Kuzul

With September here, Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano will be staying right where he wants to be. Any talk of wanting to win or excuses about the weather are just that—excuses.

Soriano reportedly turned down a trade to the Giants previously because he wasn’t fond of the weather in San Francisco.

Giants players beg to differ. Angel Pagan said on ESPN Chicago, “I’ve been in pretty much every division and when you play in a place like San Francisco your body lasts longer. It’s good, I like it.”

Soriano’s former teammate Ryan Theriot agreed that the temperatures are more comfortable while adding, “It’s a big ballpark.”

Theriot went on to say, “From a hitter’s standpoint, there are a lot of things stacked up against you when you go out there. It’s a challenge, but you can hit there.”

Therein lies one of the reasons. While Soriano couldn’t give a damn about winning—he does care about his numbers, and those are likely to dwindle at a much tougher hitters’ park than Wrigley Field.

Soriano’s latest blurb was reported in Paul Sullivan’s column in the Chicago Tribune Saturday, saying “It’s one month, so it’d have to be a perfect place for me to go because I don’t want to go anywhere for one month.”

That statement comes in the same article where he’s quoted, “I like it here, but I don’t like to lose, especially late in my career. I just want to go someplace to win.”

If he were telling the truth, what kind of hardship would it be to go for one month to a team with a chance to win a championship? 

Another fallacy is the reason he allegedly rejected a trade to the Giants—the weather.

San Francisco is the most temperate climate in the U.S. The range of temperature varies less than anywhere else in the country.

He would have arrived in August to an average high of 67 and low of 55. September is 70 and 56, while October, if the Giants made it that far, is 69 and 55.

In contrast, Chicago averages a high of 58 in April with a low of 37. I’ve been there many days when I wished it was 37. The same for May. I’ve spent many a Memorial Day freezing at Wrigley.

While it might not get as warm in San Francisco as Chicago, it also gets nowhere near as cold. I think that would be a lot harder on Soriano’s knees than playing in the city by the bay.

The Giants’ former home—Candlestick Park—was famous for the wind whipping off the bay and generally freezing everybody out. They took that into consideration building AT&T Park to ensure the same weather conditions would not prevail there. 

It’s just another excuse for a player who’s comfortable losing. There is no pressure. That wouldn’t be true with the Giants, though Soriano was feeling pretty smug about himself after belting a homer Friday.

“I feel sorry for them if they tried to (acquire) me because they know what I can do.”

I know what he can do too. Three hits in 28 at-bats in six playoff games in 2007 and 2008 with nary an extra-base hit or RBI.

That’s why I wanted him gone.

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Anyone want to see the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox battle this weekend at Wrigley Field? If you want to sit in the Budweiser Bleachers, this “marquee” game will set you back $280 for a pair.

Does anyone think a matchup between the Cubs, with a 20-40 record and last place in the NL Central, and the last place Red Sox in the East at 29-32 is a premium game that should be priced that way?

It’s all part of the pricing structure for the Cubs. There are bronze, silver, gold, and platinum games in addition to the top of the line marquee level.

According to the Cubs online website, the pricing in the Budweiser Bleachers are set through dynamic pricing. It says the Cubs adjust ticket prices on changing market factors such as team performance.

Stop right there!

Is there anything about the Cubs performance so far this year that should require you to go to a Payday loan store to be able to sit in the bleachers?

I remember going to the game as a kid when it cost a dollar to sit there. The view is still the same. So is the distance. They’re not any closer to the field.

And look at what you’re watching—a team on pace for the worst record in franchise history. That’s the Cubs who haven’t won since 1908, so you know how bad this team is.

At least when I spent my buck, I was watching players like Ernie Banks and Ron Santo.

How can they justify the prices they are charging to watch this team?

According to Time Moneyland on the web, the Cubs have the second highest average ticket price in baseball at $108.70.

Is it right to gouge the fans for premium prices when the product on the field is anything but premium?

The organization is moving in the right direction, and for that I applaud them.

But that doesn’t change the fact they haven’t won for 104 years? It also doesn’t alter the likelihood of them winning anytime soon.

Given that, it’s time they pay their fans back for the loyalty the organization has received for so many years when it wasn’t warranted.

