Hurricane WhoDat Rips Through Indy, Baseball Season Is Coming

Like a good mistress, football left us something to remember her by. But, now it's time for my true love.

Baseball.

If you're looking for a traditional Super Bowl post-game blog, then you good friend are in for a treat.

As a Bears fan, this Super Bowl was a reminder of how things have fallen apart in Chicago.  The team the Bears beat to get to the Super Bowl three years ago beat the team the Bears lost to in said Super Bowl.

I'll give you a few minutes to let that sink in.

I'm sure having a real quarterback helped, but the keen Bears fan remembers when Chicago passed on Drew Brees in free agency as it banked on the future of Rex Grossman.  Now, the Bears have Jay Cutler, but I fear that they have no idea what to do with him.

Maybe Mike Martz fixes things.  Maybe he makes things more complicated.  Only time will tell.

Watching Pierre Thomas run wild against the Colts defense reminds me that Thomas is a Chicagoland native who was an elite high school running back at Thornton Fractional South before going on to play for the Fighting Illini during his college years.

Thomas was recruited by former Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, which proves to Bears fans that Turner's failures were not limited to playcalling.

And if you think that the Bears are going in the right direction, think again.  Buried by the coverage of Hurricane WhoDat is the news of Rod Marinelli getting promoted to defensive coordinator. 

For some reason, the Bears think that the tandem that led the Detroit Lions down the path of mass failure will lead Chicago to the promised land.

Reality hits hard, doesn't it?

Meanwhile, we're nine days from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training and 56 days from Opening Day.  I can hear the crack off the lumber, the smack of the leather and the giggles of the oiled bodies of bleacher babes off in the distance.

Even though our beloved Salukis are already out of contention, March Madness will hold us over until baseball season gets into full swing.

And with Valentine's Day coming Sunday, there is no better time for love to be in the air.  Better that than a pitch launched into the stratosphere by Kevin Gregg.

The Chad Tracy Addition Doesn't Suck

One of my biggest fears going into the 2010 season was losing Aramis Ramirez to a freak injury for an extended period of time.

Again.

And while that fear still remains, at least the Cubs won't have to turn to Aaron Miles or Mike Fontenot.

Welcome aboard, Chad Tracy. 

The former Arizona Diamondbacks infielder signed with the Cubs today for a cool $900,000 which includes a full no-trade clause a $525,000 bonus if he reaches 425 plate appearances. 

Tracy has not reached that plateau since 2006 when he slugged 20 home runs, drove in 80 runs batted in and posted a .281/.343/.451/.794 line in 662 plate appearances with the D'Backs.

The 2006 season capped a strong two-year run for Tracy, who in that time span posted a .294/.350/.497.848 line with 47 HR 152 RBI in 1,215 plate appearances when he was a full-time player.  He won't be expected to participate full time, but Tracy is a lefty bat off the bench who is a legit corner infielder at either position with a track record of success.

And his .299/.355/.463/.819 line in 706 plate appearances during day games makes me feel even better about this bargain bin grab.

It looks like GM Jim Hendry has awaken from his winter slumber to make some pretty sound baseball moves.

On the other hand, this could be just another distraction to keep your mind off the fact that the Cubs still do not have an everyday second baseman, a right-handed set-up man and that Carlos Silva, Tom Gorzelanny and Jeff Samardzija are the team's "top" candidates to start the season in the five-man rotation.

TBDS Returns: Favre, Bears, Bulls, Salukis & Everything We Missed

At the suggestion of reader/friend James Durbin, Sophia Bush is here to welcome you back to The Big Dead Sidebar.

Seeing TBDS at full strength for the first time in four days made me very happy. 

The only thing that could have made me happier involves a bottle of fine wine and a girl named Jill.

I digress.  I've missed out on a lot of stuff over the last four days.

See, I've been busy at the real job and I've barely had time to eat, sleep and flirt with girls that are totally out of my league.  So diagnosing our online problems has been the least of my concerns.

But it looks like everything is back to normal.  And here we are on a Tuesday evening thinking this would be a great time to catch up with what's been on our minds.

Did you really think Brett Favre wasn't going to cost the Minnesota Vikings a chance to go to the Super Bowl?

After posting a career best 33-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio in the regular season, it was a matter of when, not if, Favre would revert to his gunslinger ways at the most inopportune time.  Favre channeled his inner Jay Cutler as he rolled right and threw left when he could have easily scampered for a few yards and a positive gain.

And even though the loss cannot solely be pinned on Favre as his teammates, namely Adrian "Butterfingers" Peterson, it was Favre's last-second gaffe that will always stand out in that game.

There is no taking away from No. 4's legacy.  Favre is one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the history of the game, but upon Sunday's defeat, I was ready to let him go.  Completely.  The circus act has become weary in each of the past three offseasons, and while he brings no more drama than any other professional athlete, it is the way it comes about that is bothersome. 

The Green Bay Packers altered the way they went about the draft process to keep Favre and his ego happy before finally getting Aaron Rodgers as a steal in the 2005 NFL Draft with the 24th overall pick.  In 2008, only a few months after retiring, asked for his unconditional release. 

Yeah, like that was going to happen. 

The only GM dumb enough to give one of the league's best quarterbacks his unconditional release because he didn't want to compete for a job resides at 1060 West Addison and is currently drawing up a contract worth a guaranteed $21 million and a full no-trade clause for the next five people who come to him with an agent, a surgically-repaired elbow or shoulder and a track record of failure.

No one will ever deny Favre's greatness.  But if he keeps this up, people will remember the INTs that ended his time with the Packers, Jets and (possibly) Vikings more than the highlights of his 19-year career.

There might come a time when Ron Turner is the best candidate to become the Bears next offensive coordinator.

Is it too early to consider this offseason a failure?

The Bears keep getting turned down, most recently by Hue Jackson, who will reportedly take a job in Oakland, where he could get fired tomorrow.  At least he would last a year under Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith.  The sad thing is that I don't necessarily blame anyone if they don't want to take this job.

Would you consider taking a job from an employer who told you the company might go under a year from now, or would you wait until a more firm, long-term deal is on the table? 

That is what has to be going through the minds of these coaches, and unless someone can guarantee some stability from the Bears front office, it would be wrong to expect an impact hire as offensive coordinator.

The Chicago Cubs signed Xavier Nady to a one-year deal with a base salary of $3.3 million, according to ESPN.com and other sources.  Nady is expected to be Kosuke Fukudome's right-handed hitting platoon mate in right field, while also spelling Alfonso Soriano in left and Derrek Lee at first base when necessary.

Nady, a former Pittsburgh Pirate, is coming off a season in which he played only seven games with the Yankees before undergoing Tommy John Surgery, making him your run-of-the-mill Jim Hendry acquisition.

There are two things that caught my eye as soon as this deal was announced.

Nady's base salary for 2010 ($3.3 million) is higher than Marlon Byrd's ($3 million) and I find that odd seeing that the Cubs expect Byrd to be the team's everyday center fielder.  Nady is expected to be a fill-in trying to make good on an incentive-laden deal that could escalate to $5.5 million this season.

The second thing is that I find this deal odd considering the Cubs do not have an everyday second baseman, nor is their starting rotation or bullpen complete.  The best remaining pitcher went off the boards today as Ben Sheets signed a one-year deal with a base salary of $10 million.  Heck of a bargaining chip for Billy Beane, who will likely get some top prospects for Sheets if Oakland falls out of the race and Sheets pitches like a former four-time All-Star.

Speaking of All-Stars, how about that D-Rose dunk?  Had we not been in a place that is considered death valley to cell phones, our Twitter feed would have blown up over the dunk.

Derrick Rose is one of the best point guards in the NBA and even though the Bulls are 8-5 in January, I wish he was under the tutelage of championship-caliber point guard.

I mean, Rose is averaging 26 points and 6.5 assists per game this month, to go along with a 51 percent shooting percentage from the field.  Imagine how much better he could be if his top mentor wasn't Vinny Del Negro.

There is lots to be cheering about in Saluki Country, especially after back-to-back home wins against Illinois State and Western Kentucky.

