http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/3006/source-retired-wood-will-have-cubs-role

I first heard this discussed briefly yesterday on 670 "The Score", as Boers and Bernstein quoted "sources who are in a position to know".  While I found the subject interesting, I suddenly gave the potential story more credence this morning, when I saw it also mentioned by Bruce Levine.  In a nutshell, Kerry Wood was absolutely overwhelmed by the outpouring of grief and affection for Ron Santo during the public memorial service.  In addition to taking a huge hometown discount to come home to Chicago, he and Hendry apparently also discussed potential job opportunities that might keep Kerry with the Cubs for the long-term, especially now that he and his family are making Chicago their permanent home.  Do not discount the possibility that Kerry will end up in the WGN Radio booth at some point.  Apparently, it's already been discussed if these reports are true, and that would also mean that whomever is hired to fill the current analyst role may not be the big name former Cub we all are expecting.  As for what direction they go in for the immediate future, who knows?  But at the very least, it makes for some intersting food for thought on an otherwise cold and dreary winter day here in the city.  Hope to see some of you at the Cubs Convention tomorrow.  Have a great weekend, everyone. 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5625055

With a chance to clinch on Monday night, the Rays drew about 12,000 fans.  Pathetic, I agree.  Two of the Rays biggest stars sent out tweets following the game calling it "embarrassing", among other things.  However, players blasting fans is usually a battle they are never going to win.  Number one, it comes off as millionaire pro athletes telling average folks how they should spend their money in a down economy.  Yet the economy is just as bad in New York, Boston, Chicago, L.A., St. Louis, and other cities who continue to draw well in spite of the economy.  So do the Rays superstars have a point?  Maybe, but their point also shows a lack of knowledge of the market in which they are playing. 

First, football will always be king in the state of Florida, a.k.a. "The Pigskin Penninsula".  It takes a major event like the Marlins winning the World Series (ugh!) or the Miami Heat's landing LeBron James to take the focus off the Gators, Hurricans, and Seminoles, as well as the Dolphins, Buccaneers, and Jaguars.  Second, Florida is a transplant state, in which everyone who lives there is from somewhere else.  Therefore, people move to Florida with their sports loyalties from home, and while they might adopt the Rays, Marlins, Heat or Magic as their adopted team (as I did with the Magic while I lived in Orlando), the hometown loyalties will always endure.  What this means is that there are probably more Yankee fans in the Tampa area than Rays fans.  Significantly more, in fact.  Just like there are probably more Cub fans in the Phoenix area than Diamondbacks fans.  Tampa is a small market that was a Yankee town long before the Rays were even an idea. 

All players, for all their competitiveness, want to play for a good, loyal fan base.  I understand that, and it would be easy for me, as a fan of a team that has been around for 134 years in a major market city, to bash Rays fans for their apathy.  But the bottom line is, Chicago and Tampa Bay are on opposite ends of the sports market spectrum. Total 180 degree opposites in every way.  Large market vs. Small market, Old sports city vs. New expansion sports market.  So it's not even fair to compare the two. 

The Rays have been around for about 12 years, and were not even a blip on the sports world radar until 2008.  But the fact that they have been winning big for three years now, in the freaking AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST and are still not being supported by the community really shows me that baseball has never really caught on there.  Several of their big name players are free agents at the end of the year, and their payroll will be slashed significantly with crowds like this.  If they start losing again, in that division, and their crowds get even smaller (which they will), it could signal the end of baseball in the Tampa Bay area.  The only question is, would anyone notice? 

Well, we've all seen the news coverage, I'm sure a lot of people heard Lee Elia on WGN radio, and everyone knows today is the 25th anniversary of the most famous postgame tirade in baseball history.  For the record, I have no doubt in listening to Lee's interview, that he genuinely regrets what he said, and that the entire tirade in general was directed at a few idiots, not the entire Cubs fan base.  For his full mea culpa, I refer you to the book, "Banks to Sandberg to Grace" by our pal, Carrie Muskat. 

Anyway, in thinking more about this, I'm sure Lee is very grateful that if this had to happen, in happened in 1983, in the days before the Internet, and widespread cable television.  Cable TV was around, of course, but I think we all agree that if this tirade had happened today, or even 10 years ago, the fallout would have been much worse because the coverage would have been so much more widespread.  I'm curious, if any Cubs fans who remember this incident would enlighten me, (at six years old, I was still a year away from my first Wrigley Field experience and my initiation into Cubdom) how did this incident go over with the Wrigley crowd of that time?  Not good, I'm sure, but was Elia booed at the ballpark in the days and weeks to come?  Did he offer an apology through the media?  Or, with the smaller crowds at Wrigley in the pre-1984 era, did it blow over somewhat quickly?   Obviously any player or manager (Lou included) who said half of what Elia said would be crucified by today's Wrigley crowds, but 1983 was, I'm sure, a much different time.  I do remember Elia managing the Phillies in the late 1980's, but I don't remember him being booed or heckled at all when he came to Wrigley as an opposing manager.  Anyone who remembers and would like to offer their input, I would appreciate it, since we have an entire day to kill before the game tonight. 

