I teach Math to High school kids. It's an extremely rewarding job, mostly because I'm pretty good at it, and my students feel comfortable "screwing up" in front of me...I have the Cubs to thank for this. My love of the Cubs has taught me INFINITE PATIENCE.

I don't see how anybody can say "there is no grace period" with a new owner. I think short-sighted fans and analysts find it easy to play the "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately?" game. And don't get me wrong--I'm not a rose-colored-glasses guy...I see genuine problems with this team next year. And maybe it's because I don't live in Chicago, and therefore don't get it on the news/radio etc...but lets all face it: We've been fans for 15, 20, 30, 50 years...how is it that THIS YEAR we draw the line? What is different about THIS YEAR, that we lose it if they don't win (which I'm not putting my $$ on)?

And bear in mind...that's not a rhetorical question...each of us loves the Cubs for our own individual reasons, and I'd like to know from those whose patience has run out...what is it about THIS YEAR that says Ricketts has no grace period?

Kingdomusa,

We'll see how much you like that bullpen when in the first week of the season the opposition scores in double digits and they have about three blown saves.

That bullpen you listed is aweful. And I dont think adding one veteran will help. Unless maybe a good closer then it look a little better

It's beyond me how Sheets and his agent think he will get 10-12M per year. The guy has a history of arm problems, hasn't pitched since 2008, and is coming off major elbow surgery.

are you kidding me ?

As I have said before, if any team gives him more than $1 to 2M base with incentives, they are completely stupid.

The chances that this guy will be the same pitcher he was before the surgery, given his history of injuries, are SLIM AND NONE.

Cloycub and/or Tony for general manager!

Yes!!

GO CUBS!

If I hear any more about Ryan Spilbourghs I am gonna puke. He can't even put up decent numbes in Coors field and we are gonna trade Guzman for him? He is awful. This could be another Jim Hendry mistake.

No worries ... the Rockies aren't dumb enough to deal Spilbourghs for Guzman so it won't happen.

Ricketts=McCaskeys

It's all about making $$$ and not winning. You can't run a baseball team like a Fortune 500 business. Family ownership is not good. The Tribune spent big bucks and any GM worth anything would of assembled a great team for $140 million dollars. Instead, we have a average big league club and below average minor league system and no clear plan. The Ricketts family needs to gut the front office and start over and rebuild the team with young players and let them develop.

Regarding a few assessments that Ricketts is to blame for not spending money. I whole heartedly cannot disagree enough! He inherited this payroll mess. He did not create it. He inherited the mess of arguably the worst Salary V. Production ratio in the history of the game. He also inherited an aging and Historic ballpark. People are complaining about what he is spending on, Guess What? He has to do it eventually!

Let's for fun, say that they wait to improve the field. Let's say that they give Jimbo free reign to bring in Chapman, Sheets, O-Hud, Byrd etc etc. Spend Spend Spend, more money on contracts and players. Are you not then saying that he should continue the practices that have allowed for this mess to occur in the first place?

The grace period is over I agree, but it is not for Tom Ricketts et al. It is for Jim Hendry! The 101 years are not Ricketts' fault either. That is the result of a century of bad management decisions, culminating in panicky moves, leading to further bad management, and failure.

It is my humble opinion that Tom Ricketts is doing everything he can to STOP bad management, STOP bad contracts, and STOP relying on free agents to make this team whole. He is forcing Hendry to be a real GM. And thus forcing our Minors to improve, and opening up a window for winning that is not 1-2 years like the one we just saw slam shut in our face, but for years to come.

He could have been a Jeffery Loria type and slash payroll. He did not, in fact he slightly increased it to accomodate for the crap that he was handed as far as payroll. That Crap has a shelf life of 1-5 years (Thanks Soriano). Opening up for Bigger and Better additions than the likes of Joel Piniero and the Mike Cameron's of the world.

And guess what else? Improvements to Wrigley all along the way. Give the guy some time to show what they are really made of. These moves are just the opening salvo in a long and hopefully fruitful ownership regime. But the additions of Jaramillo, Maddux, Sandberg etc are steps in the right direction.

