Archive for the ‘biz of baseball’ Category

Note to Hendry – Make no little plans

Cubs GM Jim Hendry said at the Cubs Convention that last year’s off season player market moved slower than previous years, with many deals coming in the final days before spring training. He expected this year to be similar to last and so far this has proven to be so. So we Cub fans have [...]

January 26, 2010 Tags: Andy MacPhail, Aramis Ramirez, Ben Sheets, Chan Ho Park, Cubs Convention, Daniel Burnham, Jeff Baker, Jonny Gomes, Jose Contreras, Kiko Calero, Luis Castillo, Mike Fontenot, Reed Johnson, Xavier Nady Posted in: Hot Stove, Jim Hendry, biz of baseball, lineup, roster, spring training No Comments

Why Byrd over Reed?

Jim Hendry went to the free agent market to get his center fielder for 2010. Marlon Byrd was signed this week to a 3-year contract worth $15 million. I took a look at his stats and was astonished by how close his numbers are to that of now former Cub Reed Johnson. Nearly every category [...]

January 2, 2010 Tags: contract, Gary Matthews Jr, Mark DeRosa, Marlon Byrd, Reed Johnson, Rudy Jaramillo Posted in: Hot Stove, Jim Hendry, biz of baseball, players, roster, stats 6 Comments

DeRosa is no Six Million Dollar Man

Today the San Francisco Giants made former Cub Mark DeRosa the six million dollar man – per year. I like DeRo plenty, but 6mil is a big payday for a guy like him. He has made just over $15 million in his professional baseball career (in salary, exluding endorsements). Today he signed a 2-year deal [...]

December 29, 2009 Tags: Aramis Ramirez, contract, free agent, Mark DeRosa, San Francisco Giants Posted in: Hot Stove, biz of baseball, players One Comment

Ryne Sandberg is being groomed

Cubs Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg is certainly being groomed for the big chair. Question is, whether he will get a shot to manage in the major leagues in a Cubs uniform. At first glance timing may appear ideal with Lou Piniella in his final year as manager and Ryno now being assigned [...]

December 8, 2009 Tags: Ernie Banks, Hall of Fame, Iowa Cubs, Lou Piniella, manager, Ryne Sandberg Posted in: Lou Piniella, Minor League Baseball, Team Ownership, biz of baseball, game of baseball, observations No Comments

Granderson Price Likely Too Steep for Cubs

Well meaning Cubs fans are loudly advocating the team to dump Milton Bradley and move to acquire Curtis Granderson to play center field and lead off for the 2010 Chicago Cubs. At first blush, perhaps that would be a fine swap. But realistically I just don’t see how it can happen without an extrordinary alignment [...]

November 17, 2009 Tags: 2010 Chicago Cubs, Curtis Granderson, Milton Bradley Posted in: Hot Stove, Jim Hendry, biz of baseball, players, roster No Comments

Hendry Compares Notes With Other MLB GMs

With the Ricketts family firmly in control, Cubs GM Jim Hendry is attending the annual GM meeting in Chicago. He has a lot on his plate and is no doubt discussing who needs what, or more accurately, who needs to dump what. For many MLB teams, the economic climate is forcing clubs to cut payroll [...]

November 10, 2009 Tags: Aaron Rowand, Jim Hendry, Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell Posted in: Hot Stove, Jim Hendry, Team Ownership, biz of baseball, controversy, players One Comment

First Signing for 2010 Cubs Must Be Owner

The 2009 Cubs were a major disappointment by nearly any measure. They didn’t hit, they didn’t field, even the Cubs vaunted pitching staff faltered. The team sustained major injuries, fought on and off the field, and was generally unlikeable. One of the main causes of this (that is controllable) is the lack of leadership at [...]

October 19, 2009 Tags: 2009 Chicago Cubs, Crane Kenney, Jim Hendry, Lou Piniella, Tom Ricketts Posted in: Team Ownership, biz of baseball, observations One Comment

Selig got All Star Game idea from Santo

This morning on the Mike & Mike show on ESPN radio, MLB commissioner Bud Selig told a story I had never heard before. They were discussing the merits of making the All Star Game “count” by awarding the winning league home field advantage in the World Series. Mike Golic challenged the commissioner on the wisdom [...]

July 13, 2009 Tags: All Star Game, Bud Selig, Mike & Mike show, Mike Golic, Ron Santo, World Series Posted in: All Star Game, biz of baseball, controversy, game day, playoffs One Comment

The resurgence of Kosuke Fukudome

Cubs center fielder Kosuke Fukudome is quietly putting together a very solid year. As May is closing out tomorrow, his .311 batting average and .441 on-base percentage illustrate the rebound he is making from a horrible second half of 2008. Kosuke is hanging in better on pitches, getting plenty of walks, but most importantly he [...]

May 30, 2009 Tags: Jim Hendry, Kosuke Fukudome, Mark DeRosa, Milton Bradley, photo, Reed Johnson Posted in: biz of baseball, lineup, observations, players, roster, stats No Comments

Hendry must influence Peavy’s ultimate destination

Cubs GM Jim Hendry may or may not be willing to do what it takes to bring San Diego Padre’s ace Jake Peavy to the Northside. He may not have the lattitude with a management in transition to commit the players or finances to get the deal done. Or he may feel the price is [...]

May 22, 2009 Tags: Brewers, Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, Jake Peavy, Jim Hendry, Kevin Towers, Padres Posted in: Hot Stove, Jim Hendry, biz of baseball, players, rivalries No Comments