Cubs Archives

Ex-Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley could be in some big trouble. This time, RadarOnline reports that Bradley has been accused of hitting his wife with the top of a glass coffee table, according to court documents they obtained.

His wife, Monique, is now seeking a divorce and requested a restraining order on January 24. The Bradley's already have a March 9th hearing related to making threats against his wife in January.

Here's what Monique Bradley said about the incident:

"Milton cursed and yelled at me for approximately five minutes and then he grabbed a glass from off the coffee table and threw it directly at my head from across the room. The glass shattered on my head and I started to bleed. As soon as Milton saw me bleeding, he started crying and begging me to forgive him. He stated that he lost it and that he would kill himself if I left him. I did not know what to do."

Monique is seeking legal and physical custody of their children.

Here's a nice snapshot of Milton in action from last year:

So much for all that relaxing with the family. Former Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella is taking an adviser gig with the world champion San Francisco Giants, according to SFGate.com.

The team hasn't made an announcement yet, but The Chronicle learned Piniella, 67, is joining the Giants' front office to consult in a variety of ways, whether it's evaluating or advising on player movement or scouting or . . . well, whatever a baseball lifer of 48 years can provide.

GM Brian Sabean goes back with Piniella to their Yankee years in the '80s, and they've remained tight. Sabean interviewed Piniella to succeed manager Felipe Alou after the 2006 season, but Piniella removed himself from consideration partly for geographic reasons and became manager of the Cubs.

The Chicago Sun Times ran a piece about the Cubs' acquisition of Matt Garza on Sunday, and the story ran with a full-page photo of Garza...that wasn't Garza.

The Ricketts ownership of the Cubs hasn't exactly been overwhelming in its first year or so. Pitchers and catchers are still about 2 months away, but that hasn't stopped Cubs fans from expressing their aggravation at the current state of the club. That's fine. But don't misdirect it at the Ricketts family. Most of the blame should be attributed to the architect of the club, GM Jim Hendry.

I made a joke the other day that Carlos Pena's agent asked for $9 million and Hendry countered with $10 million. The Pena signing is yet another example of Hendry over-spending and likely over-bidding for free agents. Though half of his salary is deferred until 2012, it's still $10 million. Which isn't to say that Pena won't jack 40 homers as a Cub. It's to say that he could be hitting them for far less than what he's being paid.

Hendry is probably best known for his shrewd trades in obtaining Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee. But if you look at his trade history, he hasn't made a significant trade in over 5 years, with the possible exception being the Tom Gorzelanny trade from 2009.

But the most damning pieces of evidence against Hendry are found in his free agent acquisitions, and his willingness to hand out big dollars and no-trade clauses. There have also been occasions where you have to wonder who Hendry was bidding against, and how skilled he is at contract negotiation.

Front and center in all this is Alfonso Soriano's deal. An 8-year, $136 million deal that remains an albatross to the Cubs. This was a horrible signing, made worse by Hendry relenting and giving Soriano a no-trade deal. Add to that the Fukudome and Bradley (turned into Carlos Silva) signings -- and perhaps the Zambrano deal -- and you have over $60 million invested in those players for the upcoming season.

This is not to say that Hendry hasn't made good signings. Dempster and Lilly turned out to be great moves. But you just can't miss on those big, long-term contracts as much as Hendry has. And then on top of that the no-trade clauses? Brutal. Huge long-term deals are for superstars and aces -- period.

Hendry also has a proclivity to overpay middle-relievers. John Grabow will be getting $4.8 million for 2011, wrapping up a 2-year, $7.5 million deal. Grabow had an ERA over 7 last year. Even before that, he was a decent pitcher but not spectacular. You could easily find someone just as good for much less. Bob Howry is another example.

So don't get angry with the Ricketts family. The Cubs payroll will still be over $100 million for 2011. Blame how it was spent, and how bad contracts and no-trade clauses prevented the Cubs from getting better and making moves.

Plenty of good free agents available for the 2011 baseball season, including some studs. Here are a look at the top 25, possibly coming to the Cubs or White Sox.

