Daily headlines Archives

 Yesterday, the Cubs announced that they've signed minor league deals with Augie Ojeda and Braden Looper and have invvited both players to Spring Training.

No, I don't know why.

But with the recent return of Ojeda, Reed Johnson, Kerry Wood, and Todd Wellenmeyer, can Roberto Novoa, Jason DuBois, and Todd Walker be far behind?

One player who refuses to be foisted from his OF position by the return of Brant Brown is Tyler Colvin. He wants the Cubs to know that, just because he had his lungs pierced with a shard of wood, it doesn't mean he's not ready to go:

"It's over," he said, matter-of-factly.

During the Cubs Convention, Colvin was asked about the accident. It's something he will probably be asked about the rest of his life.

"It's expected," he said. "I hate that I have to do it, but it happened."

So, let's move on. Colvin finds himself in the same position he was going into Spring Training 2010. The Cubs have four outfielders -- Colvin, Alfonso Soriano, Marlon Byrd and Kosuke Fukudome -- and three spots.

Cubs manager Mike Quade says he'll rotate the quartet in an effort to keep players like Soriano and Byrd fresh.

"Quade will put a lineup up there that'll win, and we'll keep it going," Colvin said.

Poor Matt Sczcur (pronounced "Sczcur") has taken something of a good-natured beating from Cubs fans in the past week since announcing he's ditching his football career for a shot at being the next great home-grown Cubs outfielder. Everywhere he turns, it's Samardzija this and Samardzija that.

But apart from a funny name and the two-sports college thing, Sczcur and Samardzija don't share too much in common. Different positions, different backgrounds, etc. While pitcher-WR Samardzija spent his Notre Dame career fawned over by the national sports media, Sczcur has had something of a lower profile at 1-AA football school Villanova. Which is too bad, because it allows great stories like this to fall through the cracks:

Matt Szczur may someday patrol center field at Wrigley Field and thrill Chicago Cubs fans with his baseball skills. On Wednesday, he did something more important. Something likely to help save lives. The Lower Cape May Regional graduate came back to his old high school and helped sign up 191 people to be bone marrow donors.

Not a lot of fanfare, media, or PR junk here - just a guy working for a good cause for all the right reasons. Turns out he's got a pretty good reason to care about bone marrow donation, too.

Well, spring-training mornings around Fitch Park should be fun as Carlos Zambrano walks through the clubhouse and yells, "Shoulders!" about 10 times every day. "Shoulders" was Big Z's nickname for pitcher Todd Wellemeyer, whom the Cubs are in the process of signing to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training.

One report had Wellemeyer getting $800,000. The Cubs aren't confirming that, and he'll likely get the 800 Gs only if he makes the team.

 Wellemeyer joins an already motley crew of non-roster invitees this spring.

It'll be an interesting and fun group of non-roster invitees: Scott Moore (another guy on his second tour of duty with the Cubs after originally coming from the Tigers along with Bo Flowers and Roberto Novoa for Kyle Farnsworth in Feb. 2005); Reed Johnson (ditto that on the second tour of duty); Bobby Scales; Angel Guzman and Bryan LaHair.

Has anyone seen Les Walrond?

Those, of course, are in addition to former first-round bust Luis Montanez. Maybe Kevin Millar will come around again, too.

 We've got 22 days until pitchers and catchers report, and Cubs news  is harder to come by then ever,  So I knew you guys would be glad when I came across this article at Cubs.com about how committed Jeff Samardzija is to making you happy.

CHICAGO -- Jeff Samardzija is so excited about how his offseason is going and how well he's throwing that he told two reporters to come down to Arizona to watch.

This will be a key spring for the Cubs pitcher.

"I'm kind of taking a different approach to it this year," Samardzija said. "You don't want to sound selfish, but I'm taking care of what I can take care of. I'm sure the list is up to seven or eight guys trying for the starting rotation. It's the same song every year."

I suspect that the two 'reporters' were his mom and dad. Also, I'd like to point out that mostly what Jeff has been able to "take care of" the last two years has been providing multiple souvenirs for the bleacher crowd. But perhaps I'm being too harsh.

The list of candidates for the five spots in the rotation was reduced by one when the Cubs dealt Tom Gorzelanny to the Nationals. This season will be different for Samardzija because he's out of options. Samardzija, who turned 26 on Sunday, is aware of his status.

"I really don't care, to tell you the truth," he said about the need to make the 25-man roster. "I'm very, very excited with how things are going and me being down there [in Arizona] since early November. How I'm working out, how I'm throwing the ball, how I'm throwing off the mound already, I'm very, very excited.

"I know at the end of the year, it'll be a different story than what it is now. A lot is to be written, but I'm excited. I feel great, I really do."

The bigger picture is whether the sides can come to an agreement on a three-year deal. A two-year contract would not be beneficial for the Cubs. Marmol has one more year of arbitration left in 2012. After that season, he'll be eligible for free agency. The Cubs would give Marmol a three-year deal if they could save some money over the average life of the three years. 

A good starting point for an agreement might be $18-$20 million. In 2011, Marmol most likely will get around $4.8 million when the sides decide to agree. Projecting next season, Marmol may get $7-$8 million, if he repeats his 2010 performance.

And for Garza?

The process of signing Garza is a bit different. The newest Cubs starting pitcher has two more years of arbitration left after 2011. As a comparison to pitchers in his class, Garza will make $5.9 million in 2011. His projected salary number in 2012 may be $10 million if he continues to put up 15 wins and throws his usual 200 innings. It may be up to $13-$15 million in 2013 if he stays consistent.

The Cubs may want to reconfigure all three seasons -- 2011-13 -- and offer something in the area of $23-$25 million.

General manager Jim Hendry took a big step Tuesday toward ensuring that won't happen when he agreed to terms with pitchers Matt Garza, Sean Marshall and Tom Gorzelanny, who is in the process of being traded to Washington.

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Although closer Carlos Marmol filed for arbitration, Cubs insiders appeared confident the two sides will agree to terms before a hearing can take place next month. Marmol is seeking $5.65 million, while the Cubs are offering $4.1 million.

Geo Soto also signed.

The Cubs also made official their one-year, $3 million deal with catcher Geovany Soto, who also avoided salary arbitration.

And today could be the day we say our final goodbyes to Tom Gorzelanny.

Gorzelanny, who will take a physical exam Wednesday in Washington, received $2.1 million, a raise from the $800,000 he made with the Cubs last year.

If Gorzelanny passes the physical, the two teams will make official a deal that will send the left-hander to the Nationals for three minor-league prospects. Washington would then pay the pitcher's salary.

Manager Mike Quade promised accountability from his players for "performance and effort," while first base coach Bob Dernier said baserunners would "concentrate, have intelligence and be accountable."

Bob Dernier can say that just by virtue of Ryan Theriot being off the roster for a full season. Quade also let us know that we won't see any dugout fireworks this year.

Those waiting for an in-your-face dugout reaction from Quade after a player miscue or perceived lack of hustle can forget about it. Quade admitted he was once that way as a young manager in the minors but realized it's not the right approach to getting someone's attention. "Did I make my point? Yeah," Quade said. "But did I make a jerk of myself? Probably. ... Lose some respect? Absolutely."

Quade prefers an open line of communication between him and his players, and won't treat veterans like Alfonso Soriano exactly the same as the kids. "Are you going to deal with 'Sori' the same way you deal with (Blake) DeWitt?" he said. "No."

Does this mean he gives Soriano the silent treatment and DeWitt spankings?

(Kerry Wood responds to Dan Bernstein's WSCR report.)

If you, like me, happened to tune into WSCR-AM yesterday afternoon, you probably noticed that Boers and Bernstein's topics of conversation centered around two strange premises. First, that the Bears would almost certainly lose to the Seahawks and Chicagoland would go nuts. Strange, yes, but a) this isn't a Bears blog and b) it's standard riling-up stuff for sports radio, so, y'know, whatever. Secondly, however, was that Kerry Wood - returning, conquering Cub hero - had made a SECRET BLOOD PACT with the Cubs to become a Cubs broadcaster after his retirement, whenever that should occur.

(No blockquote because, duh, it happened on the radio.)

It seemed like a win-win situation for all. Beloved Cub actually gets to retire as a Cub, a rare occurrence (see: Grace, Mark) and the organ-I-zation gets to capitalize on his popularity with the fans. Hire a mercenary radio guy for a couple years to keep the seat warm, then BOOM - Kerry Wood all up in your radio. What's not to love?