It is apparent that SIU has rediscovered the concept of defense and applied it to Osiris Eldridge's final possessions in overtime on Saturday and throughout the team's win against Western Kentucky.  And who thought Tony Freeman would end up becoming the defacto defensive stopper.

Freeman has been lauded for what he brings to the offensive end of the court, but what he has done against Osiris Eldridge (5-of-29 from the field, 2-of-9 from 3-point land) and A.J. Slaughter (2-for-12, 2-for-7 from beyond the arc) is nothing short of spectacular.

Since Freeman's comments about team focus were published, the team has started off strong and finished stronger down the stretch.  Kudos to play-by-play man Mike Reis, who dropped off one of the best stat lines a team could have.  Did you know that SIU entered last night's game against WKU connecting on 82 percent of its free-throw attempts in the last five minutes of ball games.

In the end, Southern will go as far as Kevin Dillard will take them.  In his last two games, KD has gone 8-for-16 from the field, 2-for-5 from the 3-point line and 17-for-20 from the charity stripe.  He has added 17 assists against six turnovers, which is nearly a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.  The Salukis' inside-out game featuring Anthony Booker and Eugene Teague is most efficient when Dillard is most efficient.  So is Carlton Fay.

Amidst the turmoil that has surrounded the program with the DePaul rumors and Teague academic issues, the only way for head coach Chris Lowery to escape the Dawg House is to keep his ball club focused and playing well.

Winning cures all.

Except for herpes.

Why The Cubs Should Sign Orlando Hudson

As I went through Carrie Muskat's inbox to properly respond to questions she cannot answer without much being left to the imagination, I stumbled upon this little nugget.

So, rather than break down the entire inbox I'll focus on a question about the gaping hole at second base.

Muskat's response is in italics, the cold hard truth as analyzed by yours truly is in the bold.

It seems to me the Cubs are still in need of a leadoff hitter. Wouldn't it make sense to sign Orlando Hudson to play second base? I know Starlin Castro is supposed to be ready to play in the Majors at some point in 2010, but who knows if he's going to be able to contribute to the Major League team any time soon. It seems an addition like O-Dog would give you a solid leadoff hitter with speed and allow them to slot Theriot down to No. 2 in the order, where he belongs.
-- Erich B., Bourbonnais, Ill.

Hudson has a career .223 average and .305 on-base percentage as a leadoff man.

Further breakdown of Hudson's numbers reveal the following.  His .223 average and .305 OBP come in a grand total of 105 plate appearances in 23 starts.  It doesn't take a sabermatrician to figure out that is too small a sample size to make a fair judgment.

Compare those numbers to Theriot's and Fukudome's.

Cubs fans, you really don't want me to do this.  Eh, screw it.  Someone had to bring you the truth.

Last season, Hudson, 32, batted .283 with a .357 on-base percentage with the Dodgers, who bumped him at the end of the season in favor of Ronnie Belliard. Belliard batted .347 in September; Hudson hit .237.

Theriot hit .240 in September.  Fukudome batted .200. 

Translation: Hudson hit for a higher average than Fukudome and was on par with Theriot in fewer plate appearances.  This is the kind of logic that comes nine months after a Cardinals fan and a White Sox fan engage in unprotected sex after polishing off a case of Ice House.

Hudson stole eight bases in 149 games.

Apparently, I'm supposed to be impressed with Theriot's 21 steals in 2009. Ha! Not when he was caught a team-high 10 times.  As for Fukudome, he stole six bases and was also caught 10 times.

Let the record show Hudson was caught only once last season. In fact, he has only been caught stealing 19 times in 69 career attempts over his eight-year career. 

Fukudome and Theriot combined to get caught 20 times in 2009.

His single-season high is 10.

That was in 2007.  He was caught only twice.

He's also reportedly seeking a one-year deal for $9 million. 

This is the same franchise that was willing to pay Milton Bradley $30 million over a three-year span.  And they can't find $9 million for one season to have a quality second baseman who doesn't need a booster seat at McDonald's?

Ugh.

I don't see him as being a good match for the Cubs. 

Over the past three seasons, Hudson has earned two Gold Gloves, stolen 22 bases (caught only four times) and posted a .291/.369/.438/.807 line in the two seasons in which he was the team's primary No. 2 hitter.

Yep.  The Cubs do not need a guy like that at all.  Not on a team that committed 105 errors.  Not on a team whose middle infielders aren't tall enough to ride a rollercoaster at Six Flags Great America.

And to think, I thought stupidity and ignorance were limited to Cubs fans.  It's a shame that it has reached the beat writers, too.

Inbox: Who's going to lead-off? [Cubs.com]

Cubs Convention Ends, Concerns Still Exist

The Cubs Convention is over and it is time to take a critical look at what will likely be a season just like all the others.

Meaning it will end with a kick to the groin and another St. Louis Caridnals NL Central title.

Gah.

But first, a memory.

When I was a child, I attended many Cubs Conventions in the dead of winter  for the chance to see, meet and greet my favorite baseball players.

That is also when I first met Harry Caray in hallway near the elevators.  I told him that when I grew up, I wanted to be just like him.  He rustled my hair and said that I would have a great future.  If Uncle Harry knew what I was going now, he'd be proud.

As for the 2010 Cubs, he probably would not feel the same way.

It is Jan. 18 and we are 76 days from opening a new year of being reminded by national broadcasters that it has been more than 100 years since the North Side Nine has won a World Series.  And if the team that is currently constructed makes it to opening day, we might be tacking on another year.

1.  Marlon Byrd

Simply put, teams with Marlon Byrd hitting fifth don't win World Series championships. They just don't.  And the fact that the Cubs' center fielder's best attribute is that his name is not Milton Bradley says a lot about how much this team is going to suck this year.

2.  The fourth outfielder


The Cubs are looking to add a fourth outfielder who is versatile enough to play all three spots.


This is a good news, bad news situation.


The good news is that the Cubs already have this guy.  The bad news is that they signed him to a three-year deal worth $15 million and will be the team's starting center fielder come April.

(As you can tell, I am not a fan of the Byrd acquisition.)


3.  The rotation

The only guy in the starting five I have any confidence in is Ryan Dempster.  The same Ryan Dempster whose 3-2 pitch to James Loney in October 2008 still makes me want to rip what little hair I have left on my head.

Ted Lilly is out until May, which for Cubs pitchers usually means August.  Carlos Zambrano returns, but no one is sure whether we will see the Big Z that posted a 77-45 record, 3.30 ERA, 1.261 WHIP and struck out 7.9 hitters per nine innings from 2003 to 2007 or the guy that went 9-7 with a respectable 3.77 ERA, but a detestable 1.376 WHIP in 2009.

Can Randy Wells be the guy that can build on a 12-win season?  History says he'll blow out his arm in spring training. 

Can Tom Gorzelanny or Sean Marshall be worth a damn?  I think Gorzelanny can, if only because former Pirates seem to thrive in Chicago.  As for Marshall, he will be in Lou Piniella's dog house come March 1 and will be toiling away in the bullpen.

If Jeff Samardzija wants to make a positive impact in Chicago, he would hang up his baseball cleats, drive up to Halas Hall and start spending some time with Jay Cutler.

4.  The top of the order

I always tell Cubs fans to be careful of what they wish for, mostly because a good chunk of them are stupid enough to wish upon a star that Ryan Theriot would someday be the team's lead-off hitter.

Guess what, clowns?  That's probably what is going to happen.

In 2009, Theriot's walks went down and strikeouts went up.  If that's what I wanted out of my lead-off hitter, I would have continued to drive the "Alfonso Soriano For Lead-Off Hitter" bandwagon.

The other candidate is Kosuke Fukudome, who posted a .375 on-base percentage in 2009.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that he stole six bases and was caught 10 times.

For those of you keeping score at home, that is bad.

5.  The Bullpen

I'm trying to find nice things to say about this unit, but cannot do so without being reminded of the slippery slope we will likely see in 2010.

Carlos Marmol has the kind of stuff that gives me the tingly sensation that is usually reserved for pretty blondes.  On the other hand, when he walks the bases loaded, I get a different tingly feeling as my blood pressure begins to rise.