If they’re really going to base pricing on performance, shouldn’t Cubs tickets be among the lowest in baseball?

Is any Cubs game a marquee game with what is performing on the field?

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The most diminutive player on the field for the Chicago Cubs is showing them where the future of the organization needs to be headed. When Theo Epstein took the job, he already had a plan in place.

The only guesswork was how do you win playing at Wrigley Field? Tony Campana has provided him with the answer.

It’s always tough to score at Wrigley in April and May—even when the team has a roster full of sluggers. This season highlights it more than ever with the Cubs having a shortage of power in the lineup.

Speed is the answer to the question a century of Cubs GM’s have never asked. That is the secret to winning at Wrigley.

Considering the Cubs have never won the World Series while playing there, it was probably easier for Columbus to discover America than it has been for the Cubs to solve that riddle.

I would have to be crazy to suggest that Campana, who looks more like a bat-boy than a player, is the “Holy Grail” for Cubs fans. It’s not him specifically but what he represents.

Despite being a menial major leaguer who best fits as a fourth or fifth outfielder, Campana has demonstrated what the Cubs have been missing.

Looking at the numbers, here’s a player with a career .309 OBP who has scored 39 runs in 256 at-bats. If you look at a typical leadoff hitter, he will come to the plate over 600 times in a season.

Projecting those numbers out, Campana would be close to a 100 runs scored for the season. That’s for a player who can barely get on base, but amazing things happen when he does reach.

In 42 career stolen base attempts, he has been thrown out only five times.

Once he gets on, the pitcher forgets about concentrating on the batter. Instead, almost his entire focus is on Campana—whether it’s looking him back to first or throwing over so many times it elicits boos from the fans.

It also gives the hitter an advantage, because he’s far more likely to see a fastball to give the catcher a chance to throw the runner out.

Campana has mentioned in the past that if he gets on base, it’s like a double, because of the assumption he’s going to steal.

A player like him puts pressure on the defense. Even an infield grounder is an adventure, because the fielder knows he has a split second to make a play or he’s going to beat it out.

If he’s on third with less than two outs, which happens fairly often because he doesn’t just steal second, almost any ball to the outfield, and most infield grounders, are an automatic run.

A player like Campana completely changes the way a team plays against the Cubs. It hasn’t done much for them this year, because they are so inept. But a few years down the line—with better personnel—it could do wonders.

Look at the White Sox in 2005 when they added Scott Podsednik to the team. He gave them the same dynamic Campana gives the Cubs.

It worked, because they became the first Chicago team since 1917 to win the World Series. It wasn’t only him, but they wouldn’t have won without him.

I admit I don’t watch as many Cubs games as I have in the past, because as I said—they’re bad. But when Campana’s up, I don’t turn the channel.

I like to see him run, and I love to see the commotion he causes on the base-paths.

Don’t think I’m crazy. I’m not saying Tony Campana is the missing piece to the puzzle for the Cubs. Instead, he solves the puzzle of what it takes to win at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs just need a few bigger and better Tony Campana’s to fill the roster in the next few years.

Speed kills, and a lack of it has been killing the Cubs for years.

With a new regime, it’s time for that to change.

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Kerry Wood was a great story in his day, and is among the most beloved Chicago Cubs, but his expiration date has past. The only reason he was brought back was to appease the fans and the owner.

Wood garnered the loudest ovation at the Cub Convention with the “surprise” announcement that he had just signed a contract.

It was a public relations coup, but not so much for the parent club. On a team not expected to go anywhere, why bring back a soon-to-be 35-year-old setup-man?

Wouldn’t it be better to spend that $3 million on someone who could help you in the future? Maybe develop a young pitcher into that role who will be there when you can hopefully contend in a few years.

It was good to see Wood have a good outing on Friday. After his disastrous earlier outings that blew two winnable games, if Wood is going to be an asset to the Cubs, it’s as a trade chip.

I couldn’t find anything on his contract about if there is a no-trade clause or not, but the only way his signing made sense from a team standpoint is if there wasn’t.

Wood is an iconic Cub, along with the likes of Ernie Banks and Ryne Sandberg. Ever since he struck out 20 Houston Astros in just his fifth major-league start, he’s been a darling at Wrigley Field.

He looked like he was on the way to a Hall-of-Fame career after winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1998, but injuries derailed him. He became the poster boy for unfulfilled expectations.

