From the Wire … Cubs and WGN Hire Keith Moreland

February 16, 2011 By 31 Comments

According to multiple reports, the Cubs and WGN Radio hired Keith Moreland to be Pat Hughes’ new radio partner. According to reports from Bruce Miles, Keith Moreland is 100 percent committed to broadcasting Cubs games with Pat Hughes. Moreland had been the color analyst for University of Texas football and baseball.

Moreland signed a three-year contract with WGN Radio to serve as the color analyst to play-by-play man Pat Hughes.

Moreland called several Cubs games last season, both on the radio side and on TV with Len Kasper.

As Keith Moreland said, Ron Santo can never be replaced, but Moreland will be a good fit with Pat Hughes if last season is any indication.


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  • Roland

    I enjoyed listening to Keith Moreland subbing for Ron last year.

  • Mark

    Alright Zonk!!!!

  • Cloycub13

    OK, so I have been out for a while. Had a tonsillectomy and at 34 that is one hell of an experience. Almost more painful than my beloved Cubs. Since I have been out, we traded Gorz for Prospects, Traded prospects for more pitchers, some hack proclaimed Chicago a Sox town, Ozzie said some stupid stuff, Silva said some stupid stuff, and My off season quote predictions have come pretty damn close (Zambrano has reported to camp in the best shape of his life and expects that this will be the year that he contends for a Cy young etc etc etc). Oh yeah we signed former Cubs in Wellemeyer, Johnson and Ojeda and all are aging vets who are expected to make the team LMFAO!!!!!!! And Brett Jackson broke a window… SWEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was able to watch a super bowl championship for a team that I am a fan of, and yes that is one hell of a feeling, and I experienced snow drifts over my head! And some illiterate defaced the Harry statue, while another part of Wrigley fell apart. Whew!

    I like the hiring of Zonk!

    Bryan rambled!
    Neil Rocked!
    And all of your comments out here have been spectacular, except someone who mentioned the Lee and Aramis trades…. FROM 7 years AGO!!!!!!!!!!! Is that ever not going to be the fall back argument?????

    Oh well, let the melt continue and bring on Spring training!!!!!!!

    Go Cubs and we are painfully close to “Chicago Cubs Baseball is on the Air!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

    • http://chicagocubsonline.com/ Neil

      Cloy … great to hear from you and I can almost hear Pat Hughes!

    • paulcatanese

      Yeah?Try hernia surgery with false teeth. No kidding though,great post,I like youre enthusiam.

  • paulcatanese

    Good choice for the Cubs,heard him on TV subbing for Brenly.He did a great job.I am sure he will be a great addition to the honor of Ron.

  • studio179

    I think either Moreland or Otto would do well next to Hughes.

    Congrats to Moreland!

  • jw

    I am psyched!!! Great move!

  • Tony_Hall

    Congrats to Keith Moreland, on landing, what has to be his, and most everyone else’s, dream job.

  • cubtex

    I live in Austin and have heard many of Keith Morelands broadcast for the Longhorns! He is well prepared and know the game! He is not nearly as entertaining as Ron Santo but then again….who is?

    • TedTop16

      Great hire for the CUBS from a fan in Houston. He will do a great job.

  • paulcatanese

    Just read on twitter the comment on Soriano,”Cubs want Soriano to get in shape by swimming with sharks” or “sky diving without a parachute”. Man thats a cold shot worse than Hop,Skip and Jump.

  • Tom U

    Congratulations and continued success to Moreland.

  • Aaron

    well, this was one prediction I got wrong, and I’ll gladly eat some crow for it. I thought for sure they’d make the wrong call and go for Otto.

    I still wish it were either Mark Grace or Sutcliffe, as they’d definitely be more entertaining, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be

    • Patrick_Schaefer

      I’m happy with the decision, but I thought Hollandsworth would have done a nice job as well.

    • Jim_Tinley_Park

      My Picks were:

      Sutcliffe
      Grace
      Plesac

      • paulcatanese

        Actually Jim I like Sutcliffe also,very funny man,more so when he has had a cocktail or two before he goes on the air,very entertaining. He was right behind Moreland for my choice.I’m sure you will enjoy him(Moreland).

  • Patrick_Schaefer

    Posted by a commentor from the Daily Herald thought it was interesting
    what do you guys think?
    What Hendry should offer Pujols new
    is the following deal. After giving this alot of thought, the Cubs should make a deal that works for them, and worth for Pujols as long as he performs. I would not do 30 million a year guaranteed. I would not do 10 years guaranteed.

    By incentives easily reachable, this is what I mean. .300 BA, 30 HRs, .400 OBP, and I would probably allow those numbers to decline as he ages. If you are paying him at 38, maybe .280 25 HRs.

    2012 – 30 million age 32
    2013 – 30 million age 33
    2014 – 25 million + 5 million in incentives easily reachable by Pujols standards – age 34
    2015 – 25 million + 5 million in incentives easily reachable by Pujols standards – age 35
    2016 – 20 million + 5 million in incentives easily reachable by Pujols standards – age 36
    2017 – 18 million + 5 million in incentives easily reachable by Pujols standards – age 37
    2018 – 15 million + 5 million in incentives easily reachable by Pujols standards – age 38
    2019 – 15 million + 5 million in incentives easily reachable by Pujols standards – age 39
    2020 – 20 million option which automatically kicks in based on production levels
    2021 – 20 million option which automatically kicks in based on production levels

    $30 million dollar bonus if Pujols breaks the homerun record while in the Cubs uniform.
    $5 million dollar bonus for each World Series appearance

    $178 million guaranteed, 30 million in incentives, plus an addition 70 million worth of options, incentives. Total value could be worth 275 to 300 million.

