December 2010
Are the Chicago Cubs Planning for 2012 while Rebuilding for 2011?
While the general consensus among fans is that the 2011 season is going to be nothing more than a lost cause for the Chicago Cubs, the truth of the matter is that General Manager Jim Hendry might very well have put his team into the perfect position.
I know very well what most fans think about Hendry, and with due cause because of some of his most recent mistakes, such as Milton Bradley as well as the very long contract that was given to Alfonso Soriano. He has also turned many fans against him, by handing out long term contracts with no trade clauses like they are candy. However, you have give the devil his due for some recent moves.
For one, long time fan favorite Kerry Wood is once again a Cub, and he was brought in at a price that is almost unimaginable. While there are many reasons why Wood is back, such as Ron Santo’s passing and his immense love of the team and the city, do not discount his long term relationship with Hendry. While we will never know for sure, I personally do not think there is a chance he signs with the Cubs again if Hendry is not here, at least not for the outstanding discount we were given. A one year, low dollar deal is exactly what the doctor ordered for this team, and Hendry did his job perfectly.
Signing a player of Carlos Pena’s stature to a low dollar, one year deal was a thing of beauty, showing some actual great foresight in a time when that is what is needed. Once again, Hendry filled a need on his ball club with a one year deal at a price that is very reasonable for someone who can hit 30 homeruns and drive in close to 100 RBI every year. Again though, the key in this signing is yet another one year deal.
Many fans have voiced their displeasure about Hendry’s excessive spending the past few years, and have voiced their opinions on the deals he has made for the upcoming season. They would rather, and typically I would be agreeing, that Hendry would save the money and use what funds they do have for a chance in 2012 and beyond. As I said, I would typical agree with this mindset; I would love nothing more than to see our opening day roster filled with the kids from our farm system. The deals given to Pena and Wood will slow down their arrival, but only temporarily as they were only given one year deals.
The way I see things, the Cubs are in a perfect win-win situation for the upcoming season. The moves made can, in fact, help the team compete in the year to come. Pena can hit his normal 30 home runs and drive in his typical 80-100 RBI, Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano can have rebound years as well, which would give the cub a very potent offense. This could very well be a pipe dream, but nothing is beyond the realm of possibility. Those three could help breath life into the Cubs and lead them to a divisional championship, and once you get into the playoffs anything can (and usually does) happen.
That is one side of the coin though, only half of the win-win scenario I was taking about. If, as many predict, the Cubs are to fall flat on their faces, they are in perfect position to be the center of attention come the July 31 trade deadline.
Having several players in the final year of their contracts is very attractive to contending teams. If they are in need of a serious bat and a power boost, Ramirez and Pena would look very attractive. Another player who might draw some interest would be Kosuke Fukudome, who would garner some attention from a team which with very little left to be owed to him. Carlos Silva could also get a few looks if he is able to put up a first half similar to his 2010 campaign. Regardless if these players are traded or not, there will be around $40 million coming off the books at the end of the season.
There are several other players who are also on the final year of their current deals, who do not make much who could also be attractive in the right circumstances and the right team.
One player whom could be very attractive at the trade deadline, because of price and talent, is Wood. However, I do not see the Cubs trading him away unless they get his blessing. Coming home to the Cubs at such a discount, as well as his saying he wants to be a Cub for the rest of his life, I would be very surprised to see him traded away mid season. While there is not a no trade clause in his contract, at least there has not been one reported, there may very well be a gentleman’s agreement that he will not be traded. If he was, he could very well consider that as a slap to the face after giving up multi-millions by signing here.
Whether or not the Cubs are able to trade away any or all of these expiring contracts, they are set to be in a prime position to have a massive youth movement come 2012, with more than enough cash to spend on a key free agent or two if there is a need to fill a void.
While the Cubs are building a team to put on the field for the 2011 season, their sights may be more on what is to come in 2012 and all the possibilities which will be a head of them.