Along with Mark Prior, he almost led the Cubs to the World Series in 2003, but he lost Game 7 against the Florida Marlins that year in the NLCS. That started the downfall of the team and seemingly his career.

He’s no longer a starter because of the stress it put on his arm. Going to the bullpen saved his career, but he’s been beset by injuries on a regular basis.

Wood is a reminder of everything that went wrong for the organization, and in a way, everything that has been wrong with the Cubs for over a hundred years.

Cubs fans don’t need a mascot. That’s all Wood is for them now.

If he pitches better, he might help them win a few games, but they’re better off losing.

Since baseball changed what you can and can’t do this year when it comes to signing players and offering bonuses, they might as well be real bad so they can get a top draft pick next year.

That’s the future—not Kerry Wood.

It’s time to stop the pandering and playing to the crowd and time to start getting on with the business of building a team.

Cubs fans aren’t buying losing 8-1 anymore as being a good day as long as Sammy Sosa hit a homer. The culture has changed, as have the prices. The Cubs have the third-highest-priced ticket in baseball.

That’s too much money to pay to watch the past. If you want Kerry Wood in the organization, hire him as a coach or for the broadcast team. I’m all for that.

But for the future of the Cubs, please say goodbye to him as a baseball player.

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All you ever hear about in Chicago is how the city is all about the Chicago Bears.

You hear it on the radio. You read it in the newspapers. You hear fans and other Chicagoans say it.

But, let me be the one to tell you that they’re all wrong.

You have two baseball teams in Chicago—the Cubs and the White Sox. But, there is only one football team.

So, theoretically, everyone is a Bears fan.

While that might be true, the difference is in the game.

Nobody would argue that if you’re talking baseball only, it’s a Cubs town. For a while, some media tried to say that Chicago was a Sox town shortly after they won the World Series.

Of course, that was proven wrong, because the Sox only draw good attendance to their games when they are winning. This brings me to the basis of my argument.

The Cubs have generally been miserable since, well, forever.

They’ve failed to win a championship since 1908. Yet, for the last eight years, they have drawn over 3 million people annually to Wrigley Field.

And, over 2 million fans have packed the park every year since 1984 except for 1986, 1994 and 1995.

Neither rain nor hail nor sleet nor snow can keep Cubs fans from passing through the turnstiles and supporting their team. A true Cubs fan is more reliable than the postman.

Bears fans could say they sell out every game, too. They’d be correct. But, how many home games do they play every year? Eight?

Football is an event played once a week. Fans plan around the game, including tailgating—it’s something they look forward to all week.

Furthermore, pro football is usually played on a Sunday, when most people are off.

Baseball teams play 81 home games a year, and game dates and times are almost always inconvenient.

And, the Cubs have more day games than any other team in the MLB, which puts them at a disadvantage for drawing the most people possible because of work and school.

And they average 37,000 at every game.

Even the night games are not much of an advantage for the Cubs, because families with kids have to send them to school the next day, or they have to go to work early.

Weather is also a factor.

In baseball, tickets are often times available the day of the game at the gate, while tickets for football games are all sold in advance. How many walk-ups are you going to get on a miserable, Spring Chicago day?

Yet, the fans keep coming and supporting a losing team year after year.

Can you imagine the Cubs being in the World Series and on the verge of winning a MLB title for the first time in a million years?

TV ratings would be through the roof. In fact, I would be willing to bet that it would be the highest-rated World Series ever.

I know fans would argue that the Super Bowl numbers would blow it away, but again, that is an event people plan far in advance.

It’s only one game, while the World Series can take up to seven.

What would the numbers be if the sports were reversed?

In 2003, when the Cubs were on the brink of making the World Series, there were thousands of people gathered outside the ballpark on Waveland Avenue ready to celebrate in the streets once the Cubs won.

They weren’t even watching the game, save for maybe a guy holding a small TV on his shoulder. They just wanted to be part of the atmosphere.

I think that the Cubs winning the World Series would be the biggest sports story of the last hundred years, with the Miracle on Ice being a very close second.

You can say that this is all speculation on my part and that I don’t know what I’m talking about, but do you really think Bears fans would support an inept franchise 81 games a year, year after year?

