You mean, you guys aren't thrilled with his $200 million dream outfield of Soriano, Fukudome, and Bradley? How about the Nomar acquisition to put them over the top in 2004? I think you're also forgetting about the bullpen extraordinaire consisting of Howry and Eyre (throw Remlinger in there too).

But let's be fair and look at the farm system too. Guys like Pie and the Patterson brothers, Murton, Cedeno, you can't touch these guys. And the untouchable Rich Hill - you wouldn't have wanted to trade him for, say, Carl Crawford, would you? How's Vitters shaping up for you?

Casey McGahee is doing quite well though. In a Brewers uniform though, see, ain't that a bitch? Wouldn't want to spend the extra $50,000 to keep him on the 40-man so that wouldn't have happened. Better to spend, say $10 million guaranteed on Jeff Samardzija. Circle gets the square!

How about botching up the Ramirez contract, resulting in him getting two more years plus the player option for next year? Then again, the $90 million for Zambrano was money well-spent, he gave you four good months in 2008.

God I almost forgot Kevin Gregg.

Did you like Jason Marquis getting #2 money for being a #5 starter who looked like a half-way decent #5 starter in maybe a third of his outings?

Oh yeah. Jacques Jones.

So yeah, I can see why Ricketts is hesitant to make a change...

Jim's hired two managers since he's been the GM, Dusty and Lou. Both at the time were heralded as great hires who the vast majority of fans though would be the guys to put us over the top. With the options he's looking at, outside of Sandberg(please God no) I have really no complaints


You can't blame Lou for Ramirez's contract because there isn't a single person who thought the production drop off would be this sharp. Soriano has been really good for us outside last year. Overpaid yes, but productive and an intrical part of playoff teams.

Don't even start to bitch about not trying to trade CPat, Pie, Hill etc. early in their careers for a more established veteran. Because you are the same person who then bitches about all the big money contracts we give out and say our farm system blows. Pick a lane. We've had a ton of prospects who were highly regarded around baseball. Tough to blame Jim on them not panning out.

Kevin Gregg? Really? Blame Lou for keeping him closing. Gregg's had a really solid season in Toronto and was more than adequate in Florida. It's also dumb to complain about the bullpen considering what a crap shoot it is every year. Did you hate Bob Howry when he has a 3.10 ERA and 1.1 WHIP for the Cubs roughly in back to back years? Remlinger was one of the best bullpen arms in the entire league when we signed him. Basically every team in baseball plays some form of roulette with their pen on a early basis. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Yes, of course Hendry has made some mistakes, but this blind revisionist history by so many Cubs fans is embarrassing. He's done a lot of good things during his time here.

And for those who want Sandberg as our manager next year, please tell me why?

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Team Cutler.

I admit that I am biased, Sandberg was one of my favorite players growing up, so if he was made manager I would be happy.

Reasons why he could make a good manager? He understands what it means to be a part of the Cubs. What did we hear from both Lou and Dusty when they both left, they didn't realize the pressure that came with managing the Cubs. All the negative vibes that came with the job. I think Sandberg would understand managing the Cubs comes with it's own unique pressures that jobs in Atlanta or Florida don't have. And that Sandberg being a Cub legend might protect him from the wrath of fans more than an outsider would.

I sometimes hear that Sandberg has no major league experience. Well Lou and Dusty had lots of major league experience. How did they end up? Girardi had one year of coaching experience before becoming manager of the Marlins. Guillen was a coach for what, 2 or 3 years. I am a believer that you are either a good manager or head coach, or you aren't. Doesn't matter how much coaching experience you might have.

Plus I am also beginning to believe that a younger manager might be better in terms of handling the pressures of the Cub job. Piniella clearly tired of the job, and I think Dusty's spirit was broken the last year or so.

I would be happy with Sandberg or Girardi. Fredi Gonzalez did a good job with Florida so I wouldn't necessarily be against him. Even though Brenly is a little older, he knows the Cubs better than any candidate other than Quade so i wouldn't be against Brenly. Quade would be further down my list (just reminds me of Essian or Bevington, long time minor league guys)and Eric Wedge, no.

I do agree that Hendry should not be GM and handling this search.

I think there are a couple of sleepers on my list.

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meatball cliches...



God, please make it stop!! What does any of this shit really mean?? This is why such a significant part of our fanbase is so irritating What does it mean to say that a minor-league manager has "put in his time" or he's "done everything that the Cubs have asked him to do??" How does this translate into success at the major league level?? Haven't the other managerial candidates ALSO "put in their time" or "done everything the Cubs have asked," like, I don't know, won, or at least managed AT THE MAJOR LEAGUE LEVEL??? I just don't understand how Ryno is pre-anointed the manager, or how it guarantees success because he understands the pressure that a losing tradition creates.

