Thoughts on the Chicago Cubs and other topics in baseball. E-mail Tom at: tomsmithcubs@ hotmail.com

 
MORE MANAGER NEWS: In today's Chicago Tribune Teddy Greenstein informs us the Cubs (AKA Tribune Tower) has given Jim Hendry the authority to spend the money to hire Dusty Baker as the Cubs manager. Over at the Chicago Sun-Times Mike Kiley writes the Cubs are going to expand the number of candidates for the job. Kiley states that Gene Lamont, Jim Fergosi, and Terry Francona may soon join the list of potential candidates. Yawn. Lamont had some success with the Chicago White Sox but struggled with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Fergosi seems like he has been around forever, without tons of success. Terry Francona never did much with the Philadelphia Phillies. At the Daily Herald Bruce Miles mentions Lee Mazzilli and Willie Randolph as candidates. Both the Kiley and Miles columns sound more like they really have no clue as to who the Cubs are serious about hiring but they had to write something so they threw out every name they could think of.
posted by Thomas at 4:49 PM

 
MANAGER NEWS: In today's Chicago Tribune Phil Rogers writes the Cubs are after an experienced manager. He writes a lot about Bobby Valentine but I really doubt Valentine is on the list. It sounds more like Rogers had to write something so he wrote about Valentine. This whole manager search is starting to worry me. Buck Showalter went to Texas. Lou Piniella is off to Tampa Bay. Art Howe is off to the New York Mets. I am honestly not bothered by that. I have always wondered about some of his moves. Ken Macha is likely to become the new manager in Oakland. Dusty Baker is either staying in San Francisco or going to Seattle. Bob Melvin is now the front runner in Milwaukee. I am not sure that is so bad though. So who are the Cubs going to hire? We are starting to run out of names.

MARIOTTI'S USUAL STUFF: It may only be a brief part of a column but Jay Mariotti gives us more of his Tribsters are cheap stuff. Mariotti also writes how Jim Hendry is pretending to be hot on the trail of Dusty Baker. Actually Hendry has tried everything to downplay speculation about Baker and the Cubs.

posted by Thomas at 5:02 PM

 
DOES NOT SOUND LIKE MACHA'S THE MAN: In today's Chicago Tribune Teddy Greenstein informs us Jim Hendry has told Ken Macha to "cool it." After Macha and his agent tried to force the issue the other day by saying Macha will soon accept the Milwaukee job if the Cubs do not offer a contract soon. Over at the Chicago Sun-Times Mike Kiley says that Hendry has told Macha to accept another managerial job if it is offered to him. Kiley also reports Arizona Diamondbacks bench coach Bob Melvin is now the front runner for the Cubs managerial job. Jim Hendry must have decided Ken Macha is not his man if he is telling him to accept another job. If Macha does become the Milwaukee Brewers' manager I would not be shocked at hearing stories about a dislike between Hendry and Macha. Hendry upset with Macha for trying to force his hand before Hendry wanted to name a manager. Macha not liking the slow pace Hendry used to select a manager which left Macha dangling for several days. As for Melvin, I find it a little disturbing only the Cubs and Brewers are really interested in him. If Melvin is such a good baseball guy how come the other teams with managerial openings are not interested? Mike Kiley also mentioned ex-New York Met and current New York Yankees' coach Lee Mazzilli as a potential Cubs manager who Hendry may interview. If Mazzilli is so great why are his old team the New York Mets not interested? I am starting to worry about Hendry.

ANOTHER MARIOTTI RE-RUN: I have meant to get to this for a few days but Jay Mariotti recycled another old column on Monday when he wrote his latest love poem about Dusty Baker. It reads like all his other columns on the Cubs and Dusty. The Tribune is does not know what it is doing. The Tribune is cheap. You know the routine by now. Anyway, David Kaplan was criticizing Mariotti on Monday night on WGN Radio's Sports Central for some poor columns written by Mariotti on the Cubs. Kaplan pulled up some old Mariotti columns where Mariotti praised the Andy MacPhail for getting Fred McGriff and Moises Alou then as early as April of this year ripping "MacFail" for getting them.
posted by Thomas at 4:54 PM