Angel Guzman also has nasty stuff, but I'm never sure when his arm will fall off, for after every breaking ball he throws, I fear as if it is his final pitch in the big leagues.

John Grabow is a nice lefty reliever, but not worthy of a two-year deal worth $7.5 million.

I know I'm supposed to be excited about Esmailin Caridad, Jeff Gray, Justin Berg, Jeff Samardzija, John Gaub, Mitch Atkins and others.  But I was also supposed to be excited about Terry Adams, Kyle Farnsworth and others tabbed as "closer of the future."

6.  Second base

The Cubs do not have a legitimate second baseman on their team.  It's just one of the many holes on a roster where they payroll will likely exceed the $140 million plateau.

Jeff Baker posted a solid .305/.362/.448/.810 line in 224 plate appearances, but I'm not convinced he can do it over an entire season.  If he does, then the Cubs got a steal.  Heck, if he grows some stubble, he'll make the ladies in Chicago forget Mark DeRosa.

Then there's Mike Fontenot.  Rudy Jaramillo can fix everything that is wrong with that kid's swing, and he'll still be three feet tall.  Just can win with that guy.

Orlando Hudson is still available.

But why would the Cubs want to sign a guy coming off a Gold Glove year defensively, and offensively posted a .293/.377/.463/.840 line in 261 plate appearances as the Dodgers' No. 2 hitter?

7.  Defense

The Chicago Cubs committed 105 errors last season, third most in the NL.  If not for Derrek Lee, the Cubs would have led the world in that category.

Is adding Marlon Byrd to that outfield going to cut the team's errors by a significant total?  Doubtful.

8.  Carlos Silva

All the Cubs got for their nutty right fielder was a pitcher who is 5-18 since signing a four-year, $48 million contract in free agency.

The Cubs are hoping Silva turns out to be a decent long reliever.

For the money he is making, he better be the best long reliever to ever play the game of baseball.

9.  Money flow

What separated the Cubs and Cardinals last year was St. Louis' ability to add payroll at the trade deadline.  And for the second straight season, that might be a factor when July rolls around.

John Grabow and Marlon Byrd account for $6.75 million worth of money that should have been allocated elsewhere.

All this adds up to being strapped for cash when Carl Crawford is made available when the Tampa Bay Rays are 15 games out of first place despite having a winning record.

10.  Jim Hendry is still employed

As much as we talk about how players need to have good seasons over the span of 162 games, general managers need to have good offseasons.

The Cubs general manager isn't having a good offseason.  Want proof?  Here are his "best" moves:

• Not re-signing Kevin Gregg
• Trading Aaron Miles
• Trading Milton Bradley
• Bringing on Greg Maddux as a special assistant.

In conclusion, Hendry's two best personnel moves include trading the team's best bench bat to get rid of an albatross contract and swapping terrible contracts while somehow getting a player worse than Milton Bradley.

I was not joking when I said adding Maddux might be the highlight of the offseason.

The sad thing about this is that I could list at least five more things that make me think this team will finish below .500.  But these 10 might be the most damning.

Suffering a Cubs Convention hangover?  Pffft.  The thought of having to watch Theriot lead off games and run bases like a chicken with its head cut off might send me back to the booze cabinet.

Ben Sheets Could Be The New Rich Harden

You know your team needs help in the starting rotation when it expects a pitcher making $11.5 million to be an adequate long reliever.

Enter Ben Sheets, who has not thrown a meaningful pitch since Sept. 27, 2008, in which he allowed four runs (three earned) and went 2.1 innings in a 7-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Two years later, the Cubs find themselves pursuing Sheets to become Jim Hendry's latest reclamation project.  Many frown upon Chicago's attempt to lure sheets, who previously was employed a few miles north on I-94, because of his injury-plagued past.  The Cubs already had one of those guys in Rich Harden, but he has since signed a deal with the Texas Rangers.

If the Cubs are able to add sheets with an incentive laden contract, as suggested by Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, it would be as if Harden never left.  Except there would be one less Canadian on the roster.

Statistically speaking, Harden owns the edge in strikeouts-per-nine innings, wins, winning percentage, hits per nine innings, home runs per nine innings and earned run average.  Sheets owns the edge in ratios such as strikeouts-to-walk, walks allowed per nine innings and WHIP. 

If you consider that Sheets walks nearly two batters less than harden does per nine innings, then you might as well call it a wash between the two guys, other than the K/9 ratio.

But there are two major differences between the former Cubs right-hander and the free agent righty who the Cubs seem to be hot after.

Major difference No. 1 between Harden and Sheets is that Harden threw 141 innings in 2009.  Sheets threw up a goose egg in '09.  Major difference No. 2 is that Sheets will be a full four years older than Harden.

Yet, Sheets has accomplished a feat Harden has yet to reach in his seven year career.

Sheets has reached the 200 innings pitched plateau three times in his career, and came close to reaching it for a fourth time in 2008 as he throw 198.1 innings.  Harden has cracked the 150 IP mark once in his career, and that was in his first full season with Oakland, where he threw 189.2 innings in the only year he has made at least 30 starts.

The former Brewer has made at least 30 starts four times in his career, and looked quite durable during a stretch from 2002 to 2004 where he made 102 starts, averaged 225 innings pitched posted a 3.74 earned run average,  struck out 591 batters, posted a 1.209 WHIP and a 4.01-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Sheets' record over the time span was 34-43.  But take into consideration he did all that and under Ned Yost, who earned a master's degree from the Dusty Baker school of ruining talented young arms.  I'm still shocked that Yoavani Gallardo never filed for an order of protection when Yost was still in Milwaukee. 

I'm sure C.C. Sabathia would have had he not thought his left arm would have fallen of whenever he picked up the pen.

I digress.

In our Building A Champion series, I suggested the Cubs offer sheets a one-year deal worth $6.5 with certain incentives.  According to Carrie Muskat's Twitter, Sheets comes with a hefty asking price and the team is (still) looking for some right-handed help out of the pen.

For a team with a $140 million payroll, don't you think it is a little ridiculous to have holes at second base, in the starting rotation and at the back-end of the bullpen?


I'll stand by my statement yesterday, noting that adding Greg Maddux might be the highlight of the Cubs' offseason.

Mark McGwire Has One More Apology To Make

Mark McGwire has (finally) admitted to using steroids.
And you act as if I'm supposed to give a damn.  As if I'm supposed to be surprised.

McGwire apologized, though I am not sure for what exactly he is apologizing for or who he is apologizing to.  He took steroids as he tried to heal quicker from his injuries and make his team better.  Do you blame him?  Maybe had he shared the wealth with the likes of Delino DeShields, Eli Marrero and Royce Clayton, the Cardinals would have been better off.

Is he apologizing to his family, who benefited significantly thanks to the paychecks McGwire received from the Cardinals and the endorsement money he received elsewhere.  I don't know anyone that would not do anything in his or her problem to give their family everything they wanted.

This, of course, was a little more illegal than other methods.

Still, I have yet to hear an apology to Tony La Russa.

While McGwire hid in a secret lair where he would go on and tutor Matt Holliday and others, La Russa was McGwire's only line of defense.  He often chastised media members for even questioning McGwire's past.

In the end, McGwires non-lies have turned La Russa into a liar.

Other than that, La Russa's blind eye act doesn't fool me, nor should it fool anyone else.  Of course Big Mac worked harder than everyone in the weight room.  He had supplements that allowed him to work for longer periods of time while helping his body cure up from its ailments. 
That's what steroids are for, not to make you big and strong, but to help with your endurance and speed up the healing process.  Always keep that in mind.

Then take into consideration the other former roided-up freaks that have played under TLR and with the Cardinals, including the team's starting center fielder much of last year, Rick Ankiel, and closer Ryan Franklin.

(Due to time constraints, we'll pretend that the Oakland Athletics of the late 1980s didn't exist.)

Yep, big surprise that a guy who hit 18 home runs in 279 PAs from 1993-94 jumped to 39 HRs in 422 PAs in 1995.

