CubbieRich

So, you are willing to have the highest paid pitcher on your team and one of the highest paid pitchers in all of MLB, be unable to win more than 14 games in a year. That's fine-you are getting what you want. I expect and demand more from the bum. He should be leading the team not sitting on the DL. Hendry was foolish to sign him to such a $$$$ contract for what he thought Wood was going to do. I heard concerns that Wood would walk if he didn't get such a contract, Hendry blinked and caved in. The good pitchers have enough sense to make changes in their mechanics if they are getting pounded, can't locate their pitches..or even when they are consistently injured and on the DL. To say Wood can't change his mechanics is even more reason to dump him. Look at Chris Carpenter(2005 Cy Young winner), he was hurt and changed his mechanics. Say what you will about wins, but there is no better single measurement for a starting pitcher. It's been that way forever in baseball and always will be. Wood can't get win when you have 100 pitches in 5 innings or when your pitching coach makes 4 trips in the 1st 5 innings.

Have you fixed your bad mechanics so you won't get injured again? Isn't it Ironic that you joked/took a stab at Steve Stone criticizing your mechanics earlier in the year by saying "Maybe someone can teach me better Mechanics, I don't know", and then later in the year you were shut down YET AGAIN!!? When you go down again next year, will you please stay in the 8th inning, because that's the only way you can actually help this team. Would you please waive your non trade clause to get traded so you don't ruin another one of our chances with your injuries? feel free to use any one of those. . . :roll: why is it that people expect wood to be able to 'fix' his broken mechanics? if his mechanics are bad and are the cause of his injury, complain about the coaching staff failing to fix them, not a guy in his mid 20s w/ no coaching/mechanic fixing experience. it's not like rothschild has the magic key to fix the problem but wood has refused to use it. At $12 million for 2006, I expect this bum to lead the team. I expect more than 14 wins. I expect him to be man enough to change his mechanics in order to fulfill his obligations. Take responsiblity for your previous failures and waive your no-trade clause.

Just looking at some of the young pitching we have in AA and AAA, isn't it time to unload some of these guys to make room for the Marshalls, Marmols etc.. I would like to see what Hill, Guzman and Ryu can do here, but not locked into them if we could acquire a slugging RF. But guys like Wellemeyer, Brownlie, Koronka, Leicester, Mitre and Rohlicek would seem to have no place or chance here. I say bundle a few of them and unload them for a Dunn, Abreu or Giles.

Kerry will be on WGN Radio tonight(7-9PM). Probably to talk his bowling promotion this week. I know that Kaplan won't allow phone calls or questions. God forbid the fans should ask him a tough question.

Last time I heard anything, Corey had yet to decide whether he was going to play any winter ball. Possibly I missed the article in the Chicago papers. The team has to talk him up as much as possible so they can trade him. He has been a major disappointment that Hendry needs to unload for whatever he can get-which won't be much.

Signing Morris is a terrible move anyways. He lost velocity and wasn't all that great at the end of last year. Signing Morris would be a mistake. I thought that Morris's wife and Carrie are good friends, as they worked together for MLB. Didn't Morris meet his future wife at Wrigley, sitting in the bullpen when she was doing charting or stat work for MLB? Nomar and Mia are building a home on the North Shore. Don't know whether it's completed or not. But I think they shouldlet him go too. My good Cub friend in Wilmette says that Jennifer Anniston is looking at properties in Lake Forest. Make your move, Jon D.

Always appreciate your updates on the Fall League. An article in one of today's Chicago papers about the Sox web activity made me think of you and doing something like that for the Cubs. The Sox do a podcast every week, including interviews. This seems like a natural for Cub fans who want more than they are getting now. The prospect of actually having a weekly update on the Cubs minor leagues would really appeal to a number of people. Anyway..something to think about. Are you at NU? I'm an old Medill grad guy.

Phil Garner was just on The Score with B and B. Dan asked if 'there was one thing that surprised him about the White Sox, that didn't show up on the scouting reports'. Garner said the White Sox didn't walk much during the regular season, but during the WS-they began taking pitches, working the count and laying off close pitches. He thought that Dye's at bat in Game 4 was 'the way to work a count' and was very good.

Pure heresy! I was lukewarm when Kasper was hired, but he's proven that he is an excellent play-by-play guy. As he grows into the job, I think all in all, we will be very pleased with this hire. He was their 4th choice, not a ringing endorsement for the Cubs-probably one of the Top 3 broadcast jobs in the country. He's too vanilla for my tastes. I much prefer a play-by-play man who knows what they are talking about than someone with a sensationalist voice. Find me another PBP guy who has even heard of DIPS, never mind mention it on the air, then we can talk about Kasper not being the best in the biz. Harry is a HOF announcer. He knew the game better than Len, Bob, Ron, Pat, etc.. He loved the game. Do not think for a moment that he didn't.

