of AP Style. · Must have proficient work-related experience with social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube, blogs and mobile applications. · Should have an understanding of the organization's history, baseball history and statistics, along with a strong working knowledge of computer technology. · Understanding of the media and the ability to work productively and positively with media, fans and internal departments. · Excellent communication and organizational skills.

So you agree with them that Aramis Ramirez is a selfish, lazy player? I do think Ram has been lazy at times, but I don't think he's selfish. I could hav e cared less that he wanted to be w/ his family instead of a 4th replacement in the All Star game The enablers just look the other way and blame the media. He hustles selectively and is disinterested at times. Even in 2000, SI wrote this about him: Just 21, Aramis Ramirez was given the third base job this spring when the Pirates let Ed Sprague walk as a free agent. Offensively, the Pirates know Ramirez is ready—he had 21 homers at Triple A Nashville last year. But he also made a ghastly 42 errors in the minors and three more after his September call-up. "He has fine hands and a good arm," says general manager Cam Bonifay. "Mental lapses led to those errors." Manager Gene Lamont sat down with Ramirez during a winter trip to the Dominican Republic to stress the importance of off-season work and to make sure Ramirez had his head screwed on right. So the Pirates and Cubs have both recognized that he'll trot to first base on a grounder and not give it his all on every play. Considering what the alternatives for 3rd may be in 2012, where you gonna find 30HR and 90 RBI? Don't know if it's worth $16-18M, but at least you know what ya got. Is he a leader on the field and in the clubhouse? No.

We did that with MacPhail. I realize that but you can't deny the talent they have had up there.

Talk is cheap. Ricketts should have pulled the trigger months ago. Why the delay until now? Kenney needs to go too. The guy is a bean counter, not a baseball guy. I don't want him anywhere near an evaluation of anyone. I'm not as up on some of the GM prospects as some are, but I always thought the Twins organization has done a very good job of evaluating talent with a limited payroll. I got no horse in the race, just want the best person for the job.

I think people were saying the only people who would actually hold to that "I ain't watching those tattooed thugs anymore!" are the racist rednecks, in which case who cares? What's the solution to keeping the racist redneck crowd? (Besides drafting guys like Tyler Hansborough and acquiring guys like Mike Dunleavy and Josh McRoberts on purpose) Well, I certainly don't think think the Cubs should dump Zambrano based on some meatball fans. The solution wouldn't have to be so drastic, though, it could be something like having Theriot-esque players (Barney now? or who?) appear in promo ads and stuff like that. Sure, that sort of thing is implicitly racist in appealing to the meatballs, but it's rather innocuous. By ignoring or alienating the meatballs, the Cubs would have a "better" (as in smarter) fan base, but the fanbase would be much smaller. I would guess that management would sooner live with a large, ignorant fan base than a smaller, more intelligent one. In fact, the former, and more ignorant, might be better for business. Zambrano will be gone because of his on-the-field antics. The enablers will be sad. As far as Indiana basketball, there's nothing better than a filled 'Hatchet House' in Washington. Besides, Reggie wasn't even the best player in his family.

Yup, they really cut the WGN games. I think it's just under 50 this year. While owning 20% of CSN Chicago helps their bottom line, it is killing interest for Cub fans outside of the Chicagoland area. I'm all for them to put the CSN games back on WGN America and having this silly local blackout rule lifted for the out of towners. If I'm in LA and don't want to watch the Dodgers or Angels, I should be able to watch the Cubs. By the way, tv ratings for the Cubs are down 14% from last year and down 47% from 2008.

Good to see the 'enablers' out in full force. Very telling that the Braves dugout empties, but not one Cub on the bench moves to come to his defense. Says volumes on how his teammates feel about him.

Teams have been stealing signs since baseball began. What they object to is someone other than players/coaches stealing signs and relaying them. They use to think the Yankees had people stealing signs and relay them with a red light going on or off on the centerfield scoreboard. There was also the rumor that a person would steal signs at the old Polo Grounds and someone would stand in a particular window, depending on the upcoming pitch. The point is if it's not a player or part of the coaching staff, then teams get upset. Teams are pretty good at self policing, but there remain the unwritten rules. If you're up 10-0 in the 8th and try to steal..someone's gonna get hit. That's the way it is. As far as fighting in hockey, the Blackhawks signed a couple of 'instigators' during the off season to protect Kane, Sharp, Towes, etc.. They are there to deliver the message of not roughing up some of the Hawks.

There's a new documentary about Glenn Burke(baseball's first admitted gay player) on Versus. Burke came up with the Dodgers and was a wonderful athlete. If you get a chance to watch it, it is interesting. The conflict with the Dodgers, Tommy Lasorda and their image will make you think. The big drawback was the number of commercials that seem to interrupt the broadcast about every 4 minutes.

Lou Brock was a much better player than Juan Pierre. At times he exhibited extraordinary HR power. He hit a ball in the old Polo Grounds into the right centerfield bleachers. Deep center was 483 feet and had the clubhouse on the second level. If you have seen the famous Willie Mays World Series catch of 1954, that was the Polo Grounds. No one ever hit one out in deep center but Joe Adcock of the Braves hit one into the the left centerfield bleachers. Brock was an average OF who would make a great play and then make a bone-headed play the next. I always wonder why people say you stick your worst OF in left, when they get more chances than RF. I know you stick your best arm in RF, but having your worst fielder in left? Maybe I'm thinking to the days of little league where playing RF was death valley and some games you could take a nap.

Isn't it time to bring Sammy Sosa back into the embrace of the Cubs front office? This isn't about the HOF, whose ballots go out for 2013 in December of next year. And yes, I believe Sammy belongs. It's about honoring a player who did as much for the franchise as any player, including Ryno, Ernie, Billy and Fergie. Say what you want about Sammy. He was quirky. He did some stupid things. He was hard headed. Yes, he did and was..but the man produced and built sustained interest in the Cubs for years. He had a joy of playing and rarely took a day off. Remember, we couldn't wait for the game to start and for Sammy to bat. Was I suckered in? Yup. I'll wager most of us here were in the same position. In 1998, Sammy got 98% of the MVP vote. The year McGwire set the HR season record, Sammy got every MVP vote except for two St. Louis writers. He gave us so many memories like: How about the time Sammy got hit in the helmet in Pittsburgh and the helmet shattered. How frightening was that? The countless HR, especially the ones into the trees beyond Waveland. Running out to RF with an American flag in his hand. He gave us alot. With the hope that Hendry and his crew will be cut loose at season's end, it will be the perfect time to bring Sammy back. Retire his number and hang the flag on the rightfield pole. Come home, Sammy.

Ok, you can't be real. What's Castro looking at? Hot chick in center. The real hot one is behind the Reds dugout about 6-8 rows back.

Ok, you can't be real. What's Castro looking at?

Man, Pat had me convinced it was gonna go over the basket. So very close. Helluva day for Campana, though he messed up by not being on 3B right now. We caught a break on the pitch before. Pena does a 3/4 swing and the ump calls it a ball. Good shot of Dusty pumping his fist in disgust.