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With only 9 shopping days left before Christmas what could be left on Jim Hendry's shopping list....an assistant maybe? According to a report in the Chicago Tribune on Friday the Cubs are looking for an assistant GM. While there does not appear to be an official word on the want ad, according to the Tribune, John McDonough is not denying the rumors of a possible search.
The Cubs also made a couple of deals official on Friday and released the details on Ted Lilly's contract. Along with Lilly, the Cubs made the signing of Daryle Ward official and should do the same with Jason Marquis soon. Here is the rest from around the league and the Cubs' new numbers....
While Gary Hughes appeared to step in at the end of the Winter Meetings for Jim Hendry apparently the Cubs are looking to hire an assistant for him and not promote one of the obvious candidates. The report in the Tribune mentioned several members of Hendry's staff that are scouts and are worthy of the "promotion" but the Cubs do not appear willing to "promote" any of those likely candidates to Hendry's assistant....just imagine what Mr. McDonough's inbox looked like on Friday....
Ted Lilly.... Ted Lilly was officially announced on Friday to the Chicago media. Lilly will wear number 30 and not his regular number of 31, that was most recently worn by Greg Maddux and before that, most notably Ferguson Jenkins. According to a report from Yahoo Sports, Lilly chose 30 because "31 was going to be retired by the Cubs in honor of Greg Maddux."
Lilly's Contract.... The terms of Lilly's contract were released. According to a report on Yahoo Sports Lilly will receive a $4 million dollar signing bonus (next month), $5 million in 2007, $7 million in 2008 and $12 million per year in 2009 and 2010. Once Marquis' deal is made official and the terms are released, the questions about the current status of the 2007 payroll will be answered.
Daryle Ward.... The Cubs also made the signing of Ward official on Friday. Ward signed a 1-year deal worth $1.05 million that includes a mutual option for 2008.
Numbers Game.... With the addition of Lilly and Ward on Friday, the Cubs made a few number changes. Ryan Theriot will wear number 2, Mark DeRosa will wear number 7, Lilly number 30, Rocky Cherry number 57, Clay Rapada number 55, Ward number 32, Felix Pie number 17 and Buck Coats number 27 but the big question remains....will Marquis wear number 21?
Hendry in SI.com.... John Donovan released a very good Q&A with Jim Hendry on Friday. It is very similar to the interview he had on Mike and Mike on ESPN Radio Thursday morning. From both interviews it is pretty apparent he is not done adding players this off-season. In the ESPN interview, the health of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior was discussed....the dependence on both being healthy for 2007 is still there but at least this time there is a plan B if they are not ready to go in '07.
Another $100 million dollar man.... First Soriano, then Matsuzaka and now Vernon Wells. While Matsuzaka's contract was not for $100 million, the total cost for the Red Sox to sign the very talented right-hander surpassed the $100 million dollar mark (6 years, $52 million and the $51.1 million dollar posting fee). The Blue Jays and Wells on Friday agreed to a 7-year, $126 million dollar extension that will pay the Gold Glove centerfielder $18 million a year....the 6th largest contract in the history of the game. Barry Zito will likely become the 4th player this off-season to cost his new team in excess of $100 million if Scott Boras gets his way....again.
John Donovan and Monopoly Money....Check out how many ex-Cubs (and a couple of current ones as well) are mentioned.
Daily Transactions from ESPN.com
Well, that's the news and I'm sticking to it!!!
Trips to the Northside
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Where do I send my Resume? Now my opinions can come to fruition.
Jim:
I told Neil yesterday that my resume was already in the mail. I wish you luck in the assitant G.M. Job pursuit as well.
Since the cubs signed Ward I am luck warm about them pursuing Floyd. It looks like the outfield will be:
(with Jones)
LF Murton
CF Jones
RF Soriano
bench Pagan
(With out Jones)
LF Murton
CF Pie
RF Soriano
bench Pagan
At this point, Pagan is best suited for the 4th outfielder spot, Ward gives us pop of the bench who will give Derek Lee a breather every now and then and maybe play a little corner OF. Floyd is basically the same player that Ward is right now.
The guy I would really like to see the Cubs trade for is Endy Chavez.
Marquis should not get to wear #21. Even though there are a ton of Sammy Sosa haters, he is still the best player ever to put on the Blue Pinstripes. Just look at his stats. Steroids??? I don't think he did.
By the way, I was flipping through the channels last night and came across "The Rookie of the year" (awful) and they showed a clip of Barry Bonds swinging and missing the kids heat. I couldn't beleive it was him. I was bigger than him back then. 1993. If they want proof just look at that movie. Even his head was smaller. Sammy on the other hand is hard to say. He got bigger but was it becasue of working out or becasue of something else.If you are on roids why would you use a corked bat? Why would you use a corked bat at all? Don't know. Saw his interview, he is still the same assh#$e, and he did not seem like he was smaller compared to his playing days. Its all speculation. I do know for a fact that during the HR race of 98 BigMac was using Androstien. It was legal in 98 but not in 2000. I tried the Andro back then and it was like taking a steroid. I put on more muscle really fast as was quick to get angry. So i quit using it. Now it is considered a form of steroid. Was Sammy using it too??? Who knows. All I am saying is that the Cubs organization needs to show Sammy a little more thanks considering he and Mac brought Baseball back from the dead. 98 was my first game since the strike and still get pissed off when I think about it. MLB should be a little more thankful to Slamming Sammy and BigMac.
Jim:
Rookie of the year awful? Any movie that has the Cubs winning the World Series is Oscar Material. It actually brought a tear to my eye when that kid showed off his World Series ring at the end.
I WANT A TITLE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lol, Yuo shoud check out that scene with Barry Bonds. It made me double take becasue he was so much smaller.
Floyd wears #31 as well.
Before criticizing bonds, one may want to take a look at sosa when he was just brought up with the Sox (or even his first couple with the cubs) and compare him to his latter years with the Cubs. guys do naturally get bigger, just as Bonds naturally got bigger as well. I am not saying both of the guys took steriods, or neither, but as it stands right now, until proven guilty, they are both innocent.
And just because a guy corks his bat, doesn't negate that he didn't take steriods....in fact...it leads me to believe that if he were to cheat that way, it definitly would not surprise me that he cheated by taking steriods as well.
One more thing....i read (either in the trib or suntimes) that unless the Cubs sign anyone to play center, Soriano will take over Center and Jones will stay in right. This makes sense. Soriano is more than likely too inexpereinced as an outfielder to play right based on the mere fact of the "slice effect" from right handed hitters.
DMac, When this movie was made Bonds was in his 8th season in the Bigs and Sosa's 5th. Looking at both there #'s I can see where someone saya that Bonds has produced HR's since his second season. But you have to compare him from 93 and now and WOW. What a difference. I know you can't call them guilty without evidence but sometimes the evidence is overwhelming, right O.J.
You can't necessarily say they are "guilty" without evidence I suppose. But sometimes things are so blatant or obvious that they very fact that they exist indicates guilt, no further inquiry needed.
I believe its called "res ipsa loquitur."
But also, Barry has or at least had the sweetest swing in baseball during those years. No one in the league had quicker hands which has nothing to do with steroids. The reason i am saying that....is he hit a lot of homeruns cause the guy flat out understands how to hit, steroids or no steroids.