Lou Piniella vs. Jim Hendry: Who Should Get The Boot?

The Chicago Cubs are 3-0 since sending Milton Bradley to his bedroom without desert.  Too bad the streak comes too little, too late as the season enters its final stretch of games.

Manager Lou Piniella and GM Jim Hendry are on the firing line because of the roles they've played in the downfall of a team that won 97 games last season.  But it's unlikely both will be filing unemployment papers anytime soon.  However, it might be time for one of these two to hit the road.

Which one should it be?

Thomas Diamond: Jim Hendry's Latest Rehab Project

Cubs GM Jim Hendry has an obsession with rehab that would make Lindsay Lohan look jealous.  Let's welcome Thomas Diamond (via MLBTR) as the newest addition to Wrigley Field -- which is now apparently a halfway house for failed pitching prospects.

Oh yeah, he had Tommy John surgery in 2007. 
Hope Larry Rothschild has fun with that.


Via MLB Draft analysis (sic'd):

LONG FRAME. STRONG, THICK, ATHLETIC BODY. LONG ARMS. BIG HANDS & FEET. GOOD PITCHERS BUILD. SIMILAR TO ROGER CLEMENS. HIGH 3/4 TO OVER HEAD ARM SLOT. SOLID DELIVERY. GOOD EXTENTION ON RELEASE. FB EXPLODES LATE IN ZONE, RIDES IN ON RHH. ALSO PITCHES IN TO LHH. CB HAS BIG, 12-6 BREAK. SLIDER OCCAISIONALLY TIGHT. EXCELLENT MOVEMENT & DECEPTION TO CHANGE UP. RHP W/ A BIG TIME ARM & DOMINANT STUFF TO BECOME A 1 OR 2 STARTER AT ML LEVEL. VERY GOOD MOUND PRESENCE. AGGRESSIVE APPROACH.

Successful MLBers that followed: Jered Weaver, Billy Butler, Stephen Drew and Phillip Hughes.

Just Wondering About That Whole Pennant Race Thing

I only read David Kaplan's crap blog when I need some comic relief in my life.  This blog was no exception:

"[A]fter seeing Colorado struggle last weekend [Cubs GM Jim] Hendry decided to go all in and try to make the playoffs rather than dealing one of his best arms."

If that's the reason Hendry declined to trade Rich Harden to the Twins, I kind of wish Hendry would have decided to go "all in" earlier.  I'm still waiting for the left-handed power-hitting, run-producing right fielder, a second baseman that is taller than your average circus midget and a closer who doesn't lead the league in walk-off losses.

Piniella, Hendry To Be Indicted If Cubs Fall Flat

In baseball purgatory, they'll be the ones getting popped instead of the bubbly.

The verdict is in.

We, the people (a.k.a. Me) find manager Lou Piniella and GM Jim Hendry to be responsible for all shortcomings for the two-time defending National League Central Division champion Chicago Cubs.

If this was Law & Order, the show would end with Hendry and Piniella holding their heads in their hands and Jerry Orbach (R.I.P.) saying that the Cubs are in a better place right now.

And fade to black.

The Case Against Hendry

With a payroll hovering around the $130 million mark, Hendry has fielded a team with little depth, a shaky bullpen and without an everyday second baseman. And yet, the man is still employed by the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs downgraded at several positions this offseason, which is part of the reason the team struggled early before fighting its way back into the race. And while most of the venom spewed by Cubs fans is directed toward Milton Bradley in lieu of the Mark DeRosa trade, it should have been steered toward Aaron Miles (.195/.236/.263 ), Mike Fontenot (.231/.300/.390 ) and Hendry -- who engineered the trade.

Again, I have no problem with the trade. I do have a problem with Hendry not properly replacing the production (.825 OPS as a second baseman in 2008) left behind.