Is that doubt that I see creeping in? Are you starting to buy into my theory that Chicago really is a Cubs town?

I may sound crazy.

But, I might be right.

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With a flare for the dramatic, Theo Epstein pulled a Kerry Wood out of his hat, appeasing the throng of Cubs fans on hand at the annual Cubs Convention. Theo really knows how to play a crowd, but this move smacked of the past regime throwing the fans a bone.

Listening to Epstein talk, I thought he was above pandering, but now I’m not so sure.

Cubs fans universally love Kid K, but he’s no longer the phenom who struck out 20 Houston Astros in just his fifth major league start.

If you watched him pitch that day, you would have assumed the Hall of Fame would be polishing up a bust of him for his future nomination. Unfortunately, his career was plagued by injuries, and Wood became the poster boy of all the bad luck that is the Chicago Cubs.

Do Cubs fans need a mascot? I thought that was Ronnie Woo Woo.

I love Kerry Wood as much as the next guy, but where are the Cubs going next year?

Was this a Theo Epstein move, or was it dictated by Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, who is a big fan and wants him somewhere in the organization after his career ends?

Since Theo supposedly has autonomy over the roster, maybe he was trying to win favor with his boss, even though he doesn’t need to.

Perhaps this was a marketing ploy to keep the fans coming through the turnstiles despite the fact the team will probably not be contending for anything this year.

But isn’t the front office the attraction? Do the Cubs have a bigger star than Theo? Won’t the fans pay the freight knowing there is now hope for the future?

I know Theo’s not performing on the field, but isn’t the thought of him there enough to keep the crowds coming?

Maybe because Wood signed below market value last year when former GM Jim Hendry signed him to a $1.5 million contract, the current brass felt they owed him something.

Epstein said he wasn’t going to make any moves like bringing back a fan favorite if it didn’t help the team on the field.

You can say Wood makes them better, but at what cost? His contract is for $3 million with a club option. That sounds like a lot more than they initially offered him.

Why did the numbers change, and why did it suddenly become so important to bring Wood on board?

Was it done strictly for the buzz and good feeling it created at the convention? You have to admit the timing was perfect.

It could be that Wood is the kind of veteran to teach the young players the right way to be a professional. Management might think that is more valuable than what he contributes on the mound.

There was talk earlier in the week that the Cubs were going to cut ties with Wood and possibly bring in Jason Varitek from the Red Sox for his leadership abilities. When that came out in the local daily, fans were incensed that they would bring in an outsider at the expense of their beloved Wood.

Did Theo buck to the pressure?

I would hope not.

He’s shown the guts to finally blow up the team and start from scratch. I admire that, and I’ve been waiting for the Cubs to do that my entire life.

He’s preaching patience, because doing things the right way takes time. It’s taken 103 years of doing things the wrong way, so it’s not too much to ask for a little patience when somebody’s doing it right.

Just don’t cry at the trade deadline when Theo sends Woody to a contender for a prospect that might be a part of the Cubs finally winning.

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After hearing new Cubs manager Dale Sveum at his press conference on Friday, I’m having second thoughts about my comments about him the other day. There is nothing I hate more than someone who says one thing one day and something else the next, so let me spell it out for you.

He still was not my choice. I clearly said I wanted Mike Maddux and would have settled for Sandy Alomar Jr.

That being said, I like the way he came across in the interview session. He impressed me with what he had to say, especially about holding players accountable and playing hard.

That’s something they didn’t do last year, and to me, that is inexcusable.

He had a chance to witness that first-hand from the Milwaukee Brewers dugout, and he seemed to allude that he was disgusted by it.

In an article on ESPN Chicago he said, “You’re trying to create a situation where the other team knows how you play the game. The worst thing that happens in baseball is when we look over and are like, That team, man, they’re dogs.”

The Cubs had enough of those to start a kennel, and hopefully the new regime will sweep them out.

From the baseball side, he seems to be a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll.

He feels there is a place for stats, but he’s not married to them. His philosophy appears to be it depends on the situation, which is good, because that seems to mean he can think.

Sveum is known as a players’ manager, but he doesn’t have a problem getting in their face if they’re not doing what they’re supposed to. 

