my dislike for the cubs organization is well known but general manager jim hendry is a buffoon and needs to replaced ASAP by the new owners because gross incompetence cannot be rewarded or tolerated if you truly want to win a world series. i'm sure some of the cub faithful are already rolling their eyes because i'm picking on hendry but please read on.
last year, boo-boo lou told hendry he needed three things to become a contender for a world championship. 1) a closer to replace kerry wood and 2) a left handed hitter and 3) outfield help.
and here is how the magic man performed:
signed KEVIN GREGG to be the closer. he proceeds to blow SEVEN saves and has an e.r.a. of 4.7, which was a run and a half higher than the year before with the marlins. he is replaced as the closer in august and was released by the cubs today when he was not offered a contract.
signed speedy JOEY GATHRIGHT to play the outfield. he hits .214 and only lasts 5 weeks before being traded to baltimore for RYAN FREEL, who hits .143 and is also released seven weeks later.
snatches free agent AARON MILES and gives him five million for two years and because of this spectacular move, he immediately trades second baseman MARK DEROSA to the indians and hands the job to miles. how'd this work out? miles hits .174 before being benched in may and only appears in 74 games while derosa is eventually traded again, this time to the cardinals where he plays six different positions and is a mainstay for the division winners.
oh, it gets better. hendry dumps JASON MARQUIS and his 11 wins for LUIS VIZCAINO. marquis promptly wins 15 games for the playoff bound rockies and vizcaino is released after 6 weeks. ugly.
he trades 2 players for pitcher AARON HEILMAN who goes 4-4 and never starts a game and never closes a game. heilman was traded to arizona 2 weeks ago. IS ANYONE NOTICING A PATTERN????
and finally the cherry on the cake, MILTON BRADLEY. enough said on this THIRTY MILLION DOLLAR mistake. so let's review hendry's performance:
only aaron miles and milton bradley remain on the roster. hendry traded 2 players and five prospects for basically nothing. bradley is almost out the door and the cubs will eat a good portion of the remaining 20 million and miles will be the backup infielder for 2.5 a year.
NOTHING! the man accomplished NOTHING! how can he keep his job?
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
THINGS ON MY MIND PART 2
i really think we need to get out of iraq and surrounding countries. now.
i really want to buy a home in the phoenix area with a partner. or two. interested?
i feel bad for the employees in las vegas. 35% layoffs and leading the nation in foreclosures. bad.
nephew rick is finishing up his bachelor's degree. good for him.
i know 7 people who hav filed bankruptcy in the last two years. bad.
you should take in a blackhawk game. very exciting.
buying a sports jersey for a kid is very exciting for xmas.
surprising an adult with a jersey for xmas is even better.
tickets to any game is ALWAYS a great xmas present.
i still hate the cubs.
being a bug man is cool. everyone is happy to see you. i think.
two of the nephews are moving to florida. good for uncle dan. that gives me california & florida. now i need a nephew to move to vegas.
i'm done. i hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.
i really want to buy a home in the phoenix area with a partner. or two. interested?
i feel bad for the employees in las vegas. 35% layoffs and leading the nation in foreclosures. bad.
nephew rick is finishing up his bachelor's degree. good for him.
i know 7 people who hav filed bankruptcy in the last two years. bad.
you should take in a blackhawk game. very exciting.
buying a sports jersey for a kid is very exciting for xmas.
surprising an adult with a jersey for xmas is even better.
tickets to any game is ALWAYS a great xmas present.
i still hate the cubs.
being a bug man is cool. everyone is happy to see you. i think.
two of the nephews are moving to florida. good for uncle dan. that gives me california & florida. now i need a nephew to move to vegas.
i'm done. i hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.
THINGS ON MY MIND PART 1
every once in a while, i like to turn the gunny sack upside down and shake out all the thoughts, opinions and ideas clogging my brain. i figured just before the holiday season is a good time to do that. so here goes:
in my LIFETIME, there have been just two female politicians who have scared the crap out of me. the first one was illinois senator carol mosley braun and the second is sarah palin. i watched the oprah interview and followed that with 20/20 and that woman made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. DANGER, will robinson!
is jay cutler of the bears a fraud? did we sell the farm for a guy who will never see the playoffs?
i'm thinking 18 years will be the sentence for rod blagojevich.
i hope disgraced governor george ryan has to serve his full sentence. the willis children were burned to death because of his misdeeds as secretary of state. screw him.
but in all fairness, he should receive his pension for the time he served in government before becoming secretary of state. his wife did nothing wrong.
