On The Baseball Winter Meetings
I've always had a soft spot for the Cubs. I love Chicago, I love Wrigley Field, I love WGN Radio and like the Tribune Company, so it's a good fit.
I'm also a diehard Cardinals fan, which makes this fit as appropriate as an orthodox Muslim spinning a dreidel.
That said, the Cubs seem to get the bounce from my hometown bias more than the team I really root for. It's easy for me to pick the Cards to win the NL Central ever year; save 2003, they've done this each of the past seven years. To place Chicago up there with them is something harder to justify.
It's just every year they look so good.
2007 is not much of an exception, even if pitching is as rare for GM Jim Hendry as a healthy cardiovascular system. Thoughts on the Cubs' moves so far:
Locking up Aramis Ramirez: smart, but only if Sweet Lou does his job. A-Ram came over while Sosa was still in town, and the question is how much of his bad attitude rubbed off on the youngster from Pittsburgh. Dusty Baker's biggest misstep on the North Side was not managing his team (odd, for someone paid to be a manager) and the Cubs seemed to be more of a collection of Starting Lineup figurines than a baseball team. Pinella's a disciplinarian, and his first task will be jacking up A-Ram's work ethic to the level of Scott Rolen and David Wright.
Backing the Brinks truck up to Alfonso Soriano: what happened to the outfield hurting your chances at big money in free agency? Asshole. That said, he was the premiere player on the free agent market, and it gives the team the Offensive Threat. Having someone like that to take the pressure off of Ramirez - and most importantly Derrek Lee - makes those two latter hitters better, granted that, again, Pinella doesn't let his third baseman glide on his new fat contract.
The big question here is the money the Cubs have tied up in their new center fielder, so the verdict's going to be out on this one for a while. Either the Cubs have themselves a franchise player who'll have his number flying atop Wrigley Field, or the payroll is shot New York Knicks-style for the next half-decade.
Ted Lilly, forty-million dollar man: umm, no. This one admittedly could go either way, since pitching is one of those crazy things you can rarely ever predict. Lilly's very unproven, though, and this deal is another crazy bid for whatever mediocre talent is out there in a depleted market. Cards' GM Walt Jocketty does this all the time, except he pays chump change and gets gold. Everyone else bets the farm and ends up with manure. Kip Wells is hardly anything to crow about, but one year, $4 million is worth a try and won't cost in the long run if it fails. $10 million a year for four years is 50-50 for a proven winner, and the odds aren't in your favor for a guy with a .500 lifetime record and ERA above 4.50. Like Ted Lilly, for example. The point: potential upside, but with a contract that big you're risking too much.
And while we're involving the Blue Jays, there's no way that this one turns out as bad for Chicago as the Burnett signing will for Toronto, who are one year into a five year, $55 million General Hospital episode directed by Frank Thomas, who won the Ontario Lottery. Idiots.
Central Division Standings: STL, CHI, HOU, CIN, MIL, PIT. The Cubs pitching is still a question, and their offense has to gel before it can be accepted. Right now it's all potential. Houston has some pop (but no one to get on in front of it,) and Cincy needs starters, stat. Milwaukee's going backwards. Pittsburgh has pretty uniforms.
ON J.D. DREW FOR FIVE YEARS, $70 MILLION TO BOSTON
Ha! Theo, you're a dumbass.
ON GREG MADDUX MAKING $10 MILLION IN SAN DIEGO THIS YEAR
On the surface this nets the Padres about ten or twelve more wins. That's forgetting the influence that Maddux can have on pitchers, though. Chalk about ten more wins up between Chris Young and Jake Peavy as well. Well, maybe that's too many more wins. Anyway, Padres win the west. Again. (And lose in the first round. Again.)
ON THE RUMOR THAT THE CARDINALS WANTED BARRY BONDS
What was ESPN high on? I understand the report - that Tony La Russa (pictured here as a giant bunny) wanted to talk to his agent's "guy," but how you go from that to spending at least $15 million you don't have on a busted up .240-hitting clubhouse cancer when right now either Brad Thompson or Chris Narveson is your fifth starter? Think, people, think. Jocketty's firm denial pleased me greatly.
Just sign Weaver already, whydon'tcha.