That’s a refreshing change from Mike Quade. Players would get in his face (Ryan Dempster) or he would joke about someone emasculating him saying, “That’s just Carlos.”

He also tried to emphasize that blaming the conditions at Wrigley Field for the teams’ history of failures are just excuses, and that the ballpark has to become a home-field advantage for the Cubs.

How he’s going to do that is up in the air, and he’s going to need help from the front office to supply him with the right players to make that happen.

There is a lot of work to be done. This is a construction site, and the rebuilding hasn’t even begun.

They need a third and first baseman, and possibly someone at second, though I like Darwin Barney’s hustle. The entire outfield is a mess, and might be the worst in baseball.

Soriano might end up being a special project of Sveum’s if he is still here next year, which unfortunately is likely. Marlon Byrd is hustle and not much else, and right field is a question mark that hopefully will be answered by rookie Brett Jackson.

That’s not even getting to the pitching staff. They need at least two starters, and someone has to either fix what’s wrong with Carlos Marmol, or move him out of the closer’s role.

Sveum can only work with the tools he’s provided with.

He seems like a serious guy, but he exhibited a sense of humor when talking about his “nuts.”

He said everything right in the press conference, but once the season starts and reality sets in, we’ll see if it was just talk, or if this guy also walks the walk.

There used to be a Chicago Bulls player who later got a job on the local sports scene named Norm Van Lier. When something somebody did bothered him, he would say, “I’m going to put a foot up his ass.”

If I see Sveum do that to Alfonso Soriano next year during one of his many “dog” moments, then, he’ll be my guy.

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As we patiently wait for the Theo Epstein hostage watch to play out while Boston figures out what they can extort from the Cubs, there has been some alarming thoughts on current lame-duck manager Mike Quade.

Some baseball “experts” are saying he might stay and finish out his contract next year. They are even making arguments for him staying, and giving reasons why it makes sense.

The thought is since he’s under contract, and Theo will have a lot of things to work on when he gets in, it might just be better to let him finish out his contract and bring in a new manager in 2013.

One of the arguments is there could be a better selection of managerial candidates at that time, or maybe Terry Francona can come in after taking a year off after the negative press that came out about him dies down.

There is also the thought that the Cubs won’t be ready to contend next year anyway, so why make a change.

That is completely the wrong type of thinking and hopefully Theo is smarter than that. In fact, if he thinks it does make sense for Quade to stay, then he is the wrong choice for the job.

You have to change the culture immediately. Keeping Quade means the country club atmosphere continues.

There is also a lack of respect for him that is troubling for the young players on the team like Starlin Castro. The way he doesn’t hold the veterans accountable is an example that you don’t want him to continue to see and possibly adapt himself.

Last year, Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, and Carlos Zambrano showed the lack of respect they have for Quade, with Zambrano being quoted, “What manager” when he was asked a question.   

Keeping Quade also means the Cubs continue to be a fundamentally inept team.

What sense does it make to bring in a new GM and keep the same, tired old manager who showed he was in way over his head?

It doesn’t matter if the Cubs aren’t good in 2012.

The Theo Epstein era has to start with someone to tell the players what the team expects of them, and how they want them to play the game. Kirk GIbson did that in Arizona and he led them to the playoffs this year.

Bringing in a new guy and clearing out a bad coaching staff is the only way to start this new regime.

Otherwise, you waste the excitement of the Epstein hiring, whenever it happens.

All of the positive buzz about the Cubs landing the big fish will be drowned out by keeping the minnow Quade around.

Replacing him with Ryne Sandberg would make Epstein look even better in the eyes of Cub fans than he already does.

It’s time to correct the mistake made last year. Let Quade go and give Ryno the job.

Fans will be partying in the streets of Wrigleyville with the news, and hopefully in short order, there will be another kind of celebration.

I don’t want to jinx it, but I think you know what I’m talking about.

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Horrifying news broke this afternoon for Chicago Cub fans with the announcement that Player Personnel Director Oneri Fleita had his contract extended. Knowing that he was a Jim Hendry guy, you would think he would likely be out when the Cubs hired a new general manager.

With this move, owner Tom Ricketts just put the kibosh on any of the big name GM’s being bandied about coming to the Cubs. Do you think they’re going to want to be told who they have to employ?

