5412

Hi, Most people buy either two or four seats so I would guess if there were 2600 tickets the most you would move up is 1300 slots. I was #100 going into this season and did not get the call until just a few days before tickets went on sale to the general public. They only had two choices for me on the lower level so I would really be surprised if it dropped that much. You can log on to the Cub website and check your status. regards, 5412

Hi, I started out #700 in 2004 and just got the call this year. I would be surprised if you dropped more than a thousand numbers on the list. regards, 5412

Yeah, I didn't notice any significant movement in my position, either. HI, Don't worry, they do not update the list for several months. Sometime in the fall you will see you have a new number. regards, 5412

Yeah, it the short term though, I'm really not missing out. I'm still able to get decent seats to games when I come to Chicago. It does suck in regards to not having playoff options and such, however. If I didn't think it would be too big of a hassle to unload tickets to all those other games, I would go ahead and get them. But right now, it isn't right for me. Do you stay at the head of the line until you are ready, or is there a penalty for turning down the opportunity? Frankly, I don't know. But, I doubt I could keep turning them down and stay there for as long as I would need to. I haven't contacted the person yet. I've just read the email. This was it. Hi, I got the call this year. Basically it is take it or leave it.......and if you choose the latter you go to the end of the line. r

HI, I'm curious, what section are your tickets?

Congrats! have fun with them. Thank you,

Hi, Thanks for the tip on the email. I started watching the junk mail figuring that is where it would appear. Sure enough, today I got the email and within an hour we had two lower level seats in the grandstand. Not great seats but doable and we can likely move up from this point on. Really appreicated the heads up on the email or I might have tossed it.....

Hi, My number going into this off season is 60 so I would imagine I will get a call. It has taken me since 2003 to work my way down from 700 something. regards, 5412

Why exactly should the LA Dodgers care how Manny did or didn't play in Boston? What would make them want to pee in Manny's Cheerios? Was the lack of motivation in Boston really a money thing? I don't believe that to be true. To me, and I suppose I could be wrong, he went from an organization that seemed more willing to be rid of him and then to an organization who seemed to want him. It's hard to get motivated to go out and play your best everyday when the organization you play for doesn't see the value you bring. And I need to understand how Manny did this to Cleveland, also. In his final season in Cleveland, he posted: .351/.457/.697 For the value he can provide to a team, the teams who can can afford $20m would be stupid to assume that they would automatically get the displaced Boston Manny instead of the inspired LA Manny. Hendry has my blessing to give Manny whatever sum of money he will want to be a Cub in 2009. Good Morning, Obviously you do not listen to the baseball channel on XM radio. Basically Manny is about Manny. He wanted the last two years of his contract voided because they were club options for the paltry sum of $20 million a year. When the red sox told him they did not want to void them he basically quit on them, hid out in the training room, mouthed off to the press, and forced them to dump him. If you will look a the games before he got traded Manny was not in the lineup because his so called injury was not healing. Of course when he got traded to the Dodgers he got well overnight. In addition, because he had to agree to the trade, the club options had to be removed from his contract so he could be a free agent at the end of the season. I have never heard Kennedy?Dibble rip a player like they did Manny while all of this transpired. Here he was in Boston, his team in the middle of a pennant race, and he was all about Manny and the money. They cut to the chase pretty quickly and called it what it really was. A selfish, non-team player who wanted more money and would do anything, including quitting on the team that is currently paying him, quitting on his team mates in a pennant race, to get what he wanted. They also mentioned he did something similar to that when he left Cleveland. Sorry, you can point to his numbers all day long. And I am sure Hank Steinbrenner will be forgiving, but Manny could rot on the vine before I would want him playing for me. I have coached too many years to put up with the kind of garbage Manny gives out, it is not fair to the other players on the team.

Hi, I just added Payne and activated him this week for my fantasy football team. I agree with you on that issue.

Hi, Well Manny Ramirez filed for free agency. He laid down on the job to get out of the final two years of his contract with Boston that paid him $20 million per season. Here is a team fighting for the pennant and a player decides his selfish self-interest is above the needs of the team. To complicate things, I believe his agent is the ever popular Scott Boras.. There are only a few teams that could even afford to pay him $20 million plus, both New York teams, Boston, the Dodgers, Cubs and maybe the Angels. His true market is small and he has already burned his bridges in Boston. What he does not realize is this could be a wonderful case for the owners not to get involved in collusion but just not show any interest in him. My feeling is that it would be hard to prove collusion if each owner or GM of a big market team would respond to a reporter that he is a great player but, "we just do not feel he would fit in" or something like that. Who needs to sign a guy who wants $20 million plus and would demand to be paid if he got hurt or his performance stinks......but if he has a great season will find a way to try to weasel out of the contract to get even more money? He did it with Cleveland and then again in Boston. If it ever came to collusion each and every owner could say flat out signing Manny is not worth the risk, look at what he did to Cleveland and Boston and he would have a tough leg to stand on. I hope the Dodgers tender him an offer like $12 million and that is the only offer he gets.....or no one tenders him a thing.....

Hi, There is an old saying that it is better to trade a guy a year early than a year late. DLee has been a decent 1B with one stellar year which he parlayed into a great contract. He is no longer a good #3 hitter and needs to be moved out of that spot. He is not enough of a bopper to hit cleanup either. While he seems to be a stellar guy, if we have any kind of a shot a Texiera and it would cost us Lee, I would be all for trading him. We also have Hoffpauir waiting in the wings and he has a lot more upside potential at this point than Lee does. One thing I like about Hoffpauir is this. When we had HeSop Choi you could look at his swing and see he had a big hole in it. When you see Hoffpauir hit there is a good solid swing and he makes good contact. Lee would fetch some good players in return. Lee also took less money to stay in Chicago and has a no-trade clause. By the time, a team added sweeteners to convince him to waive it, he would lose his value and net us very little in return. Hi, I am aware that he has a no trade clause. At the same time there was some discussion about him wanting to play on the west coast closer to his family. If anyone can work out something that is fair to all parties it would be Hendry. Personally I would love to see them trade Lee and land Texiera, that would be an upgrade.

Hi, You make a good point about Lovie. I also believe that coaches that are screamers have a much shorter life span before they get tuned out than coaches that are more laid back. Seems that Tom Landry stayed at Dallas for a good long time. Where I think Lovie is challenged is Angelo. They have so darn much money tied up on the defensive side of the ball, with a group of players that are getting older that he is going to be limited in what he can do. Urlacher is now just a good MLB as opposed to an impact player. Briggs is in his prime and they are working in guys like Graham and the other linebacker who's name excapes me for the moment. If you have reasonable turnover each season Lovie should be good. I agree with you about ethics etc. he seems to have set a standard and they all must adhere to it. I do not see any of the current Bears getting Michael Jordan type treatment, that's for sure.

Taken control of a spot that no one else can play well though. I haven't been watching, but is he any good? I still wish Lovie had played Beekman las year when Brown went out. There was absolutely no reason for Beekman not to be starting them so we could figure out if he was any good. On another note, does Lovie bring anything to the table as a head coach except the Cover-Two which I don't even like. I just can't name anything that Lovie does particularly well. Hmmmm, How many Bear coaches in your lifetime have taken a team to the Super Bowl, particularly with a rookie QB? Lovie is doing something right. Hi, Grossman wasn't a rookie in 2006-07. Sincerely, Raisin Thank you raisin, I meant inexperienced.....

Hi, There is an old saying that it is better to trade a guy a year early than a year late. DLee has been a decent 1B with one stellar year which he parlayed into a great contract. He is no longer a good #3 hitter and needs to be moved out of that spot. He is not enough of a bopper to hit cleanup either. While he seems to be a stellar guy, if we have any kind of a shot a Texiera and it would cost us Lee, I would be all for trading him. We also have Hoffpauir waiting in the wings and he has a lot more upside potential at this point than Lee does. One thing I like about Hoffpauir is this. When we had HeSop Choi you could look at his swing and see he had a big hole in it. When you see Hoffpauir hit there is a good solid swing and he makes good contact. Lee would fetch some good players in return.

Good Morning, After reading the entire thread I see things a bit differently. I personally would try to sign Roberts, or a good switch hitting or left handed leadoff man (excluding Pierre). It appears to me that we really need to find some energy for the lineup. Sure we scored a lot of runs but........ A good leadoff man gets on base a lot, steals a lot of bases and truly is a table setter. That is not Soriano. Personally I like Theriot a lot. He is a gamer and I think he will get better. For what it is worth he had 68AB's as a leadoff hitter last year, hit .368 with and OBP of .419. What really irked me was that Soriano had a hold on that spot and, even though common sense says he should be hitting 5th or 6th, they never let Theriot continue there. I also think Fukudome is going to be a bust so we really need a full time CF and RF. I would go get the leadoff man first, see where he plays then make adjustments. For example if we get Roberts, then DeRosa moves to the OF and now we just need one more OF. Pie ain't gonna make it and he is out of options. My fear is he will be another Corey Patterson. Would not bother me in the least if we traded him for Roberts or Coco Crisp.

Not necessarily a bad thing. I want to see Roach play (and Hunter on the bench) anyway. I'm a big Jamar Williams fan, but he hasn't shown me anything when he's been out there this season. Ill be interested to see this too. Id like to see how well he can cover a TE. HH is pretty good at that aspect. Id also like to see Manning back in the nickel rotation, at least this week if he's not McBride can play the slot rather than play on the edge(not that he's terrible on the edge). JSC. I really expected him to be very below average at LT, he has been a nice surprise to me. I had visions of Mike Gandy this year. This was one reason i supported not placing CWilliams on IR. Now that Williams is getting closer to being on the field im not sure im in as much hurry as i was earlier to replace JSC with him. If Williams is inserted in the LT spot i am all for moving JSC to RG, maybe LG and move JB to RG but seems like a major reshuffle. Good Morning, I think I would give Williams some snaps but limit his play to one quarter or a couple of series first. He needs to get some action so, if someone does go down he is not seeing his first action in the NFL. My guess is they give him a couple of series, then look at the tapes and go over them with him. He will do some things right, and then some things not so good. Then he works on those things in practice and the following week plays again and you look for improvement. Not so sure I would move anyone around until I know he can play. Speaking of linemen, anyone with we still had Columbo? He is one mean SOB.

Taken control of a spot that no one else can play well though. I haven't been watching, but is he any good? I still wish Lovie had played Beekman las year when Brown went out. There was absolutely no reason for Beekman not to be starting them so we could figure out if he was any good. On another note, does Lovie bring anything to the table as a head coach except the Cover-Two which I don't even like. I just can't name anything that Lovie does particularly well. Hmmmm, How many Bear coaches in your lifetime have taken a team to the Super Bowl, particularly with a rookie QB? Lovie is doing something right.

It seems like the Bears matchup so well against the Titans, if that is possible. They are very strong against the run vs. a strong running-very weak passing team. Then again, this Lions game has letdown, stupid playoff killing loss written all over it As much as I want to be fearful of Detroit, because no team will go 0-16, I just can't be. I think it's more likely the Bears beat the Titans than lose to the Lions. Bears/Titans will be an interesting matchup. Titans are 4th in rushing yards per game. Bears are 6th best in rush yards allowed per game. Bears are 11th in passing YPG. Titans are 4th best in pass yards allowed per game. Titans have one of the bottom 5 passing offenses. Bears are bottom 5 in pass defense. Hi, Don't be so sure about 0-16. I think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went almost three years without winning a game.

Hi, To me the money is not as relevant as some other issues. First of all a lot depends on what happens in the offseason. If our fall back guy is Pie, sign Edmonds in a minute. On the other hand if there are changes made in the outfiled there would need to be a clear understanding that he is trying out for the team with no guarantees. For example, would you rather keep Edmonds as a LH pinch hitter, part time player, and let Ward go???? If Edmonds was willing to accept a contract under the circumstances that he is not guaranteed anything as far as making the team, then it could be a good move.

Good Morning, I was basing my remarks on what Hendry said at the convention. If the Cubs want Wood back (which I believe they do) and Woody wants to come back (which I believe he does) they will work together to come up with something fair for both sides on the deal. Losing Wood would have a devastating effect in the clubhouse. I suspect he is a very quiet leader and has an impact on a lot of the players. It would be in the best interest of both sides to work it out.

The pen will be fine? You're taking Marmol out of the most valuable role for the team and you're losing Wood. Who'd be the primary set up man? The highly inconsistent Samardzija? Bring back Bob Howry? I wish they were more worried when they were giving Soriano 8 year contracts. My thoughts are that we need a guy. Without Wood, we still need a guy to be at the back end of our bullpen. Regardless of whether you are deploying Marmol as the closer or using him in higher leverage situations that aren't the nineth, the bullpen, without Wood is down one good arm. Now, I think the issue is that the Cubs are concerned as to whether or not Wood is that guy. This is most certainly a defensible position. Wood is a guy a year ago that nearly quit because his shoulder was so screwed up. Then one day, miraculously, it was better. With no rhyme or reason his shoulder didn't hurt anymore. You have to take the position that anything you got from Wood this year was gravy. Hes pitching on borrowed time. Just as easily as his shoulder miraculously one day went from terrible to functional, the opposite can happen. We are fortunate that it didn't happen this year and of course, the more time Wood puts the bum shoulder behind him, the more we can put creedence into the idea that he's healed, but the fact remains that he is one very normal bullpen pitch away from being done and those chances are one thousand fold more for Wood than the average pitcher. Conversely, it all depends on years and money. If Wood is willing to take a discount (which I contended he DID NOT do last offseason), then maybe that risk will be worth it. Additionally, you need to look at who his possible replacements could be and how much they would cost to see if the risk is worth it. Those will ultimately be the questions the cubs will have to ask themselves. I disagree with you on the fact that Wood did not take a discount. He has given a home team discount for years. Reason why is this. At the Cub convention Hendry mentioned that he wished they were all like Kerry Wood. Basically he told the Cubs to pay him what he was worth and left it at that. After 2003 he had a shot at filing for free agency and instead signed with the Cubs for something like $36 million when he could easily have garnered $50 million on the open market. He contended that the Cubs were the team that gave him a chance and he was loyal to them to stick around. I would not want to lose Wood; not only for what he does on the mound but what he does in the clubhouse. Perhaps two years with a mutual option for a third year and a buyout clause. Hendry and Wood will find a way to get it done.

Hi, I have been on the list since 2004. I decided when I retired that I wanted to come up to Chicago for the summer and watch the Cubs so I called in for tickets. They told me they would call me back in a few days......which they did and they put me on the list. I am now #167 on that list and have moved up about 100 numbers. I am also going to be 69 years old next year...... I figure they wll continue to raise prices with such a huge waiting list until I finally will make it. Like most people I know who have season tickets, I will keep the games I want to go to and sell off the rest. When I tried to get on the list originally they had partial packages like just weekend games, or weekday day games. They had to stop that practice because all season ticket holders were guaranteed playoff tickets and they were about to run out of seats. I have a friend who has a partial package in the grandstand but when he gets his playoff tickets he is in the bleachers. Sometime after all the money is supposed to be collected (end of January) before they go on sale to the general public they notify the folks who have a shot at tickets. It will probably take another year or so...... I wonder if our chances will improve more if they win it all as opposed to going down in flames as they have done in the past. Eventually they will continue to raise prices to the point that the bulk of the tickets will be owned by corporations, the average fan will no longer be able to afford it. They talked about how flat the crowd was at the first playoff game this year and I am not sure that was not a factor.

Hi all, Good thread on the Cubs and Tribune Company. Right now all the assets of the Tribune are likely for sale to the highest bidder. You can forget about Tribune folks buying it because the Cubs and WGN will likely go as a package for $750 million or more......which really limits the number of potential buyers. Wrigley III was mentioned a few weeks ago as a potential buyer and that would be a good thing. The reason the family had to sell in the first place was to pay estate taxes and the word is he wants to be the Wrigley that wins a world series in Chicago. would not mind that in the least. Whoever buys the team would have to put money into the team. I am not one who appreciates the current management who has been bleeding a ton of money from the team. Until someone can tell me why, when the salary tax cuts in at $117 million this year, then why was our payroll $95 million instead of $115 million? Tax number goes up to $137 million in 2007 and $148 million in 2008. Then our number should follow that and be a few million under that number. Anything short of that tells me that they are not in the least bit committed to winning. After the collective bargaining agreement was announced the team said our payroll should go over $100 million a little bit. That will not cut it, we are going to see salaries skyrocket over the next two years.