Latest Cubs Ranting for the Bleacher Banter

Here is my latest column for the Bleacher Banter, independent newspaper for Cubs fans by Cubs Fans. Visit www.bleacherbanter.net to subscribe and tell Stephanie that I referred you.



So what do I think about what has happened since the end of the season on October 1st. I am still surprised that Andy MacPhail resigned his positions with the organization and it appears that Andy is being groomed to be the next Commissioner of baseball once Bud Selig decides that it is time to return full time to his Brewers. Maybe then some of the mistakes that Selig has made, most notably that the winning all-star team secures home field for the World Series, will be corrected. Time will tell if and when MacPhail will get his opportunity to screw up all of baseball the way he has screwed up the Cubs worse then when he arrived on the Northside some twelve years ago. Best of luck to Andy and I hope that he may have some sort of success where ever he winds up.

So what does Crane Kenney and Denis FitzSimons do about replacing MacPhail with a baseball person, they decide to give John McDonough a chance to right this ship. Explain to me how a guy, whose background is marketing, is supposed to right this mess and make sure that the right people are in place to turn this team around. John is saying the right things in that Cubs Fans deserve better and that the Cubs must take on a “Win Now” attitude and move forward from the debacle that was the 2006. I still do not think that McDonough is the answer; as I do not believe he knows enough in regards to baseball to correct the problems that the Cubs still face. Additionally to have blind faith in Jim Hendry as the man to guide this team is a bit ridiculous. Hendry; with MacPhail helped to create the mess that the Cubs became in 2006 and would not pull the trigger in 2003 to help the Cubs be even more successful then they were. To think as well that Jim Hendry’s old boss who hand picked Jim to be the General Manager, walked away at the end of the season and actually wanted to leave in July should say a lot to the people in charge of this team. Andy MacPhail failed this team and Jim Hendry is not going to do much better in putting together a winning product on the field at Wrigley in 2007.

Then we get to the managerial debate on who should lead this team in the sold called new direction. I admit that I was happy when Jim Hendry was able to bring Dusty Baker in to lead this team starting in 2003 however, Dusty should not have been the one to take all of the blame on the colossal failure that was 2005 and more specifically 2006. Dusty did not do enough to make sure that fundamentals were sound at every position and that Larry Rothschild was not fired prior to Dusty being canned himself. Granted there were a few injuries again this year; Wood, Prior, Lee to name but three, yet this team lacked a lot of mental toughness and committed to many fundamental mistakes. The players are paid a lot of money to participate in a child’s game and should be fundamentally sound prior to arriving at Wrigley. So with that being said, I agree that it was time for Dusty to move on. So who should have run this team for 2007? I believe most of the Cubs Faithful would definitely prefer the 2006 National League Manager of the Year, Joe Girardi. Unfortunately the Cubs brass did not feel that Joe has enough experience to lead this team for the future. So who do the Cubs scam into leading this team into the future, none other that “Sweet Lou” Piniella. So what does Jim Hendry believe that Lou will do differently from Dusty? Lou is saying the right things in that there are no such things as curses, that it has been too long since the Cubs have had a World Championship and that things are going to be different. Dusty said somewhat the same thing and yet it remained status quo for 2 ½ of Dusty’s four years here. I am still very skeptical that once George Steinbrenner decides once and for all that he is done with Joe Torre as his manager, that Sweet Lou will bolt for the comforts of who he really is which is to say that Lou is a pin striper all the way. Not the blue pinstripes mind you, the dreaded black ones. We’ll have to see what will happen when it all falls apart in the playoffs once again for the Yankees.

The free agent season started out with a Bang for the Cubs with the acquisition of Alfonso Soriano. Question to be determined is whether or not the Cubs overpaid Soriano to take over an outfield position. $17 million a year for a player who seems to be a journeyman appears a bit steep to pay. Granted Alfonso is the second member of the 40 homer 40 stolen bases club, the Cubs can only hope that Soriano continues to produce as he did last year for the Washington Nationals. Additionally the Cubs have acquired Mark DeRosa who last year played for Texas last year and had a breakout season batting .296 with 13 dingers and 74 RBIs with 104 strikeouts to boot. Hopefully Lou Piniella’s staff will be able to help Mark cut down on his strikeouts. This assignment is going to fall on Gerald Perry who if I remember correctly was an average hitter himself. Maybe Alan Trammel will be able to show Mark something that will help him out. Cubs’ fans additionally will see an old familiar face on Lou’s staff in former second baseman Ivan DeJesus. Talk about an interesting member to Lou’s staff in DeJesus, not sure what he’ll be able to add to the team. Mike Quade was promoted from Iowa manager to the show to handle third base coaching duties, definitely should be better then Wendall Kim and definitely will not have the baggage the Chris Speier wound up having.