Everything, apparently, if you're the Chicago Cubs and/or Kerry Wood, who came out last night with denials on full blast. Why?

The Chicago Cubs today claimed catcher Max Ramirez off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.

Ramirez was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox from the Texas Rangers last Wednesday, January 5. He split the 2010 campaign between the Rangers and their Triple-A Oklahoma City affiliate. Ramirez played 56 games with Oklahoma City, batting .286 (54-for-189) with nine doubles, three home runs, 29 RBI and a .373 on-base percentage. In 28 games in the big leagues last year, Ramirez batted .217 (15-for-69) with three doubles, two home runs, eight RBI and a .341 on-base percentage.

Yes, the Cubs traded Robinson Chirinos last week, but still have Koyie Hill and Wellington Castillo behind Geovany Soto on the 40-man. Does a Major League team usually keep 4 catchers on the 40-man? Do the Cubs like Ramirez better than Hill or Castillo? You might have guessed that he's out-of options, as he's been claimed off waivers twice in the last week. What should we expect from Ramirez?

Before the 2010 season, Baseball America wrote that Ramirez is "a plus hitter who works the count and drives the ball to all fields" when healthy. However, the publication described the catcher as a below-average defender with below-average arm strength and well below-average running speed.

Seems the perfect foil for the light hitting Hill.

"I was kind of caught off guard," he said. "My name was out there with a numerous amount of teams, and I just kept training. My job was to get ready for the season, whether it be in Tampa or wherever. Now, I'm getting ready to show up in Mesa, Ariz., in tiptop shape and ready to go for the season."

"This wasn't a trade -- and I heard a few things and I read a few-- that we're trying to win right now," Hendry said. "Matt is 27; he's going to be a Cub for a while. We look at this as a great trade for the present and the future."

"He's one of the fastest guys in the game," Hendry said. "He's a flyer. He was well on his way to looking like his career was going to take off after the World Series run, and then he had the severe injury to his hand and wrist. He's much healthier now that he's only hitting right-handed."

I'm sure it will be really fun to watch him run speedily on weakly hit ground balls.

For the first time since Tom Ricketts closed the deal for his family to buy his favorite team, the Cubs have taken a possibly significant step forward in trading for Matt Garza. There's something to be said for breaking a streak, but as usual, fans are advised to hold their applause until the end.

Hedging our bets are we? Sounds like cautious optimism from our dear uncle. But no amount of players involved in the trade could keep him from focusing on public enemy #1.

Adding Garza,27, to a rotation behind Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano hardly seems enough to close the gap significantly between the Cubs and the National League Central's first-division teams, the Cardinals, Reds and Brewers. But Garza has a powerful arm along the lines of Zambrano before his decline and thus has the potential to do what Zambrano did not -- develop into a reliable, long-term ace.

Phil made it about a third of the way through his column about the Garza trade before he started bashing Carlos Zambrano. If you'd like a discussion about how Carlos Zambrano's actually been better the last couple years than he was previously, please check out Doc's blog about it from yesterday. He's no Zambrano apologist, and even he agrees that Crazy Uncle Phil has some issues.

If there was any doubt that this is, ah, not The Most Exciting Offseason the Cubs have ever experienced, try this on for size: the biggest news today in the Cubsosphere (I just made that up!) is that semi-beloved former Atlanta Brave Derrek Lee is now officially a Baltimore Oriole. While I certainly wish D-Lee all the luck in the world as an Oriole (until they meet and get crushed by the Cubs in the 2011 World Series, of course), Cubs fans might cringe at this bit of information (from the Baltimore Sun, your #1 source for Chicago Cubs news):

He hasn't swung a bat this offseason, but expects to be cleared soon.

Yikes, For a guy with a reputation for notoriously slow spring starts, that can't bode well for the poor Orioles. In a division like the AL East, good luck moseying slowly out of the gate this Spring.

Here ends your regularly-scheduled Maryland current events update. Back to Chicago!

Yesterday, a small museum in rural New York revealed it will be inducting two new members, or so I'm told. Following the goings-on of small museums ruled cruelly by old white men is not normally one of my hobbies, but if Phil Rogers thinks it's a big deal, you can bet I'm going to at least give it a look:

Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven will join long-time general manager Pat Gillick in being inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame next July. There was no surprise there, as both were near-misses in 2010.

Pat Gillick! Wow. Maybe this IS a big story, after all. Still, after the first sentence of the article, I saw no Cubs connection and was ready to move on to the huge story of the Cubs Caravan stopping in Rockford today. But then I saw this shocker:

The most intriguing development in the 2011 vote was found a lot further down the ballot. Rafael Palmeiro, who amassed 569 home runs and 3,020 hits in a career that began with the 1986 Cubs drew less support from voters than the likes of Dave Parker, Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy.

Now this...well, this changes everything.

The Cubs appear to have moved past the Texas Rangers and into the driver's seat in efforts to acquire Tampa Bay Rays 15-game winner Matt Garza -- a potential move that could put the Cubs back into the ­National League Central title conversation for 2011.

A major-league source said Tuesday the Cubs were close to trading for the power-pitching right-hander, just as the Rangers were committing a big multiyear deal to third baseman Adrian Beltre and appeared to be pursuing free-agent closer Rafael Soriano. Those efforts come after the Rangers fell short in their efforts to use the money to keep big-ticket free-agent pitcher Cliff Lee.

Gordo doesn't give us any hints as to who might be going to the Rays, though.

The Cubs still are looking for a starting pitcher, but nothing appears imminent as far as a trade or a free-agent signing goes. Either way, it could make for a lively fan session with the GM during the Saturday part of the convention program.

Lively fan session, indeed. The Cubs Con recap from Julie should be extra fun this year. Speaking of Cubs Con, all sings have indicated that the new radio color man would be hired before the convention this year. Mr. Miles isn't so sure.

I also don't expect any quick announcement on a successor to the late Ron Santo in the Cubs radio booth. There are a lot of candidates and two entities _ the Cubs and WGN radio _ as part of the process.

Sorry, Doc. It might be awhile before you get your good news.

Roberto Alomar, Larry Walker (check him out -- what a complete player!), Jeff Bagwell and maybe even Rafael Palmeiro will receive votes. Add in lingering holdovers like Bert Blyleven and Lee Smith and strong candidates new to the ballot in the last few years and it is one of the toughest ballots I have tackled in the 15 years I've been voting.

I'm not voting for players who have been linked directly to steroids, so I won't vote for Palmeiro, whose play (especially his hitting) I respect highly. I'm not going to vote for Bagwell, but that's because I feel his resume isn't quite strong enough, not because of steroid suspicion. And if I'm not voting for Bagwell, I can't keep voting for Harold Baines (most hits of any eligible player not in the Hall) after four years of support, so he's off my ballot.

So any direct link is out, innuendo is fine, but Jeff Bagwell wasn't quite good enough to spite the innuendo. I think I understand. The rest of the Trib writers ballots can be viewed from this page.

LOHO and the Blackhawks welcome our newest family member

Earlier this week, Julie touted the coming of a new family member. Today, we unveil Pete Gaines. Pete has written for Deadspin and SportsbyBrooks. I've been assured by Julie that he's at least 50% (but no more than 75%) as funny as me, so we should be in good hands. Should you be so inclined, you can follow Pete on twitter, @petegaines. I promised Julie we wouldn't pull that prank where no one comments on his first thread, so please make sure and give Pete a warm LOHO welcome. 

You know it's the deep of winter when I turn to Carrie Muskat to provide news for us every day. But the hardest working woman in Cubs beat writing continues to write something nearly every day, and for that I'm grateful. The Dominican Winter League is in its playoffs, and Starlin Castro continues to hit the ball.

Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro went 2-for-4, hitting a two-run double in the fourth, in Escogido's 5-4 loss to los Toros on Monday in the Dominican Winter League. Castro also tried to score with one out in the ninth but was thrown out at home. On Tuesday, Escogido (1-1) plays host to los Gigantes, who are 2-0 so far in the playoffs.

And some other people no one cares about are playing elsewhere.

In Venezuela, Cubs prospect Marwin Gonzalez had a hit, three walks and scored twice in Caracas' 6-5 win over Lara. Also, Cubs pitcher Jeff Gray threw 1 1/3 innings for his third save in Zulia's 6-3 win over Magallanes.