Someone please explain to me what Adam Wainwright and Skip Schumaker of the St. Louis Cardinals are doing here in this clip. Just weird.


Perhaps there is hope for the Chicago Cubs after all. Or not.

h/t: Midwest Sports Fans

We know that fans seem to suffer from too much partying at Wrigley, but at least Chicago Cubs fans lead the league in one thing: catching baseballs with their beer cups and then chugging them down. Reds outfielder Jonny Gomes gets the assist on this one.


So we got that going for us. Sigh.

100 and some years and counting. Should we really still be counting? These people are. Granted, some of them may have difficulty counting, but they're counting. You can't really blame them for wacky signs and crass t-shirts. It's been a rough haul. So we present a pictorial salute to those crazy Chicago Cubs fans.

Don't the Cubs and their fans have enough problems? C'mon guy, we've suffered enough embarrassment. Think, man, think!!!

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella is feeling the heat of late. First he got into it with White Sox analyst Steve Stone. Now he might have some words for "Three Nights in August" author Buzz Bissinger.

Bissinger has taken a liking to Twitter. Some of his recent tweets were directed at Piniella, and they were none too kind. He also talks about Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. Here's a sampling:

• I am surprised nobody came up with Pinella in who is stealing money. Spent week with Cubs 1st season. Kept getting lost on way to clubhouse. 7:17 PM Jun 28th via web
• Piniella could have cared less. Spoke tough. All bark. La Russa gets to ballpark seven hours before game. Lou five minutes before BP. 7:19 PM Jun 28th via web
• Piniella was a big name. They thought it was a coup talking him out of retirement. But he was coasting on reputation. Obvious. Monday, June 28, 2010 8:37:20 PM via web
• Most overrated thing is locker room leadership. You have it when you win. But Kerry Wood was heart and soul of Cubs. Not the same w/o him. Monday, June 28, 2010 8:38:33 PM via web
• This is why baseball greatest game--in 2003 I thought Cubs were set for next decade with Prior, Zambrano Wood. Utterly unpredictable. Monday, June 28, 2010 8:42:19 PM via web
• Kerry's arm doesn't have the same juice anymore. Dusty broke it in 2003. But great guy. Blunt. Honest. Best interview I ever did. Monday, June 28, 2010 8:49:04 PM via web
• (Wood) An outrageous competitor. Would not quit with the constant arm trouble. Unlike Prior. Showed up to clubhouse with his briefcase. Monday, June 28, 2010 8:56:30 PM via web
• Piniella might as well sit on top of the dugout in a rocking chair. Swig a beer. Get some bennies. Ignore that Wrigley is a dump. Monday, June 28, 2010 8:59:16 PM via web
• Lenny Dykstra would do better job managing cubs than Piniella. At least he would not pretend to manage. Lou should be playing LF for Pirates Monday, June 28, 2010 9:12:56 PM via web
• Piniella should be fired now. In defense Zambrano is a sullen hunk. Approached him once to ask him question. Still waiting for answer. 7:21 PM Jun 28th via web

Maybe Lou will fire back and ask why Buzz "isn't bringing some young authors around."

Raise your hand if you thought Juan Uribe would be totally outplaying Gordon Beckham this year. Raise your hand if you even knew Uribe was still in the league, let alone had a starting job with the Giants. Here is your ex-Cubs and White Sox update...

White Sox manager wasn't kidding when he was talking about having dinner with Carlos Zambrano last night. Check out this tweet:

Good luck to the Cubs in trying to deal Zambrano. It's not going to happen unless they eat about 80% of his contract or take on some awful contract in its place.

h/t: Wow: Carlos Zambrano Really Did Have Dinner With Ozzie Guillen Last Night [Bleacher Nation]

Since MLB hasn't yet figured out new media and how it can help promote their sport for free, there's no telling how long this video will be available. But here is the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano meltdown video. The most recent one.

Is this the best or worst Chicago Cubs haircut? Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder.

h/t: Look! Another Cubs fan to point and laugh at! [Midwest Sports Fans]

Sometimes what happens in the stands is more exciting than what happens during the game. This can certainly be the case at Wrigley Field. This fan must have been pretty bored with how the Cubs were playing because it looks as if he had one two way too many drinks.