The lone hold over from Dusty’s staff is the mistake at pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Lou feels that Larry is one helluva baseball individual and it appears that Lou did not notice Larry’s towel drill that Mark Prior continues to attempt to master in effort to come back in 2007. Time will tell whether or not Prior will be able to return to any form that he had prior to his injuries. Additionally the Cubs have resigned Kerry Wood for another year. Will Kerry as well ever return to his form that made him such a hot prospect that matched Roger Clemens 20 strike out performance in his rookie year? It is interesting as well that the Cubs just signed Ted Lilly to a four year, $40 million dollar contract. Paying a .500 pitcher $10 million a year seems a bit steep especially when Jason Schmidt and Barry Zito, two proven quality pitchers were available. Has Jim Hendry missed the mission of obtaining a quality starting pitcher or does he truly believe Ted Lilly is better then his number suggest. By the way, Ted Lilly was 15-13 last season for Toronto with a 4.31 earned run average with some shoulder and neck problems that were not to detrimental last season. How long will it take for Larry Rothschild to screw up Ted Lilly’s mechanics and have Ted wind up on the disabled list in 2007? Then of course you have Wade Miller still working on regaining his form prior to his shoulder surgery and hoping that Wade will be productive once again. Hopefully they will not mess with Carlos Zambrano too much and continue to allow him to be the Ace of the staff. I just hope that Carlos will not pitch in another World Baseball Classic again which in turn did affect his start of the season. Now I have found out that the Cubs have signed away from the hated Cardinals Jason Marquis. Marquis was good at the beginning of the 2006 season then he fell apart, and was left off the post season roster. If Leo Mazzone and Dave Duncan, two of the premier pitching coaches in baseball today, were not able to make Marquis into a solid major league pitcher what does Jim Hendry think that Larry Rothschild will be able to do to correct this problem? Not much in my book and they say Jim Hendry is not done by a long shot during this off season.

So what might this mean for all of us in 2007? Will the moves that the organization is making enough to make the Cubs contenders in 2007? That will only be determined by time and effort of all the current and new players on this squad. Looking at the possible starting lineup with Soriano leading off and err marked to take over right field, no centerfielder as Juan Pierre in now in Los Angeles, Matt Murton in leftfield, Derrek Lee anchoring first base, Mark DeRosa at second, Cesar Izturis at shortstop, Aramis Ramirez at the hot corner and Michael Barrett behind the plate, makes me a bit concerned since we do not have a true centerfielder as of yet. I am still not convinced that Izturis is all that he is cracked up to be; hopefully Soriano picks up where he left off in Washington DC last year and that our corner infielders remain healthy all season and do not have slow starts. Then you have to worry about the starting pitching, with Big “Z” being our ace again this season followed by who knows in what order, Ted Lilly, Rich Hill, maybe Jason Marquis or Sean Marshall or Mark Prior (if healthy, which is a big if), Wade Miller or even Neal Cotts coming out of the bullpen to be the fifth starter. There is definitely a lot to see what will transpire in Mesa come February. All I know for sure is that the Bears are having a great season and once the Super Bowl ends on the night of February 4th, that there is only a couple of short weeks before pitchers and catchers report to Mesa to start this up all over once again. Might this finally be the year that the Cubs do well? I am expecting that they will improve on their 96 loss season of 2006. I personally do not feel that the Cubs will be able to make the playoffs and win the series in 2007, which will complete 100 years of futility however, anything is possible and that is why they play the games.

Come April 2nd when everything counts in the standings, we’ll see what this team has to offer and what they will be made of. I look forward to seeing Lou explode once or twice in 2007, although he keeps saying that he is a bit mellower with age. When one of the players jakes it on a hit or in the field, Sweet Lou will come out with a mighty roar. How the players respond afterwards will determine a lot about what kind of character this team will have. One additional note on the TV booth, time to get rid of Len & Bob and somehow get Matt Vasgersian out of San Diego and match him up with Mark Grace. This is definitely something that would make Cubs fans happier and better entertained watching the games on WGN.