I'll step off of my soap box now.

ur response is exactly why it's been 101 yrs and no championship..........cubs fans have for far too long accepted mediocrity becuz wrigley is a fun place to watch a game........pathetic.........!!

ricketts have almost 2 yrs to understand the payroll.......if he did not like it; don't buy the team.

101 yrs.......there is no grace period for any owner ever till the cubs are champs.....there is virtually NO ONE alive today who has seen the cubs as champs.......think about it.

i nor did anyone else say sign players to 4-5-7 yr deals this year..but 2 yr deals for tejada or garland or hudson......the team is stuck w/ contracts for the next 2 yrs before payroll will be much lower....the goal is a WS.......nothing else........there is no give the ricketts 5 yrs to build their plan BS........the sooner the ricketts get that, the better. or they can enjoy empty seats in august of this year instead of sept like last year.

these bad contracts have resulted in 3 winning seasons..........

only sori's will be bad beyond 2011.

(big Z wins 15 this year......he's tradeable based on what lackey got this year........so is dempster. lee, lilly, aram all could be gone and fukunuts is tradeable next year w/ 1 yr left(and eat 5M or so).......

cubs fans don't need new johns; we need a WS!........now.

to date the ricketts have raised tix prices; not upped the payroll, will bring in more ad dollars w. LF billboards;(and not spend on team); possibly screw the city of mesa and be the first team in 20 yrs to move back to florida, which will result in fans finding 4 parks instead of 12 within an 1 hour drive of spring training not to mention the uber rich naples hotels compared to mesa area hotels. in other words; he's not done a damn thing for the fans to date.

make hendry out to be the scapegoat all u want; but carol slezak; who i think is one of these worst reporters ever in the chicago market could figure things out; then cloycub U should too!

when 99.9% of living humans have not witnessed a WS championship for your team; then there is no way in hell a grace period..............

here's hopong ricketts gets this when he attends the convention; it ain't gonna be the lovefest he thinks it will be.

so cloycub........

Cubs 1967...my question to you is this...

would you rather win one and be done for the next 50 years or wait a couple of years and be a strong contender for the WS for 10 or 20 years?

To win the WS...you need 2 Aces, great defense...and strong...strong offense.

No team can build that in one year.

and JH screwed up OR lost his gambles on

Soriano/Fukodome/Z.

Reality is...we're not close...so the other option is to build it right.

So while I understand your frustration...

(I'm right there with you.) I recognize reality.

I will have to disagree with you somewhat here. 101 years and counting!!.....Enough said. Sooner or later you have to take a shot! This team as it is made up now has only about one to two more years to get the the top. It has too many contract and age issues to be effective beyond 2012.

It has pretty much hit its make it or break it point. The Cubs can make it back to the playoffs this year and with a few more intelligent moves could actually win it all. Let us face it there are only a couple of really strong teams in the NL so anything is possible.

That being said, if the Cubs did win it you would be under the assumption that Soriano and others had bounce back years allowing the farm system to continue to mature and buying time to continue to scout, sign, trade and develop talent at the lower levels.

Ok...assume the bounceback occurs...there's still too many holes and not enough $$$ to fill them.

Larry Rothschild even said we need a couple of guys to really step up...

Do you see that in our current rotation?

I am like you in that I am still suspect on the rotation but it is very similar to the 2008 group minus Marquis and a half season of Harden.

If somehow Sheets becomes affordable then there is no issue assuming that Wells does not suffer from the sophomore jinx.

I am also still hopeful (and I know a lot of fans do not agree with me) that the Carlos Silva the Cubs got is the one from the Minnesota days.

The Cubs first four starters (Big Z, Dempster, Lilly and Wells) are good enough to contend but I agree with you that sooner or later JH is going to have to get a bonafide ACE because we sure do not have it now if we want to win it all.

We can only be eternal optimist here.

Stand up on the box as long as you like. You said it correct, when you said

"Are you not then saying that he should continue the practices that have allowed for this mess to occur in the first place?"

Some of the advice on here, would put the imaginery team they are building, in the same boat as the team JH has assembled, full of aging, overpaid veterans.

The answer is not to go spend more dollars, it's to get value for the money you have, to fill short term needs. There will be plenty of players, that want to play the game they love, willing to take less $$$'s to be able to continue playing. The players that hold out for unrealistic contracts will be home sitting on their already over bloated bank accounts.