 It looks like the Cubs have gone back to the drawing board on Wrigley renovations and are working on a new and improved idea to finance Wrigley's much-needed massive overhaul:

"the Cubs are quietly working to amend their proposal to renovate Wrigley Field. In simple terms, the team would match its previous tax payments to the city -- $16 million in 2009 -- while keeping any tax revenue above the base for park renovations and perhaps construction of the long-planned triangle building. Once the team has what it plans built, the Cubs argue the additional business will increase taxes collected.

"The plan they came up with for this renovation was a non-starter," governor Pat Quinn said Monday on " Chicago Tribune Live" on Comcast SportsNet. "It didn't have public support. They have to go back to the drawing boards."

Let's hope that this time, the Ricketts PR and financial machine decide to at least consult the Cubs, an organization that has been doing business in this town a hell of a lot longer than they have, in developing and presenting their new plan. My souces tell me that the Ricketts, who have their own PR "team," left the Cubs out of much of the last renovation plan, which turned into an unmitigated PR disaster. My guess is that they used the same 'team' that thought it was a good idea for Todd Ricketts to appear on "Undercover Boss."

 

 

"You have to think that way and have that confidence as a player," said Jackson, who was 3-for-12 with five RBIs for Mesa before an infection in his foot halted his AFL season. "It's exciting to be in the Cubs organization for all of us, seeing the type of moves that have happened in the past year and seeing many of our friends reach the big leagues.

"That makes us excited about the future and what the Cubs have to offer. ... I look forward to being a part of that.

"But right now, I'm working to be ready for that next step, and certainly guys like Castro and Colvin are great role models for us all."

I eagerly await the chance to see Brett playing center field for years to come.

With little going on before Christmas, Paul Sullivan took the time yesterday to write about the search for the new WGN radio color man. First, the WGN radio sports director talked about the awkwardness of having to search for a replacement so soon after Ron Santo's death.

"We wanted to do this as respectfully as we could," WGN-AM 720 sports director Dave Eanet said.

"It's not something we wanted to plunge right into. But we're not too far from spring training and there is a vacant seat in the booth. Having said that, we know we're not going to replace Ron Santo."

The first list of candidates is pretty much the same one we've already seen.

Several ex-Cubs-turned-analysts fill the bill, including Mark Grace, Rick Sutcliffe, Dan Plesac, Eric Karros, Gary Matthews and Mitch Williams.

Eanet said the list of candidates will include those who have filled in for Santo in the past, but declined to address speculation on rumored candidates. Dave Otto and Keith Moreland, both of whom filled in for Santo during his absences the last few years, will be interviewed.

I can't imagine you were hoping for a weathered, beaten Brandon Webb with a shiny new shoulder for Christmas, but if you were, things aren't looking good.

The Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals continued to show strong interest in Brandon Webb on Tuesday, while a third reported suitor, the Chicago Cubs, fell off the pace in their pursuit of the free-agent starter.

There's even talk of a mystery NL Central team trying to swoop in on the action. It's probably just as well for the Cubs, as Brandon Webb would likely stand in the way of Andrew Cashner making the rotation. I think we'd rather see him have a go at starting than watch Brandon Webb rehab here and go elsewhere after a year.

Remember the Christmas episode of The Brady Bunch when Carol was supposed to sing at the Christmas church service? She then lost her voice, and Cindy asked Santa to give Carol her voice back for Christmas so she could sing O Come All Ye Faithful. Santa came through, and Carol belted it out, giving everyone the Christmas cheer (this rendition was later reprised in spectacular fashion in the TV movie "A Very Brady Christmas").

The Cubs, who have a major need for a veteran right handed reliever are moving towards finalizing a deal with free agent Kerry Wood. Wood, who spent the first 10 years of his major league career with the Cubs, spent 2010 with the Indians and Yankees and compiled impressive numbers down the stretch as he helped the Yankees make the playoffs.

If he finalizes his deal with the Cubs, Wood should provide tremendous support to Cubs closer Carlos Marmol and will form a very formidable back end of the bullpen with left-hander Sean Marshall.

What could any of us possibly want more than Kerry Wood under our collective tree? And before you start thinking that Kaplan's just yanking our chain, Ken Rosenthal confirmed it.

Kerry Wood could be going home.

The free-agent right-hander is working toward an agreement with the Chicago Cubs, the team that gave him his professional start, according to a major league source.

The Cubs likely would use Wood as a set-up man for closer Carlos Marmol, enabling them to move right-hander Andrew Cashner to the starting rotation.

Take it away, Carol.

   

 

Fun holiday photoshopping, as always, brough to you by the fabulous @plamorte.

The Cubs are still in a holding pattern, apparently still waiting on Brandon Webb and Matt Garza.

--The Cubs continue to look at former Diamondbacks standout Brandon Webb, who has been beset by shoulder problems the last couple of years. To sign Webb, the Cubs would prefer a low base with incentives.

--Matt Garza is still very much in play for the Cubs, who are still trying to get a hand on the Tampa Bay Rays' appetite for moving the pitcher. Last week at the winter meetings, Rays manager Joe Maddon said Garza would be pitching for Tampa next year. Of course, managers say a lot of things (as we know from the last couple we've had on the North Side) based on their own self-interest. It's still a story worth following.

And Hendry seems real about dealing, with only a couple prospects off-limits.

--As we wrote last week, the only prospects the Cubs won't move are Brett Jackson and Chris Archer. All the others would be on the table in trade talks. That includes Josh Vitters and Jay Jackson.

I didn't see that one coming either, Cliff.

The Philadelphia Phillies, who only a year ago dismayed their fans by trading away Lee in the name of organizational depth, rallied to reach an agreement with the ace left-hander and emerge with the deepest rotation in baseball, sources said Monday night. Sources indicated the deal was for five years and $120 million, with a vesting option for a sixth year that would pay him a maximum of $135 million, less than he could have gotten from the Yankees or Rangers.

The Rangers, the team Lee helped to the World Series in October, offered Lee a six-year, $138 million deal with a vesting option for a seventh year that could have hiked the deal to $161 million. The Yankees also offered six years and $138 million, with a seventh-year player option for an additional $16 million.

Operating in stealth mode through the weekend, the Phillies added Lee to a staff that already held Roy Halladay(notes), Roy Oswalt(notes) and Cole Hamels

I have basically two thoughts this morning: 1) Kudos to SI's Jon Heyman, who took a lot of abuse this week for insisting that a "mystery team" was "in hard" on Lee. Turns out he was right. 2) Hahahahaha to Jason Werth for having to face a rotation with Lee, Hallady, Hamels, and Oswalt a billion times a season.

 

I posted the above video in case you hadn't yet gotten to see the amazingness of the Metrodome roof collapse. It also gives us something to talk about, as there was precious little happening in Cubs news over the weekend. Ryan Dempster was in Chicago all weekend, and the Around Town guys from the Trib got to talk to him about Carlos Pena. Dempster is sooooo stoked about Pena coming to the North Side.

"I am so excited to play with a guy who gets as excited by making a great fielding play as he does by hitting a three-run home run," said Dempster, who was spotted Saturday at the Loyola-Kansas State game.

Friday night, they ran into Jim Hendry. You'll never guess where.

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry attended the Dempster Family Foundation fundraiser Friday at D'Agostino's Pizza in Lakeview and told us he expects more signings in December than the last two years.

Dempster knows how to get Hendry to commit to a fundraiser. My one question of this tidbit from Hendry: he has to mean for the league in general, right? He's not going to go buck wild with signings these last couple weeks of the year, is he?

Imagine I had the skills to photoshop him into a Cubs uniform

Your Chicago Cubs introduced their starting first baseman of the future yesterday. And by future, I mean next year. The Cubs somehow managed to not completely piss off the entire fan base, and managed to get the reported one-year deal done. Carlos Pena, what have you to say?

"I think when I looked at all of my options, and the teams that were interested, I just thought this was the perfect fit for me," said Pena, who has 230 home runs lifetime, including 46 in 2007 with Tampa Bay. "And I also like the fact that this is a platform year for me, you know, to come in, be part of a great organization, have the opportunity to just go out there and play my game.

"And who knows? After a great season, then the future will look even brighter."

Scott Boras, can you get all super agenty on us?