Despite DeRosa's 21 home runs and 63 runs batted in, his batting average, on-base percentage and OPS have taken a major hit since leaving the ivy covered walls of Wrigley Field. Joining St. Louis hasn't helped DeRo's cause as he is hitting .229 with a .291 OBP and a .786 OPS. Not exactly setting the world on fire since putting on Cardinal red.

Hendry also allowed the team to open camp without a proven lefty reliever. If not for the emergence of Sean Marshall and the recent acquisition of John Grabow, the Cubs would have a grand total of zero lefty specialists. And other than Randy Wells, the Cubs' inability to develop home grown talent is evident once again.

Things such as throwing money hoping to cure problem areas and calling up players from the team's AAAA Pittsburgh club is what Hendry has excelled at. But this franchise's struggle at the minor league level is beyond puzzling.

The Case Against Lou Piniella

It seems to me that Sweet Uncle Lou is toeing the same line that Dusty Baker walked in his tenure in Chicago. Just like Dusty, he "changed the culture" that had surrounded the ballclub. Under Piniella's watch, the Cubs have done everything from manning up to the shortcomings to drawing walks -- all in the name of winning a pair of division titles.

However, things have changed this year. And while it is easy (and relevant) to point out that Hendry handed Piniella a craptastic bullpen, it didn't mean Piniella had to abuse and misuse it. Not having Grabow ready, then bringing him in when it was too little, too late, was the tip of the iceberg.

Piniella has leaned too much on Carlos Marmol, who despite 64 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings, has found a way to lead the league in hit batsmen. He has also had to lean a lot on Kevin Gregg, who has allowed 11 home runs, the most by any NL reliever. The combo that was supposed to be the rock at the back end of the bullpen, has gone soft.

It only took the Cubs until July to figure out that putting guys with high OBPs in front of the middle of the line-up thumpers would lead to a more efficient offense. It's like Piniella went to baseball-reference.com, lined up the players from highest OBP down and then wrote a line up card.

And despite all this crap, the Cubs are still only three games out of first place with about a month and a half of baseball remaining, which features 37 (!) games against teams under .500.

Would Lou Piniella Be A Better GM Than Jim Hendry?

When Sweet Uncle Lou is done, could he go to the GM's suite?

Cubs GM Jim Hendry spent the offseason obsessing over a power-hitting left-handed bat like I spent the offseason obsessing over finding a Valentine's Day date. And apparently, both of us came up empty.

In fact, Hendry's "left-handed bat" is batting better as a righty than from the side of the plate he was paid quite handsomely to perform from. Milton Bradley is hitting .333 with a .400 on-base percentage and a .370 baBIP from the right side, but five of his six homers have come from the left side. However, Bradley is only hitting .201 with a .245 baBIP and a .689 OPS from the left side. If it is any consolation to Cubs fans, Bradley is hitting .303 with a .429 OBP, .486 slugging percentage and .915 OPS. Away from the Friendly Confines, the batting average dips to .177 and the OPS to .573.

Maybe his problem isn't as righty-lefty it is home-road. OK, maybe it is. But maybe Bradley wouldn't be a problem if manager Lou Piniella had his way.

When Piniella was first hired as Cubs manager, stories flooded the Web about he and Hendry basically walking hand-in-hand at the Winter Meetings acting like a head coach and his top assistant recruiting the best stars in the land. Piniella is credited for targeting Alfonso Soriano and Ted Lilly that offseason.

During the regular season, he orchestrated the mass exodus of Cub failures such as Cesar Izturis and Michael Barrett while inserting Ryan Theriot into the everyday line-up, Carlos Marmol to the back of the bullpen and basically forcing Hendry's hand into trading Barrett and eventually landing Jason Kendall.

One year after that, Piniella is credited for helping reeling in Kosuke Fukudome to fill the right field hole that was previously filled by the platoon trio of Matt Murton, Cliff Floyd and Jacque Jones.