At least he gave the fans something to cheer about. Chicago baseball teams are a combined 46-56 at the moment.

h/t: Wheel Him Outta Here! [Total Pro Sports]

Oh those Cubs fans -- is there anything they can't do? Maybe not. If only Soriano could make some plays like this.

Check out what they are peddling in this old commercial. That little ear radio now looks like those huge piercings people put in their ear lobes. I just had an awesome idea -- I'm going to get a huge Cubs piercing for my ear! Maybe I'll wait until they get to .500.

And is that the next Cubs manager stealing 2nd base in the commercial? Maybe...

I know what you're thinking. What? No Starlin Castro? Well, not yet. But we do have the rest of the All-Time Cubs and White Sox Shortstops. Add your thoughts and any players you think I might have missed in the comments section.

Castro homers in first Cubs at-bat, but seems slower than scouting reports that detailed his great speed. Hmmm...
 

We've already taken a look at White Sox pitchers with 15+ wins since 1980, so let's head north to see how many Cubs pitchers have done it. Oh Mark Prior...what could have been. Looking for Kerry Wood? Don't bother. He's never won 15 in any single season.

Taking a look at the best ever 3rd basemen for the Cubs and White Sox. Sorry, Herbert Perry fans...he didn't make the cut.

So after Cubs skipper Lou Piniella said he's not a big "Facebook or Twitter guy", you know you were left wondering what he would tweet if he did end up joining Twitter. Wonder no more. The Mob brings you some of the best Lou Piniella tweets.

• "Thinking about soup. Dempster looks good."
• "Raring to go today. Fresh out of Sanka so I had to drink regular. Might be a bit late."
• "Darn VCR is on the blink. Clock keeps flashing 12:00. Guess it'll be right twice a day!"
• "Boy, the only thing more foul than Ozzie's mouth is the toilet after Zambrano's done in there."
• "Pleasure to have Lifetime Movie Channel here in Arizona. Love that Meredith Baxter."
• "Boy, this new hitting coach is something else. Already getting along swimmingly with Byrd."
• "If that Prior kid doesn't find a team maybe we should bring him in. Brisket for lunch."
• "I don't know...still think Soriano might be my man at leadoff."
• "America made a mistake. The Spanish kid should still be on American Idol. Oh well."
• "People don't like that Palin, but she's real easy on the eyes."
• "Guys are talking about some new Tracy Morgan movie. Who's she?"
  

Here is a clip of the famous, legendary and very NSFW tirade by former Cubs manager Lee Elia. It is simply the greatest verbal tirade ever by a manager. The date was April 29, 1983, the Cubs had just lost to drop to 5-14 and Lee Elia was red hot. Again, lots of swearing in this clip.



Amazingly, Elia remained the manager for over 100 more games before he was finally axed. Can you imagine a manager doing that in this era and keeping his job for longer than 5 minutes? Elia ended up 127-158 in his stint as Cubs manager. But he is #1 all-time when it comes to tirades.

This is so Cubs. According to Paul Sullivan's column in the Sunday Trib, Ryan Theriot has been told he will lose his starting position when the Cubs think that top prospect Starlin Castro is ready to play every day.

Theriot is not without flaws, but let's talk about Starlin Castro, the latest Cubs prospect that is all the rage. Castro doesn't turn 20 until March. His plate discipline is on a par with another former Cubs top prospect: Corey Patterson. He has very little power. And perhaps worst of all, Castro made 39 errors in 2009. 39 errors in 119 games. Yet the Cubs already have told their current shortstop that this kid will take his job. It would unbelievable except that this is a story about the Cubs.

Like it or not, the Cubs didn't make too many moves this offseason. They signed a 32-year old outfielder in Marlon Byrd and journeyman Xavier Nady. They also swapped horrendous contracts when they dealt Milton Bradley for Carlos Silva.

Here is the lineup I would use against right-handed pitchers for the beginning of the 2010 season.