Kid K Likely Ends Bullpen Rebuilding
With the Chicago Cubs seemingly in full rebuild mode after a horrific year, the team continues to improve in areas that needed to be upgraded. While they are not improving in the ways many fans would have liked them to, the Cubs are still doing what is needed to put together a team they can only hope contends. They added Carlos Pena to fill the vacancy at first base, and then Kerry Wood to complete the back end of the bullpen. With little money, and room left, the Cubs may only have one move left, which could be to add an unneeded starting pitcher; which is presumably a still rehabbing Brandon Webb, who could be had at a very low price. However, I already gave my thoughts on him, as well as how I would only take him at a low price, so there is no need to bring this up again.
With Wood now being back in the mix for the bullpen, that is where we turn our attention to today. The bullpen has been a trouble spot for years, and now appears as though could be a possible strength of the team. With Sean Marshall teaming up with Wood setting up the save in the late innings for effectively wild, but dominating closer Carlos Marmol, the Cubs may have turned every ballgame into a six or seven inning game. Whether or not that helps matters much, depends solely on the strength of the pitching staff as well as the offense. But the late innings is not the only place in the bullpen which needed a massive improvement, just the most important.
Other areas which are in serious need of a tune up for the pen, is the middle relief. At the moment we are looking squarely at John Grabow as the primary arm to come out of the pen in the middle innings, which does little to settle the fears or stomach pains of Cub fans. However, there is still hope on the horizon, as well as a slight silver lining. Angel Guzman, the one time promising but often injured pitcher, has a chance to make the bullpen. If he is ready to come back (but don’t hold your breath) he could only add to the dominance to the beaten and broken situation in the later innings. Another injured bullpen pitcher who has a chance to earn a job again is Esmailin Caridad, who has never been able to fully give Cub fans any reason to have hope in him. Other than a very impressive half season in 2009, Caridad has not done anything to impress anyone. However, and this is a huge reach (but as Cub fans when are we not reaching on most things), if he is healthy and can pitch the way he did in 2009, the Cubs have something going for them.
Outside of the big three which will be closing out games for the Cubs, there will be between three and four bullpen spots up for grabs in a Spring Training competition. In all likelihood, baring a trade of a player, those voids will be filled with a player who was on the team last year; mainly because they are under contract, and comfortably (at least for them) paid. Sadly, that does include Grabow as well as both Carlos Silva and Jeff Samardzija, both of whom may have to settle for a bullpen roles if they fail to grab a spot in the rotation. Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner are also names which will be considered for the rotation, with the bullpen as a backup plan. That leaves little room, about one or two spots left for the young Cubs to grow and blossom at the major league level.
One of the wildcards in the arms race is Tom Gorzelanny, as he would either be a starter or come in as relief. Personally, I would prefer to see him fill out one of the five spots in the starting rotation, as there are no current left handed pitchers other than him on the roster who can fill that void on the roster, nor in trade or free agent rumors. The reason I am calling him a wild card, is he is heavily rumored to be traded at some point this off season. With him on the team, there will only be one spot left to be filled, though depending on what the Cubs get in return for him, if he is indeed traded, will undoubtedly open another slot that could be filled by a younger up and coming talent. With as much as I like Gorzelanny, and consider him to be immensely under rated, I would hope that he remains a Cub for the 2011 season.
Unfortunately, with the pitchers who are currently on the projected 25 man roster, the pitching staff will likely not have one of the Cubs young studs filling out a void, unless there is an injury or the aforementioned trade of already established talent. With the heavily rumored signing of Webb, if he passes all the medical requirements of the team, that would seal the deal; meaning no young pitchers will be making the team.
A mistake which could come back and haunt the Cubs as time goes by,
The Chicago Cubs welcome back Kerry Wood
In a somewhat surprising, yet not really unexpected move, the Chicago Cubs have re-signed Kerry Wood. The details of his contract are somewhat surprising, especially considering what he was seeking in free agency, as well as what he was already offered by the team on the other side of town.
Going into the off season, the long time fan favorite of the Cubs, Kid K was seeking a deal worth $12 Million over two years. A prospect which was more than likely an attempt for him to grasp for the stars after having a season filled with ups and downs. However, the tail end of his 2010 season gave him all the confidence in the world that he could grab a contract that met his expectations. Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for the Cubs, he fell far short of what he wanted, not even getting the two years that he was looking for, having to settle for a one year deal.