What was he thinking? The timing is crazy, just like waiting until July 22 to fire Hendry and keeping him around another month to make trades and sign draft picks.

Was there any urgency that this had to be done now? He just handcuffed the entire organization and dashed the hopes of Cub fans everywhere.

There has been nothing to look forward to this season until Hendry was let go. Then the names came out about who the Cubs would have interest in. Finally, I was looking forward to what would happen in the offseason.

I was excited, and I don’t get excited easily.

I was wondering what the team was doing with Quade continuing to play his veterans and try to win games when it doesn’t matter anymore, and hasn’t since early May.

Because there is no one in the organization to dictate what should be done now and that is giving the young players an opportunity, this is another completely wasted year.

They also didn’t trade away any veterans for prospects because interim GM Randy Bush wanted to leave that for the new guy.

Year 2 for Tom Ricketts—same as the first—only worse.

It’s scary, but it really seems like this guy doesn’t have a clue, and he’s the one we’re counting on to make the decision that is going to affect the future of this franchise.

He was a fan before he was an owner. He convinced his daddy to buy the team for him because he told him “They sell out every game, every day, win or lose.”

You can’t have a fan running the team. Who is advising this guy?

He should have hired a baseball guy as soon as he was handed the keys. He had plenty of time to do research while the process was taking place.

Instead, he came in like a farm boy looking up at the tall buildings in the big city and going, “Golly gee.”

He’s in over his head and because he is the owner of the team—all hope is dead.

The offseason no longer matters because he will get it wrong. That’s what this move proves.

Since he took over the team, because of his looks and speaking manner, he has been compared to Mike McCaskey of the Chicago Bears, who is persona-non-grata in Chicago.

The bad news is—he is Mike McCaskey.

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With September here, it’s only a month away from the Cubs starting the only season that matters to them this year—hunting season for a new general manager. And according to all reports, Cub owner Tom Ricketts is hunting big game.

You keep hearing Andrew Friedman, Brian Cashman, Theo Epstein and Billy Beane’s names thrown out there.

Cashman and Friedman will be available once the season is over, while Epstein has a year left on his contract, and Beane owns a piece of the A’s and is signed through 2014.

Epstein is an intriguing figure. Having broken the Bambino’s curse, would he be brave enough to take on the billy goat?

Others came close before him in Boston, but in Chicago, we’re not playing with hand grenades – because the Cubs haven’t been close enough to cause collateral damage.

He is exactly what Tom Ricketts described when talking about what he was looking for in a new GM. The problem is he would probably want a title that has president in it.

Normally a team will let you out of your contract if you are bettering yourself, but moving laterally doesn’t fit that criterion. Would he really want to leave his favorite team growing up, along with deep pockets for the challenge that is the Chicago Cubs?

While I would love him, I don’t see that happening.

Speaking of deep pockets, there is talk Cashman is ready to leave the Yankees because he is tired of working for the Steinbrenner boys. He’s had a lot of success in New York, but he inherited a stacked team, and has unlimited funds that nobody else can match.

You have to ask if he is as good a GM as his record indicates. It’s easy to build a team when you can pay for your mistakes to go away. He’s not going to have that in Chicago.

The question is if he really is that good a general manager. I don’t think he’s good enough to break the curse in Chicago, and I would take a pass.

That brings up to my choice—Andrew Friedman. The word is that he is very comfortable in Tampa.

THIS IS NOT MY COMPLETED ARTICLE. I PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED THAT EVERYTHING AFTER THIS DISAPPEARED TO THE EDITOR, AND THEY DELETED THE MESSAGE AND LEFT MY ARTICLE AS-IS ON THIS SITE. IT HAPPENED NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE. I DELVED INTO MY THOUGHTS ON FRIEDMAN AND BEANE. I WAS GOING TO REDO THE ARTICLE FOR A THIRD TIME TONIGHT, BUT AFTER THE EXTENSION FOR ONERI FLEITA TODAY, I DON’T THINK IT MAKES SENSE ANY LONGER, BECAUSE I THINK BIG-NAME GM’S ARE NOW OUT OF THE MIX. IF I CHANGE MY MIND AND HAVE SOME TIME, I’LL FINISH IT, OTHERWISE, SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE, BUT IT WASN’T MY FAULT, IT WAS BLEACHER REPORTS.

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