"This contract, really, the premise of it was a lot like what we did last year with Adrian Beltre and the Red Sox," Boras said. "You have a quality organization, and they had a fit and a need, and you also had a player that had exhibited extraordinary abilities. I think everybody in the game knows that when a man can hit an average of 35-plus home runs over the past four seasons and has a lifetime average that is 40 points above what his prior seasons was, that the metrics will make the adjustment. And the average of both his power will be present and certainly with also the presence of (hitting coach) Rudy Jaramillo who worked with Carlos when he was a younger player really had all of the flavor of what we call a pillow contract.

"There's a lot of comforts. It's a one-year situation. It's a dynamic that you can't really expect the marketplace to address."

The Cubs have finally agreed to terms with the first baseman of their dreams. Carlos Pena is primed to sign a free agent contract that will surprise you, and maybe in a good way.

The Cubs have reached a preliminary agreement with free agent first baseman Carlos Pena on a one-year deal with about $10 million, according to sources, and hope to finalize the deal this morning during a schedule meeting with his agent, Scott Boras.

I'll be as giddy as a schoolgirl if the deal turns out to be one year. All the talk yesterday centered around two to three years. But what does spending $10 million on Pena mean for the rest of the offseason?

With so much of their limited payroll flexibility now tied to one addition, the Cubs are expected to look harder at harder at trades than the free-agent market to fill the pitching needs - unless they can move a significant portion of a larger contract, such as the $13.5 million left on the final year of outfielder Kosuke Fukudome's contract.

Rampant trade speculation time!

Not the Cubs' GM

 I understand that the Cubs  expected to be less-active this winter than in the past.

I understand that the Cubs are trying to cut payroll and are not players for the Cliff Lees and Derek Jeters of the world.

I understand that making a move solely to keep the fans happy is not the wisest course of action.

However, I am beginning to worry that the Cubs don't understand that we are going to need someone to at least STAND NEXT TO FIRST

 

I get it, it's only December, plenty of time to make some moves, yada yada yada. On the other hand, Jim Hendry must be hiding behind potted plants for the Cubs to be  as invisible at the Winter Meetings as they've been this year. I've never seen a team so completely off-the-radar during the aptly-named "free agent frenzy."

With the Dunn, Gonzalez, and other palatable options at first base off the market., it's looking increasinglly like Carlos Pena is the Cubs' current target-of-choice to take over at first base. And even THAT race isn't looking good for the North Siders:

Carlos Pena is the most prominent available free agent who fits the Cubs' description, and Hendry will meet with his agent, Scott Boras, this week. But even with a .196 average last year for the Rays , Pena is being pursued by the Blue Jays, Nationals and Orioles, which could force the Cubs into a bidding war they likely can't win.

 

It appears as though an Adrian Gonzalez to Boston trade is all but done, meaning the Cubs have little-to-no options at first base. Or, shall we say, palatable options. The Cubs continue to think they need to sign a starting pitcher whose arm is barely attached. Their biggest fan died last week. So what's not to love about the start of the Winter Meetings?

Would-be targets Adrian Gonzalez (all but traded from the Padres to the Red Sox), Lance Berkman (signed by the Cardinals), Jake Westbrook (re-signed by the Cardinals) and Javier Vazquez (signed by the Marlins) are off the board. The Cubs either were unable to compete as aggressively dollar-for-dollar or unwilling to compete as aggressively prospect-for-prospect as the teams that landed those players.

So, what are we to expect this week?

Will free agent Carlos Pena be as good as it gets in replacing Lee at first base? Is a former Cy Young winner with a rehabbing shoulder -- Brandon Webb -- exciting enough for you?

Hendry has said that he doesn't believe he needs to make a splash. Without a lot of room to work under his payroll ceiling, he might not have a choice.

But Hendry's at his best when he's talking trade. And while Gonzalez no longer is on the market, look for Hendry to talk to as many GMs about trades as he does player agents about their clients.

Oh, good. All we have to do is hope that Hendry can make one of his miracle trades! Please let it be more Derrek Lee than Juan Pierre.

Ronnie is honored at the UC last night before the Blackhawks Game. (Photo courtesy Chicago Tribune)

 Let's get through the sad Ronnie news first. Ron's funeral will be held Thursday, December 9, at Holy Name Cathedral. Public visitation begins at 4:00 pm. I plan on making my way down there, and if anyone else is game, maybe we can get a little group together for the visitation.

The memories of Ron Santo continue to pour in, and memorial pages have been set up at the Chicago Tribune, at MLB.com, and on Facebook. Of course, we've got our own "tell a great story about Ron" post going here, so make sure to stop by and listen to some of the hilarious stories (some with audio!).

If you feel the need to do something more concrete to memorialize our beloved Ronnie, consider going to JDRF's donation page and donating $10 for #10. As someone who raised $50 million for JDRF over the course of his life, I have no doubt that, if Ron could make one last request of us, this would be it. As I said yesterday, we here at LOHO are going to donate our "page clicks revenue" for December to JDRF in memory of Ron, so make sure to stop by daily and click, click, click!

 

All offseason, there's been this unspoken about dark cloud hovering over LOHO, and no one's had the heart to talk about it. We've all been worried that Koyie Hill might not be around next year. Don't fret, as according to Bruce Miles, he should be tendered a contract!

It's Dec. 1, so where's all the action been? It's one of the slowest-developing baseball off-seasons I can remember covering. Anyway, here's a small bit of news to get things started: I expect the Cubs to tender contracts to all of their players by Thursday's deadline to do so.

That means arb-eligible guys Tom Gorzelanny, Jeff Baker, Koyie Hill, Sean Marshall, Geovany Soto and Carlos Marmol will be offered contracts. The only questions were the first three players on that list, but you can put them down as back in the fold. GM Jim Hendry likely will try to work out deals soon for Gorzelanny, Baker and Hill to avoid arbitration. Marshall and Marmol will be in line for nice raises, as will Soto after a nice bounce-back year. We'll see if the Cubs go to hearings on either.

So we get to keep Good Old Toe Thumbs around, with the added bonus of a cheaper, better hitting backup catcher relegated to Iowa. It's a win-win.

   

 

I have to head to Joliet for court this morning, so the headlines are going to have to wait until I return. Sorry, kids! In the meantime, feel free to talk amongst yourselves.

Now that the holiday weekend is over, we can get back to the excitement of the offseason. Fox Sports is reporting that the Cubs have interest in Carlos Pena.

The Chicago Cubs are showing interest in free-agent first baseman Carlos Peña, according to a major league source.

Peña, 32, is coming off a disappointing contract year with the Tampa Bay Rays, batting only .196 with 28 home runs and 84 RBI in 144 games. He also missed time because of an injured heel.

Which, of course, is who Bruce Miles told us to watch for the day before Thanksgiving.

The other name I've been keeping an eye on is Carlos Pena, the free agent out of Tampa Bay. He had a line of .196/.325/.407 with 28 homers and 84 RBI. His BABIP was only .222, which suggests a correction might be in order. Pena's groundball percentage went from 29 in 2009 to 44.9 in 2010. The flyball percentage went from 54.1 to 40.6. If those continue, the BABIP might not rise as much as we might otherwise suspect.

Before we delve into the fun this morning, I just want to point out that I woke up this morning to find that North Korea has attacked South Korea. What's up with that?

As is typical of the week before Thanksgiving, there is precious little news coming out of Cubdom. The Cubs' 4-game Holiday Gift Pack went on sale yesterday, and of course Cubs Con tickets are still available. And it turns out Mickey Morandini is going to follow in Ryno's footsteps and manage in the Phillies' farm system.

Over at the Mailbag, delusional Cubs fans want to know what the odds are of Greg Maddux taking over the pitching coach role. Let me help you out: ZERO. ZERO chance.

Carrie Muskat explains:

Maddux has made a lasting impression on some of the Cubs' pitchers, but he likes the flexibility of his current job as an assistant to the general manager, which allows him time to be with his family. Expect a new pitching coach to be named after Thanksgiving, and it will most likely be someone promoted from within the Cubs' organization. Among the candidates are Minor League roving pitching coordinator Mark Riggins, bullpen coach Lester Strode, Triple-A pitching coach Mike Mason and Double-A pitching coach Dennis Lewallyn.

And LOHO throws out a huge "Congrats!" to Joey Votto for winning the well-deserved NL MVP award yesterday. Even though he plays for the loathsome Reds, it's hard to argue that anyone was more deserving this season than Votto. And thank GOD someone finally beat Pujols.