They're in so much trouble that they will probably win the Central Division by only 10-12 games next year. Their policy of overspending for 1 player and hurting the overall team should hasn't seemed to hurt them the last few seasons. When last seen, the Cards were packing their cars after the Stros buried them. How did that Larry Walker deal work out for you?

You may not like Stoney's attitude, but the man knows baseball and he's never been afraid to voice his views. Brenly is nothing more than a lapdog and Kaspar is just average at best. Whether Stoney would ever be given an opportunity to be a GM or front office decision maker is open for debate. Teams don't often take chances on out-spoken announcers and GM-types. They want house men who spew the party line and do what they are told. Harry Caray may have been the last of the great announcers in that regard. Teams are more concerned about the image of the team, rather than have an announcer actually tell you what's going on. They didn't learn that Harry sold more Cubs tickets than any marketing campaign could by telling the truth and not sugar coating it. When I see Hendry start '06 by bringing back the entire coaching staff, Walker, Wood(on the team at all), Dempster as a starter, CPatt, etc.. makes me want someone else in charge. Whether that's Stoney or Theo Epstein or even Tim, at least they would speak their mind and not stand pat. Pure heresy! I was lukewarm when Kasper was hired, but he's proven that he is an excellent play-by-play guy. As he grows into the job, I think all in all, we will be very pleased with this hire. He was their 4th choice, not a ringing endorsement for the Cubs-probably one of the Top 3 broadcast jobs in the country. He's too vanilla for my tastes.

They need a LF and RF, plus Edmonds is getting older and has been showing signs the last couple years of being injured later in the year. They have no position players in the minors ready to step up and only questionable pitching(Marquis) to trade. It wouldn't surprise me for them to go after Giles hard. I hope they do what they always do, overspend for 1 player and hurt their overall team.

You may not like Stoney's attitude, but the man knows baseball and he's never been afraid to voice his views. Brenly is nothing more than a lapdog and Kaspar is just average at best. Whether Stoney would ever be given an opportunity to be a GM or front office decision maker is open for debate. Teams don't often take chances on out-spoken announcers and GM-types. They want house men who spew the party line and do what they are told. Harry Caray may have been the last of the great announcers in that regard. Teams are more concerned about the image of the team, rather than have an announcer actually tell you what's going on. They didn't learn that Harry sold more Cubs tickets than any marketing campaign could by telling the truth and not sugar coating it. When I see Hendry start '06 by bringing back the entire coaching staff, Walker, Wood(on the team at all), Dempster as a starter, CPatt, etc.. makes me want someone else in charge. Whether that's Stoney or Theo Epstein or even Tim, at least they would speak their mind and not stand pat.

I'm guessing that the Sox will spend a little more money, due to playoff revenue. Jerry Reinsdorf is a shrewd businessman and most Chicago fans laughed at the Sox. He extorted a new stadium from the taxpayers and it was out-of-date within 10 years. He is extremely loyal to his players, GM's and employees. He sent 300 Sox employees and their families to Houston on hs dime for the Series. He refused to increase the budget for salaries and Kenny Williams had to sign injury prone players and castoffs. They caught lightning in a bottle this year and should get their due. Sox fans are like Cards fans, the first thing they do is check the Cubs boxscore. They measure their new ballmalls by comparing it to Wrigley and copy the Cubs promotions(except 1/2 nights and dog nights at the Cell). There is a buzz here for the Sox but it is nowhere near the excitement of 2003.

Passing this along to anyone who is interested in a communications job with the Pirates or a few other teams. http://baseballjobs.teamworkonline.com

The ownership of the TRIB would likely seek to retain the broadcast rights for a period of time, as part of any deal. As much as I like Wrigley Field, there will come a time when it must be replaced. I can see the TRIB doing all this rehab to make everything more attractive for a prospective owner. Last night I heard David Kaplan on WGN offer up some lame denial from a TRIB spin master. Kaplan should know the difference between line and staff responsiblity. Staff people seldom are close to negotiations and certainly are in no position to comment on this subject. Kaplan's newest wife is a pr hack with a local pizza joint and she's given a script to talk to the media.