does tom ricketts of the cubs come off as petty by putting up those billboards in left field rather than working with the owner of the waveland avenue building?
am i the only one who thinks 42 yr. old omar vizquel is a good pick-up by the white sox?
oprah is leaving. i don't care.
teachers are still the most underpaid and unappreciated professionals.
i think i would have been a good prosecutor.......... and an even better judge.
mayor daley can be mayor as long as he wants.
not too many things scare me but cancer does.
i still miss my friend bruce every day.
bruce's daughter still pisses me off.
i've got six pretty good nephews.
i always have fun when i dine with pete & jim.
alcohol is a very powerful controlling drug and does far more damage than good.
i glad i quit smoking.
my brother in law roy is a good guy.
patti whyte johnson still makes me laugh.
it was fun to catch a fish this year in arkansas. never did that before.
northlake was a great place to grow up.
more coming in part two.
in my LIFETIME, there have been just two female politicians who have scared the crap out of me. the first one was illinois senator carol mosley braun and the second is sarah palin. i watched the oprah interview and followed that with 20/20 and that woman made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. DANGER, will robinson!
is jay cutler of the bears a fraud? did we sell the farm for a guy who will never see the playoffs?
i'm thinking 18 years will be the sentence for rod blagojevich.
i hope disgraced governor george ryan has to serve his full sentence. the willis children were burned to death because of his misdeeds as secretary of state. screw him.
but in all fairness, he should receive his pension for the time he served in government before becoming secretary of state. his wife did nothing wrong.
does tom ricketts of the cubs come off as petty by putting up those billboards in left field rather than working with the owner of the waveland avenue building?
am i the only one who thinks 42 yr. old omar vizquel is a good pick-up by the white sox?
oprah is leaving. i don't care.
teachers are still the most underpaid and unappreciated professionals.
i think i would have been a good prosecutor.......... and an even better judge.
mayor daley can be mayor as long as he wants.
not too many things scare me but cancer does.
i still miss my friend bruce every day.
bruce's daughter still pisses me off.
i've got six pretty good nephews.
i always have fun when i dine with pete & jim.
alcohol is a very powerful controlling drug and does far more damage than good.
i glad i quit smoking.
my brother in law roy is a good guy.
patti whyte johnson still makes me laugh.
it was fun to catch a fish this year in arkansas. never did that before.
northlake was a great place to grow up.
more coming in part two.
Monday, November 9, 2009
BCS FOOTBALL REMEDY
what is all the fuss about a playoff? it seems simple to me.
take 7 major conference champs and then add 9 wild card teams from conferences or independents that play challenging schedules and you have 16 teams AND america's attention.
no one gets in if they have more than 2 losses or if they play in a traditionally weak conference like the sun belt, mid-american, western athletic or conference usa. if those teams want 'in the loop' then they'll have to switch to one of the major conferences and prove they belong and climb the mountain week by week like everyone else.
this year it might be FLORIDA, TEXAS, TCU, CINCINNATI, GEORGIA TECH, OHIO STATE & OREGON as the 7 champs. then add IOWA, ALABAMA, PITTSBURGH, MIAMI (FL), HOUSTON, ARIZONA, PENN STATE, LSU & WISCONSIN. utah & west virginia would also be candidates.
you seed the 16 and have then it's 4 games to the championship with the playoffs starting the second Saturday of December with the big game played somewhere around new year's day. it would generate tremendous interest and while it might mean the demise of about ten bowl games currently played (there are 34 scheduled this year!) but the less sucessful ones come & go on a regular basis anyway. no less than 9 bowls have gone the way of the dinosaur over the last 20 years so that would just be business as usual. i guarantee the playoff would guarantee sellouts all over the country
15 bowls sites would be used up for the big boy playoffs and then schools like akron, northern illinois, boise, nevada and the like could fill in whatever bowls that are left and remember there would also be twenty teams from the big boy circuit who had just 3 losses so you could set up all sorts of david/goliath showdowns. WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE? bring it on!
take 7 major conference champs and then add 9 wild card teams from conferences or independents that play challenging schedules and you have 16 teams AND america's attention.
no one gets in if they have more than 2 losses or if they play in a traditionally weak conference like the sun belt, mid-american, western athletic or conference usa. if those teams want 'in the loop' then they'll have to switch to one of the major conferences and prove they belong and climb the mountain week by week like everyone else.