Photo courtesy Chicago Tribune

Before we get into Cubs baseball this morning, LOHO wants to throw out some big ups to the Chicago Bears for being the first team in NFL history to win 700 games. The Monsters of the Midway seem to be getting their act sorted at exactly the right time. Bear down!

Unfortunately for the Cubs, who are already mired in the midst of a PR disaster over the renovation of Wrigley Field, more details continue to emerge about the way the Cubs handled the non-hiring of Hall-Of-Famer Ryne Sandberg:

Sandberg said he heard nothing from the Cubs for four days after Quade was hired, not even as much as an offer to return as manager of their Triple-A Iowa team.

"In those four days, I was going in a different direction and figuring out what I was going to do to continue what I was committed to do," Sandberg said.

Sandberg went on to say that the most anyone in the front office saw him manager was 4-5 games, lending creedence to some beat writers' claims that Sandberg was never in the running for the manager position in the first place. I wasn't someone who was convinced that Sandberg was the right manager for this team, but I will never understand theCubs'  decision to put on an elaborate show of interviewing all these managers if Quade had the job from the beginning. Stop wasting money flying all over to interview people and wine and dine them and spend on some better players.

GAWD.

Flanked by representatives of unions and civic groups, Ricketts tried to dispel any suggestion that his proposal would cost the public unless they come through the turnstiles any money at all.

This is not a new tax, not an increased tax and a tax only paid by people who come to Cubs games and buy Cubs tickets," he said. "Taxpayers are being asked for nothing."

The overall $400 million renovation plan for the 96-year-old stadium would include a major overhaul of aging clubhouses, among other things. Ricketts contends the work would create 1,000 construction jobs and those would give way to hundreds of permanent jobs, generating more than $450 million in tax revenue for Chicago, Cook County and the state over the next 35 years.

There's probably not a single one of us who didn't expect it, but Jim Hendry assured us in a Sun-Times article not to expect anything interesting to happen this winter. 

''I'm not worried about the 'splash' factor,'' said Hendry, who might be looking at a 10 percent drop from the $146 million Opening Day payroll of 2010 once chairman Tom Ricketts gets specific with the budget in the next few weeks. ''I'm worried about getting the right guys that make us better. We've already put the fifth-place thing behind us, and we'd like to think we're going to build off the last two months [24-13 finish]. ... It's really imperative that we have two or three really good moves.''

Gordo reminds us that this might not be a bad idea, as Hendry's splash factor signings include Alfonso Soriano and Milton Bradley. Gordo then goes on to give us an idea of what he thinks Hendry might do. First up, starting pitching.

Look for the Cubs to explore modestly priced veteran free agents with track records for durability and consistent innings -- more in the Kevin Millwood/Javier Vazquez/Jake Westbrook mold. 

It doesn't make any sense to me that the Cubs should be searching for a fifth starter when they have so many internal, cheaper options. Can you explain to me how Javier Vazquez would be any better than Casey Coleman on a team that's not going to win anything anyway? Next, he examines first base. He assumes the big splash would be signing Adam Dunn or trading for Adrian Gonzalez.

More likely, the Cubs will look into a fairly deep free-agent pool of second-tier, lefty-hitting first basemen that includes Nick Johnson, Adam LaRoche and Lyle Overbay.

Does it worry anyone else that this is the second time Nick Johnson has been named as a possibility for first base? The final spot Gordo examines is a right-handed reliever. Of course, the splash we all want Hendry to make is Kerry Wood. Gordo says no.

More likely, the Cubs will go after somebody such as Tampa Bay Rays free agent Grant Balfour or Toronto Blue Jays free agent Jason Frasor to supplement a bullpen that returns back-end forces Carlos Marmol and Andrew Cashner, along with plenty of left-handed options.

Once again, why not fill in with one of the young guys rather than pay a free agent (even a no-name free agent) a million or two per season?

Photo courtesy Chicago Tribune

 The Cubs continue with the unintentional metaphors for the 2010 season, having cracked the beloved Harry Caray statue in the prep for the Big Northwestern/Illiois game:

First came the move of his statue, and now comes the news that the Cubs accidentally damaged it while making over the ballpark for the Nov. 20 Northwestern-Illinois football game.

As Caray would say: "Boy, oh, boy."

Less than three months after moving the Caray statue from the corner of Addison and Sheffield to outside the bleacher entrance at Sheffield and Waveland, the base was severely damaged, with a y-shaped crack that runs diagonally from the lower left corner to the upper right corner.

The Liberty Bell-like crack goes straight through the inscription, "Dedicated by the Chicago Cubs, April 12, 1999," running through the "H" in "the" and the "L" in April.

It's really a shame this didn't happen during the filming of "Undercover Boss."

These guys look like I feel. Thanks for letting me sleep in.

We'll start today with a look at Bruce Miles' continuing series on the Cubs roster. Today's bit is on fan favorite Carlos Silva. He had quite the year, coming to a new team, having his mother in the US for the first time, and some other stuff.

From the very beginning, things were interesting. Lou appeared miffed at the beginning of spring training when Silva showed up in what Lou deemed to be not the best of shape. Silva soon rounded (bad choice of words, I know) into shape and began the season 8-0 with a 2.93 ERA through June 7. At the time, there was serious talk that Silva belonged on the NL all-star team (he didn't make it).

The ride ended with Silva finishing at 10-6 with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP, with 113 innings pitched. He had 13 quality starts. Seventeen of Silva's 21 starts came before the all-star break.

The good news for the Cubs this year is that it's the final year of Silva's contract. Maybe he'll start strong again, then Hendry can trade him before his regression to the mean. 

Remember all the talk last spring from Randy Wells about there being no sophomore slump? Then remember how he pitched during 2010? April started off fine, then he went to slump town.

But after beating the D'Backs on April 30, Wells did not record another victory until July 3, even though he did post a pair of 8-plus-inning quality starts along the way.

The killer was the first inning: On May 6, he gave up 5 runs in the first at Pittsburgh; On May 28, he never retired a batter, and the Cardinals scored 5 runs on 6 hits in the top of the first at Wrigley. On June 6, the Astros scored 3 in the first at Houston. By that time, Randy no longer would address the subject of his first-inning blues.

After putting up that nice record in April, he was 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA in May and 0-3 with a 6.14 ERA in June. The ERA was 1.83 in July, and by then, Randy was talking about the sophomore jinx or whatever you want to call it.

So, Bruce Miles, what do you see from Randy Wells in the future?

At his best, Wells looks like a nice No. 4 or No. 5 starter, a guy who doesn't have the greatest of stuff but who can throw some innings. After pitching 165 big-league innings (plus 26 at Iowa) in 2009, Wells almost cracked the 200 mark this year, pitching 194.1. He turned in 18 of the Cubs' 96 quality starts.

Any Bill James projections?

Fangraphs now is running the Bill James projections for 2011. James projects Wells at 11-12 with a 4.12 ERA in 201 innings pitched.

I can live with that.

He was a few days late to the party (maybe it took him that long to write the column), but Rick Morrissey finally weighed in on the Ryne Sandberg situation. 

Cubs fans cling to the past as though it's going to bolt at the first opportunity. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

I'd like to offer some advice:

Let go.

The energy that people continue to expend on Ryne Sandberg would be better used questioning how ownership is going to turn around a fifth-place team. You're furious that Sandberg isn't the Cubs' manager when you should be furious that Alfonso Soriano is the Cubs' left fielder.

Actually, that's not insane. Has he been taking his meds again, or did he just have a single moment of clarity? I'm voting for a single moment of clarity, because this is just a couple paragraphs down the road:

While the owners are busy looking ahead, they should introduce a JumboTron to Wrigley Field. That probably upsets the nostalgia junkies, who prefer 1950, bathroom troughs and butter churns.

So anyone who doesn't want a JumboTron is an Amish Luddite? Maybe he's right, with this convincing argument on his side:

Change is good, which brings us to Wrigley. The Cubs are asking fans whether they would be open to the idea of a JumboTron in or just outside Wrigley. The reaction on message boards has been mixed. But we've all become so used to watching replays in our living rooms that the absence of them in the ballpark is noticeable.

So the JumboTron would be good not as another source of revenue, but because we all want to see replays at the ballpark? Not buying that one. Maybe it's because I don't watch all that many games on tv, but I don't miss a JumboTron when I'm at the game. Sorry, Rick.