When Wood became a free agent, I will freely admit that I was in favor of bringing him aboard; assuming the price was right. When word came out of what he was seeking, which apparently was a completely foolish dream on his part, I turned my back on the idea and gave up all hope of bringing him in as his price tag was far too high. With the Cubs in a full scale rebuilding mode, I did not want them to spend multi-millions of dollars on an aging bullpen pitcher. I would have rather seen them save the money and go with a full youth movement and give Sean Marshall the nod as the much needed veteran presence in the bullpen.
Then, the offers for Wood started coming in, and the Chicago White Sox quickly jumped into the mix trying to sign the popular Chicago athlete. Not willing to give into his demands, Sox General Manager Kenny Williams offered Wood a one year deal, worth $3.5 Million, which he turned down in favor of the Cubs offer of one year and $1.5 Million. He must really love the Cubs, to leave $2 Million on the table from a team which is in a much better position to compete, not only in their division, but in their league.
In a move which many will see as a Public Relations move to help sell tickets in a year where the Cubs are not expected to compete, this deal could go a long way to helping the Cubs throughout the season, and beyond. Wood, a well respected player in baseball as well as with several Cub players who have played with him in the past, can fill the role of veteran leader in the clubhouse, instead of Marshall.
With one signing, the Cubs have potentially strengthened both the back end of the bullpen (a spot which has been trouble the past few years) as well as the starting rotation. If Wood is able to pitch as well as he did in New York (and we all know how much of a pressure cooker that is) and stay healthy, the Cubs have a very dominating back end of the bullpen. A combination of Wood, Marshall and Carlos Marmol will be able to close out a lot of games when the Cubs actually have the lead.
His signing also gives the Cubs the needed flexibility to move Andrew Cashner to the starting rotation, a role he should have had from the moment he was called up to the major leagues. With Cashner in the rotation, joining Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and a host of other candidates, the starting rotation has a spark of promise, though they will fall far short from the four aces the Philadelphia Phillies have.
Because of the hometown discount he gave the Cubs, they reportedly still have some money left that they can spend on the pitching staff, adding another starting pitcher or another arm to the bullpen. As I have said in the past, I would rather they used the arms in the minor league system to fill these remaining voids. The Cubs are still far away from being contenders in their division, let alone the National League, and there is no need to continue to throw good money after bad.
Honoring a Legend, As We Say Goodbye
With a smile on our face, a tear in our eye and a hole in our hearts, we lay the legendary Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Santo to rest. This is the last chance for family, friends and fans to pay their last respects. While Santo died a week ago, I am still in shock and still am unable to fully believe that he is gone. Even though he is physically gone from this plain of existence, his memory and spirit will live on forever.
Former teammates and players alike flew in to pay their final resects to a man who meant more to the city of Chicago than most anyone else to ever grace this city with their presence. More so than Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg (both of which were present at the ceremony) and other former players who were Cubby Blue through their careers, that spent any time around Santo. He touched many lives.
Friends of Ron Santo spoke from the heart today at his funeral. Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, Baseball commissioner Bud Selig and long time friend and partner in the radio broadcaster booth Pat Hughes spoke about their experiences with the legendary Cub, and should be Hall of Fame player. Tears were falling with myself, and I am sure with everyone else who loved him, with every word that was spoken throughout the funeral.
All three men spoke on stories they had of their interactions with him, as well as how he had touched their lives. Mr. Ricketts spoke of knowing him as both a fan and as an owner, Selig did likewise. However, most fitting, Hughes spoke last and told stories of their time spent together and told some of his favorite memories of his time in the booth his fallen friend. The burning toupee story, the Brandt Brown incident and the jersey retirement memories were among the stories that were shared and remembered.
In one of the most fitting moments of the service, the pallbearers that were chosen to carry his casket into the cathedral, were men who carried Santo through his broadcasting career; so one would see the situation to be fitting for them to carry him on his final journey.
Now that fans have said their final goodbyes, the time has come to sadly look forward to the upcoming season. There is plenty of time to speak of player and personnel moves, so I will look at quite another aspect. How to pay a fitting tribute to the fallen legend.
