Monday was a slow day on the Cubs rumor front. There is nothing new to report, except for the departure of one of my favorite all-time players, Nomar Garciaparra. I will post my Nomar tribute in the next few days after the air has been cleared. I want to go in a different direction. I want to ask “what if?” and “why not the Cubs?”
Anyone that knows me realizes I bleed blue. Some people understand and….well….some just make fun. Why are you a Cubs fan? Why do you do that to yourself? All they do is break your heart. I am constantly reminded of the joke about all Cubs fans. ‘An optimist sees the glass half full, a pessimist sees the glass half empty and a Cubs fan waits for it to spill’. But what if this year is different? There is so much buzz around this team, we (the fans) just want to see them win. I have read a lot of negative talk about “they will just blow it’ or ‘they will do just enough to get by’ or ‘they sell out Wrigley, so why do they care?….and so on….and so on.
Jim Hendry said he has $35 million extra this year to add to the team and with the fact he just let Nomar go and Sammy Sosa’s contract has been cleared, that is $20 million dollars that was on last year’s payroll. The Cubs can afford to sign Rafael Furcal, trade for Juan Pierre and sign an experienced reliever to go in the bullpen….with less than Sosa and Garciaparra cost them in 2005. So why not the Cubs? Every year I watch the Cardinals get what they need….so why not the Cubs?
The main thing we all have to remember is it takes a team to win, not individuals. The 2003 Marlins were a team, the 2004 Red Sox were a team, the 2005 White Sox were a team (and so on) and the 2005 Yankees were not. Just because an organization spends the money, does not mean the team will win.
I have read some VERY good things about Rafael Furcal and Juan Pierre, which are not stats. According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, John Smoltz said how important Furcal is to the Braves and their team (there is that word again). I have a lot of respect for Smoltz and for him to come out in the papers like that speaks volumes. I have also heard about Juan Pierre’s work ethic and the fact he is a ‘team guy’ and team guys are what the Cubs need. So why can’t the Cubs have their best one-two punch since Bobby Dernier and Ryne Sandberg?
The Cubs need depth on the bench and on the pitching staff; we all know this. The core group of players are there and maybe….just maybe….with the addition of a Rafael Furcal and/or a Juan Pierre that would make that core of players, play like a team. I just want all of the Cubs Faithful to let go of the past and look to the future. Will Hendry make mistakes? Sure. Will Dusty Baker make mistakes? Sure. 2006 could be the year we have all been waiting for….so “Why Not The Cubs?”