Before someone says it, I agree--I can't wait for the first Spring Training game, so that for the next seven months or so, we can talk mostly about what's happening on the field instead of speculation and rumors.  These slow February days are driving me crazy.  

Going back to the ballpark situation, WSCR "The Score" just reported on one of their news breaks that talks have already been "broached" (whatever that means) about the Cubs playing at least one season in U.S. Cellular Field while Wrigley Field gets a complete facelift, save the bleachers, scoreboard, and of course, the new playing field. Basically, the same thing the Bears did a few years ago, and the same thing the Yankees did in the early '70s when they played two seasons in Shea Stadium.  No official sources were listed, but it was reported that this may happen as soon as the 2010 season.  A lot of us have predicted, at one point or another, that this is exactly what would happen when the time came to update Wrigley.  As someone who loves Wrigley Field and hates The Cell, I have to say that I think this would be a great thing.  It would ensure the Cubs stay in Wrigleyville long-term.  Thoughts?  48 hours until the first S.T. game!!    

As an avid reader of all things Cubs, I ran across this new release in Barnes & Noble the other day, and after reading a few pages of the introduction, I knew I had stumbled onto a great one.  If you want the best answers yet to that universal Cubs fan question, "Why?" you must get this book and read every word.

George Castle follows up his initial book on the Cubs' ownership/management, or lack thereof, called "The Million to One Team" with "Entangled In Ivy".  While giving a detailed recap of the first 25 years of Tribune ownership and all of the GM and managerial regimes of the era, the book's main focus is to debunk any theories that the Cubs' 99-year world championship drought, and 62-year World Series hiatus has anything to do with goats, black cats, or Steve Bartman.  

The main reason for the drought is, as Castle so eloquently puts it, "the human factor".  He goes into great detail about how the lack of a quality farm system (except for a six-year stretch under Dallas Green and Gordon Goldsberry), an understaffed front office, outdated and inadequate facilities at Wrigley Field, corporate meddling, conservative fiscal policy, and an overall lack of understanding of the Cubs and their fans have all contributed to where we now stand: 99 years and counting.  

It's the brutal and honest truth, and I recommend it for all Cub fans everywhere.  Castle also hints at something else throughout the book, although he does not actually verbalize it until page 262 (out of 264 pages): "Even if management updates it practices and upgrades to a fully staffed baseball operation--and it's the most painful cut of all in their attempt to win--the Cubs need to explore a successor ballpark to Wrigley Field."  Painful, yes, but after reading this book, I'm sure you'll agree, as I do.  I hope you enjoy it, and thank you for your time.  Go Cubs!    

OK, I have something I have to get off my chest now that Spring Training is upon us, and Opening Day will be here before we know it.  This is important, because it concerns all of us as members of Cubs Nation, the greatest and most loyal fans in sports history.  And it concerns our right fielder, assuming he breaks camp with the Cubs in 2007.  I don't know how you all feel about this, but I feel very bad about the way Jacque Jones was treated in Chicago last year.  We treated him like garbage, there is simply no other way to describe it.  And when you hear him talk (you don't even have to HEAR him, you can't miss his tone even if you're reading a quote from him), he does not like us.  He does not consider us to be good fans.  And how can you blame him?  We did nothing to earn his respect or admiration.  And that bothers me.

It bothers me because we, as Cubs fans, are better than that.  We're not Philadelphia fans.  All I know is, last year, in spite of all he endured, Jacque hit .285 with 27 HR, 81 RBI, and was one base hit away from a Slugging Pct. of .500.  In short, he did exactly what he was brought here to do, at least offensively.  I know his defense was not good.  His baserunning was horrendous.  And you know what?  He knows that too.  The guy is a pro.  Booing a guy is one thing.  But racial slurs, throwing a ball out of the bleachers and almost hitting the guy, there is no excuse for this kind of stuff.  They may act like that other places, but we don't act like that in Chicago, at least on the North Side.  I might be preaching to the choir here, and I hope I am, but this stuff has to stop this year.  Let's give this guy a break, and accept him as one of our guys, which we should have done from the start.

I truly hope that Jacque Jones is in the Cubs' Opening Day lineup.  When he trots out to right field for the first time, and when he comes to the plate for his first at-bat, we owe him a standing ovation, if for no other reason than as an apology for last year.  Sometimes it sucks to look yourself in the mirror and admit that you screwed up.  Last year, we screwed up, and we need to make it right this year.      

I got this idea in reading the diary in which we talk once again about the worst Cub in history, this time with some great research by Al.  My vote for this dubious honor has not changed: Todd Hundley.  When someone mentioned Dusty Baker, though, it occurred to me to stick with the negativity theme (I have nothing but positive engery focused toward the 2007 season, however) and discuss the worst Cubs manager(s) in team history.  As I stated in the aforementioned diary, my vote goes to Preston Gomez, who guided most of a last-place, 98-loss season in 1980, before getting canned near the end of July.  Gomez, in fact, had seven seasons as a Major League manager with San Diego, Houston, and the Cubs.  All but one of his teams finished last.  I'm curious what, exactly, he said in his interview that sold the Wrigleys on him.  Just wondering.  Anyway, have at it.