Soul

Had to happen eventually, but geez what a run, especially in the latter years after they broke up the Smoltz/Glavine/Maddux tandem. They've been winning that division with much lesser lineups recently. A true testament to the organization and Bobby Cox. Not that I don't want a new top dog over there. It will be nice to see someone else win it for a change. An NL playoffs with no Atlanta will be refreshing.

Hendry's going to let Baker manage. Not because he wants to see what happens with Lee back or any of that jazz. ....because he genuinely thinks Baker is a great manager.

Honestly I don't even care if the Cubs are a top spender. That's not the only way to get it done. I look over at the Cards and they have a much lower payroll, less-than-stellar minor leagues to draw from, yet they're doing pretty darn good year in and year out. How does that work, exactly? I know one thing, it doesn't work if you didn't hire a decent GM. It's really not about the money, if I may toss around a sports cliche'.

Jerry? Is that you? i'm talking about baseball. basketball is completely different, in basketball, one player can win a title. baseball, though not really a team sport, cannot be won with one player. it can be won with 2 players though, preferably pitchers-which is the whole reason that brenly has that big ring he's always showing off. It applies to basketball too----all sports really except individual ones like Tennis or Golf. It's just that Krause was an idiot and decided to take it too far, saying it's ONLY the organization, the players don't even matter, Michael Jordan deserves no credit, etc. etc.

Indeed. But you said it yourself: the Trib is not hiring that new painter. They're staying with the status quo, and have given no indication they will change any time soon. Further, I would argue they didn't do their homework in the first place, instead hiring Hendry as de-facto GM because he was already in the system, not because there was any indication he would be a successful GM. Either way you slice it, there's just no way to insulate ownership from the futility of the team on the field. They are part of the equation, and deserve their share of the blame, regardless of how much cash they dole out on a yearly basis.

Wrong. Everything starts at the top. Hendry is an employee of the Cubs just like MacPhail and Baker. The Trib are the owners, who are in turn responsible for hiring the management for the ballclub, starting with MacPhail. I fail to see why so many cannot accept this. It's most certainly NOT a case of simply providing enough cash, and that's it. Anyone who has ever owned a corporation will tell you that.

Great stuff, Soul. When you go, I'd love to hear an account of how the practices looked. Remember when we all wanted to draft Santonio Holmes when he was available late in the first? I was disappointed that the Steelers scooped him up ahead of us. Am I still disappointed? Not so much. He just got arrested for the second time this offseason. Good work, guy. That's so true. I wanted an offensive player and looked at Holmes. Glad we didn't take him. That would have made it even worse to have both Manning Jr and Holmes to deal with. The Steelers can have him---although if anyone can shape him up it's probably Cowher. The Bears keep saying the WRs are fine. I'm not sure I see it, although if Bradley is healthy all year and Moose loses a bit of the dropitis, you could have a decent---though certainly not great---top 3 WRs. Plus with Lovie, unlike the Cubs, there is a bit of a good history of coming through on promises so I think we have to give him the benefit of the doubt until the on-field performance shows he was mistaken. I shall definitely post a run-down when I get back. 8)

Our window of opportunity is opening now. Trade this pick for a vet who can help us inside immediately. I'm just not hot on the idea of grabbing another rook who will need years to acclimatize to the NBA game. That's not where we are as a basketball team anymore. That ship sailed 3 years ago, when we picked up our current batch of guys. Now we're a playoff team who needs veteran help to push us over the top. That's just how I see it----I have no idea how difficult it would be to acquire someone, or how valuable the 2nd pick is. I know it's supposed to be a "down year" in the draft.

And just think, Hendry wanted very badly to sign Furcal for massive $$$, not realizing he had a better, cheaper option already in the organization. Kinda lets you know all you need to about Mr. Hendry, don't it?

Linky? Page isn't loading now, but it's usually here. I'm pretty darn sure the Cubs stated he would be back in June somewhere along the line. Though I can't prove it because there are apparently thousands of non-baseball Derek Lees who come up in Google news and it would be buried far in the past. Oh well. It wouldn't be suprising if the Cubs underestimated another player's return schedule from injury. Plus isn't Lee complaining that his wrist won't loosen up? That's not a good sign.