Photo courtesy of Lake The Posts

No, not that time of year when Wrigley Field gets turned into something else. The time of year when there's not enough to Cubs news to fill an entire  weekend. Until further notice, LOHO is moving to weekend posts ratther than individual posts for Saturday and Sunday.

So okay. . .  let's see . . . Cubs news. . . Cubs news. .  Cubs news. . .

 First up this Friday, LOHO tips its collective cap to everyone's favorite big league manager, Sparky Anderson, who went on to the big All-Star Game in the sky yesterday:

Reds fans were taken aback when Sparky Anderson showed up for his first day as a big league manager, an unknown taking over baseball's first professional team. Most had never heard of him.

By the time he was done, he was an icon. The sentence-twisting manager with the white hair and schoolboy nickname would win three World Series titles-- including championships in both leagues--and make it to the Hall of Fame.

Anderson directed the Big Red Machine to back-to-back championships and won another in Detroit during a managing career that spanned three decades. He died Thursday from complications of dementia in Thousand Oaks, Calif., at age 76.

RIP, Sparky. Give our regards to Harry and Jack.

I know a lot of you have been waiting with baited breath for Todd Ricketts' appearance on "Undercover Boss." Well wait no longer! Todd's episode will air this Sunday. 

Shedding his standing as a member of the family that acquired control of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field a year ago from Chicago Tribune parent Tribune Co., Todd Ricketts grew a beard, donned fake glasses and, for a late-season nine-game homestand, took on the identity of a job-seeking roofer with a name cobbled from those of former Cubs stars Mark Grace and Andre Dawson.

The idea was to go as Mark Dawson where few pro sports owners have gone, and even fewer would enjoy. And, as viewers of the CBS reality series "Undercover Boss" will see Sunday, it turns out he wasn't quite major-league material.

Ricketts got fired from his maintenance job, merely struggling in a variety of other roles with the team while showcasing and amplifying the voices of the people who actually do the vital work many baseball fans may never consider.

 

So long for now

Jim Hendry announced yesterday that Ryne Sandberg had broken up with the Cubs. Hendry wanted Ryno back, but only as manager of Iowa. 

"I don't think that was ever in his plans, to be in the minor leagues after this year," Hendry said. "Whatever other opportunities he looks into, he always will be welcome here. He knows that. If he chooses that he wants to come to spring training, that would be great. If he wants to pursue other opportunities with somebody else, that would be up to him.

The decision was totally his. I never got the sense that if he wasn't the (Cubs') manager he was going to go back there. We left it entirely up to him. ... That's the decision he made. He always will be a beloved Cub, and hopefully we'll hook up in the path that he feels is appropriate in the near future."

The same day that the Cubs bid farewell to a legend, they brought another legend back into the organization.

During a conference call from Mesa, Ariz., where the Cubs are holding their organization meetings, general manager Jim Hendry and field boss Mike Quade praised new bench coach Pat Listach and new staff assistant Dave Keller.

(snip)

Listach, 43, returns to the Cubs after two years as the third-base coach for the Washington Nationals. He previously worked as a manager and hitting coach in the Cubs system.

Keller, 51, has been the Cubs' minor-league hitting coordinator for the past seven years. In his new role, he will be in uniform before games to help during batting practice and other drills.

I know that all of us cared deeply about the Cubs staying in Mesa for spring training. The voters of Mesa felt the same way, and approved the funding initiative that will help pay for a new Cubs spring training complex.

Voters in Mesa have approved funding for construction of a new spring training facility for the Chicago Cubs.

With nearly all the ballots counted Tuesday night, the proposal was leading by 21,000 votes out of 86,000 cast.

The city will provide up to $99 million to construct the complex two miles southwest of the Cubs' current facility at Hohokam Park. Any additional funds and upkeep of the new park will be financed by the Cubs, who plan to develop a shopping and entertainment area near the ballpark.

Just as the funding for a new facility falls into place, the organization turns their focus towards spring training. Two topics of conversation will be pitchers Chris Carpenter and Andrew Cashner.

One of the players the Cubs will discuss at the org meetings is pitcher Chris Carpenter, who, according to reports, has tickled 100 mph on the radar gun as a reliever in the Arizona Fall League. Carpenter spent most of this year at Class AA Tennessee as a starter, getting a brief call-up to Class AAA Iowa. He could be on an Andrew Cashner type of early career path. Speaking of Cashner, the Cubs figure to debate his future aplenty at the org meetings as to whether he should remain in the pen or go to camp as a starting pitcher. As I pointed out in the notes, that could determine whether the Cubs take a look at a free-agent pitcher such as Kerry Wood for the pen.

 

It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops. Today, October 2, a Sunday of rain and broken branches and leaf-clogged drains and slick streets, it stopped, and summer was gone. -- Bart Giamatti

"I want to be there next year," said Vitters, who is currently getting more at-bats by playing for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. "This is my new goal. I want to make it there at some point next year. Whether it be the halfway point or in September, I want to be there next year."

While Vitters isn't exactly tearing up the AFL, he sees hope in the crappiness of the Cubs' current roster.

Vitters said he is close to regaining full strength in his hand after initially feeling some stiffness. Through 12 games, he was 12-for-50 with a home run and eight RBIs.. He plans to remain in Arizona after the AFL season to continue working out with Cubs strength coach Tim Buss.

"The future of the Cubs is definitely the young guys in the minor leagues, along with guys like (Starlin) Castro and (Darwin) Barney," Vitters said. "It's very exciting to know we have a bright future with the team."

Cain is 3-0 and his ERA is, let's see ... zero. He did allow a run against the Braves, but it was unearned, so that's 21 1/3 innings this October with a 0.00 ledger. You'd say "and counting," except the way the Rangers have performed over the first two games here, you wonder if the World Series just might end in Texas.

Nearly as impressive as his pitching is his modesty.

"Buster (Posey) has done a great job of really pushing me to throw different pitches on different counts, so I owe a ton of credit to him," he said. "I feel like I've improved, but a lot of that has to do with the guys around me. Guys have really stepped up this year."

If 43,601 had not crammed into AT&T Park to witness the tale the Giants penned in Game 1, few would have believed it. They hounded and pounded Lee off the mound in a six-run fifth inning that shot them to an 11-7 win against the Rangers, the "hitting team" in this series.

In addition to the Giants winning, Tony Bennett apparently tore it up with "God Bless America".

Tony Bennett took the field for the first 7th inning stretch of the 2010 World Series on Wednesday night, delivering a rendition of "God Bless America" that had fans singing along in serious fashion while the San Francisco Giants took the Texas Rangers 11-7 at home.

In other news, I once saw Tony Bennett standing outside a hotel on Central Park West in New York. I'm sure you're all pretty impressed.

Bench coach Alan Trammell is leaving to take the same job with manager Kirk Gibson of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Special assistant Matt Sinatro, who came in as a coach with manager Lou Piniella in 2007, also will not be back.

We read yesterday that Ryne Sandberg would be considered for the bench coach position. Today you'll read that Ryne Sandberg won't be considered for the bench coach position.

Ryne Sandberg, who lost out to Quade for the manager's job, is not a candidate for the bench-coach position. General manager Jim Hendry has spoken with Sandberg, and Sandberg is welcome to return to his job as manager of the Cubs' Class AAA Iowa farm team. It's possible Sandberg could take another job somewhere in the Cubs' system.

Had Sandberg been named manager, it's unlikely Quade would have remained on the coaching staff.

The plot thickens...

If the headlines seem a bit disjointed this morning, it's because I've been distracted all morning by trying not to DIE. I woke up to tornado sirens going off, and have been busy ever since counting the number of cows that fly past my window.

I'm sure you understand.

Speaking of Chiclone 2010, mad ups to LOHO reader It'sJenJen, who first coined the phrase on Twitter She's famous!

First up today, a reminder that Cubs Con 2011 is coming up quickly (January 14-16), and there's really no better opporutnity to get drunk and scream at management. . .  at least during the off-season. Individual tickets go on sale November 3, but you can reserve your room at the Chicago Hilton and Towers, complete with up to  4 Cubs Con passes, now. Most importantly, you don't need a Cubs Con pass to hit up the Cubs Fan Mid-Winter Tweetup at Kitty O'Shea's! Get details and RSVP here.

So. . . uh . .  let's see. Cubs news. Cubs news. . . um. .  oh! Here's something!