this year it might be FLORIDA, TEXAS, TCU, CINCINNATI, GEORGIA TECH, OHIO STATE & OREGON as the 7 champs. then add IOWA, ALABAMA, PITTSBURGH, MIAMI (FL), HOUSTON, ARIZONA, PENN STATE, LSU & WISCONSIN. utah & west virginia would also be candidates.
you seed the 16 and have then it's 4 games to the championship with the playoffs starting the second Saturday of December with the big game played somewhere around new year's day. it would generate tremendous interest and while it might mean the demise of about ten bowl games currently played (there are 34 scheduled this year!) but the less sucessful ones come & go on a regular basis anyway. no less than 9 bowls have gone the way of the dinosaur over the last 20 years so that would just be business as usual. i guarantee the playoff would guarantee sellouts all over the country
15 bowls sites would be used up for the big boy playoffs and then schools like akron, northern illinois, boise, nevada and the like could fill in whatever bowls that are left and remember there would also be twenty teams from the big boy circuit who had just 3 losses so you could set up all sorts of david/goliath showdowns. WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE? bring it on!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
while channel surfing on one of our many rainy days in october, i came across a studio show being hosted by bob costas on the MLB network with special guests don larsen and yogi berra. i stopped to watch for a while because yogi is always good for a story or two about baseball but i soon discovered that this was indeed my lucky day.
the purpose of the studio show was to introduce a recently discovered kinescope of game 5 of the 1956 world series between the yankees and the brooklyn dodgers which showed the game in it's entirety. if you don't know already, game 5 was the perfect game pitched by journeyman larsen which broke a 2-2 series tie and steam rolled the yankees to their sixth title in the last eight years. think yankee fans are obnoxious now?
i settled in and watched every pitch and realized how much baseball has changed over the years. the uniforms were baggy and made of wool. there was no fist pumping by the players or any other forms of hot-dogging so prevalent today. if you got knocked down by a fastball, it was just business. you got up, dusted yourself off and got back in the batter's box.i did a little research and found the minimum salary in 1956 was $4,000 a year (yes, four thousand-you read it right). there was no free agency and when you signed with a team, it was for life unless THEY wanted you gone. almost all of the players worked full-time jobs in the off season just to make ends meet and 'training' was limited to the month of march in florida.
while watching the game.....the men wore suits & ties to the games and women wore dresses. foul balls were required to be thrown back as they were used for batting practice the next day. cigarette and cigar smoking was abundant in the stands. hot dogs were a dime and a beer was a quarter, plus it was given to you in a cold glass bottle. imagine that today.
the game itself was a classic. on top of the nail biting performance 2-0 win by larsen, it featured a total of 12 players who would be elected to the hall of fame plus both managers and one coach from each side. the pedigree for the game gets even better as both owners are in the hall of fame as well as both television announcers who shared time broadcasting the game, with yankee voice mel allen getting the first 4 1/2 innings and vin scully getting the remainder for the dodgers. radio announcer bob wolff is also enshrined in the broadcast wing of the hall.
larsen? well, he pitched 14 years in the big leagues and he only led the league once in any category....and that was 21 LOSSES in a single season. for his career, he pitched for eight teams and lost ten more games than he won and the only way he gets into the hall is to buy a ticket. but for one sun drenched afternoon in October of 1956, he was the best in the business.
the purpose of the studio show was to introduce a recently discovered kinescope of game 5 of the 1956 world series between the yankees and the brooklyn dodgers which showed the game in it's entirety. if you don't know already, game 5 was the perfect game pitched by journeyman larsen which broke a 2-2 series tie and steam rolled the yankees to their sixth title in the last eight years. think yankee fans are obnoxious now?
i settled in and watched every pitch and realized how much baseball has changed over the years. the uniforms were baggy and made of wool. there was no fist pumping by the players or any other forms of hot-dogging so prevalent today. if you got knocked down by a fastball, it was just business. you got up, dusted yourself off and got back in the batter's box.i did a little research and found the minimum salary in 1956 was $4,000 a year (yes, four thousand-you read it right). there was no free agency and when you signed with a team, it was for life unless THEY wanted you gone. almost all of the players worked full-time jobs in the off season just to make ends meet and 'training' was limited to the month of march in florida.
while watching the game.....the men wore suits & ties to the games and women wore dresses. foul balls were required to be thrown back as they were used for batting practice the next day. cigarette and cigar smoking was abundant in the stands. hot dogs were a dime and a beer was a quarter, plus it was given to you in a cold glass bottle. imagine that today.
the game itself was a classic. on top of the nail biting performance 2-0 win by larsen, it featured a total of 12 players who would be elected to the hall of fame plus both managers and one coach from each side. the pedigree for the game gets even better as both owners are in the hall of fame as well as both television announcers who shared time broadcasting the game, with yankee voice mel allen getting the first 4 1/2 innings and vin scully getting the remainder for the dodgers. radio announcer bob wolff is also enshrined in the broadcast wing of the hall.
larsen? well, he pitched 14 years in the big leagues and he only led the league once in any category....and that was 21 LOSSES in a single season. for his career, he pitched for eight teams and lost ten more games than he won and the only way he gets into the hall is to buy a ticket. but for one sun drenched afternoon in October of 1956, he was the best in the business.