The new hire should reflect the direction of the team. If they are going with a young team and rebuilding, Sandberg makes sense. He has worked not only with young players, but with the very players the team will be hoping to work into the major league team in the next couple years, if not next season in some cases. Joe Girardi would be a great choice too. Not because of the job ha has done with the Yankees and because he's won a world series, but because of the work he did with the Marlins in 2006. He took a team that was stripped of almost all of it's experienced players and went with a bunch of kids. Nobody expected him to win, but they did far better than anyone thought they could and Girardi won the Manager of the Year award.If they go young, Girardi would be my choice...if he's available. I would guess if the Yankees repeat as Champions, they will make him an offer he can't refuse.
If they are going to try to sign veteran free agents and contend right away, I would like Tony LaRussa (with Dave Duncan). Ryno has done everything asked of him, but that doesn't make him necessarily the best guy for the job.

Hendry should be fired at the conclusion of this season, but I don't get the feeling he will be.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Because managers who come from outside the organization come to the Cubs thinking it is a country club atmosphere, that fans just show up and don't care whether the Cubs win or lose. That it's cute that the Cubs are lovable losers and all that.

That might have been true pre 2003 but now the pressure to win is much higher. I think that Lou and Dusty both acknowledged that the pressure to win here is much higher than they thought.

Ah, gotcha - I guess that I buy that aspect



Yes, but I believe that the pressure to win is there in most situations. The players aren't usually held accountable in the climate that currently exists in mlb, or in any professional sport, for that matter. The manager/head coach is the one who's getting canned, almost as a knee-jerk response to an undrperforming club. I'll obviously accept it if Sandberg is promoted, but he's not even in my top three candidates that I wish to have brought in...

I don't disagree with your post but this is the part that stands out to me. Hendry may have done some Good and even OK moves but his spending of backloaded contracts and the Bradley deal has really hamstrung the Cubs. Lets face it the Cubs spent heavily during the end of the Tribune era trying to win World Series and drive up the price of the Cubs. Obviously this plan got them a new owner but not a World Series title. The window on that team is now firmly closed. I guess I just want a new General Manager with a new organizational philosophy to come in and show a new direction under new ownership. For now it just feels like the Cubs are treading in some very mediocre water.

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Fair enough Phil. I definitely agree. I should have concluded my post with that I'm in favor of replacing Hendry. It just annoys me with the blind venom people have towards him and they don't realize that he accomplished a lot during his time here. I think the identity of the team is changing and if we are hiring a new Manager, it's the perfect time to replace the entire front office. Especially if Ricketts is as saber heavy as I've heard.

That sad, I more or less trust Hendry's ability to lead the manager search at this point especially considering the names he's reportedly targeting outside of Sandberg.

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Team Cutler.

FWIW I completely agree with you on Sandberg and think if they make that move it will just be to pander to the whistlers amongst the Cub fans while they field a team that won't be terribly competitive anyways. My guess is if they hire Sandberg he is replaced within 3 years with someone whith actual managerial experience. Sidebar....The Hall of Fame Cub I would be more interested in grooming for a front office job is Maddux anyways. With his cereberal approach to the game I think that could translate to being a decent GM at some point.

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I would not say Sandberg would be my first choice, Girardi probably would be #1 for me, but I really don't see him coming to the Cubs. Now I guess it is possible that if the Yankees lose in the first round, the Yankees brass may decide to go in a different direction and not resign Girardi, but if the Yankees offer Girardi a contract, I just don't see him coming to the Cubs.

Brenly would be my 2nd choice, then Sandberg and Gonzalez would be 3a and 3b.

Eric Wedge is an intersting idea. In my previous post I said no but then I looked at his record. I forgot he managed that Cleveland team in 2007. Had some success at Cleveland, and a young guy. Don't know enough about Indians baseball to know if he is a good manager or if the Indians won in spite of him.

+1000. I think he's interested in heading that way as well.


My top 5 manager wish list right now is:

1. Gonzalez
2. Brenly
3. Girardi
4. Wedge
5. Quade


I've been reading a lot of Yankees blogs lately and a lot of their fans aren't as enamored with Girardi as the Chicago media seems to portray. The pinch runner for ARod being the most glaring example, but they seem to feel that he is average at best.

I'm fine with bringing Sandberg up to the Cubs as a bench/base coach. Get him used to a 162 game schedule from the coaching point of view.

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Team Cutler.

Hendry once again has his priorities out of whack...he failed to learn from the 06-07 experience and wants to retool and sign a bunch of veterans to try to "contend" next year (I have heard this come out of his mouth multiple times in the last month)

this is in direct conflict with the type of manager that needs to be hired

im tired of people speculating "if" the Cubs will rebuild...newsflash...they are not...Hendry is too much of a bully to allow that

what youll see next year is another veteran-laden team that will try to sell the fans that they are "serious" about winning...as if you would ever play the game to lose

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And yet the Cubs have used like 17 rookies this year which directly led to having 29,000 people in the stands like you love so much.