Todd Ricketts apparently got himself fired from a Cubs maintenance job when he attempted to secretly work for the ball club his family owns for the CBS show "Undercover Boss."

CBS, which announced Monday that it plans to air the Ricketts episode on Nov. 7, said he fights for the chance to redeem himself after getting canned on his second day on the job.

Ricketts also fears his secret has been exposed when a friend recognizes him parking cars, the network said.

Which is probably a surprise to Cubs fans who never knew the team had anyone parking cars.

 

 We've gotten to that time of year when Carl and I are turning over rocks and digging behind old storage boxes in the basement for Cubs news. There's not a lot going on out there right now, what with everyone gearing up for the World Series on Wednesday, but here we go anyway.

In case any of you had plans to go all TMZ paparrazzi on Mike Quade, he wants you to know that he's a "regular guy," and he wants to stay that way:

"The celebrity end of this..." he said, before pausing and realizing he'd referred to himself as a celebrity.

"I hate that term," Quade continued. "I live three blocks from the ballpark, I walk around the neighborhood -- (seeing) dogs, kids and young families. To walk to the ballpark is good. Even before I got this job, I'd walk by Bernie's, and it'd be, 'Hey, coach, good luck today,' and that'd be when we were struggling. Every so often, I'd go by Bernie's and someone would yell 'Hey, don't get anyone thrown out today.'

"It's all good. That's all good to me. That part of being at Wrigley Field, coaching or managing, I do like it. But too much of it? It's a job. I'm thrilled to have it, and it's high profile. I get it all. But I still want to be able to ride the train and hang around town and do the regular things I do, that I've done all my life."

The last Cubs manager to regularly take public transportation was Jim Riggleman, who started out taking the "L" to games when he took over in 1995. At first, he blended in with the rest of the "L" riders.

"I'm 5-11 and medium build," Riggleman told the Tribune in '96. "They don't know who I am, but I hear fans talk about the game. Yes, they sometimes criticize the manager."

Maybe it's his unique look, but I have a feeling Mike Quade is going to be a lot easier to spot on the El than Jim Riggleman.

 

Due to the fact that Carl is passed out somewhere on Bourbon Street and Julie is currently stuck in court on an emergency custody matter, LOHO is experiencing technical difficulties this morning.

If any of you intrepid souls are ambitious enough to fill this space with headlines, feel free to knock your socks off. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for your headlines until Julie is out of court.

Here, I'll give you a topic to keep you occupied: The downfall of Western civilization can be traced directly to the first season of "Survivor."

Discuss.

And a most important topic number two . .

"The record is nice, Hendry said. "And winning never hurts you. But it's what he did behind the scenes and the way he ran the game and the way he handled the players, the way he controlled a lot of issues that could have snowballed ... I don't think that anybody here didn't write that at 5-20 before Mike took over that we were an abysmal Triple-A club playing it out and that we'd probably lose 100 games.

"The record was not just the winning and losing. All the things that he did really made the record."

One of the things he did included bringing in baked goods for the front office regularly. Tom Ricketts wanted a manager who didn't just sit on the bench and spit sunflower seeds.

"No. 1, we wanted a manager who wanted to be a coach," Ricketts said. "Anyone who has seen Mike on the field working with the younger guys and know his history knows that Mike is just that.

"Secondly, we wanted a manager who knows what it's like to be a Cub. Mike grew up in the area. He grew up as a Cubs fan. He's been with the organization for eight years.

"The third thing we were looking for was someone who is committed to the organization for the long haul. Mike has proved that he's got a focus on winning today and to building our organization for the future and over the long run."

Wedge made it clear to Seattle management that he had moved past the incident, however, and it appears that Bradley also wants to move on.  Stone heard from a Mariners official who revealed two texts sent by Bradley praising the club's hire: "Whatever took place was six or seven years ago and I'm over it" and "[Wedge] was a disciplinarian and I felt our team lacked discipline last year. Hopefully, he instills some of that.''

This could be a fun side story to watch in Seattle whenever next season goes south for us.

7:35pm: Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to terms, and the only thing left is a physical.

7:25pm: The Dodgers and Ted Lilly are close to agreeing on a three-year contract, tweetsKen Rosenthal of FoxSports.com. An announcement could come as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

Los Angeles acquired Lilly from the Cubs at the trade deadline this summer, and watched him post a 3.52 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in dozen starts (76.2 innings). He also threw his first complete game shutout since 2004 while in a Dodgers' uniform. Lilly just wrapped up the four year, $40MM contract he signed with Chicago before the 2007 season. 

I'll continue to miss Ted Lilly, but I'm glad it's not the Cubs giving out three-year deals to 35 year old pitchers. Yet.

Citing sources and telephone calls with candidates, the paper listed 14 candidates who already have gone through an interview process, although it is not known how formal some of those talks were. Among those names is Don Baylor, the former Cubs manager and recently freed as hitting coach by the Rockies. 

And we thought the Cubs' process was exhaustive. 14 already interviewed - but there's more.

Seven names are on the "to be interviewed" list, including Sandberg and Cora, as well as Tampa Bay bench coach Davey Martinez, the former Cub.

I hope they don't book Sandberg's and Martinez's interviews back-to-back. Could you imagine what an awkward waiting room situation that would be?

With Cubs candidate Eric Wedge getting the Seattle Mariners job, according to multiple reports Friday night, only in-house candidates Mike Quade -- the presumptive favorite -- and Class AAA manager Ryne Sandberg remain among the finalists brought in for interviews with chairman Tom Ricketts.

The Cubs continue to look for indications from the Girardi camp that the Peoria native has interest in returning to the organization that originally drafted him as a catcher.

It's a process, cautioned one source, that could push a decision past the World Series.

Girardi has conspicuously left the door open to interest in the job he sought four years ago. He remains non-committal publicly -- and privately through back channels, insiders say.

My suspicions lead me to believe that it might be until Spring Training before the Cubs have a manager hired. 

If you missed all the fun yesterday, a brief recap:

Around 2:00 yesterday afternoon, Will Carroll (formerly of Baseball Prospectus) tweeted that  Mike Quade was about to be named the next Cubs skipper, with our beloved Ryno by his side as bench coach.

The story kicked around for a while, eventually being picked up and reported by NBC sports via msnbc.com.

A fewbeat reporters and some self-important bloggers, no doubt reeling from the fact that this "breaking" story came from someone outside of Cubdom, begin passively-agressively tweeting veiled shots at Will, saying, in not so many words, that they don't believe him.

Mystery ensues.

Seriously.

That's it. Nothing new to report.

Alas, don't despair. In order to keep you distracted from all the gossip and innuendo flying around, LOHO is kicking off interactive Friday in style!

Hmmm.

Will Carroll is hearing from sources that Mike Quade is going to have his interim tag removed and will be named the Cubs' next manager.

Triple-A Iowa skipper Ryne Sandberg is going to promoted to the position of Cubs bench coach, according to Carroll, and will probably serve as a kind of successor to Quade. The 53-year-old former third base coach led the Cubs to an impressive 24-13 record down the stretch. Carroll, formerly of Baseball Prospectus, says an official announcement could be made by next week.

We'll keep watching this one.

It's been apparent for about a month that Mike Quade has been the Cubs' top choice for manager, with Ryne Sandberg second.

We've also heard for weeks that the Cubs wanted to make a decision by about the middle of October, and there's a break in the baseball schedule now with no LCS games until Friday night.

MLB doesn't like these announcements distracting from postseason games, so if indeed it's that simple, the Cubs ought to just make the call and get it done immediately.

 

But Barry, it's precisely because it should be done immediately that it won't. I think Gordon Wittenmyer understands the Cubs' front office better than Barry Rozner.

But the Cubs are in no rush to conclude the process for at least two reasons.

For one, they don't have to. As the most attractive of the seven remaining teams with jobs open, the Cubs don't face any significant competitive heat for their top candidates, especially considering that two of the leading candidates are in-house (Quade and Class AAA manager Ryne Sandberg).

The other reason for the deliberate pace, of course, is New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi. A source close to the process said the Cubs continue to monitor potential signals that Girardi, whose contract expires when the Yankees' season is done, might be interested in the job.

 

That sounds more like it. Let's wait till Girardi might be available, then when he isn't, piss off Quade and Sandberg for making them feel like second fiddle.