Monday, October 5, 2009
THE WHITE SOX NEED TO:
1) look for a solid fifth starter. peavy, buerhle, danks & floyd have them loaded for bear in 2010.
2) trade bobby jenks. he had a good run but your stopper needs to be lights out.
3) move alexie ramirez to center field and gordon beckham to shortstop. ramirez is too inconsistent at short but has the speed to play center where thinking is minimal and closing speed very important. beckham is simply a superstar in the making.
4) think very hard about trading either paul konerko or a.j. pierzynski. i absolutely love both of them and the way they play the game BUT both will be 34 when next season rolls around and although both stay in great shape and almost never miss a game, the sox have the same problem the cubs do with derrek lee. don't let them grow old on your team. both have great trade value.
5) find a third baseman. how about konerko to the angels for chone figgins?
6) a dilemma in the outfield. dye's a goner and pods a free agent. was quentin a one time wonder? the outfield need to get better defensively so do you sign pods as a DH and use him as a leadoff man? pods is a definite liability on defense but he sure can hit. will your outfield be quentin, ramirez & rios? if quentin is gone, will it be wise, ramirez and rios? or do you simply keep quentin in left, rios in center and mark kotsay in right with dewayne wise as your late inning defensive specialist? this is the type of problem that GM kenny williams thrives on. he'll figure it out.
7) say good-bye to dye, scott linebrink, ramon castro, tony pena & josh fields. sometimes you just have the wrong pieces to the puzzle.
synopsis: the white sox are ready to make the big move and 2010 should find them in the playoffs if they stay healthy. they will have the best starting rotation in the american league and if they can tighten up their defense, they should play deep into october. a legitimate closer is a concern. rios should be better playing from day one.
2) trade bobby jenks. he had a good run but your stopper needs to be lights out.
3) move alexie ramirez to center field and gordon beckham to shortstop. ramirez is too inconsistent at short but has the speed to play center where thinking is minimal and closing speed very important. beckham is simply a superstar in the making.
4) think very hard about trading either paul konerko or a.j. pierzynski. i absolutely love both of them and the way they play the game BUT both will be 34 when next season rolls around and although both stay in great shape and almost never miss a game, the sox have the same problem the cubs do with derrek lee. don't let them grow old on your team. both have great trade value.
5) find a third baseman. how about konerko to the angels for chone figgins?
6) a dilemma in the outfield. dye's a goner and pods a free agent. was quentin a one time wonder? the outfield need to get better defensively so do you sign pods as a DH and use him as a leadoff man? pods is a definite liability on defense but he sure can hit. will your outfield be quentin, ramirez & rios? if quentin is gone, will it be wise, ramirez and rios? or do you simply keep quentin in left, rios in center and mark kotsay in right with dewayne wise as your late inning defensive specialist? this is the type of problem that GM kenny williams thrives on. he'll figure it out.
7) say good-bye to dye, scott linebrink, ramon castro, tony pena & josh fields. sometimes you just have the wrong pieces to the puzzle.
synopsis: the white sox are ready to make the big move and 2010 should find them in the playoffs if they stay healthy. they will have the best starting rotation in the american league and if they can tighten up their defense, they should play deep into october. a legitimate closer is a concern. rios should be better playing from day one.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
THE CUBS NEED TO:
the cubs need to realize that the window of opportunity has closed. boo-boo lou thinks they only need to tweak the roster and be 'right there' next year but i submit his dementia has gathered speed and he is no longer in touch with reality. the cubs really need to:
1) not make the mistake of 'burying the hatchet' and bringing milton bradley back. remember, that's 20 million dollars you're giving away if you cut him but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.
2) trade either aramis ramirez OR derrek lee. quit your screaming and read on. lee is 34 and has maximum value right now with ramirez being 31 and playing only two full years of the last six due to nagging injuries. they are BOTH .285 career hitters. trade one and get some value.