And all that happened in the last two years were back-to-back division titles, something that had not been seen in forever-and-a-day. Since I only pay my cable bill from April through September, I'm not sure what happened once October rolled around.

In any case, Piniella got his man and the Cubs got their wins. This season Hendry got his man and Piniella still wants his.

"The only thing I talked about last season was a need for a left-hand bat in a predominantly right-handed lineup who could hit the ball for power and drive in some runs. Look at our production last year, and it was mainly from the right side. We didn't bring [Jim] Edmonds back and he hit quite a few home runs.

"We needed a left-hand bat, that's it. That was what I mentioned, that we could use a nice productive left-hand bat in the middle of our right-hand hitting."

Hendry spent a lot of this offseason trying to swing a deal for Jake Peavy, and failed. Meanwhile, Piniella held a firm stance saying his rotation was fine. It was evident the two most important management figures were no longer on the same page. It isn't out of the realm of possibility that Hendry got so sidetracked with his pursuit of Peavy, that Bradley seemed like a great acquisition despite his tempermantal and injury-riddled past.

I guess this wouldn't be an issue if Bradley lived up to last year's totals. Heck, I'm sure Cubs fans would be pleased if he was meeting his career averages. But it really wouldn't be an issue if Raul Ibanez wasn't taking advantage of the Philly band-box and smacking homers en route to becoming a Cheese Steak swallowers' diety. Or if Bobby Abreu wasn't getting on base at a .402 clip for L.A.'s "other" team. Or if the guy with a career 1.088 OPS at Wrigley Field wasn't wasting 24 homers at Nationals Park.

Maybe one Piniella's term as manager is up, he will put on the GM hat. No one should know how to better put together a team than a two-time Manager of the Year who has done it in each league. Then, the Cubs could "re-assign" Hendry into a consultants role. Or to a beer vendor.

Hitting Coach Gerald Perry Takes The Fall For The Cubs Limp Sticks

So how do we get a hit out of this thing?

Consider Gerald Perry a very lucky man. At least he doesn't have to watch the Cubs flail and fail and the plate anymore. One year after overseeing the most prolific offense in baseball, general manager Jim Hendry announced Perry would be replaced by Von Joshua starting Tuesday.

Last season, the Cubs ranked first in runs (855), doubles (329), walks (636), on-base percentage (.354), slugging percentage (.443) and OPS (.779). Perry was given a lot of the credit for the team's offensive success because he helped turn a group of free-swinging fools into patient, productive hitters. This season, they rank 14th, 12th, 11th, 10th and 11th in those same categories, respectively.

And apparently, it was all Perry's fault.

Sometimes, I just do not understand when coaches take the fall for an entire team's shortcomings.

This is where I go after the Cubs' GM for a quick minute.

Hendry brought in Aaron Miles (.205/.246/.259/.505) to be the team's everyday second baseman. Without a reliable starting second sacker, the Cubs had to rely on Mike Fontenot, who has been exposed by legit Major League pitchers and should probably return to his role as a super-sub.

Hendry also brought in Milton Bradley, who logged 141 games as an everyday player for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004. Since then, he cracked the 100-game plateau only once, and that was last year as a designated hitter for the Texas Rangers.

Surely, the Cubs are hurting in the absence of Aramis Ramirez, who was hitting .364 with four homers and 17 ribbies in 18 games before injuring himself for trying so damn hard in an effort to please Barry Rozner.

But it is safe to say, even if the manager Lou Piniella had a healthy Ramirez at his disposal, the 2009 Cubs were not put together as well as the 2008 edition. I am never the advocate of keeping the same team together, especially after falling flat in back-to-back playoff series. However, if you're going to trade a second baseman (whose name I will not use in order to keep Cubs fans from splooging at their computers) that hit .285 with 21 homers and 87 RBIs last season, you cannot replace him with a career back-up and not expect a fall-off in production.

When you rely on a player who averaged 77 games played prior to playing 126 games (as a designated hitter, mind you) to play every day in the outfield, you're playing with fire.