Sell the team to a decent owner with plenty of $$$ and a passion for the game. The Trib is a faceless boardroom full of non-descript suits who are beholden more to their stockholders than winning baseball.

yeah, because it's just unrealistic to ask a guy to put together a non-last place team w/ a mere 95 mil. I can find that money Hendry got "caught" without... Perez Blanco Rusch Jones' 3rd year (although I'll give him credit, he's playing very well now) Won't last. He's a free-swinger, prone to the K and streaky. He'll slump again. Might not be this year, but trust me next season when we need him he'll be K'ing up a storm. Thing to beware of for the rest of '06: players who put up good numbers now that it doesn't matter anymore. Don't be sucked in Cubbie fans.

At which point I hope he walks right up to A.J. ad punches him in the face again. Haha that would be great. :lol: You know, that Sox series is pretty much all we have left in '06. That and watching who we sell off at the deadline, and which players we acquire to retool. Sad. It's only June 20th.

Yeah. Figures he'd show up when it doesn't matter anymore.

....and the record-setting DP pace too. IMO that has to be tied to lack of patience at the plate in some way/shape/form. When you have runners on base, the opposing pitcher's in trouble----you want to make sure that pitcher can hang himself if possible. Not the Cubs. That's when we swing at everything even more than usual.

Alright ladies & gents, I'm a huge follower of TC in the Summer----usually making at least one trip down to catch a few practices. Here's my early list of things to look for if you decide to make the trip. It's really just a "soul will be watching for this" for whatever it's worth (probably not much :)) 1) Huston vs. Gould --- looks like a true TC battle at kicker for the first time in awhile. Huston's leg is stronger---but watch for accuracy in the longer field goal kicking drills. That's where the true competition will be won or lost. 2) Injuries on an aging offensive line. I'll be watching how many practices are missed due to tweaks, strains, etc. On aging OLine vets, these can turn into real time missed during the season and should give a semi-decent indicator of whether we will be as blessed this year as we were last season when both anchor Tackles played most games. 3) RB competition. This is a no-brainer. Everyone will be watching to see if CB looks better than TJ, keeping in mind this will be CB's first training camp as a pro. 4) Brian Griese vs. Rex Grossman. Grossman's all but been named starter already, but since when has that ever stopped fans from comparing the two and voicing their displeasure loudly if they think the wrong guy is starting? Specifically: is Griese's arm stronger or weaker than Rex's? Which QB gets back on drops quicker, and gets the ball to his receiver quicker? Which looks more like a leader running the offense? 5) Rooks: Danieal Manning and Devin Hester. Which gets the 1st team KR/PR duties? I'll be looking to see if Manning pushes Chris Harris for the starting safety job, and if Hester has any skills whatsoever as a CB (he played very little in college). Is Hester potentially more than just a KR? If so, does it look like it will take alot of time to groom him, or just a season? It took Azumah years & years to make the transition, so much so that by the time he was a solid CB his body was already showing the wear & tear of NFL use. 6) DL rook: Dvoracek. A project or potentially in the rotation as a rook? 7) Tank Johnson: back for TC? If so, limited duty, or full blown practices? This also might affect Dusty's status, whether the Bears try to blow him into the rotation early, or lay back. 8. Idonije: we just signed him to a pretty good contract to keep him away from Dick Jauron. Increased role? Or same spot on the depth chart? 9) WRs: Will Bradley lose a step from his knee operation? I'm interested to see if Currie will become an actual NFL receiver or if too much time off + a fragile frame and somewhat questionable hands will end his career before it starts. Berrian: turned it on a bit at the end of the season. I'll be interested to see if he continues his improvement. 10) TEs: watching the new TE UFA signings for any ray of hope. I don't buy the "newer, better Dez Clark" crap. 11) The obvious: Briggs, Vasher, TJ drama. Whether or not they look "upset" or are loafing, I guess. But I've always considered that stuff more of an agent vs. ballclub vs. media thing. Solid players like these guys know you need to go 100% to be successful. So I don't expect much. Those are a few things anyway.

Hendry: I'll give you 5 years, $4 million Samardzjia: I won't settle for anything less than 5 years, $5 million Hendry: 5 years, $7.25 million -- take it or leave it! :lol: That was good.