So, Mark.  If you want to make amends, why not start with the guy who made you relevant again in the first place?

Congrats To Andre Dawson

Here's hoping Andre Dawson's Hall of Fame induction speech is as interesting as the last Chicago athlete to get the call to the hall -- Michael Jordan.

Heck, if it lives up to Ryne Sandberg's induction speech I would be pleased.

438 home runs.

1,591 runs batted in.

314 stolen bases.

And that doesn't tell the whole story of the newest member of baseball's Hall of Fame.

He spent 11 years on astroturf in Montreal (yeah, they had a baseball team once upon a time) that devastated his knees.  He signed a blank check in 1987 and delivered a 49 homer, 137 RBI season for a Chicago Cubs team that went 76-85.  That season, he was age 32 and made $700,000.

Milton Bradley, Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome combined to hit 43 homers and drive in 149 RBIs all while making $32.5 million.

Had he played for the Red Sox his entire career, rather than for two years at the end of it, he would have been in the Hall of Fame.  If the Hawk was a life-long Yankees great, he'd be in the ring of honor, have his number retired and would have been a Hall of Famer many moons ago.

It doesn't matter, now.  The Hawk is in The Hall.  And no one can take that away.  It's almost too bad I can't say the same about baseball in the city he spent 11 years playing in.


Image via

Is Johnny Damon The Answer For The Cubs?

Apparently there is some rule in the Cubs' clubhouse prohibiting the team from having a good center fielder for an entire season.

Jim Edmonds' .256/.369/.568/.937 line in 85 games with the 2008 Cubs was the best for a Chicago center fielder since Kenny Lofton's .327/.381/.471/.852 line in 56 game with the 2003 Cubs. 

It has been a few years since Johnny Damon has been a full-time center fielder.  And at the age of 36, it would not be logical to conclude that the veteran outfielder would get better over the next few years.

However, at what point do you sacrifice defense for offense?  That is a question the Cubs must ponder as their vacancy in center field remains through the holiday season.  Actually, the bigger question is why does a team with a $140 million payroll have so many holes, including (but not limited to) ones in center field, at second base, in the starting rotation and in the bullpen.

Over the last four years, the Cubs have trotted out Kosuke Fukudome, Felix Pie, Jacque Jones and Juan Pierre as opening day center fielders.  In other words, the Cubs have employed two converted right fielders, a prospect who was rushed into the starting line-up before being rushed out of town and the Black Scott Podsednik.

Meanwhile, over the span of his four-year commitment to New York, Damon has averaged a .285 BA, .362 OBP, .819 OPS and 144 games played.  The free agent outfielder thrived in the new Yankee Stadium as he slugged 24 home runs, 36 doubles and OPSed .854 for the world champs. Those would be welcomed numbers at Wrigley Field one season after no Cubs outfielder hit more than 20 home runs, while Milton Bradley and Kosuke Fukudome comibined to hit 23 home runs.

And in typical TBDS fashion, yours truly hits you with a dose of reality.

Damon struck out 98 times in 2009, a career high.  One year after stealing 29 bases for the Bronx Bombers, Damon stole 12 bases, the fewest swipes since 2005 when he stole 18 in his last season with the Boston Red Sox.

Then, there's the fact that Damon is no longer an everyday center fielder having played only 79 games in center since 2006 -- the last season in which he was a full-time player.  With Fukudome in right and Alfonso Soriano in left, the last thing the Cubs need is a player in center field that is unable to make up the ground his corner outfielders cannot cover.

But if you can out-hit your defensive inefficiencies, what's stopping the Cubs from signing Damon tomorrow?

If it is true that Damon was willing to take a 2-year, $20 million deal from the Yankees, why aren't the Cubs more actively involved.  They were ready to pay Milton Bradley $21 million over the same amount of time before shipping him to Seattle in a deal that still makes no sense.

(An aside:  Explain to me how the Cubs "won" the Bradley trade when they dealt their starting right fielder for a guy who the team hopes will compete for a spot in the rotation?)

When you look at what remains in the outfield market, Damon becomes an even more attractive free agent.  The market is bleak when your best bets are Podsednik, who is apparently asking for a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal despite being four years past his prime, Marlon Byrd, the former Rangers outfielder coming off a career year (where have we heard that one before) and Rick Ankiel, who has hit .247/.311/.757 in the two years since it was revealed that he was juiced up once upon a time.

Damon at $10MM per year is more attractive than the three musketeers of sucktitude rolled into one at the same price.  The 2011 center field market looks weak, too, with the only hope being that the Tampa Bay Rays cannot afford to bring back Carl Crawford -- who by the way has played only 51 of his 1,080 games of his big league career in center field.

So, at what point will I be writing a blog sulking about aging, over-paid Johnny Damon not being the answer in center field?  Only time will tell.  I guess the Cubs would have to bring him to Wrigley in the first place to find out.

Be Careful What You Wish For: Milton Bradley Has Been Traded

Chicago media members and Cubs fans everywhere got their collective wish granted on Friday as Jim Hendry traded Milton Bradley to Seattle.

Cubs fans everywhere celebrated the deal as if the team had won its first World Series since 1908.  So, what did Hendry get to make everyone so giddy?

Carlos Silva.

That's right sports fans.  The Cubs just acquired a contract that would be harder to get rid of and who is just as much of a prick.

Only the Cubs would be able to trade Bradley and get a worse player in return.

Can you say Cutlerfucked?

By acquiring Silva, Hendry added to the roster a guy who owns a 29-47 record, 1.54 WHIP and a 6.29 earned run average in the four years since finishing with a 9-8 record.  Take note that it was 2005 when Silva last owned a respectable record, earned run average and WHIP.  In 2006, Silva led the American League with 38 home runs.  That would be a great statistic for an outfield that combined to hit 43 home runs last season until you realize that Silva is a starting pitcher rather than an everyday player.

In a park notorious for giving up the long ball, why on earth would the Cubs trade a serviceable major league outfielder for absolute cow dung.  If you thought Kevin Gregg made your blood boil, watching Silva take the bump will be like watching six or seven innings worth of Gregg.

For all of his flaws, at least Crazy Uncle Milton didn't suck.

Last season, Silva posted a 1-3 record, an 8.60 ERA, a 1.714 WHIP in only 8 games.  Why 8 games?  Because he was hurt most of the year.  For a front office to refuse salary arbitration to Rich Harden because they feared the oft-injured pitcher would accept it to go out and bring in someone who made six starts in the same season Harden made 26 reminds me that Jim Hendry is in fact baseball's dumbest person.

He makes Cardinals fans look like Einstein.

And MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has the nerve to wish Cubs fans a Merry Christmas.  Merry Christmas?  A good Christmas present would have been trading Bradley to Seattle for Ken Griffey Jr. and a time machine that can be set to 1997 upon Junior's arrival to Chicago.

A few days later, Muskat suggested Lou Piniella would have a "merrier holiday" without Bradley.  Possibly.  That is until he realizes his best option to start in center field is Sam Fuld.  After that, the following conversation occurred

Lou: Jim, where the fuck is my center fielder?
Jim: What, you don't like Sam Fuld? I think he'll be fine.
Lou: Why do you force me to field a team of midgets? Can I have someone tall enough to ride the fucking Tea Cups at Disney World?
Jim: Of course I could. We've got options.
Lou: Alright. What are our options?
Jim: Marlon Byrd. Scott Podsednik. Rick Ankiel

At that point, Sweet Uncle Lou has a few options of his own.  Option No. 1 is to punch Hendry in his throat. Option No. 2 is to kick Hendry in the stomach.  Option No. 3 is throwing Hendry off the top of a very tall building after using a combination of the first two options.

That's it, Cubs fans.  Your over-the-top hatred of Milty has led us to believe that our best outfield options are the white version of Juan Pierre, a once-roided up ex-Cardinals outfielder and a former Texas Rangers outfielder coming off a career year.

At this point, the highlight of the offseason could come if Matt Capps nixes the Washington Nationals and signs with the Cubs.

Furthermore, the Milton Bradley Era is another reminder of the stupidity that has been the past two prior Cubs offseasons.  Let's run them down, shall we?