Have the Cubs hurt the fanbase-especially out of towners-to make more money? We are all creatures of habit and that’s may be what keeps us going every day. We know there are certain things which we can count on and gives us reassurance. You knew what was on WGN Channel 9 at 1:20 PM for 75+ days. Cubs baseball was the only game on around the country and helped build the allure of the team, especially for the kids. If you had basic cable, you got the Cubs games. But then what happened?...The Cubs added night games. The Cubs sold part of their TV rights to Fox and then created another station with Comcast, which moved about 80 games off WGN. Games are shown on WGN, Comcast, Comcast Plus, CLTV and WCIU, with some games only shown on WGN(Chicagoland) and not on the superstation.. Starting times for home games became 1:20, 2:20, 3:15, 6:00, 7:05. I think this may ultimately hurt the team in the long-run. I have to believe with the different starting times for home games and different tv stations, it may not be as easy to find the team. Plus, the cost of MLB tv packages may further hurt the fan base. I would be curious if you are an out-of-town Cubs fan, do you find it a lot harder to watch the games?

Is being the manager of the Cubs the last managerial job you will ever have? If you look at the list, it may seem that way: Frey, Michael, Zimmer, Essian, Lefebrve, Treblehorn, Riggleman, Baylor, Kimm None of them went on to other managerial jobs. The one that surprised me was Riggleman who was the 'hot property' for awhile.

And he hasn't even TRIED to get better. And he won't LISTEN to any instruction, either. Why not be with some of the others and give Corey a cookie and a raise just for showing up? Never mind the results. When did you move to Naperville?

Are you paid for your performance at work or because you are a nice guy, in spite of your performance? Thought so.

The proof is in the stats and not pipedreams. He is a lousy bunter and a very mediocre base stealer. Whether he was never taught or doesn't want to learn, does it really matter. He's gone and someone else will be in CF. Patterson's a near 80% basestealer, that's pretty good. BK has pointed out in the past about Patterson's success with bunts. What stats are you talking about? Patterson stole 15 bases in 2005 and was caught 5 times, that's 75%. That puts him at #45 in all of the majors for the year. There is no stat for bunts attempted(unless you care to make one up). Anyone who watched the Cubs this year can not say that Patterson is a good bunter.

He's no Jimmy Wynn, he's no Joe Morgan..he's not even David Eckstein. Patterson could be a 5-tool player, now he's 1(maybe). The market value in 2004 for Wood was $12 million a year? Prior won more games in 2003. Oops..I guess he should asked to be paid $20 million. Wood doesn't want to admit that Steve Stone was correct about his flawed delivery all these years. He refuses to change, just like CPatt and that's what makes me mad. I have no personal gripes about them, as I wanted them to do great for the Cubs. But they haven't adapted, while other players do. I don't think Wood cares what Steve Stone says about his mechanics, nor should he. Stone isn't his pitching coach. He's a pundit on a radio station. His opinion means nothing. Nothing. There's a reason he's never been a GM, or coach, on any level. And again, you have no idea if they "want" to do anything. That's a terrible argumentative tactic. You're assigning a trait to someone whom you don't know based on your own opinions of their performance. Are you paid for your performance at work or because you are a nice guy, in spite of your performance?

He's no Jimmy Wynn, he's no Joe Morgan..he's not even David Eckstein. Patterson could be a 5-tool player, now he's 1(maybe). The market value in 2004 for Wood was $12 million a year? Prior won more games in 2003. Oops..I guess he should asked to be paid $20 million. Wood doesn't want to admit that Steve Stone was correct about his flawed delivery all these years. He refuses to change, just like CPatt and that's what makes me mad. I have no personal gripes about them, as I wanted them to do great for the Cubs. But they haven't adapted, while other players do.

The proof is in the stats and not pipedreams. He is a lousy bunter and a very mediocre base stealer. Whether he was never taught or doesn't want to learn, does it really matter. He's gone and someone else will be in CF. Wins for a starting pitcher is the primary way to judge the effectiveness of a starter. Anyone who tries to say different or use 'quality starts' is denying the recognized standard for starting pitching. But then some yahoos are satisfied with 14 wins at $12 million. So again, by your standard, Roger Clemens was a bad pitcher this season, and Randy Johnson was bad last year? Whatever. Ditch this noise. Call me when Wood has a Cy Young or ONE 20 win season. Lower your own standards.

The proof is in the stats and not pipedreams. He is a lousy bunter and a very mediocre base stealer. Whether he was never taught or doesn't want to learn, does it really matter. He's gone and someone else will be in CF. Wins for a starting pitcher is the primary way to judge the effectiveness of a starter. Anyone who tries to say different or use 'quality starts' is denying the recognized standard for starting pitching. But then some yahoos are satisfied with 14 wins at $12 million.