And even though the Cubs are under .500, they are still in striking distance of the first place Milwaukee Brewers. But it looks as if Hendry's shortcomings as a GM might come back and haunt the North Side Nine in the long run.

You Make The Move: How The Cubs Could Have Been Cured Before The Season Started

If the Chicago Cubs do not win the National League Central, there will be plenty of blame to go around. Most of it should go to the players, who at this point are underachieving to the umpteenth degree.

But so has GM Jim Hendry, who put this team together.

And since the Cubs don't have Hank Steinbrenner's limitless checkbook, what moves should Hendry have made in the offseason?

Options?

You want 'em? You got 'em.

1. Signing Orlando Hudson to play second base?

• No one saw the Cubs' struggles at second base coming ... except anyone with a brain. Mike Fontenot had a great year as a role player, and that's how it should have stayed. Aaron Miles is a joke and deserves to be on a Major League roster as much as I do. Meanwhile, the O-Dog is hitting a robust .342 with an on-base percentage of .410 to go along with a nightly dosage of Web Gem defensive plays. Hudson's 2009 salary, you wonder? $3.38 million.
  

2. Signing Bobby Abreu or Adam Dunn to play right field?

• Adam Dunn might have been the perfect Cub. He tortures NL Central pitching to the tune of 118 homers and 276 RBIs in his career. At Wrigley, Dunn owns a .286 average, .419 OBP and 23 HRs. All he is doing is hitting .284, on-basing .420 while smashing 14 homers and driving in 39 ribbies. Bobby Abreu signed with the Angels in February and has been an on-base machine, getting on at a .404 clip with a .303 batting average. Both have been more productive and less distracting than Milton Bradley.
  

3. Trading the farm to acquire Jake Peavy?

• Sean Marshall and Jake Vitters were among the names bantied about when linked with the 2007 NL Cy Young winner, but Marshall still sports Cubbie blue and Vitters is smashing everything in the minors. Meanwhile, Peavy still teases, but has taken his show to the South Side. Right now he's 4-5 with a 3.48 earned run average, but that's one more win than Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster and an ERA that is lower than every one of the Cubs starters.
  

4. Keeping Kerry Wood, Mark DeRosa and Henry Blanco?

• Losing Wood, DeRosa and Blanco apparently means more to clubhouse chemistry than it does on the field. None of the three are getting the job done on the field. The former Cub closer has seven saves, but also owns a 7.20 ERA. The Super Utility Man is hitting .254 and getting on base at a .319 clip while manning the hot corner. Hank White is batting only .154, but is doing work as Peavy's personal catcher. Peavy's line: .207 batting average against and 79 strikeouts compared to 23 walks (3.49 K-to-BB ratio).
  

5. Not trading for Kevin Gregg?

• Without a doubt, the Gregg-Ceda swap was Hendry's worst move of the offseason. Part of it is because it came on the heels of officially parting ways with Woody, but the major reason this was a bad move was because Gregg isn't good. It's not that Wood has fared much better, but Gregg has proved to be nothing more than a younger, uglier (and more expensive) Bobby Howry.

Bonus: Not re-signing Ryan Dempster?

• After an All-Star 2008 season, Demp's distracting glove trick pulled the wool over Hendry's eyes as he collected a four-year $52 million contract. Derek Lowe, a pitcher with a nasty sinker and a better playoff pedigree than Dempster inked a four-year $60 million contract. At this point, Lowe is worth the extra $8 mill as he is 6-2 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.
  

The Cubs shed the contracts of Wood ($10 million in '09, $4.2 in '08), DeRosa ($5.5 million) Jason Marquis ($9.875 million) while re-upping with Dempster ($8 million in '09) and bringing in Gregg ($4.2 million in '09), Miles ($2.2 million in '09) and Bradley ($5 million in '09).