The 2011 Cubs are bound to do something to honor the late Santo, as well they should. But just in case they are struggling for ways to immortalize him, if only for a season, allow me, as well as several other Cub fans to offer some suggestions.
Permanent fixtures would include the following.
1. Give him the same honor you gave to the late great Harry Caray. Just like they have a caricature of Caray on one of the windows for the television broadcast booth, they should permanently fix the number 10 on one of the windows of the radio booth. Using just the number makes sense for Santo, just like using a caricature of Caray made sense for him. During ballgames, you saw Caray’s face every day, but you only heard Santo’s voice. He was just as big of a part of the Cubs experience as Caray was, and should be given the same honor.
2. Another permanent memorial they should give to Santo, is to build a statue in his honor. While I wrote about how against building statues I was a few months ago, I feel that if Caray has one, then Santo deserves one as well. Both were broadcasters, but Santo was more than that to the Cub fans. He was an iconic figure. I still do not want to see a slew of other statues, but if anyone deserves one, that would be Santo.
Now, for just this season there are a few options that we the Cub fans feel the team should honor him. These are just some fitting tributes to a man who was so beloved by so many. Some of these ideas are based off of the tributes given to Caray after his death as a jumping off point, because if he was worthy of such attributes, than Santo should be as well.
3. For the 2011 season, though not likely, the Cubs should wear the 1960s era Cubs uniform all season long (or at very least on opening day). What a sight that would be too see, and tears would be brought to the eyes of all fans who witness such a site.
4. While wearing that era’s uniform all season (and maybe even for a game) is unlikely, they should put a #10 patch on their uniforms all season long. Again, if Caray was worthy of such an act of remembrance, than why not Santo as well? If you remember the season after Caray died, they had a caricature of him on their uniforms all season long, why not give Santo that same honor? He is just as deserving, if not more so, than Caray ever was.
5. Because Santo play third base, the number 10 should be branded on third base for the whole season. That was his position, which was a place that took close to 30 years to finally have a permanent fixture at. He was the best third baseman the Cubs have ever had, and there is a good chance that he is the best they ever will have.
6. Then, we have the flags. Much like they have done since his death, there should be the Santo flags flying at half mass all season long. On either side of the marquee sign, they should keep the number 10 Santo flags flying for the season, or at very least on opening day.
Finally, with the news that Santo will be cremated, his ashes will be scattered at Wrigley Field. However, I believe that I have a more fitting idea of what to do with them. There has long been a rumor that the late Steve Goodman has had his ashes buried below home plate at Wrigley Field. This however, is false. His ashes were partially sprinkled at home plate and the rest were scattered and allowed to blow over the wall, as was his request in his song “A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request”. The rumor of his ashes gave me an idea of what to do with Santo’s. They should be buried below third base, a place that he called home for several years.
One thing is certain though, no matter how they decide to honor him, Cubs baseball will never be the same.
Chicago Cubs Search for Starting Pitching Should Start at Home
Now that the Chicago Cubs have signed Carlos Pena to play first base for the 2011 season, they can now turn their thoughts and attention to the other needs that are haunting their ball club. While the Cubs have seemingly an endless amount of pitchers on their 40 man roster, those needs are the starting rotation and the bull pen, both of which are in serious need of some revamping. Because of the detail each of the situations require, today I will be looking solely at the starting rotation, and will take a look at the bull pen needs tomorrow.
Currently on the 25 man roster from last year, the Cubs have a slew of pitchers which could slide into the starting rotation, but after Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster, there is a huge drop off in talent. None of the other pitchers currently on the Cubs roster who would be in consideration give you all too much to have confidence in. That is why the Cubs have been looking outside of the organization for the much needed help. Before we discuss the talent outside of the organization, here are the top three in house candidates till fill out the rotation, if not other moves are made.