2009 Offseason

• Release All-Star closer who converted 34 saves without offering arbitration and getting draft picks and return.
• Trade once untouchable prospect for Kevin Gregg to replace All-Star closer.
  
• Trade popular second baseman who will remain nameless for prospects to replenish a bare farm system.
  
• Replace said second baseman (who hit .285/.376/.481/.857 with 21 HR & 87 RBIs) with Aaron Miles.
• Trade former No. 1 prospect for another team's former No. 1 prospect, trade that prospect for Aaron Heilman.
• Trade over-paid, inning-eating back-of-the-rotation guy, pay him to eat innings elsewhere.
• Sign guy who had never hit more than 22 home runs or drive in more than 77 RBIs to be middle-of-the-order left-handed bat.

2010 Offseason

• Dump Kevin Gregg
• Dump Aaron Miles
• Dump Aaron Heilman
• Dump Milton Bradley
• Get over-paid, inning-eating back-of-the-rotation guy 
  

Think about it, folks.  The Cubs brought in Gregg, Miles, Heilman and Bradley for the 2009 season and paid them a collective $13.025 million (not to mention the $875,000 Hendry gave to the Rockies to take Jason Marquis off his hands) for one year and 83 stinkin' wins.

Oh, lest we forget the Cubs traded their best bench bat to Oakland so they could get rid of Miles in the first place in exchange for spare parts and let their best second-half starter walk away without getting anything in return.

And the 2010 Cubs are supposed to be better?

Someone wake me up when it's 2011, I might have to go into hibernation once Opening Day rolls around.

The Weekender: Two Birds, One Stone, One Inbox Edition

This week inside Carrie Muskat's inbox: crap, crap and more crap.  Inside The Weekender: hot chicks.  Your call America.  Here's your Friday funday wrapped in one.

With Ted Lilly having surgery and a question mark on the Cubs' No. 5 starter, is GM Jim Hendry looking at adding starting pitching or are we hoping someone surprises us in the farm system?
-- Matt J., Chicago

Hendry has spent as much time looking at adding starting pitching to a rotation that lost its best arm through April and its best second half starter to the Texas Rangers as he has looking at a diet guide. 

The Cubs have their fingers crossed in hopes that Sean Marshall, Tom Gorzelanny or Jeff Spellcheck can take the bump every fifth day.

On the other hand, so do opposing hitters.

Why didn't the Cubs offer arbitration to Rich Harden? In spite of his injury history, he has pitched well with a great strikeout rate. His Type A status would've netted the Cubs two Draft picks. If they were concerned he would accept arbitration, they should consider that he's fairly young and probably looking to sign a multi-year deal. I just don't see the logic.
-- Sean W., Peoria, Ill.

First of all, Harden was not a Type A free agent.  Second, Kevin Gregg was.  (Seriously.)  Someone will have to explain to me how Kevin Gregg is more valuable than Rich Harden.  Then again, it was Major League Baseball that had Roberto Clemente referred to as Bob Clemente because people weren't completely open to Latinos with dark complexion.

As for the Cubs and logic ... you should know better.  The Cubs defy logic on a yearly basis.  What's the logic behind a middle infield duo that looks like it still plays middle school baseball?  What's the logic to signing a guy who has played for seven different teams in a 10-year career to a three-year deal?

I hate to answer questions with questions, but fuck, if you've been a Cubs fan long enough you know the routine by now.

What do you think the chances are that Kelly Johnson ends up in a Cubs uniform next season? He could be an upgrade at second over Mike Fontenot or Jeff Baker. Johnson had a down year but he has the ability to go 20-20 and would slot nicely in the bottom of the order, and if he finds the swing with the speed, could slot into the No. 2 hole. I know the Cubs aren't focusing on it this year, but he's also a lefty.
-- Nathan P., Omaha, Neb.


Kelly Johnson hit the market a year too late for Hendry's liking.  Good ol' Jimbo is over his lefty phase and has moved on to ... um ... we'll get back to you on that as soon as the Cubs GM wakes up from his turkey-induced coma.

I know the Cubs are looking to the trade market, but they may have a center-field option in the free-agent market. Rick Ankiel is a left-handed-hitting center fielder. Lou Piniella likes left-handers, Ankiel plays center, so Kosuke Fukudome can move to right, and we don't have to trade away the much-discussed prospects. Wouldn't this be a fairly safe option and have the Cubs considered it?
-- Neven C., Fort Dodge, Iowa

Here's why they shouldn't be looking at Ankiel.  He sucks.  His average, power and overall production has gone down each and every year with the Redbirds.  Sure, his defense is above anverage and he is versatile enough to play all three outfield spots, but that doesn't make him a better option.

But apparently, because his name isn't "Milton Bradley" and he's not batshit crazy, there are some goofballs out there that think he's an upgrade.  Maybe if you put him on the McGwire plan, he'll be alright.

The Cubs still have a problem with no leadoff hitter. Why not put Theriot there and leave him there? He sees a lot of pitches and has a decent batting average.
-- Steve B., Phoenix

Steve, you're lucky I'm running through these quickly so I can get to the awesome links.  So, rather than post a long-winded respond, read one here as presented by Stat Boy in October.


From the information we know, do you think moving Spring Training to Florida would be good? There is a lot established in Arizona with close facilities, three current teams from the Central, the Arizona Fall League and a fan base.
-- Steve P., Tempe, Ariz.

Steve P:  If moving to Florida means the Cubs will win, then the answer to your question is fuck and yes.


I remember watching Thomas Diamond a few years back when he was in the Rangers' system, and he had some incredible stuff. I was happy to find out he's with the Cubs and noticed he's putting up pretty great numbers. Is there any chance he'll be invited to Spring Training? Or could he make the team, even out of the pen? He's 2-0 in three starts with a 0.64 ERA in 14 innings and only gave up one earned run on eight hits with three walks and 15 strikeouts. If he's healthy, he could be amazing.
-- Tom F., Anacortes, Wash.

"If he's healthy he could be amazing" sums up the following Cubs pitchers:

• Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Rich Harden, Angel Guzman, Mike Harkey
  

Why was Chris Robinson overlooked as a catcher to be added to the 40-man roster? He was a Triple-A All-Star, named the Iowa Cubs' MVP and batted .326. He deserves a shot.
-- Tim G., Bolingbrook, Ill.

Why was Chris Robinson overlooked?  Because he wasn't that good.

Now for the chicks.  Actually, it's just one chick.

Now for the links:

• Rihanna leaves you wanting more of something and less of something else. You be the judge.
• Fire Del Negro? Fans of the Rooney Rule won't like this new site.
• If Jim Hendry makes an "emergency trip" to Ohio, it will be because of this ... not because he's trying to trade Crazy Uncle Milton to Cincy or Cleveland. 
  
• Worried about what that cute girl in class is posting on her Facebook status?  Be more concerned about Facebook's privacy settings.
• Quote of the Year candidate: "All I’m saying is that Elin better be glad she’s married to Tiger Woods instead of Chris Brown or this whole story could’ve been reported differently!"
• NSFW! Remember when topless photos of Lindsay Lohan would have been worth something?  (For the record: I'd still be interested.)
• Lil' Wayne's "Rebirth" album gets new life (pun intended) with recently leaked track with Eminem.

School's out for winter and the kids are leaving southern Illinois to rejoin their families.  In a week, their families will be sick of them because they stay out late, their friends eat all their food and they're not cleaning shit up.

But they'll be back.

They always come back.

Unless, of course, they drop out.

All-Decade Team: Chicago Cubs

With the decade coming to an end, it has got me thinking about some of the best players Chicago has had this decade.  And since I've been on a tear of negativity (thanks Crazy Uncle Milton and the Bad News Chicago Bears), I figured I'd provide some highlights from this decade.

Today, the All-Decade Team looks at the Chicago Cubs players that didn't suck.

C - Geovany Soto (2008) - 285/.364/.504/.868  23 HR 86 RBI - Made Cubs fans forget about Rick Wilkins' 1993 season.

