daske17

The Sox have three guys with OPS of .900+, one of whom is a DH. The Cubs have 0. Even in 2005, the Cubs only had Lee and Ramirez with OPS above .900. The team needs to create run production across the board. Sticking with the lineup as majorly constructed, and maybe adding a Soriano at 2B wouldn't be enough to bring the runs up.

I think if Hendry was interested in making a trade for Ichiro it would be with the understanding that he would be willing to sign a new deal with the Cubs. I'm betting that it would take a minimum of four years $48-50 million for Ichiro to keep from becoming a one-year rental.

I'd bet Murton gets traded in a package for some veteran help before I'd bet that deal. Although his surge might inspire Hendry to keep him. I don't see Murton getting traded at all actually. With all of Hendry's talk about Murton being an integral part of the Nomar trade, and basically telling Dusty "You're playing Murton" by not getting another OF this past off-season, there's a better chance of us going after a Soriano or Andruw Jones than replacing our corners. That's just my opinion.

From the Tribune this morning: My TiVo is telling me that it's actually a two-hour documentary. Either way, it probably will be more entertaining that most of the stuff on TV tonight. No word on whether it will air in markets other than Chicago.

And here I thought Edward K was trying out a new pseudonym with this question:

So I read in Phil Rogers' column this morning that Michael Young and Tom Hicks are still at odds over comments made in the press about Young's leadership on the team. This continues Hicks and, to a lesser extent, Showalter's campaign against their own players. Given our precarious middle infield situation next year, do you think it would be possible to pry Young away? Maybe a package of Izturis and Marshall?

The man deserves it. [petty Cubs fan] Anything to keep a Cardinal from winning an award [/petty Cubs fan]

I think Hendry having a 2 year deal is key here. He doesn't have to improve in '07. If the Trib still owns the team, and he keeps putting fans in seats in '07, and they turn it around in '08, he'll likely be renewed based on '08 without regards to '07. And something tells me they'll still approach 2.8 million plus in '07, which, coupled with a reduced payroll, will produce a similar net profit for the Trib. '08, I believe, is Hendry's make or break year with this organization. I really think 07 is his make it or break it year. MacPhail probably has a twinge of regret making Hendry's deal so early in the year, based on what then looked like a solid on-field product. There have been many a GM that have been canned mid-way through their contract, with the Cubs specifically canning Ed Lynch with time left on his contract. I If the team falls apart again next year, with a new manager and coaching staff no less, it all falls on Hendry's head. And I really think MacPhail won't hesitate to pull the plug after the last two seasons. That's possible. If he goes for it all in '07 and fails, then I certainly hope that's the case. Since we're already keeping him around for '07, if he takes the moderate approach and tries to build for '08, then I hope he isn't judged solely on Ws and Ls in '07, but rather or not he's put a solid foundation in place to really succeed in '08. If we don't make the postseason again by '08, then he needs to go either way. Although it hasn't really been discussed by the team or the media, 2008 will be the 100-year anniversary of the Cubs last World Series victory. I don't think the organization wants to have that stuck around their necks going into 2008. That's another reason I think Hendry is going to go for it all next year, and if he can't by the trading deadline prove that he's built a winner, he's gone.

I think Hendry having a 2 year deal is key here. He doesn't have to improve in '07. If the Trib still owns the team, and he keeps putting fans in seats in '07, and they turn it around in '08, he'll likely be renewed based on '08 without regards to '07. And something tells me they'll still approach 2.8 million plus in '07, which, coupled with a reduced payroll, will produce a similar net profit for the Trib. '08, I believe, is Hendry's make or break year with this organization. I really think 07 is his make it or break it year. MacPhail probably has a twinge of regret making Hendry's deal so early in the year, based on what then looked like a solid on-field product. There have been many a GM that have been canned mid-way through their contract, with the Cubs specifically canning Ed Lynch with time left on his contract. I If the team falls apart again next year, with a new manager and coaching staff no less, it all falls on Hendry's head. And I really think MacPhail won't hesitate to pull the plug after the last two seasons.

The Tribune play-by-play blog is estimating about 5,000 people in the stands today, most of them behind home plate. Obviously not the exact total, but there it is.

I'm hoping it's an NL team. Can you imagine Dusty in Arizona with all that young talent? And without his horses.

