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

 
MADDUX REJECTS GIANTS' OFFER: The Contra Costa Times is reporting today, Greg Maddux rejected the Giants' offer to him. According to the article the Giants have no idea if they are in the Maddux hunt or if they will continue to negotiate with Scott Boras for Maddux.

I speculated yesterday the Giants were seeing if they could get Maddux at a low price. It appears they cannot.
posted by Thomas at 9:47 AM

 
GIANTS MAKE MADDUX BID: According to today's San Francisco Chronicle the San Francisco Giants have exchanged numbers with Scott Boras in a bid for Greg Maddux. The Giants are seeing if they can get Maddux at a low price. Meanwhile Scott Boras is trying to get Jim Hendry to up the Cubs' offer to Maddux.
posted by Thomas at 3:02 PM

 
ADDITIONAL NIGHT GAMES DEAL STRUCK: SCOTTSDALE -- The Chicago Cubs have reached an agreement with the city of Chicago for more night games at Wrigley Field. The Cubs will go up to twenty-two night games in 2004, twenty-six in 2005, and thirty in 2006. Going to thirty night games at Wrigley Field is going to be a real plus for the Cubs. Our schedule will move us a lot closer to the number of day and night games most teams play. Most teams play around 55-60 day games and 100-110 night games. The Cubs day/night ratio is almost reversed playing around 70 night games a year and around 92 day games. With the extra night games the Cubs will play about half day games and half night games. I wish we could schedule more night games at Wrigley but I will take the extra twelve.



MARIOTTI ON MADDUX: SCOTTSDALE -- I have been meaning to get to Jay Mariotti's column from Thursday. I actually agree with part of it. Jay writes about the what some are saying about not signing Maddux. