Owners expected to address media soon to assess club's direction
Around Town

Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan

8:53 p.m. CDT, July 8, 2010
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Several baseball sources have confirmed to us that the Cubs are ramping up their efforts in the trade market to start clearing the books of cumbersome salaries.

In addition, it is expected that the team's ownership will address the media soon to assess the club's direction, especially if the team continues to struggle before the trading deadline.

"It has been very difficult for the family and the team the first half of the season," Tom Ricketts told season ticket holders Thursday at Wrigley Field. "This is not where the family wanted to be in the first half of the season."

Good to see this guy going to the press with statements telling it like it is as opposed to making excuses like Hendry. Good sign.

It's about time. Fire the 3 stooges.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

Man, that Around Town column really takes on the hard issues. Mitchell and Kaplan or Woodward and Bernstein? Did they get Lee Elia or Ron Santo's take on it yet?

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Elia said said Shingles bought a "cocksucker's playground" and Santo said the story has no legs...

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

I feel so bad for "the family"

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Year 2: Clean bathrooms, low payroll, more Santo days!

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

It's time to deal already...save the added millions that Lilly, Silva and Lee will make the remainder of this season and trade them if you can. I don't trust Silva to pitch as well as he had for the remainder of the season, much less next year. Seattle was desperate to rid themselves of that awful contract. I would trade him for a half decent prospect, just to dump the deal. Same with Lee. Very little needed in return, if anyone is willing to assume the 6 million still owed for this season to him. Lilly is the best chip they have to deal. He has more value and being that he doesn't make huge money and his deal expires at the conclusion of 2010, he's a guy many teams should be interested in. They should get a good prospect for him. The deals should begin very soon. I would love to see Fukadome and Ramirez go too, but I fear they are untradeable.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Lee and Lilly are no brainers. As for the rest, it's all a matter of how much money Ricketts wants to eat, Silva has 2 years $23M left, Fuke has a year at $13M left, Z has 2 years $36M left, and Ram has a year at $14M left. Good luck eating any or all of that shit pile. Who the hell would even take half of any of those contracts? Nobody. Why? Because they all SUCK!

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Awesome!

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There goes one over the fence..Tru Link Fence..Beauty, Privacy Security....Call Tru Link.
Murph's Union 76 Truck Stop....A great Thanksgiving Tradition!!!!

WOO LIFE!!!!

Billy Williams said "Ronny should be in the Hall of Fame" and Ernie Banks said "Ronny? Who's Ronny?"

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Don't forget better food & more signage!

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

There's more than one way to prepare a bison!

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

I like Bison. Whatever happened to the Ostrich fad? Its really good & more healthy than beef or even chicken.
If you want to try something really good, try alligator. Good stuff.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

What does everyone think about Randy Bush handling these mid-season moves, in an attempt to win the permanent job?

BTW, I don't think I want Randy as the long term answer.

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What does everyone think about Randy Bush handling these mid-season moves, in an attempt to win the permanent job?

BTW, I don't think I want Randy as the long term answer.

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I would let George Bush handle the Cubs mid season moves. Anyone but Hendry.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

Remember when the Cubs "evaluated" themselves in the middle of awful 2006 and arrived at the conclusion that it was better to keep Hendry and Dusty?

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Kinda like the Bears saying they need change but keeping Jerry and Lovie?

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pointless...because knowing Hendry, he will replace them with other high-priced retread veterans...Id rather keep the players we have now, who r actually good

even Bully Hendry said last week that he will never go into a year not expecting to contend...what does that tell u? he is very impatient with kids

in the last 5 years, by signing overpaid veterans, he has suffocated the careers of:

Murton
Hoffpauir
Ohman
Wuertz
Pagan
Sean Marshall (should be a starter)
Pie
Fuld
McGehee
Aardsma

...and more

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And I think Hendry blows but cmon we are really banging the drum for Matt freaking Murton?

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My god, Murton had COUNTLESS chances to win a starting job. Ohman and Weurtz were used in important situations in games for the better part of 2 years. Pie was given a chance. They didn't perform. Period.

Having said that I think the Cubs farm system is a joke. The guys they deemed the top prospects (Rich Hill, Pie, Patterson, etc) were failures and the others (Colvin, Theriot, Fontenot, etc) became viable major leaguers. Not only does Hendry need to go, but also Onory Fleeta and all those other hacks who wouldn't know talent if it grabbed their balls and squeezed.

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An axe just isnt enough for this job. Time to whip out the chainsaw.

Hendry should be 1st to go since this is his disaster

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"You can kill the revolutionary, but you can't kill the revolution."

Man, remember when the internet was obsessed with Matt Murton because he came out of the Red Sox system, which valued walks and sabermetric stuff? Guess they didn't value Matt Murton! He kinda blew!

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Murton got a chance to play regularly in 2006, his 2nd year in the Majors...he actually had a decent year, with only 350 AB...instead of continuing to work with him (and Murton is a VERY proud and hard worker), they went and signed Soriano to end Murton's chances

in this sense, Murton never really got a chance, and he will tell u this himself

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Yeah, and he couldn't beat out Jacque Jones or Cliff Floyd in 2007. He had his chances.

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Thank you Matt Murton and family. Matt Murton was never anything but a 4A player.Not major leauge but a real good minor leauge prospect. How is he now? Still in the minors? Nice kid but never was or will be a major leauge player of any caliber.

I thought the only Matt Murton we had here was Matt Murton's beard but the real Matt Murton is here and grammar and punctuation is a mystery to him.

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false

Jones was signed to play RF, and Floyd ended up sharing time in right with him

Murton was a left-fielder by trade...there was never any long-term intention for him to play right

Murton only started playing some RF AFTER Soriano was signed because there was no room for him in left

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How did I know the Internet still had a few Matt Murton arguments in it?

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