1B - Derrek Lee (2005) -  335/.418/.662/1.080 46 HR 107 RBI 15 SB - Had it not been for Albert Pujols, Lee likely would have won the NL MVP that season. Had it not been for Scott Eyre and Rafael Furcal, Lee would have had a normally working wrist.

2B - Eric Young (2000) - .297/.367/.399/.766 6 HR 47 RBI 98 R 54 SB - I always felt EY was one of the most underrated Cubs of my time. I mean, when was the last time a Cubs player posted a .370 OBP out of the lead-off spot and stole 54 bases in 61 attempts. Too bad that came in an empty year on a team that went 65-97 with a line-up that featured Damon Buford in center field, and the Willie Green/Shane Andrews platoon at third base.

3B - Aramis Ramirez (2004) - 318/.373/.578/.951  36 HR 103 RBI - Looking back on it, Rami out OPSed Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou that season.  Arguably the most consistent offensive force that season. 

SS - Ryan Theriot (2007) - .266/.326/.346/.672 - Theriot's 2009 line (295/.347/.422 7 HR 36 RBI 10 SB) was better than his '07 line.  But when you consider Cesar Izturis was the Cubs' starting shortstop on Opening Day, I've never been so thankful to have Theriot on the Cubs.

LF - Moises Alou (2004) - .293/.361/.557/.919 39 HR 3106 RBI - Saved his best season in Cubbie blue pinstripes for his last. He'll always be remembered for that one moment in 2003, but really, how could you overlook a 36/100 year from a 37-year-old.

CF - Jim Edmonds (2008) - 256/.369/.568/.937 19 HR 49 RBI - Who would have thunk the most valuable Cub center fielder this decade would be a former Cardinal.  I spent eight years despising Edmonds, but when you OPS .937, you're all good in my world.  I even bought an Edmonds jersey, just because it pissed off Redbird Nation.

RF - Sammy Sosa (2001) - .328/.437/.727/1.174 64 HR 160 RBI - After watching Todd Hollandsworth, Jeromy Burnitz, Kosuke Fukudome and Milton Bradley in right, are you missing Slammin' Sammy's production yet?

UTIL - Mark Bellhorn (2002) - 258/.374/.512/.886 27 HR 56 RBI - You all thought I was going to go with Mark DeRosa, huh?  Fuck him.  Mark Bellhorn was Mark DeRosa before Mark DeRosa came to town with his broad shoulders stubble, New Jersey accent and Ivy League education.  "The Horn" posted an .886 OPS in 2002 and slugged the heck out of the baseball as he played third base, shortstop, second base, first base, center field and right field.

SP - Mark Prior (2003) - 18-6 2.43 ERA 3 CG 1 SHO 57 ER 245 K 1.103 WHIP - Should have been the beginning of a Hall of Fame career had it not been for you know who doing you know what...

SP - Jon Lieber (2001) - 20-6 3.80 ERA 5 CG 1 SHO 98 ER 1.149 WHIP - Believe it or not, Lieber is the only Cubs pitcher this decade to have a 20-win season.  That alone makes him eligible.

SP - Ryan Dempster (2008) - 17-6 2.96 ERA 1 CG 68 ER 187 K 1.210 WHIP - In 2007, he was the Cubs' much-maligned closer.  In 2008, he was 14-3 at home in the regular season.

SP - Carlos Zambrano (2004) - 16-8 2.75 ERA 1 CG 1 SHO 64 ER 188 K 1.216 WHIP - Arguably Big Z's best year. Lotsa punchouts, lotsa groundball outs. 

RP - Kerry Wood (2008) - 5-4 3.26 ERA 66.1 IP 34 SV 84K 1.085 WHIP - For years, Cubs fans pined for Woody to move to the bullpen.  And because of an injury plagued past, it came to fruition and did so in a marvelous fashion for a player who was the face of the franchise for 10 years.

RP - Carlos Marmol (2007) - 5-1 1.43 ERA 69.1 IP 1 SV 96K 1.096 WHIP - An All-Star in 2008, Marmol saved the Cubs in '07 with his versatility.

Bud Selig And A League Of Extraordinary White Gentlemen

I know we said we'd be on auto-pilot this week, but for the second straight day, we've got some eyebrow raising news that just doesn't sit right with your editor.

Upon first glance, I wanted to give kudos to Bud Selig for forming a 14-person committee to take a look at some of Major League Baseball's issues.  It is a step in the right direction for a sport that seems so set on not moving into the 21st century.

And then I take a look at the committee ... and it appears as if baseball is intent on not moving into the new era.

Of the 14 members in Selig's committee, Frank Robinson, baseball's first African American manager, is the only representative of a minority group.  A deeper look into the committee reveals no Latino rep.

I'm not writing this because as someone who represents that demographic.  Instead, I make this post because if you take a look at the baseball's landscape and it is full of Latin ballplayers and managers.  Yet, you can't get one representative from that area?  I'm kind of shocked.

Baseball's best player, Albert Pujols, comes from a Dominican Republic background and plays in a city where at any given time, the only people with Latin backgrounds are Pujols, Yadier Molina, (and on the rare occasion) me.

Do you think Pujols, a known humanitarian and a guy who has yet to be linked to performance-enhancing drugs, would be a fit representative for a group that makes up a good chunk of major league talent?

How about Ozzie Guillen, the first Latin-born manager to win a World Series?  For all his flaws, he's an ambassador to the game of baseball.

Even if Pujols and Guillen politely declined, Selig could have found at least one current or former ballplayer or manager to be a guy who spoke up.  If I wanted to get into it more, I'd note there is no oriental rep either.

So, who's on board?  Tony La Russa (age 65), Jim Leyland (age 65), Mike Scioscia (age 58), Joe Torre (age 69),Terry Ryan (age 56), Andy MacPhail (age 56), John Schuerholz (age 69).

Mark Shapiro (age 42) is the youngest member of the committee.  And still white.

Among the other old white men own reps include Chuck Armstrong of the Seattle Mariners, Paul Beeston of the Toronto Blue Jays, Bill DeWitt of the St. Louis Cardinals and Dave Montgomery of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Oh, then there's columnist George Will (age 68) ... and guess what ... still white.

"A League Of Extraordinary White Gentlemen," coming to meeting room near you.

Stat Boy Confirms: 'Juan Pierre Is The Black Scott Podsednik'

The best comment from anyone I've talked to since the White Sox acquired Juan Pierre from the Los Angeles Dodgers was too big for the headline.  So, we shortened it.

"Why did the White Sox trade 2 prospsects for the black Scott Podsednik?"

That's a great question, and Stat Boy has an answer.

When Podsednik has received at least 500 plate appearances in a season he posts the following average numbers:

• .282 batting average
• .345 on-base percentage
• .342 OBP as a lead-off hitter
• .383 OBP when leading off a game
• .356 OBP when leading off an inning
• 48 stolen bases
  

When Pierre has received at least 500 plate appearances in a season he posts the following average numbers:

• .300 batting average
• .347 on-base percentage 
• .347 OBP as a lead-off hitter
• .368 OBP when leading off a game
• .358 OBP when leading off an inning
  
• 54 stolen bases
  

Podsednik made $800,000 last season to post the following line:

•  .304 BA
  
•  .353 OBP
  
•  .412 SLG
• .764 OPS
• 30 stolen bases (43 attempts)
  

Pierre made $10 million last season to post the following line:

• .308 BA
• .365 OBP
• .392 SLG
• .757 OPS
• 30 stolen bases (42 attempts)
  

Oh, and to get tag-teamed by Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier.

Long story short, Kenny Williams traded two prospects for a more expensive version of Scott Podsednik.  The South Siders will pay $8 million over the next two years.  I doubt Podsednik, who has never made more than $2.9 million a season, gets more than that on the open market.

I also doubt signing Podsednik costs two able-bodied pitching prospects.

Cubs Fans Just Don't Get It

The Chicago Cubs are considering moving their spring training facilities to Florida after 57 years in Arizona.

Some idiots folks are up in arms over the idea of moving to the Sunshine State.  So much so they are forgetting about the real news of the offseason, Jim Hendry's ineptitude in regard to moving a big contract.