3) if you don't trade lee or ramirez, then trade jeff fox to an american league team. he has NO VALUE to the cubs if there's no position available and he's too good of a hitter to sit on the bench and take up a roster spot.
3A) soriano is the same as fox but he has 72 million GUARANTEED over the next four years and the cubs would have to eat at least half of that to trade him. add that to the bradley salary and you're closing in on SIXTY MILLION just to get rid of players!
4) put shipping tags on kevin gregg, bradley, mike fontenot, aaron miles and rich harden. you don't need garbage like this.
5) make zambrano participate in an off season training program and lose 25 pounds. this guy has become a caricature of himself. 90 million dollars for a guy who's never won more than 14 games? ridiculous. if he comes into camp without losing the weight, deal him IMMEDIATELY to let the rest of the roster know that you mean business. another case of possibly biting the bullet but you have to excise the cancers if they don't repond to treatment.
6) REALIZE that your off-season goals are second base and an outfielder. ANY outfielder who can play the position without falling down and still hit .270. second baseman brian roberts is still available in baltimore.
7) be prepared to make an early move with the catching position if soto or gets off to a slow start. remember that he bounced around the minors for a few years and never hit more than nine homers or had more than 48 rbi when SUDDENLY in 2007, he explodes for 26 & 109 and hits .353, 80 points over his average. amazing. then he wins rookie of the year in 2008 with 23 & 86 & .285. incredible. then he tests positive for dope in the off-season and promptly divebombs down to .215 with just 11 homers & 45 rbi. hmmmmmmmmmm. any red flags flying in your head?
synopsis: i could type for days on the cub ills but i think you get the picture. they had their chances over the last three seasons but now it's time to back up the truck and build for the future. it takes guts to trade popular players and establish discipline but there is NOTHING WORSE than falling in love with your roster and making players untouchable, then watching them grow old on the job as you ponder the players you could have gotten in a deal two years earlier. bite the bullet and make some moves so you can resurface as legitimate contenders in a couple of years. or pay a very large price. (white sox need to:) coming soon
1) not make the mistake of 'burying the hatchet' and bringing milton bradley back. remember, that's 20 million dollars you're giving away if you cut him but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.
2) trade either aramis ramirez OR derrek lee. quit your screaming and read on. lee is 34 and has maximum value right now with ramirez being 31 and playing only two full years of the last six due to nagging injuries. they are BOTH .285 career hitters. trade one and get some value.
3) if you don't trade lee or ramirez, then trade jeff fox to an american league team. he has NO VALUE to the cubs if there's no position available and he's too good of a hitter to sit on the bench and take up a roster spot.
3A) soriano is the same as fox but he has 72 million GUARANTEED over the next four years and the cubs would have to eat at least half of that to trade him. add that to the bradley salary and you're closing in on SIXTY MILLION just to get rid of players!
4) put shipping tags on kevin gregg, bradley, mike fontenot, aaron miles and rich harden. you don't need garbage like this.
5) make zambrano participate in an off season training program and lose 25 pounds. this guy has become a caricature of himself. 90 million dollars for a guy who's never won more than 14 games? ridiculous. if he comes into camp without losing the weight, deal him IMMEDIATELY to let the rest of the roster know that you mean business. another case of possibly biting the bullet but you have to excise the cancers if they don't repond to treatment.
6) REALIZE that your off-season goals are second base and an outfielder. ANY outfielder who can play the position without falling down and still hit .270. second baseman brian roberts is still available in baltimore.
7) be prepared to make an early move with the catching position if soto or gets off to a slow start. remember that he bounced around the minors for a few years and never hit more than nine homers or had more than 48 rbi when SUDDENLY in 2007, he explodes for 26 & 109 and hits .353, 80 points over his average. amazing. then he wins rookie of the year in 2008 with 23 & 86 & .285. incredible. then he tests positive for dope in the off-season and promptly divebombs down to .215 with just 11 homers & 45 rbi. hmmmmmmmmmm. any red flags flying in your head?
synopsis: i could type for days on the cub ills but i think you get the picture. they had their chances over the last three seasons but now it's time to back up the truck and build for the future. it takes guts to trade popular players and establish discipline but there is NOTHING WORSE than falling in love with your roster and making players untouchable, then watching them grow old on the job as you ponder the players you could have gotten in a deal two years earlier. bite the bullet and make some moves so you can resurface as legitimate contenders in a couple of years. or pay a very large price. (white sox need to:) coming soon
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