Well if you are going to call people out after a good start at triple A, I would think it is only fair to come back after a bad outing a the major league level? I can tell you no one wanted to see him do badly his first outing, but give people a little more credit then expecting things to turn around instantly once these injured guys come back from injury. The problem is that it takes time to get going once back, and as you can see from Wood, and now Prior, it is going to take some time, something this team ran out of last month. Expect the same from D Lee when he comes back. Anyone still believe the "well Houston did it last year" stuff? BCB No. I said it in May when this whole thing turned south, and and I'll say it again now: the '05 Astros had an actual decent ballclub even when they were losing. I'll guarantee anyone right now, guys like Neifi, Bynum, Hairston-----never would have made their roster either now or then. This Cub team was always going to be marginal. I just didn't realize it would be this bad. But once it went down the tubes, there wasn't the ballclub to pull it back like the '05 Stros. The fact that Hendry, MacPhail, and Baker believed it could just proves they've lost their way.

How do we really know he's a top pitching prospect? I know he's definitely a top NFL prospect (or somewhere in the neighborhood), but I know little of his pitching prowress, and to be honest I don't trust the Cubs scouting department to accurately judge his ability. Just having a mid-90's fastball isn't going to guarantee anything. Lots of guys can do that. And are we really going to pay him a ton of dough and then watch him get crunched every weekend by NFL DBs? Hey---it's the Cubs' money not mine, they can do what they want. I'm just saying, doesn't sound like they've thought all of this through...

:shock: Really? How about faulting them for being incompetent as owners? Again, aside from not removing any or all of the MacPhail/Hendry/Baker trio, you can't fault the Trib. They put up a good payroll and don't threaten to slash it if the team falters. They financed the addition to Wrigley. Getting mad at them for being the greedy corporation is misguided. Sadly it's not. The Trib was making an insane profit for years while under spending. Over the last two years they have jacked up ticket prices , added seats, and more advertising all while keeping the payroll the same. Can you imagine the money the Trib would rake in if the Cubs won the World Series? For them to have Andy MacPhail at the top this long means they do not care about winning. It's time for them to sale its a shame see how low this team has fallen. In the end, they are supposed to keep a profit. They've done what an owner should do financially, especially for one that's a publically owned company. Say what you want about not getting rid of management, I agree, but when it comes to money they are holding up their end. Not faulting them for the money end, but their major baseball responsibility is to ensure that the team is being run by a competent and effective management team. And they are failing miserably in that area. Glad they're turning a profit and all, but for fans who care about this team they're still incompetent as *baseball* owners.

At least we will have a nice rotation next year (and healthy *crosses fingers*) Prior Z Wood? Marshall Marmol Samardja (sp?) Maddux? that rotation is not good. promising, yes..but major league good? no i wouldn't mind seeing it but i would prefer if we end this year with marshall,marmol and guzman getting 2 months worth of starts. I like it Agreed. More likely than not, Wood won't be there, and quite possibly Maddux as well. Prior hasn't pitched well in a year, since he had that nasty liner richochet off his elbow. I still hope he'll pull himself back to being dominant, but even so that's Z, Prior, and then basically riff raff for '07. Not exactly a dominant rotation.

Things change. I hear what you're saying, but that's part of what makes the "good old days" fun to remember. My Dad used to tell me the same thing back in the '80s when I was a kid. He would tell me how Wrigley was a dual-use stadium used for Bear games, how people would bring their own booze and everyone wore a top-hat :) Back then people lamented the retirement of Jack Brickhouse. It wasn't until a few years down the road that Harry Carey became the legendary CUB announcer. For awhile he was the guy who came from the Cardinals and White Sox. I've gone through the same thing you have---sort of wishing baseball remained the way it was. But, some good things have happened in the modern game, such as the Wild Card, which I wouldn't want to disappear under any circumstances

Glendon Rusch was placed on the "DL" after "suffering" "back spasms." He is expected to "miss" several "games" while "doctors" attempt to expedite the "healing" of his troublesome back. Translation: Can't DFA due to ridiculous contract, can't stand to see face due to ridiculous incompetence.

He was placed on the 15 day DL with "back spams" today. *Back spasms is MLB code for "crappy pitcher." Sounds like the majority of our staff has "back spasms" This entire season can be described as one big, ugly, spasm.

i'm sorry, but we aren't better than the royals. if the royals had the same payroll as the cubs they would have a better record than us. But they don't, so what does that have to do with it? The point here is, we have now reached the level where comparisons between us & the Royals are quickly gaining legitimacy. That's a helluva thing to have happen to a ballclub spending $100 mil on a team that the Trib sold as a playoff contender.