So I guess it's the Cubs' fault he was a terrible manager that drove our pitchers into the ground, castrated our offense by encouraging aggressiveness and shunned OBP, and lectured on defense but did nothing to improve it? Yeah, he has to get the Cubs stink off of him long enough to stink up another ballclub.

Yes, they've given fat Jim the resources...but at a cost to the baseball operations. There's no accountability at the Trib, their focus is the shareholders. They pressure McGwire/MacPhail to market everything Cub related (bricks, concerts, all things wrigley, corporate events, roof tops, budweiser, bleachers, etc...), its overindulgent and makes me sick. I'm glad no one is going to the games, its about time. Its the only way to get the trib's attention. Unfortunately, like another poster stated - it always happens too late in the season when the money's already made. The reason why Cub fans are laughed at b/c they like going to "Wrigley Field", what happens on the field is window dressing. If you want to the team win, it may take the trib selling (which they won't do) or blowing up the dump known as wrigely (which won't happen either). Okay, seriously, the fat jokes about Hendry are getting really old. Once in a while the jokes are funny, but when every mention of Hendry includes his weight, it ruins the high level of discourse this board is known for. I'm not just singling out d_money, but it's an observation that I've had for the past couple of weeks. With the wide array of ways to besmirch Hendry, do we need to resort to schoolyard taunts?

Oh, let's not leave out the hitting, pitching, fielding, baserunning, random injury-avoiding coaches either. Toss the lot of them out onto Waveland.

Bruce, do you think that's more indicative of coaching and managing styles, or disinterest from the players? If the latter, have coaches/manager tried to light a fire under the players' butts to get them onto the field?

Please tell me he didn't say that. . . :shock:

To me it seems Red Sox fans are the ultimate in "what have you done for me lately?" baseball fans. Before they won the World Series, there was a reason behind it. They were tired of always losing to the Yankees and never winning the WS. That's a hard habit to break after 86 years.

According to Ken Rosenthal, Mulder is considering season-ending surgery on his arm (which effectively ruins his chances at a big dollar contract, as if his stats didn't do that already). http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5919530 Given that he's a Chicago native (although a White Sox fan supposedly) should Hendry continue his tradition on giving a one-year "make good" contract to post-surgery pitchers for 2007? He's a great pitcher when healthy, and is only 29. What do folks think about it?

I can't imagine he made it through waivers without some team making a claim. The Padres surely would have put in a claim, along with any other contender looking for a two-month rental at 3B.

Time to get her knocked up again.

I voted for stats before I voted against stats.

Wow-I just went and looked up the Cubs statistics from that year, and that led me to the MVP voting that year-not only did Sosa win the MVP, but 2 other Cubs were among the 24 who got at least 1 MVP point. Anyone know without looking who those two other Cubs were? Just a guess but Kerry Wood and Mark Grace Those are two good guesses, but surprisingly neither of those is right. Beck and Tapani? Beck is correct-Tapani is incorrect. Henry Rodriguez is the other one, then. You would think so-but that is incorrect also. Beck is the first one, still waiting on the second one. Gaeti?

Before we place all the blame on Dempster and Hendry's feet, let's just keep in mind that Dempster has not pitched regularly for pretty much all season. Dusty should be the main culprit in not keeping him fresh and ready for tight game conditions. The past couple times he's been in the game, it's been for mop-up duty. Meanwhile, Howry clocks in more time than a construction worked on the Dan Ryan.

The great thing about that team (and to a lesser extent 2003) is that it was compiled by a group of guys who had no right being winners. Micky Morandini and Jeff Blauser were on the downside of their careers, Gary Gaeti was on his last legs, the outfield was a patchwork of seven different guys (the only one of whom worth a darn was Sosa). I mean Jose K-Machine Hernandez was our third baseman! This team more resembled a Royals team than a Wild Card winner. But it was that scrappiness and "us against the league" mentality that got them to the playoffs. Then, unfortunately, they ran out of gas against a 106 game-winning Braves. But what a ride. God, that was fun.

Is that even a possibility? The Cubs would never go with a total youth movement and risk their season sellout of tickets. This is especially true with the White Sox in or near contention every year. I don't know. Wrigley has still sold out almost every game this season with the crapitude on the field. And with a waiting list of some seven years for season tickets, I'm absolutely sure you could put a group of corporate middle-aged white guys on the field for batting practice and they'd still sell out. . . oh wait, the Cubs already kinda do that. Snarkiness aside, the Cubs will have no problem selling tickets for years to come regardless of the product on the field.