Al Yellon of Bleed Cubbie Blue wastes 1,374 words to make a point that truly has no point.  It reminds me of how fickle the Cubs fan base truly is.  They whine and pine for a World Series title, yet, when it comes to possibly upgrading en route to taking the proper steps toward a World Series, they hark back on the olden days when the Cubs still weren't winning championships.

Yellon claims moving the Cubs out of Arizona would be "a colossal mistake."

Oh, Mr. Yellon, hyperbole gets the best of you once again.  Colossal mistakes include trading Mark DeRosa Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio, giving Jason Marquis and Milton Bradley guaranteed three-year contracts when no one else was offering anything more than a one-year deal, leaving Todd Hundley to fend for himself on dollar beer night, fielding a middle infield that can't ride the roller coasters at Six Flags Great America, asking Alfonso Soriano to lead-off and play center field and trusting Kevin Gregg, LaTroy Hawkins or Mel Rojas with a ninth inning lead.

Unless, of course, you're trying to tell me moving a franchise into facilities that are worthy of being used by a team in the nation's third largest market would be "a colossal mistake."  Then if that's the case, fine.  The Cubs were the last of the original teams to implement a minor league system, so it's not as if staying with the times has hurt the franchise any.  Nope, not at all.

Considering the team plays 81 of its games in Wrigley Field, the National League's oldest ballpark, why would it want to play in an out-dated facility in Arizona?  It's time for the Cubs to get with the times and put some money not just into better players, but into better facilities for said players.  And that includes, but is not limited to, a top-notch training complex

If the bottom line is winning baseball games and championships, what does it matter where the team trains?  If moving the team's training center to Cedar Falls, Iowa, meant the Cubs were going to win 95 games a year and make countless World Series appearances in the process, I'd be all for it.  Want to change the name of the ballpark on Clark & Addison to TD Ameritrade Presents Wrigley Field?  You've got my blessing if it means playoff wins, rings and parades with multiple championship trophies around town.

And yet, Yellon and others fear leaving Arizona is an insult because it ignores the team's long-standing tradition.

Ah, yes.  Nothing says rich baseball tradition like having 21 seasons in which the team finished with a .500 winning percentage or better in the 64 years since last appearing in a World Series.

The Non-Tendered 10

After a night of research, I've selected 10 players that are worth a damn after being non-tendered contracts by their respective teams.

There's always a player who can be helpful from this category.  There once was a time where David Ortiz was once non-tendered by the Minnesota Twins.

Just saying.  Let's search the scrap heap, shall we?

1.  Johnny Gomes, OF, Reds - Owns .274/.369/.517/.885 slash line in 515 career plate appearances against left-handed pitchers.  There's your platoon candidate for right field.

2.  Ryan Church, OF, Braves - Can play all three outfield spots and has been targeted by the Cubs front office in the past.

3.  Kelly Johnson, 2B, Braves - We detailed why KJ should get a look earlier on Twitter.

4.  Chien-Ming Wang, SP, Yankees - When healthy, Wang is an excellent source for ground balls and clever headlines.  Heck, he's still good for a clever headline when he's not healthy.

Injury woes set him back last season.  Jim Hendry gets aroused when he Googles the phrase "injury woes set him back last season."

5.  Garrett Atkins, 3B, Rockies - From 2006-08, Atkins averaged 25 HRs, 110 RBIs and an .862 OPS.  He fell of the face of the earth this season (.226/.308/.342/.650) but is only going to be 30 next season.

Worth a look as a back-up at first or third base?

6.  Scott Olsen, SP, Nationals - The Crystal Lake, Ill., standout was at one time the Florida Marlins Opening Day starter.  He's left-handed, which means he could pitch forever if he so chooses, Olsen battled wild control problems.

Could be a project for Larry Rothschild.

7.  Jack Cust, 1B/OF, Athletics - Somewhere between a rich man's Micah Hoffpauir and a poor man's Adam Dunn, Cust can play first and each of the corner outfielders if all is lost.  Though Cust would be a better fit in the AL by DHing every day, he could be valuable in the NL as a pinch hitter after posting an .845 OPS in Oakland over the last three season.

8.  Jeremy Reed, OF, Mets - Here's a guy who never lived up to his prospect hype, but can play all three outfield positions.  Reed owns a career .321/.388/.476/.864 slash line in 2,173 minor league plate appearances.

Could be a project for hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.

9.  Adam Miller, P, Indians -  Miller falls under the fallen prospect umbrella, thanks to several surgeries.  The former Indians prospect is a 6-foot-4-inch 200-pound right-hander owns a career 32-25 minor league record, 3.19 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 8.7 strikeout-per-nine innings ratio, and a 1.240 WHIP.

He's only 25-years-old and could be worth checking up on.

10.  Matt Capps, RP, Pirates - Remember when Capps was a respectable closer?  Of course you don't, because he played in Pittsburgh.  In 2007-08, Capps converted 39 saves, had a .991 WHIP and a 5.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Could be a cheap alternative middle-to-late inning relief option.

Bonus Picks:

•  John Buck, C, Royals - Hit 18 home runs in 2007 and is regarded as a good defensive catcher.  Probably could be as good of an option as Koyie Hill.
• D.J. Carrasco, SP/RP, White Sox - The 33-year-old righty wants to start in 2009, and if the Cubs brought him on board, he could project to be in the mix for a spot in the starting rotation until Ted Lilly returns.  Could be a beneficiary of making the switch to the NL.
• Jose Arredondo, RP, Angels - An interesting name to be dropped on this list.  He struck out 55 guys in 61 innings and posted a 1.62 ERA to go along with a 1.049 WHIP -- all as a rookie.  Though he's slated for surgery that will keep him out of the 2010 season, he'll be 27 in 2011, and could be another Hendry reclamation project.
• Anthony Reyes, SP, Indians - Common sense says stay away from Reyes because of Dave Duncan can't fix him, no one can.  In six starts in 2008 with the Cleveland Indians, Reyes went 2-1 with a 1.38 ERA and 1.252 WHIP. 
  

Starting In Right Field For Your 2010 Cubs: Milton Bradley

The Winter Meetings have come and gone, yet, Milton Bradley is still a Cub.

Are you surprised?  You shouldn't be.

The Cubs butchered this whole ordeal from Day 1.  And not Day 1 of the offseason, either.  It all began when they signed Bradley in the first place. Three-years and $30 million for a player who has been on seven different teams in his big league career and had accumulated 500 plate appearances only twice in his entire career. 

Signing a guy coming off posting a .999 OPS to lead the American League is a good idea.  Signing the guy for three years when he hadn't spent more than two full seasons on a team since the first three years of this decade is a bad one.

Then, there would be the handling of Crazy Uncle Milton, who was treated as if he had "fragile" stamped on his forehead.  It all fell apart in September when Hendry & Co. botched the season-end suspension.  Rather than keep in in house, the Cubs pissed all over any trade value Bradley would have had by throwing him under the bus.

Hendry could have spent the offseason saying, "We sat Milty the last two weeks of the season because we wanted to have him healthy going into an offseason where we knew we'd try to trade him.  He wasn't a fit with our team, but he could fit yours."  Now, there's no hiding behind that anonymity because everyone knows Bradley's a dickhead.

The sad this is that Bradley has handled his demotion well.  He hasn't been seen or heard from, which is good.  It might make things easier come Spring Training when the Cubs have to mend fences after publicly trying to trade their starting right fielder who is set to earn $21 million over the next two seasons.

Oh, and just to make things even more difficult, the guy who has nothing to do with baseball operation has to open his stinkin' mouth.  Go away, Crane Kenney.  Do so as quick as possible.

If you thought he was a dick before, imagine how much more of a dick he could be if he wanted to be after this failed fiasco.

And for the second straight year, the Chicago Cubs have been handcuffed by a contract Jim Hendry outbid no one but himself to sign.  Last year, Hendry was so dedicated to unloading Jason Marquis' $9.875 million contract, it bogged down any progress in getting his guy -- Jake Peavy.  This season, Hendry found himself strapped with Crazy Uncle Milton's contract, so much so it proved to be one of the deciding factors in Hendry's inability to get his guy -- again.  This time it was Curtis Granderson.