One of the candidates to fill a vacancy is Randy Wells, but after a shaky second season in 2010, he has to be considered a question mark at best. His rookie season gave some fans butterflies and allowed their minds to race about how good the former catcher could be as a starter. But last season was very shaky and doubt overshadowed the optimism for 27 year old. With him still learning how to be a pitcher, we could see a lot more of the 2010 Wells than the 2009 version that so many fell in love with. If that is the case, he will not do to much to ease the pain and worry of the Cub fans in terms of the staring rotation. With that type of performance, he could be best suited to fill the fifth starts role. At least he could if there were not some other lower caliber pitchers currently on the roster.
The other name who will most likely get the most looks for the starting rotation is Carlos Silva. This is a man who is mystifying to say the least. After coming to Chicago in the trade for Milton Bradley, there was zero confidence that he would be a serious contributor in any way shape or form. However, he surprised the fans by putting up extraordinary numbers in the first half of the season. His surprising performance, along with the dwindling hopes for a pennant chase, prompted several fans (myself included) thinking the Cubs should start try to trade him while his value was sky rocketing. This however did not happen, and the fade that so many expected occurred. Silva had reverted back to the dismal performances that he had given the past several years after earning his big contract. Add in the season ending injury he had late in the year, and the question mark gets about as large as Silva’s stomach.
The final in house candidate who could slide into the vacancy is left hander Tom Gorzelanny, who the Cubs have been shopping around. He is far from a great pitcher who will give you confidence before the game starts that you have a better than average chance to win. However, he is a left hander, and would be the only real left handed candidate on the current roster who could make the starting rotation. You will not get very far in the season if you are running five right handed starting pitchers, so he should have a better than average chance to make the rotation if he were to stick around, not that I would complain mind you. He is probably the most under rated pitcher the Cubs have on their staff, and had quite a number of impressive games.
I know what you are saying, what about some of the young kids on the roster? Completely agree, they should all get consideration, but do you honestly have more faith in them than any of the previous three pitchers named? Andrew Cashner looks like he could be a great pitcher one day, however at the moment he is a one pitch pitcher. You will not have much success if you can only throw one pitch. He will likely land in the bullpen. Casey Coleman looked impressive here or there, and might be the best pitcher out of this group, but not much is really known about him. Then we have Thomas Diamond, who was a steal from the Texas Rangers a few years back, but he did not show much last season in his limited time with the big club. That brings me to Sean Marshall, a man who has all the makings of a really good pitcher; just not in the starting rotation. In his brief stints in the rotation, he has done ok, but has never pitched well enough to keep his job. He is far more use to the Cubs in the bullpen in the set up role. Finally we have Jeff Samardzija. He is in his final year of his rookie deal, and is running out of chances to show that he made the right decision to go to baseball instead of football. He has had moments where he has looked great, and others where you wanted drive your foot through the TV screen.
If you are thinking the way that I am, none of these several pitchers give me any confidence going into 2011, and that is where Hendry is likely at as well. That is why he is looking primarily at two starting pitchers right now.
If the Cubs are going to dip into the trade market to improve their team, Matt Garza makes the most sense. Not only is he still young and under club control until 2013, but he is healthy. He has put up great years in his time with the Tampa Bay Rays. He would look very nice in the mix with Zambrano and Dempster at the top of the Cubs rotation. The only problem here would be the cost of getting him to Chicago. The Rays have a great General Manager, and he would take the Cubs over the barrel and drain our young farm system of a lot of the up and coming talent. On top of that, he will be very costly, as he is already making around $6 million, and being arbitration eligible the final three years of his deal, his salary will continue to go up. If I knew for sure that the Cubs will be in a serious position to compete this year, or before 2013, I would say go for it and be behind the move 100%.
I would love to have Garza on the team, but not at the expense of a lot of our future. The Cubs have some gems that are close to being major league ready, and I do not want to see the Cubs blow their load trying to win this year, when the likelihood is that there is little chance of them competing.
Then we have former Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb who the Cubs are looking to sign in free agency. While many people are against this, I am willing to take the chance on signing him. Depending on how much he is looking to sign for, I would not be against the Cubs signing him to a one year offer for low money. He could easily be a low risk high reward if he is able to bounce back and put together a full healthy season. This is, of course, assuming that he is healthy. Last report I heard, he was still only throwing about 80 MPH, and likely to get pounded if that is all he has. If that is the case, Hendry would be a fool to sign him for anything more than the major league minimum with massive incentives built in.