Don't spend what little payroll dollars are available by hoping for health, rebound year, etc. We have enough of that on our roster already. Fill in with younger players we already have. Do we really need another aging player.

OF - Soriano, Byrd Fukudome, Fuld, Snyder. Baker is also to get time in the OF.

3B - Ramirez, Baker

1B - Lee, Hoffpauir

Middle Infielders

Theriot, Blanco, Baker, Fontenot (Castro when ready)

C - Soto, Hill, Castillo

SP - Zambrano, Dempster, Lilly, Wells, Gorzellany - Silva, Marshall, Samardzija

Bullpen - Marmol, Grabow, Guzman, Marshall, Gray, Atkins, Berg, Caridad, Mateo, Parisi, Parker, Patton, Stevens

I am all for Blanco at SS, with Theriot getting most of the time at 2b. I would have Baker play 4-5 games a week (1-3B, RF when Leftys pitch, 2B 1-2 games, fill in for Soriano to keep his legs fresh. Fontenot has little use.

This list doesn't even account for all of the guys from AA or AAA, who are mentioned as possibly arriving 2010. Mid-March, when we know more about some of the status of all these players, there will still be plenty of players available to fill the holes at that time. There will still be aging veterans looking for contracts then too.

Tony, No dispute with your post...but everyone seems to miss Gaub in the pen.

If he's not traded...it could be a breakout year for him....He was awesome last year with AA and AAA with an era under 2.00....and he's another lefty.

Gaub maybe the reason the Cubs can shop Marshall or Gorzelany. I agree he has been a guy that has been overlooked but but when the trade for DeRosa was made everyone commented from what I saw that the Cubs did well on the prospects they picked up so maybe Gaub could give a shot in the arm and the pressure will not be that much given he will be in the backend of the bullpen and only have to pitch in the middle innings.

I also like Gaub. Let's hope he does well in Spring Training and forces his way onto the opening roster! I like the idea of guys busting their tails in spring to force management to put them on the roster. Too many times these jobs are just handed to players.

Cloycub...I like that soapbox...keep it handy. I agree with you.

Ricketts has to walk a tightrope...he has to keep the fans coming for Revenue strams to continue...but the whole team needs to be reconstructed in the next few years.

The most important decision looming...

is the right guy...gm...to do te reconstructing...I hope he gets it right.

Why are people enamored with Theriot. I conceed that at SS he has good hands and an accurate arm, but his range & arm strength are mediocre. He is major part of why the Cubs D is not strong up the middle. If we moved him to 2B his D would not be any better than Baker and Baker has much more pop at the plate. IMHO ... The Cubs would be better off starting Blanco at SS (because he is the real deal defensively), Baker at 2B and trading Theriot while he is worth something.

Jimbo, Theriot has the job because of his bat...and he is relatively cheap....

not because of his defense.

He's also extremely likeable and is a workhorse...with the intangible quality

of "HEART".

He will be better at 2nd then ss.

Riot will be with us until he gets too expensive...and/or the arrivals of both

Castro and Hak Lee.

I'm a huge Blanco fan...but I still don't know if he is an everyday player.

Indications are he has finally found a groove with his bat...but we'll see.

Definitely they should take a good hard look at Miggy, Ive been saying that now for months.

He would be a great #2/#5 hitter and allow Theriot to switch to the 2B as the Cubs clearly have planned. That would immediately give us great depth with Baker(younger DeRosa) to play all positions and spell Soriano/ARam/Lee/Fuku and Fontenot to go back to the role he was so great at in 2008.

Ryan Theriot

Miguel Tejada

Derrek Lee

Aramis Ramirez

Marlon Byrd

Alfonso Soriano

Geovany Soto

Kosuke Fukudome

OR

Kosuke Fukudome

Ryan Theriot

Derrek Lee

Aramis Ramirez

Miguel Tejada

Alfonso Soriano

Marlon Byrd

Geovany Soto

Now those are some scary lineups (assuming Soto/Soriano return to form)

but that obviously wont happen.

Gary couldn't agree with you more on Tejada. Sign him to a one year deal and place him at short. Worst comes to worst he has a terrible year and we can then throw Starlin in for some experience. The other benefit is we keep him from the Cards who seem to be eager to place him at third now that Derosa has signed in SF.

