Really, this is a tired argument. Lee and Aramis where pure salary dumps that fell into Hendry's lap. Lee was actually traded to Baltimore, but a long term deal couldn't be worked out. Aramis was getting too expensive for the Pirates. I have to ask you, who wouldn't have made those trade? That is the question. No, the more important question is why didn't anyone else make those trades? This anti-argument doesn't hold water, CubinNY. Here's why... If it is true and Ramirez and Lee were true salary dumps, then every GM in need of a top 3 1B and 3B and a little bit of salary room would have been in line to get them since they were practically being given away, right? So why is it that the failure of a GM, Jim Hendry, was the one that got them? Why didn't they wind up on some other team? Were the Cubs the only team that could afford them? Why didn't the Yankees get Ramirez? They needed a 3B. Why didn't the Red Sox get Lee, they needed a 1B. If it is as you say and these players just "fell into Hendry's lap" and he deserves no credit for getting them as they went into what looks to be their very productive primes, then why didn't some other, better, more proactive, non-failure of a GM come in and steal them away from our dunce of a GM? After all, he was just sitting there doing nothing when they just fell into his lap? If the Ramirez, Hundley and Lee trades don't count as evidence of Hendry's worth, neither do his missing out on Beltran, or not signing enough pitching to cover when Wood got injured, or not having an adequate back-up for when Nomar went down, or his not improving the team's OBP enough. i agree, this has been my point all along. pretty much hendry is a sore subject, those who hate him would be upset if he traded augie ojeda for babe ruth. never going to please all, just get us back to the playoffs and you will please me jim!