What I would do, and if Hendry was smart he would do the same, was use our farm system to have a complete rebirth. No, I am not telling him to sell the farm to bring in already established players, I am fully advocating developing our rising stars at the Major League level in a season where there will be little chance of the Cubs actually competing. Call up some of the highly touted pitching prospects we have been hearing about for a while now. Young pitchers like Jay Jackson, Chris Carpenter (no not the guy from the St. Louis Cardinals), Chris Archer and Trey McNutt. They are all right handed pitchers, but these four pitchers are going to be our future. If they are close to being major league ready, why wait?
Why should the Cubs go out and spend more money they can afford on an injured pitcher? Why should they trade away pitchers that are supposed to be our future players (of which one of these pitches is sure to be included) to get a guy you have no guarantee will be here when you are ready to compete.
Mortgaging the future just for a chance to have some sort of respectability or to get back to the .500 mark would be the biggest mistake of Hendry’s career, of which he has had several.
The Cubs sign Carlos Pena
Because writing blogs and working on keeping my Chicago Cubs Facebook page is a hobby and I can not get paid for the time I devote to this, I have to work an actual job to earn an income. No, I am not complaining about this, because we can not all get paid for doing something we love. Instead, I mention this because of today’s, and most likely all future, news on the moves made by our beloved baseball team. Working an actual job during the day means that I can not immediately react to the news of the day and instantly get a blog out with my initial reaction. Like most sports writers (and I use that term loosely for myself because I feel to get that label you should be getting paid) I want to break the news and be the first to get a reaction out. However, working my job also allows me to fully collect my thoughts before I attempt t get them down and out. That is where we find ourselves today.
Early this morning the news broke about the Cubs signing Carlos Pena, and immediate reactions came to my mind, as they did with several other Cub fans. I was happy with the signing of Pena from the get go, and remain excited about the prospects that he can bring to the team. The more I thought about this move though, the more interesting things became.
A lot of Cub fans look batting average of just below the Mendoza line and grumbled about how General Manager Jim Hendry screwed up yet again giving too much money for a bum. That thought crossed my mind, I wont lie, but never enough to make me upset about his signing. I wont talk too much about statistics, because I am far from an expert on this matter. But I will mention briefly that even with his sub par average and basic stats last year, Pena has averaged 36 homeruns and 102 RBI over the past four seasons. Not bad at all considering everything. Looking at those base numbers, he is definitely worth $10 Million a year. That is where the problem comes into play.
His four year average, speaks volumes as to how much he is worth, which brings to mind the question, if he is that good, why did he settle for a one year deal when he could have had a multi year deal at slightly less a year? The problem comes into play when you try to sign someone basing on the season they are just coming off of. Yeah. Pena had a low batting average of .196, but a pretty decent on base percentage of .325. Not bad at all when you see how low his batting average was. He also knocked out a fair number of home runs (28) as well as a good amount of RBI (84). All this in a season when he was not fully healthy.
My thoughts, as well as several others, are that he took a one year deal in order to prove himself again. Sure, he could have likely gotten a three year deal worth maybe $24 million, but he likely felt he was worth more. He is gambling on himself, and feels that the Cubs are the right place for him to prove that he is healthy and can still drive the runs in. With the one year deal, the Cubs get a double edge sword which could benefit them more than most realize.
With the myth of the player putting out more effort and trying harder in the final year of his deal, added to the mix of a player who feels they have to prove something, Pena could be a beast from the left side of the plate, especially with the wind blowing out. Left handed power is something the Cubs have lacked for as long as I can remember.
If Pena is healthy, and the batters in front of him are able to get on base, you could easily see Pena getting back into the 100s for RBIs, and if he gets there, you would have to think that the Cubs are in contention for something, either that or he could have an Andre Dawson type of MVP season. Hopefully, between the two, the former is true. Having an MVP season on a last place team doesn’t do anything for anyone, except the player who won the award.