The New York Daily News has it covered.  And by "it" I mean, manager Lou Piniella being pissed about not getting what he wants for the second straight off-season.

"Our primary need is an outfielder who can hit fifth, and Granderson was our No. 1 choice," Piniella said Wednesday. "There was just no way we could get him, and once again the Yankees swooped in and got their man. I know he struck out a lot, but that's the product of being in that lineup over in Detroit where they all come out swinging. He probably tried to do too much last year and he was trying to pull the ball too much. When he gets over to the Yankees, he'll automatically become more selective just by association."

It's December, and Sweet Uncle Lou is already pissed off about the prospects of the 2010 season.

There is no secret that Piniella is entering lame-duck status next season, but I'm not sure why.  If anything, he should be given an extension for what he did last year.  Piniella has been the most successful manager the Cubs have had in my 23-year lifetime.

Of the 16 managers the Cubs have had since 1986, only three have been at .500 or better.  Piniella is one of them, and before he took over, you've got to go back to Jim Lefebvre, who was 162-162 in two years with the team.

At times, it looked like Piniella was lost and being out-managed.  And while Piniella might have lost a step in those too-tight-for-comfort baseball pants, he has yet to lose his eye for talent.

Meanwhile, Jim Hendry seems to be the Stevie Wonder of spotting talent.

Let's compare what Piniella has done in regard to talent recognition compared to what Hendry has done.  For the sake of space, I'll choose six.

Hendry:

• Identified Alfonso Soriano as a lead-off hitter and center fielder (people forget that one)
  
• Outbid himself to sign Milton Bradley, Jason Marquis to three year deals for no reason
• Failed to identify Josh Hamilton as a possible outfield option
• Traded three valuable pieces for one year of Juan Pierre
• Traded the once untouchable (and under team control for several years) Jose Ceda for one (very bad) year of Kevin Gregg
  
• Traded Greg Maddux for Cesar Izturis.
  

Piniella:

• Sent Carlos Marmol & Angel Guzman from the rotation to the 'pen
• Moved Ryan Dempster from the 'pen to the rotation
• Replaced Cesar Izturis with Ryan Theriot
• Had the foresight to play Geovany Soto in a playoff race in 2007, and let him flourish in 2008
• Sent Michael Barrett to the bench before Hendry eventually sent him packing in 2007

The Cubs should find a way to remove Hendry from making player personnel decisions, while somehow giving that task to Piniella upon his retirement.  Believe it or not, Piniella changed the mindset of fans and the way this franchise looks at some of its young talent.
Piniella's biggest miscues as a manager (Soriano in the lead-off spot, Gregg as closer) came about because of Hendry's miscalculations.


Here's hoping Henry's latest gaffe is his last.  Until then, start training your eyes to see No. 21 in right field ... again.

This Rios guy better get his act together..

I haven't really bashed the waiver claim made a few months ago on incumbent center fielder Alex Rios by Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams and I wasn't really planning on it until I saw what Chone Figgins made on the free agent market.
Figgins recently signed a 4-year deal with the Seattle Mariners worth $36 million.

For those like myself who are bad at quick-math, that would be $9 million per season.

Now let's take a look at Williams' relative signing of "free agent" Rios.

Rios was dumped through waivers and Williams claimed him for a "5-year deal" worth $58.7 million.

Now let's say we're optimists trying to compare the two players and slice the final $12.5 million year in 2014. We're left with a 4-year, $46.2 million contract.

So there we have it: Figgins for 4-years, $36 million or Rios for 4-years, $46.2 million.

In theory it seems like a simple thought. Williams got over excited with this waiver claim because for $10.2 million less we'd have a gold glove third baseman who can lead off and steal bases at will.

Somebody has to be able to explain this to me. It's not like Figgins wouldn't have played in Chicago for the same deal if they didn't already have Rios eating up payroll.

Not so fast...

First off sports fans, we have to consider a few outliers here.

No. 1: Figgins signing with the White Sox would have cost them their 1st round pick in 2010. Because the White Sox weren't particularly good in 2009, that means we'd be giving up a rather high draft pick.

No. 2: Outside of straight cash, Rios didn't cost Chicago a prospect or a draft pick in any round.

No. 3: In 35 career playoff games, Figgins hit .172 (21 for 122) with a .223 on-base percentage, 13 runs, six RBIs, four stolen bases, 35 strikeouts and six walks. Are we sure that Figgins is key to a deep playoff run?

No. 4: Nobody could have expected Rios to perform as poorly as he did after the waiver claim. With average hovering right around the Mendoza-line, Rios was downright horrific down the stretch for the White Sox.

No. 5: Is there any reason to believe Rios is headed for a dropoff in his career? Yes, he was awful in 2009 but he'll be 29-years-old in Feb., still in the prime of his career. His average season pegs him for 17 home runs, a .282 average, RBIs in the mid-70's range and he stole 32 bases in 2008.

No. 6: Figgins will be 32-years-old in Jan., an age where speedsters start to see regression. Figgins had a career year in 2009 winning the Gold Glove at third base, scoring 114 runs, hitting .298 with 42 steals. His second best season was 2005 when he scored 113 runs with stealing 62 bases. Yeah but can he keep that up going into his mid-30's? Perhaps.

No. 7: Figgins is a left fielder/second baseman/third baseman by trade. Yes, he is certainly versatile and would be a welcomed addition at anyone's hot corner but the White Sox were more desperate for a center fielder and he did not fill that need.

So all seven points considered it's still easy to poke fun at the Rios over Figgins decision but it's not a total wash. It all depends on what Chicago does the rest of the offseason. It is much harder to get a center fielder than a third baseman (filled now by Mark Teahen) and the White Sox wouldn't have had more than a few million to spend on a center fielder in a very thin free agent market for the position.

All that being said, if Rios has a season like his brief stint with the White Sox in 2009, they're doomed. If he gets his act together, it should give them an excellent option both defensively and offensively in center field. In fact, with the infield and bench set, Chicago is sitting in the cat-bird seat waiting to pluck the remaining deep crop of designated hitters and corner outfielders.

But it's all on Rios' plate to make good on his contract and Williams look golden, as opposed to a over-eager dope.

Mount Hushmore: Bill Wirtz (1) vs. Steve Bartman (4)

Who were Chicago's most embarrassing athletes?  The guys you hated so much, you considered booing them even though they were on your team.

We'll take a look at two as we continue the Mount Hushmore challenge as Bill Wirtz goes up against Steve Bartman.

Bill Wirtz

The man tried to Plax hockey in Chicago.  Ask any old-time Chicago sports fan.  They'll tell you a tale that once upon a time, the City of Broad Shoulders was not a Cubs town or a Bears town.


It was a Blackhawk hockey town.

Wirtz comes along and basically takes all the good will stored up over the years for this franchise by its fans and takes a dump on it.  High ticket prices weren't enough?  How about no home games on TV?  That alone kept this young Chicago sports fan from embracing hockey until he got to college.

It's because it wasn't available to him.

Steve Bartman

Part of me feels bad for Bartman because he's a Cubs fan.  Then there's the part of me that says, "If you're going to sit in the front row and have headphones on listening to the game ... and see Moises Alou coming at you full speed chasing a fly ball you might want to get away from the incoming ball and/or ballplayer."

Bartman's act is kin to Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicking over a lantern in 1871.

Alex Gonzalez, Dusty Baker and others take parts of the blame as well, but thanks to the vote of the people, Barman made the cut for this Mount Hushmore.

(Ed. Note from Luda: I probably should have put Bartman here in the first place.  If the Cubs make the World Series that year, I had tickets ... and a potential date.  No World Series + girl getting back with boyfriend = Pissed off.  Fuck it I'm voting for Bartman!)

 (Image via)

Now, it's your time to vote.

Who should move on to the next round.

• Bill Wirtz
• Steve Bartman

Created on Dec 9, 2009

View Results

poll by twiigs.com