Easy Like Sunday Morning

Did everyone remember to fall back? Four weeks ago today the Cubs played their last game of the 2006 season against the Rockies and to say there as been a lot of change would be an understatement. There are a lot of holes still to fill and a lot of questions to answer before the Lou Piniella era takes the field in February at Fitch Park....including a new team president?

Here is the latest from the mill and news from the AFL....

Dave Dombrowski and Larry Lucchino....

Dave Dombrowski just built a winner in Detroit and the rumors continue that he could be heading to Chicago to be the new president of the Cubs. During the ALCS Dombrowski's name was mentioned as a possible replacement for interim president John McDonough. A report in Sunday morning's Boston Herald brought up his name again as well as Larry Lucchino. Lucchino knows how to deal with storied teams and historic ballparks.

"But as one baseball official said about the Cubs, "It's more of a baseball problem than an upper-management problem. They have made poor decisions with their major league team and their player development."

Hitting Coach....

According to a report in Newsday, the Cubs have added the name Lee Elia to the list of candidates to take the hitting coach position. Elia joins Chris Chambliss, Von Joshua, Ron Jackson, Gary Gaetti and Dave Keller as a possible suitor to take the job. Elia managed the Cubs from 1982-1983 and compiled a 127-158 record. Elia left his mark on Chicago and one of the most famous sound bites in Cubs' history if not all of sports history.

Transcript....hat tip to Paul Katcher
Audio....hat tip to Paul Katcher - note unedited and not for all audiences
ESPN Report

Alex Rodriguez....

A-Rod will be this off-season's version of Miguel Tejada. His name in association with the Cubs will not go away, no matter what Brian Cashman and Scott Boras tells everyone. Many experts, including Buster Olney, feel that Rodriguez must find a new home and the Boston Herald mentioned again on Sunday that he could end up with either the Cubs, White Sox or Angels. A-Rod's new destination, if there is one in the cards, will have a huge impact on the future of Aramis Ramirez.

Alfonso Soriano....

Soriano did not file for free agency on Saturday and the Nationals have not been quiet in saying that they want him back. According to a report on Nationals.com they are willing to take two draft picks in compensation for losing Soriano if he signs with another team....a first round and a sandwich pick. The Nationals feel one way or another, he will help them build their organization.

Hiroki Kuroda....

The free-agent Japanese pitcher continues to make headlines and according to Paul Sullivan he is on the Indians radar as well. While it is unknown what type of Major League pitcher Kuroda or Matsuzaka will turn out to be....for every Ichiro there is in Japan there is also a Hideki Irabu.

AFL Update....

Carmen Pignatiello cut his finger last Monday and was expected to miss about a week. Pignatiello has allowed 2 hits in 3 2/3 innings, walked 1 and struck out 4.

Eric Patterson has had a very impressive start to the AFL season. Patterson has hit safely in his last 8 games, with 5 multi-hit games and has stole 6 bases in 8 attempts.

Scott Moore has struggled at the plate but he is getting to play several positions....left field, first base, third base, shortstop and DH. He has reached base in all but one game he has played despite hitting just .233 through 12 games.

Clay Rapada has 9 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings in 6 appearances.

Lincoln Holdzkom picked up his first victory last week and has not given up an unearned run in over 8 innings of work, 5 games.

Well, that's the news and rumors and I'm sticking to it!!!

jim

On a side note, how in the hell is USC ranked above ND when they lost to who??? Oregon St. ND's only loss is to Michigan. How is this possible. The BCS might be more screwed up than the cubs front office.

Hubert

All you need to know about this Sunday is the DA BEARS rollin and dominating their way to 7-0.

Aaron

The only Cub manager worth recycling would be Don Zimmer....Elia? Are you kidding me? He probably wouldn't even want to come back anyhow.

I think Sandberg or Grace would make a phenomenal hitting coach, especially Grace, who, btw, had the most hits in the '90's (most people forget that), and simply knew how to take a walk, and get on base, not to mention, he'd keep the clubhouse loose, and players would start to forget about the curse, much like the "idiots" did for Boston when they won it all. I would've loved to have Maddux as pitching coach, and hope that one day it happens....maybe he could be a player-coach for us, but I doubt he'd come back to us given his home is on the West Coast.

As for Dombrowski....I'd love to see that happen, but what idiots are writing these columns, because there's no way in hell he'd ever come to a losing team in Chicago after building a World Series team in Detroit. Keep in mind, he was the GM...we have Jimbo as our punchless GM. The only good trade he made was for Lofton and Ramirez, and the Pirates would've given him to anyone that came calling, so there's no skill in that deal.

Anyway, enough of my ranting....I'm tired of the Cubs standing pat....why don't they go after Soriano, offer him a 7 yr deal or whatever, and no trade clause, because he's stated many times he just wants to be guaranteed to be in one place for a certain length of time.....Carlos Lee still has a home in Chicago and loved it here...I mean, these should be slam dunk signings for Hendry, and if he fails, in the words of Harrelson "he gone"...he needs to go if we can't get them...period...end of story

Jim

What about Grace as the hitting coach. Or Sandberg. They have both expressed interest in rejoining the club after Andy "I" Macphailed left. I want Grace back in Cubby blue.

Heard JJ is going to Japan as a MLB all-star. ???? Wha wha wha. Hopefully he likes it in Japan and stays, or he finds a old japanese cure for dead arm.

Mordecai Brown

I'd like to see Lee Elia back with the Cubs. He cared; so what if he got angry and frustrated once in awhile? Elia is a sharp baseball pro who could help bring order back to a discouraged and confused roster. I suppose we could spend the next decade "punishing" him by not bringing him back to Chicago, but he'd get other baseball jobs since we don't have a monopoly on the sport, and we'd deny ourselves the knowledge and fire he brings to the game.