The most cost-effective moves would have been signing Orlando Hudson to play second and Bobby Abreu to patrol right. Signing Hudson and Abreu cost a combined $8.38 million dollars. Kevin Gregg, Aaron Miles and Milton Bradley's combined cost? $11.4 million.

Jim Hendry, admit it: You were pwned this off-season.

Baseball contract numbers courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts.

Cubs cut ties with Wood, prepare to usher in a new era of suck

We'll miss you, Kerry. Photo: NY Times

If 100 years of bad baseball wasn't enough, it appears as if the Chicago Cubs are ready to ring in a new era of suck starting from the top.

That's right. I'm talking to you Jim Hendry.

After acquiring Kevin Gregg in a trade with the Florida Marlins, Hendry announced that the Cubs were cutting ties with Kerry Wood, one of the franchise's most popular players.

Not only is this a terrible move for a team on the brink of something special last season, it's a piss-poor move for a team that should be looking to appease a fan base that was teased with a 97-win season only to fall flat on its face when the playoffs rolled around.

It's a move that doesn't make sense, not now. Heck, I'm not sure if it ever will.

Saying that there isn't enough money to give the face of the franchise while also trying to find a multi-year deal for Ryan Dempster - who wasn't willing to negotiate during the exclusive negotiating period - is just wrong. It's that kind of treatment of core players, whether it was Mark Grace when he became a free agent or Greg Maddux when his time came around, that has Cubs fans crying and pleading for Mark Cuban to take ownership as soon as possible.

It won't happen. Because good things aren't destined to happen to the Cubs or their fans.

So it's not worth even continuing with this post.

I just wanted to prepare Cubs fans for an offseason of bad decision making, which should adequately prepare baseball's most tortured fan for another late-season letdown.

And no, trading for Jake Peavy isn't the cure-all.

We're talking about patience, people

Seriously, what's the deal with the Chicago Cubs and the idea of patience.

Earlier, I chronicled the idiocy that came out of left fielder Alfonso Soriano's mouth following the NorthSide Nine's most recent playoff flop.

Now general manager Jim Hendry is opening his flap.

Yeah, the headline really says it all: Cubs GM Jim Hendry: Be patient.

Jim, was that really necessary. You know, the idea of asking a fan base that hasn't seen a World Series at Wrigley Field since 1945 or a World Series winner since 1908 to be patient.

That's like asking a turtle to slow down.

See, Hendry's job is to stockpile talent to make the team a winner.

If he waits, there won't be any game-changing talent left on the open market.

Sometimes, this franchise just doesn't make sense to me.

You're up, Jim!

Love him or hate him, you're stuck with him.

Chicago Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry received a four-year extension through the year 2012.

Good for him, now it's time to get to work.

It's up to Hendry and his rag tag team of assistants to turn a two-time division winner into a World Series champion.

Am I asking too much? No. Hendry's job is to put a World Series contender out there on a year-in, year-out basis and as good as this year's team was they were a few pieces short.

Is he deserving of an extension. Yes and no.

Why yes? Because he brought in Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee and Rich Harden via trades in which the Cubs didn't lose any major prospects.

Why no? Because he traded three warm bodies for one season of Juan Pierre (who really didn't show up until June anyway).

Ricky Nolasco, Sergio Mitre and Reynel Pinto sure would look good in Cub uniforms right now.

If Jim really wants to get into the "no" category, he'll refuse to re-sign Kerry Wood to a long-term contract. It would be the kind of move that would be reminiscent of when Andy MacFail let Mark Grace walk after the 2000 season.

Sure, there's a great alternative named Carlos Marmol sitting and he's waiting to grab the role by the ball-sack and use that devastating slider for one inning at a time. But then you have to replace Marmol and then the guy who replaced Marmol and the guy who replaced the guy that replaced Marmol...

It's called a domino effect.

Jim, I could make this post really long but I've got things to do. So take this advice right now.

Bring me Jake Peavy and nobody gets hurt!