Does anybody know what the current asking price is for Garland and Smoltz?

Ricketts is being penny wise and pound foolish. The Cubs could get Sheets for about 5 mil plus incentives, Tejada for about 5-7 mil (1 or 2 years while he holds Castro's place) and Johnson for 2 mil. If the Cubs don't make moves like these, then they will win about 75 games, and have a hard time filling Wrigley against anybody but the Cards or Brewers. Ricketts will lose about 10 times the extra 7 or 8 mil he needs to spend on payroll.

Gary I agree with you. I think there could be some real bargains coming up and if the Cubs cannot take advantage of them it would be a shame. Like you mention, 1 or 2 year with a reasonable salary and these players would still be movable if you fell out of the race. Why give up anything of value in a trade when you have these options. How about Dye out in RF, it seems like his suitors are shrinking.

We are built for win now for the next two years, so pickup some of the veterans if they are going to be cheap.

101 yr and counting, there is NO grace period........ricketts family......of all people carol slezak/chicago suntimes today has an article on the new owners and the fact there is not being any monies spent this year to improve the team; yet the 4.82 avg tix price increase/14.48M revenye increase is all going to the park; as i've been screaming about---new washrooms; great; win a world series, better!

Guzman is a winner....Why do we need a 2b & corner of. We need 1 starting pitcher. Go with castro @ ss & theriot @ 2b.It nice to have Angel, Caridad, Grabow, Samardzija or Gorzelanny, Berg in our pen. We have good relief. Hendry

needs to leave the Cubs. He is a poor

GM & was the laughing stock of the Winter

meetings. He has trafed tons of chemistry in the clubhouse away the past 2 yrs. Yes, team chemistry & the idiotic pickup of Bradley ruined the Cubs in 2009. He loves to agitate Marmol by bringing up closer names because of his total dislike of Marmol going to the World Baseball Classic over spring training. Oh, lets not forget his "love affair" with Kevin Gregg. Marmol deserved the closers role as we watched Gregg give up a league leading 13 HR's in relief which set a NL record before

we finally made a change. Wonder what Hendry thinks of Marmol's 11 for 11 saves after he took over the job. Carlos shoved it right down Hendry's throat. Beleive me, there is a reason Hendry won't sing in the 7th inning Cub fans, I think everyone knows why????

Boooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

I hope we get Ryno in 2011 & maybe let Maddux become the pitching coach & Ricketts finds a "REAL" baseball GM

I like Guzman...JH better maximize the return if he trades him...but I don't see the Cubs getting the same time of upside Guzman has when healthy...given his history. I bet JH wishes he had a

healthy Ascanio back.

Does anyone think Caridad could fill that role?

If Guzman is indeed traded...it just adds

to the long list of hyped prospects that

somehow fall short.

You are so right that when Guzman is healthy he has nasty stuff and that JH needs to get something decent and that fills a hole in return. The problem being what is really a big hole in the mind of JH and then what is a hole in reality.

I did not get to see Caridad throw on TV or live but looking at his stat line during his brief call up it is impressive. He held opponents to a .221 average in 14 games and only walked 3 in 19 innings so those are good numbers.

Caridad is probably the only reason that JH would consider trading Guzman at this point.

SuzyS most of Angel Guzman injuries was not when he was still a starter.

Ronald, I'm very aware of Angel Guzman's history.

I don't understand your point...or what you are saying.

I am not happy about him being traded but

could understand the reasoning...BUT Hendry better get back someone worthwhile.

When healthy, Guzman has nasty stuff.

i wanna how how come hendry isnt looking to sign felipe lopez for 2nd he can fill our lo hitter role and 2nd base he isnt that expensive we shouldnt worry about pitchin our pitchin is one of our strenths we need hitters on base guys we should be lookin for a 2nd base and lo hitter and maybe 4th outfielder

Which pitching staff are you watching, pitching will probably be one of our weakness this year.

This is a rumor that I'll bite at.

I'd absolutely place Guzman on the block if it means we could fill some holes with him.

No way he replicates last season or even pitches through the season. His arm just doesn't have it in him.

And no way does Sheets end up with that kind of money. He may sit out 2010 asking for that.

He'll be in Chicago come April.