Along with the power potential that comes with Pena, he also brings a great glove with him as well. He plays stellar defense which would help with a young Starlin Castro, and the erratic throws of Aramis Ramirez. The former Gold Glove winner, if he is truly healthy as he claims, could be the complete package for the Cubs who need work in both the power and fielding categories.
Don’t misunderstand what I am trying to say here. Pena will not be our savior, and he can not bring the Cubs back into serious contention all by himself. The Cubs will still need a lot to go right for themselves if they want to compete. They will need Alfonso Soriano and Ramirez to have rebound years. If all three are healthy all year and produce the way they have shown they can, then the Cubs have something to build on with the offense.
The Cubs are still a long way off, and there could still be a move or two up Hendry’s sleeve. While I do not want the Cubs to trade away the farm to get aging veterans in order to make this team a contender, I have no problem with them signing Pena to bridge the gap between first baseman (because all it cost was money), nor do I have a problem with them trading away potential from their farm system for potential that could fill a void that the Cubs will have this year or in the future. However, trading for a quick fix will not do anything for the years after 2011.
Farewell to a Cubs legend
Yesterday, the news broke of the passing of the legendary third baseman for the Chicago Cubs, Ron Santo. The story and account of his life completely took over WGN Radio, and was headline news on radio and news stations across the country. There is little that I can say, that has not already been said by all the mourners that voiced their opinions on him yesterday, but I would not be doing myself, or all my blog followers a service if I sat idly by and kept quite.
To many Cub fans, Santo was a hero ( a term I rarely use for sports athletes), because of his life long battle with diabetes. He has become an inspiration to so many children who have been diagnosed with the disease, and never missed an opportunity to reach out to these children when he was notified of their cases. He truly was a class act, who was one of a kind. Because of his dedication to the Juvenile Diabetes Relief Foundation, they have moved light years closer to discovering a cure, even though the are still seemingly millions of miles away from doing so. I know that seems to be insignificant due to how far they have yet to go, but just imagine where they would be without the millions of dollars they have received do to his support?
To many more Cubs fans though, whether you knew him or not, he was looked upon as a family member, and was probably as close to a family member a complete stranger could ever be. How could he not be? Spending countless hours listening (and in some cases interacting) with someone every year for two decades tends to build a bond between you. He was a part of our summer family, and will be sorely missed.
As talented as his partner Pat Hughes is, listening to the radio for ball games will never be the same. As “unprofessional” as some people called his work behind the microphone was, many Cub fans loved him for that very “unprofessional” work. He was the fans voice in the booth, reacting just as we did in the stands, or in our homes and cars. He spoke our minds, and truly was the biggest Cub fan there ever was or will be.
No one will ever forget a night in late September back in 1998, when Brandy Brown dropped what was an easy out to end the game and lock up the Cubs wildcard birth that year., which ironically was on the 90th anniversary of the famous “Bonehead Murkle” play. Santo’s cries of “Oh Nooo” still ring in my ears to this very day.
I will never forget my first meeting with Santo, which sadly was the only time I got to meet him. My very first Cubs Convention was back in January of 2007, and have gone every year since with my mother (her birthday and Christmas gift). There we were exiting our room to head down for the activities of the day, and who do we see walking down the hall? Good old number 10, he was staying on the same floor as us. Even though he was with company, he stopped and talked to us after we waved to him. He even signed autographs for us. Throughout the weekend we saw him a few more times, and he always had a friendly wave for us.
Fast forward to 2003, I was there for his jersey retirement. That is a day that I will never forget, and can recall some of the key moments from that ceremony. I remember that the day was overcast, clouds were completely blocking out the sun. However, when Santo was introduced, almost miraculously the sun broke through the clouds. Was that a coincidence? Most likely, but still an amazing sight to see. When he said the retiring of his jersey meant more to him than the Hall of Fame, I believe him. He was a Cub through and through.
All due respect to Ernie Banks, Ron Santo was the true Mr. Cub. No one ever did more for the Cubs, than he did. Banks may have been the better player, but Santo gave the Cubs everything he had day in and day out until the day of his death. His presence shall be missed.
Rest in Peace Ronny, we love you.
Anno Catuli
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