    I don’t know if Pujols would accept something like this, but I simply can’t imagine anyone paying him 30 million when he is 39 years old.

    Posted by cubmadness on Wed, 02/16/2011 – 16:16

    • Ripsnorter1

      $300 million to a BALL PLAYER???

      An electrician making $50k per year is more valuable.
      A cook at McDonalds is more valuable.

      I think if the Cubs offer Pujols more than Carlos Pena’s wages, then Jim Clueless is . . . CLUELESS.

      Sure, Pujols is a great hitter, if he ain’t on ‘roids. But nobody, and I mean nobody, is worth $300 million.

      • Tony_Hall

        I completely agree, that no one is worth $10M, no wait the new number is $15M, no wait, the new number is $20M, no wait the new number is $27M, no wait, are we really talking about $30/year. No player is worth what they get paid, but they get what the market, or one owner, will pay, and then the next guy uses that contract and stats to set their pay.

        Pujols is the best player in the game, and will get a contract that represents that fact.

        Who will give it to him, and for how many years, is the question, we will be asking for the next 8-10 or even 11 months.

        McDonalds…really?

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-Hood/100000706523521 Richard Hood

          Actually I think you should put a check in his hand and say how much do you need. Like the Cubs did with Dawson. We can always work out the details later. Any incentives and or options years should be based on attendance as he is getting closer to milestones just to keep it intersting. And the Cardinals should petition the league to give them a luxury tax waiver for the length of the contract. Oh wait you want the Cubs to pay 300 million for a 32 year old power hitter. Sorry can’t see it happening.

          • Tony_Hall

            I actually don’t think he will get 10 guaranteed years, or the $300 million to go with it. I think he will get 7, maybe 8 years guaranteed, and a AAV above ARod’s, and that to be able to able to say it is a 10 year at XXXgazillion dollars, it will have options and incentives for the last 2-3 years.

            Do I want Pujols on the Cubs? ABSOLUTELY!!!!

            Do I want that contract on the books? NO WAY!!!!

            Here is a link to the Cot’s website with Highest contracts, by total value, AAV, by positions, etc.

            http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2000/05/most-lucrative-contracts.html

          • The Maven

            I’m sorry Richard, but it was the other way around. Dawson put a blank check in the Cubs’ hands.

          • paulcatanese

            And what did the Cubs end up paying Dawson? A pittance of what he was worth.

        • paulcatanese

          Tony,when you say McDonalds I take it as Trump $$ for the Mets,correct?

      • Patrick_Schaefer

        I don’t think anybody is worth 300 million either, and I didn’t write the post, I thought it was interesting though. If they were to make Pujols an offer I would like for it to be something like this, INCENTIVE LADEN, I certainly would not give him 30 million for breaking th HR record. I would actually offer less guaranteed money and make it more incentive laden with ages 38, 39,40, and 41 not guaranteed. Based on performance incentives is whether his option gets picked up after 37.

        Personally Pujols is a stud, but he will be 32 going into FA and should have some good years left, but the only way I would sign him would be a heavily incentive laden deal if he doesn’t like it move on.
        Pujols is really good but one player does not make a team.
        To win a world series you have to have stellar pitching, solid defense and above average offense.

    • Dorasaga

      I don’t believe Pujols will accept an incentive-laden contract. And I like my proposal, which is nothing innovative but “renovating,” that the Cubs can make Pujols a shareholder*. I explained already:

      http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2011/02/cubsnews021511.php#comment-148182313

      *I know Bud Selig, the Ricketts, and all these greedy owners in baseball will NEVER agree. But hey, P.K. Wrigley and his fellow friends didn’t agree with Branch Rickey when he proposed to bring in Jackie Robinson. Guess what happened? And Pujols is worth every change the Cubs SHOULD make to produce a winning franchise built around thjs Hall of Famer.

      I know I wanted AGon and now Pujols, not because they are great hitters who will hit Free Agency soon, but because I, a fan, want to see the Cubs management change.

      The Cubs needs to identify the truly great player who can sustain proven performance throughout their career, the player’s remaining career if becoming a Cubs. Who is Soriano? Who is Dempster? Good players, but not great.

      Talent recognition. Logical and systematically projection.

      I’m in fever (really, a flu caught on my flight from Thailand), and exhausted. I’m thinking about all these years, 65 years since Phil Cavarretta last saw a World Series.

      Freaking SIXTY FIVE YEARS. And boy, Cavarretta played some World Series. Three of them, in fact, THREE WORLD SERIA, with 1938 being one of the best teams from the last century.

      And you know what, who cares about Jim Hendry and the Ricketts? Who cares about Thomas or Hak-ju Lee or whoever prospect still not making it here?

      It’s Chicago baseball, and let I be damned if I can sell the Cubs, plus my soul as an incentive, to the Devil in order to trade for a World Series experience.

      Win some ballgame, can’t you?

  • jw

    Sutcliffe would have more personality but he was unavailable…Moreland is a very good analyst and has a lot of interesting info….Hughes is the master so I am sure he will pull out whatever interesting personality quirks Moreland has.Just don’t try to be Ronnie.

    No one can pay Pujols 30mm in the last three or four years of that contract unless you are the federal government…He has had some elbow issues…what happens if he breaks down and is Soriano or 2010 Derrick Lee like in year two….if I were an owner that is a very dumb move. I hope Ricketts will be smarter than that.

  • roseyc

    I like Moreland and he;ll do a good job and I wish him the best of luck

  • Douglas Martin

    I hope Moreland is not too critical of Cub players since he was the worst third base player I ever watched at WF

    • paulcatanese

      I wonder if Moreland knows Brenly? Maybe he borowed Brenly’s glove?