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Sandberg manager, Maddux pitching coach.

whats ur point?
this year is like 2006

yes theyve used 17 rookies but it was plan B...team was having a bad year, and they decided to get a look at the youngsters...if Hendry had any brains he'd continue this for at least another year to get a good young core established...but he's too afraid of dumb fans like you who want to "win now"...who have been "waiting 102 years"...huh? I havent been waiting that long, I dont know about u

as in 2006, they signed a bunch of veterans after the season...thats what he wants to do again...the guy is dumb and stubborn as an ox

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My point is so are you.

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u have no response so u resort to a personal attack...typical

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Funnier the 2nd time for sure

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Team Cutler.

Your points are so dumb they do not even really deserve a response but here goes:

For now take out of the equation what Hendry did underneath the Tribune because they do not own the team and then tell me all of the veteran talent that Hendry brought in this last year under the Ricketts regime: By my count it is Marlon Byrd.....And in the subtractions part of the veteran talent equation the team lost Lilly, Theriot, Lee. This next year Ricketts budget will be even lower because the park is nice and empty just the way you like it which means that for a personal owner who relies upon the team for much of his income there is less capital to put towards payroll. I would be shocked if you see much high priced veteran talent anywhere near the Cubs this next season. You have fun watching career minor leaguers like Hoffpauir in your mostly empty stadium though.

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Wedge is a good manager that was saddled with a blithering idiot for a GM.

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better in context

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Here is my post from Aug. 24:

The thing is, Ryno went to the Cubs a few years ago & told them that he wanted to get into coaching & that he was willing to start at the bottom & ride the bus in single A ball & that he didn't care what the salary was. So the Cubs named him the Manager of the Peoria Chiefs single A team. That team just missed the playoffs. Then he was promoted to double AA ball as Manager of the Tennessee Smokies, & that team went to the championship game. Then he was promoted to AAA ball as Manager of the Iowa Cubs & they are in first place. Sandberg has done everything the Cubs have asked him to do. In the business world he would be considered a rising star who is being groomed to take over a department or the business. He has Managed almost every young player who will be on the Cubs roster next year. He knows the players, & he knows what it is like to play day baseball in Wrigley Field, which is certainly different than anywhere else. He deserves the Cubs Managerial job. He is the right guy at the right time. If he doesn't get the job, he should tell Ricketts to fuck off.

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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

But the GM is supposed to be smarter than the fans.



He has been quite a productive player since arriving in 2003, but when the contract got screwed up, he had already begun to be injury prone, and didn't hit for crap in the playoffs in 2007 or 2008. You can call it hindsight if you want, but if the contract wasn't screwed up, the Cubs wouldn't be on the hook right now for $18 million.



To be fair to Soriano, he did play a part in winning the divisions in 07 and 08, no doubt. He was horrible in the playoffs both years, however, and he has not been a plus player in 09 or 10, and he still has four more years left in the neighborhood if $18-20 per year. There is no way you can argue it is a good contract. No way. You admit yourself he is overpaid, and that is the point. Perhaps that money could have been spent much more productively? Which is the GM's job.



Not so much about not trading them, but criticizing the fact that they didn't pan out. Although the Rich Hill trade (or non-trade) definitely has to be hung on Hendry. Just look on the other side of town. Remember Brandon McCarthey? Not many people do anymore. He was projected to be much better than Rich Hill, and Kenny still had the guts to send him packing and get Danks in return. That's what good forward-looking GM's do when they can properly evaluate their own talent.



Why can't the Cubs spend money wisely AND have a good farm system? Why do I have to pick a lane?



Why not? That's his job.



He wasn't adequate in Florida, he blew it down the stretch in 08 the same way he did for the Cubs last year. Toronto is meaningless. And if he shouldn't have been closing, who hired the manager?



Lee and Ramirez were good acquisitions. In 03 and 04. Lilly was a good signing, so was Byrd. It's very hard to find much else. They had playoff appearances in 07 and 08, with a payroll that 28 other teams would love to have, and didn't win as much as a single game in those series. 03 was a nice year, I'll give you that, but that was 7 years ago.

Your AAA PCL Manager of the year will probably be back in AAA next year or with another team.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

With all of the Ryno push back, you'd think that Connie Mack, Casey Stengel, Sparky Anderson & fucking Earl Weaver came back from the dead & are interviewing for the Cubs job. The list of Cubs Managerial candidates doesn't contain 1 single name that stands out. Pat freaking Listach? Mike Quade?
Ricketts & Hendry are gonna fuck this up...

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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

Then he probably wouldn't work so well here.

Gonzalez is officially off the list.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!