Daily Dosage: Trying to get well soon

Photo Credit: Chickipedia

I'd like to start today's Dosage by wishing our own SalukiOrphan a very happy 19th birthday. Usually that's not a big deal, but in most college towns it gives you the right to go to the bars and serve as the DD for your elders...such as your editor or assistant editor.

So instead of dedicating a photo of the delicious Megan Fox that I knew the Orphan would absolutely love, I blessed him with the graces of several Playmates at the official Chickipedia launch party.

Which made me realize that The Big Dead Sidebar never had one of those. I guess we'll have to do that one day. Sounds like a Facebook party to me if I ever heard one.

OK, now that that's done and I'm still feeling sick as a dog as I await the DayQuill/Benadryl to kick in there is nothing more to do than give you today's Daily Dosage.


Bears bounce the Vikings. As my fantasy football team continues to plummet to levels that are beyond the depths of hell my focus slowly has turned to reality football (a.k.a the NFL) and specifically the Chicago Bears.

Thanks to constant updates from a few backseat passengers, I learned the Bears defeated the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, 48-41.

48 points for the Bears is a lot, but Rick Telander notices that 41 is a lot to give up to a team that wears purple and its quarterback is Gus Frerrotte.

Kyle Orton continues to make me look foolish for not believing in him, throwing for 283 yards and two touchdowns. I still think my beard is better than his.

Chicago Bears 48 Minnesota Vikings 41

Hendry gets an extension. Buys Dunkin Donuts in celebration. Chicago Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry recently received a four-year contract extension through the 2012 season.

Hendry became the full-time GM in 2002 when Ed Lynch and his five-year plan never flourished.

Under Hendry's reign of terror the Cubs have won the last two NL Central Division titles and won another in 2003 when the team was five outs away from its first NL Pennant since 1945.

This news nugget deserves a full post, which will come later (maybe) in the afternoon.

Cubs, Hendry agree on four-year extension

Quality Linkage:

• Proof that work was done during our trip to Youngstown, Ohio: the gamer and the sidebar! [Daily Egyptian]
• In more news that concerns Youngstown, Ohio ... it died. [Hammond Bacon]
• Eli Manning is a beast. [NE Patriots Draft]
• Recruiting via Facebook. [Washington Post]
• A sign of the apocalypse? Jerry Jones and George Steinbrenner are partners. [Fanhouse]

That's it, I'm all out of witty lines. Back to get some more DayQuill right after this!

It's Your Move Jim Hendry

If you're a Cubs fan, you're hoping that GM Jim Hendry paid his phone bill because he is going to need to use it if the NorthSide Nine are going to hold off the Brewers who just bolstered their starting rotation the moment they acquired C.C. Sabathia from the Indians.

So Jimmy, it's your move.

Sure, Jim Edmonds has turned into a nice addition in center field. And yes, swapping Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood has done wonders for the pitching staff. And of course Cubdom trusts Lou Piniella over that guy who manages the Beermakers as they run suicide squeezes with the bases loaded.

But something needs to be done, right?

Do you try to solidify the bullpen by trying to snag Rockies closer Brian Fuentes and placing him as a late-inning lefty stoopper?

What about adding A.J. Burnett to the starting rotation? As much as he whiffs batters and a dizzying rate (111 K in 113.1 innings), that 4.92 ERA is cringe inducing.

Oakland's Rich Harden could be the best acquisition, seeing that he's only making $4.75 mill and (unlike Sabathia or Burnett) will be under contract in 2009.

However, Rich Harden has always been the AL's version of Mark Prior and despite a 5-1 record, 92 Ks in 77 innings and a 2.34 ERA, I fear making deals with Billy Beane, who consistently makes Kenny Williams look like an amateur.

Do we even want to go for Greg Maddux V.3.0?

Probably not.

Well, it's not like the pieces aren't out there.

Go get 'em, Jimmy!