SB Nation User Blog: bluekoolaide

So What Will Jim Hendry's (Cubs) Legacy Be?

bluekoolaide — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:27:08 -0000

Okay, as much as some people are going to disagree with me, I believe that, barring a miraculous turnaround destined for the baseball history books, this team is headed for one of the most disappointing seasons in its history. So now, as Jim Hendry's career as a baseball GM is hanging by a thread, I thought it would be interesting to speculate on how he'll be thought about when we look back on his tenure.

As for me, I tend to believe that the worst thing that ever happened to Hendry was when MacPhail was let go and he was given control of the checkbook. As much as I despised "Andy the clown", I wonder if his stubbornly conservative ways were good for Hendry in that it made him have to search for solutions that didn't involve spending like a drunken sailor. After all, Hendry was the guy who brought us players like Lee, Ramirez, Grudzielanek, Karros, etc., for next to nothing. And let's not forget Kenny Lofton, a virtual throw-in in the Ramirez deal who became the best lead-off man (and a key to the second half surge in '03) that we'd had in years.

Hendry is the ninth Cubs' GM of my life; looking back the only one that really stands out among that lot is Dallas Green and even he doesn't have three division titles to show for his tenure. So, I think when I look back, I'll pobably have a tendency to be kind to him and remember the positives more than the negatives. He did, after all, get us within five outs of the world series. That's more than can be said for Salty Saltwell.

I'd be interested though, to hear what thoughts the rest of you have about how we'll eventually come to view the "Hendry years". Discuss.

RIP-Mark Fidrych

bluekoolaide — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:06:24 -0000

Mark Fidrych, as colorful and charismatic a pitcher as baseball has ever seen was found dead a few hours ago at his farm in Mass. at the too-young age of 54.

I still have fond memories of watching him pitch on Monday Night Baseball in 1976. His antics, which included talking to the baseball and rearranging the dirt on the mound in between innings, helped to demonstate to my then 12 year old self that baseball was, after all, about having fun. He was, at the same time though, a very good pitcher who won 19 games as a rookie, started for the AL in the all-star game and was a near unanimous ROY selection. Unfortunately, pre-pitch count era arm problems derailed his promising career.

It's unfortunate that, in today's game, there doesn't seem to be much room for "characters" like him. He was a true original though and I'm glad that I still have the memories of watching him during his magical summer. at the same time though, I suddenly feel a little bit oldsr than I did a few hours ago.

Bartman Returns?

bluekoolaide — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:15:59 -0000

I just read on Yahoo that the organizers of the upcoming National Sports Collector's show in Rosemont have offered Steve Bartman a 25,000.00 payout if he shows up on the 31st at 1pm and signs ONE picture of himself "interfering" with Moises Alou. Now I don't want to start another argument about what he did or didn't do at the infamous game-those arguments have been done to death.

But one thing that's always impressed me about the guy is that he's always shunned any publicity and, presumably, opportunities to translate his "five minutes" into some quick cash. So here's hoping that he doesn't go along with this cynical pr stunt on the part of the show's organizers. I'd like to think I wouldn't go for the easy cash either but, then, it's easy for me to say that since I don't have somebody waving 25G under my nose.

Anyway, I'd be really interested in knowing what other Cub fans think about all of this? Will he turn down the money and continue to shun publicity? Would you? Here's hoping.

Trust Lou

bluekoolaide — Sun, 04 May 2008 13:43:45 -0000

Okay, I admit that I have a possibly unhealthy, slightly sadistic fascination with Dusty Baker's current tenure in Cincinnati. After suffering through four seasons with him here, I'm still completely amazed that

1)He still somehow got another managerial job

2)That he got another job and is following exactly the same stubborn, clueless patterns that marked his days in Chicago.

So the next time you're feeling stressed or pessimistic about how things might be going with the Cubs, take a look at some of the Dusty posts on Redleg nation. Reds fans already seem to be collectively pulling out their hair over things like his stubborn insistence in batting Corey Patterson (he of the .268 OBP) lead-off, his lack of faith in rookies and a general funk that's fallen over the clubhouse-does any of this sound familiar? And he's only been there a few weeks really. I mean, it took most of us at least a year or more to get to the same cliff.

I don't always agree with Lou (why he used Marmol yesterday is still beyond me and, I hope, won't come back to haunt us tonight) but, at the same time, I have faith that he's a smart, savvy baseball guy who will get us over the rough patches even if it means sacrificing his popularity in the clubhouse. I once read about how Lou cut a veteran reliever (I think it was Mike Schooler) during his first year in Seattle. Schooler angrily told a reporter that "All Lou Pinella cares about is winning".

It's about time we had somebody like that on the top step.

Reasons to be Optimistic

bluekoolaide — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:19:02 -0000

I was just reading Barry Rozner in the Daily Herald and he managed to pump me up with his prediction that, despite th erough patch, the Cubs would still win the division by 5-10 games so, in the spirit of this, here are my own reasons to keep the faith;

1)Derrek Lee; I know it's been said before but I'm still incredibly pumped by the return of his power stroke. he's back to being one of the most all around dangerous hitters in the league and that. combined with his gold glove defense and team leadership bodes very well for this team.

2) The emergence of Geovany Soto; I admit I was very nervous during his eight strikeout spell last weekend but he's shown that that was more of an abberation than anything else. What I really love about this kid is how well he bounced back after the rough patch-it says a lot about his mental toughness and maturity. He'll no doubt have more bad streaks as the season goes on but I'm now very confident that he has the mental makeup to get through them.

3)Bob Howry should significantly improve as the season goes on. like they say in Vegas, "the trend is your friend" and each year his fast ball has improved significantly starting sometime in May. We'll need him more than ever in mid-season.

4)Big Z; we have to be happy with his strong start. Maybe last years's contract talks were more of a distraction than we thought. whatever the reason though, he's finally showing signs of being a true ace.

5)Aramis Ramirez; I know he bugs people with his perceived lack of hustle but, say what you want about him, once he starts to heat up, he's money in the clutch.

6)Lou Pinella; He's the best possible guy yo bring this team home; a savvy baseball man who'd rather win than make friends. This team has more than a few holes and questions but I'm very confident that if anybody can figure it out, it's Sweet Lou.

Of course there are a lot of other reasons besides these to get pumped up; Ronny Cedeno's apparent emergence, Carlos Marmol's "filthy" stuff, Kosuke Fukodome, etc.

Anyway, let's all forget about yesterday and send out some positive energy in the direction of St. Louis.

What's wrong with Soto?

bluekoolaide — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:55:38 -0000

A week ago I was thinking about him as a genuine r.o.y. candidate and now, suddenly, visions of Rick Wilkins are dancing in my head.

I know it's only two games and, hopefully, it doesn't mean all that much but is anybody else as worried about Soto as I suddenly am? The last couple of games he's looked completely lost up there. I'm wondering if the league's already caught up with him which would be kind of discouraging considering the season's not even a month old yet.