Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
Considering the Cubs were probably the most disappointing team in baseball in 2009, they definitely have their work cut out for them this offseason in order to return to being a legitimate contender. I guess Cubs fans should take solace in the fact that a winning season was considered a colossal failure -- after all, they have had a winning record in three consecutive seasons for the first time since the Nixon administration now. It's simply a sign that the bar has been raised in Wrigleyville. No longer content to play "lovable losers," Lou Piniella's Cubs are determined to win it all. New owner and lifelong Cubs fan Tom Ricketts has guaranteed the Cubs will win a World Series under his watch.
After altering the best Cubs team since 1945, general manager Jim Hendry has to find a way to get some of that magic back in 2010. He'll have to start by unloading one of the biggest mistakes of his career.
Earlier this season the Chicago Cubs offense was struggling and Milton Bradley was not getting along with hitting coach Gerald Perry. So after considering that Bradley was making a significantly larger chunk of cash than Perry was, the team decided to relieve Perry of his duties and called up Von Joshua from their Triple-A affiliate in Iowa to replace him.
Now Joshua didn't do much to salvage Bradley's season in Chicago, but after taking over the job the Cubs did improve from 14th in batting average to sixth in the Majors, and also went from 15th to sixth in runs scored. So as a way of thanking Joshua for the improvements the team announced on Monday they won't be bringing him back next season.
From the Windup is Matt Snyder's weekly look at some aspect of America's pastime.
Instead of handing our hardware to Joe Girardi, Joe Torre, Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer, Zack Greinke and Chris Carpenter (yes, those would be my votes), I thought we'd mix it up a bit. Plus, being a Cubs fan, I'm plenty filled with negativity at this time of the year -- which, really, is normal. So these are the Bizarro World Awards. The Suck Awards, if you will. The envelopes, please ...
Everyone is out to get Milton Bradley. First it was the umpires, then it was Lou Piniella (or was it Lou, then the umpires? I can't remember). Now, the Chicago Cubs have sent Milton home for the rest of the season just for going to the media and talking about how much he hates the Chicago Cubs, people who like the Chicago Cubs, Chicago, bears, and humanity. When is this guy going to catch a break?
Tonight's Dugout gives you a sneak peek at what to expect when Bradley takes this issue to a higher power than Steve Bartman and his Mystery Goat, or whoever is in charge in Chicago.
CHICAGO -- The simplest approach would be to dismiss Milton Bradley as a worthless, miserable, psychotic, no-good jerk who somehow would sour the happy vibes at a Boy Scouts meeting, all of which is inarguably true. But the bigger problem in Cubdom, which is experiencing a more acute depression than usual in its 101st consecutive season without a World Series title, is the brainiac who signed him last winter.
That would be Jim Hendry, the general manager. Once so driven by his job that he signed pitcher Ted Lilly to a $40 million contract while in his hospital bed following a heart procedure, Hendry overthought himself on Bradley to the point of wrecking a potentially historic team. He gambled that Bradley could be the offensive threat to push the Cubs past the first round of the postseason, ignoring the long, poisonous pattern of Bradley distracting or downright disrupting every team that has employed him. Rather than savor a healthy clubhouse chemistry mix, Hendry dumped the popular and versatile Mark DeRosa and replaced him with Bradley, the antithesis of good vibes, selflessness and 162-game peace.
It seems that not only is Milton Bradley's season in Chicago over, but his time as a Chicago Cub us as well. This weekend Bradley pulled himself out of two games due to a knee injury, gave the local media a hard time and then went out and slammed the Cubs and their fans in an exclusive interview. The Cubs responded to that interview by suspending Bradley for the remainder of the season, and it was a move that's been fully supported by both fans and Bradley's teammates.
Now it seems that the Cubs are going to do everything in their power to rid themselves of Bradley's presence on the team. According to sources within the organization the Cubs will try to move Bradley this winter in a trade.
In a season chock full of controversy -- which isn't anything new for Bradley -- everything came to a head Sunday morning when Bradley dissed the Cubs, Cubs fans and the entire city of Chicago. This following a game in which Bradley pulled himself out of the lineup, claiming his knee was too sore to continue, and then basically ignored probing reporters after the game.
From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.
Every Hot Stove season, each team reshapes its roster in an attempt to better themselves. After each transaction, whether a free agent acquisition, trade or something else, writers and bloggers everywhere provide knee-jerk reactions on each particular move. Though the majority of the analysis is educated, it's still just conjecture. Today, we'll take the long view and look back at some of the maneuvering this past offseason and see how it played out on the field.
CHICAGO -- Midwestern values? Sorry, I've never detected more common sense here than anywhere else, particularly during baseball season in the heartland capital. Chicago is where a father/son tag team, one with a knife falling from his pocket, tackled an enemy first-base coach who never has emotionally recovered. Chicago is where a bond trader attacked Cubs relief pitcher Randy Myers for allowing a home run. Chicago is where a fan stole the cap of Dodgers catcher Chad Kreuter, prompting his teammates to rush into the stands. Chicago is where a riot broke out and fires erupted on Disco Demolition Night.
Chicago is where psycho fans come to pillage and plunder, possibly a byproduct of having won only one World Series over the last 191 collective seasons -- soon to be 193 -- on both sides of town. Philadelphia boos Santa Claus? Cleveland throws batteries at helmeted, padded football players? New York, Boston, Detroit? Those places are mellow compared to Chi, the city that really should taser morons after Oakland introduced the idea last week, the city where so-called regional sensibilities don't always apply at the two ballparks.
What was supposed to happen by the end of May, er, in February, er, in December of 2008 -- you get the idea. The sale of the Chicago Cubs from Sam Zell's Tribune Company has been dragging along at a sloth-like pace for as long as anyone cares to remember. Judging by this past weekend, though, it appears the finishing touches of the sale are coming to fruition.
Zell's group has agreed to sell the Cubs to the Ricketts family -- who made their fortune through TD Ameritrade -- for what is reported to be close to $900 million. The only remaining steps are that the sale must be approved by the rest of the baseball owners and then by a court (because the Tribune Company is operating over Chapter 11 bankruptcy).
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
Earlier this season the Chicago Cubs offense was struggling and Milton Bradley was not getting along with hitting coach Gerald Perry. So after considering that Bradley was making a significantly larger chunk of cash than Perry was, the team decided to relieve Perry of his duties and called up Von Joshua from their Triple-A affiliate in Iowa to replace him.
Everyone is out to get 
CHICAGO -- The simplest approach would be to dismiss 
It seems that not only is Milton Bradley's season in Chicago over, but his time as a Chicago Cub us as well. This weekend Bradley pulled himself out of two games due to a knee injury, gave the local media a hard time and then went out and 
After putting up with his antics for the past several months, the 
CHICAGO -- Midwestern values? Sorry, I've never detected more common sense here than anywhere else, particularly during 
What was supposed to happen by the end of May, er, in February, er, in December of 2008 -- you get the idea. The sale of the Chicago Cubs from 