 

I can't tell you why, but Tom Ricketts interviewed Eric Wedge yesterday for the Cubs managerialopening. The only interesting thing I find about Eric Wedge is that he resembles the Zach Galafianakis character Seth:

 

As for the interview, no one is commenting on the substance:

Sources said Wedge met Monday with Ricketts in Chicago and that second interviews already have taken place with Quade and Sandberg. Cubs general manager Jim Hendry has interviewed former big-league manager Bob Melvin, and Melvin also may get a sit-down with Ricketts.

 

Bob Melvin? Really? Can't we all just agree that Quade or Ryno should get the job?

Of Wedge, Buster Olney of ESPN tweeted: "A friend of Eric Wedge says this about his meeting with Cubs' owners: 'He is a very convincing guy, so this can only help his chances.'

BREAKING NEWS* BREAKING NEWS: Pat Listach is out! I repeat, Pat Listach is out! BREAKING NEWS* BREAKING NEWS

Breaking details:

MLB.com reports: Pat Listach, the Nationals' third-base coach and a former manager in the Cubs' minor-league system, no longer is a candidate for the Cubs' managerial job, according to a baseball source with knowledge of the situation.

Although no reason was given as to why Listach is out of the running, Listach reportedly is on a long list of candidates being considered to replace Cito Gaston as Toronto's manager.

If my calculations are correct, this leaves only Ryne Sandberg, Joe Girardi, Mike Quade, Eric Wedge,  Bob Melvin, Patrick Kane,  Anderson Cooper, Cher, Elizabeth Hasselback, Larry Potash, my next-door neighbor, Carl, and Snooki in competition for the open managerial position. 

More on this breaking story as it. . . breaks.

The Phillies won three games in five days and had just four extra-base hits in three games. The Reds made seven errors. Cincinnati had just 11 hits, tying a new low in a division series.

Good work, NL Central.

The Yankees turned the Twins into a postseason puddle again, getting a brilliant performance from righthander Phil Hughes in their 6-1 Game 3 victory to complete another Division Series sweep.

On Sept. 21, the Twins became the first major league team to clinch a postseason berth. They were also the first team to get bounced from the playoffs.

Next year, I think the Twins should be disqualified from any of LOHO's rooting interest lists.

(I did an interview with the NYT yesterday, and now I may or may not be in a feud with Billie Jean King. More details as they develop.)

To: LOHO

From: Julie

Date: Friday

Re: Postseason

 

I am aware that we haven't witnessed a playoff win since2003.

I am aware that this is the second year in a row we've cheered for the Twins, who have yet to win a postseason game under our patronage.

I am aware that many of you are attributing the Twins' unfortunate performance thus far to what is now being termed "The LOHO Curse."

I am aware that some of you attribue this curse to me and the fact that i've been accused of being a witch.

But hey kids, it's not over yet! Thw Twins were above .500 on the road this season, and there's no reason they can't walk into Yankees stadium and take at least one game to ssend this thing back to the Cities.

As a special treat, and to keep everyone fired up for this series, let's take a look at some reasons we all love Minnesota!

Last night in Houston Carlos Zambrano continued his magical winning ways in an 8-3 Cubs victory. Bobby Scales committed an error and a misplay, trying to send Big Z into a tailspin, but it didn't work.

When manager Mike Quade came out to get Zambrano, it was a tense handoff of baseball from pitcher to manager.

"I didn't see that," said Quade, who is 24-12 as Cubs manager and who has lifted the team into a fourth-place tie with Houston. "I would like him not to (react poorly), but all I saw was a guy that was irritated, and when he handed me the ball, he was mad, and I'm OK with that. I didn't see anything that happened after that.

"I wish after the mistake he would have been able to get some people out. He didn't, so the bullpen picked us up. You know when you're going to go get the ball from him in a situation like that, he's not going to be happy to come out, and he's not going to be happy about what's taken place."

Let's hear from Big Z on his last start of the year:

"I was a little upset because I knew that if I threw to two more hitters and got two more outs, I wound end up with 130 innings," he said. "I was a little tired already. He took me out of the game. The most important thing was we won the game, and that's what counts.

"I came back strong off of the suspension and did what I had to do to come back and be ready and finish the season strong the way I did. It was pretty nice."

And Big Z had some final words, these aimed at Jim Hendry. No word on whether or not Julie and Carlos are in cahoots on this.

"I think we need another good hitter to protect (Ramirez) and Marlon," he said. "I think you know which one I'm talking about. I want (Dunn) here. I want that guy. He wants to play for us, not only this year, but two years ago, he told me he wants to play at Wrigley Field. When you see a guy who wants to play for an organization and he wants to give everything he's got for that organization, that says a lot."

 Two more games to go, kids.\

Two more games until we're relegated to watching other people's teams play in the postseason, staring out the window, and counting the days until Spring.

What's more, Big Z will make his final start of the season tonight. I know the new Z is all about talking about his feelings and writing in his anger management journal and all that, but I still maintain that., when Z is pitching, there's always a chance something fun could happen.

If you still need a reason to watch, I'll mention that out baby Cubs, led by the likes of Brad Snyder, Starlin Castro, and Dawin Barney, are playing some pretty darn good baseball thses days.

Speaking of good baseball, let's have a Mike Quade update:

HOUSTON -- Mike Quade has three games left in the 2010 season before the waiting game begins.

The Cubs will pick their next manager before the organizational meetings begin the first week of November, and Quade has moved from longshot to probable favorite in a matter of weeks.

General manager Jim Hendry won't talk about the interview process, and Quade said he doesn't know when his interview with Hendry will take place.

In an on-going effort to make baseball palatable for LOHOers as long as possible, we will, once again, be choosing a post-season team.

Unlike last year, when we merely let the almighty dollar sway us in the direction of the Minnesota Twins, this year we let democracy run its course.

Beginning today, we wll have a presentation from a "foreign" blogger each day, expounding on why (or why not) we should root for their team in the post-season. The day before the post-season starts, we'll vote on which team has earned our undying, though time-constricted, devotion.

In short, I thought it would work wonders on our self-esteem as fans to feel like decent teams are fighting over us.

Dig?

Our first presentation this season comes from baseblall blogger and Rangers chick extraordinaire Micah Chaplin of the fabulous Baseball Is My BF.

Wow us, Micah.

I was raised in central Iowa a fan of the Iowa State Cyclones and Chicago Cubs. I later chose to cheer for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Texas Rangers, but those early sports allegiances made me the patient, loyal fan I am today. My parents are still Cubs fans, although they've sort of adopted the Texas Rangers as their American League team.

What inspired Big Z to pitch so well last night? It could've been his mother, who got to see him pitch for the first time.

"I knew she was there and she inspired me," Zambrano said. "I've been pitching here for nine years without my mom and today was special. It was good to see her in the stands and good to get the win."

Did he hear her at all during the game?

"She's totally the opposite of my dad," Zambrano said. "My dad can be in the stands and you'll know it. My mom is quiet and she's more calm. If I had a son, I'd be in the stands clapping and doing all kinds of things for him."

Until next year.

When you think about it, it's pretty fitting that Jeff Samardzija is closing out the home season at Wrigley.  After all, some of us started the season with such high hopes. And what have we been reduced to? Considering Jeff Samardzija for the starting rotation.

It's such a perfect way to sum up the entire season. And what we've all been reduced to.

What's more, for those of you who were on board the "Bob Brenly For Manager" express (I'm looking at you, Alex Quigley), your bus has been impounded: 

You guys, I'm so bored.

Even the "manager race," which seems to involve everyone with who has ever touched a baseball, is boring me beyond belief.

Even the growing movement to bring Ozzie to the North Side bores me to tears.

Oh yes, you heard me correctly:

If Jerry Reinsdorf and Kenny Williams really don't want to If Jerry Reinsdorf and Kenny Williams really don't want to employ those who don't want to be there, they should grant Guillen his wish and let him skate with a year remaining on his deal. A risky move to afford Guillen a chance to stick it in the Sox's ear just eight miles north?

It pales in comparison to letting the Twins zoom in and scoop up Jim Thome at a relatively modest wage. Barring the six times they play each other, the Cubs shouldn't enter into South Side thinking. Ever.

So would the Sox, who always have resented the attention the Cubs have garnered, let Guillen go if they knew the destination was Wrigleyville?

"Yes," Williams told the Tribune. "For compensation, just like anyone else under contract."

Brothers no more. The strained relationship between the general manager and the skipper has reached the point of diminished returns.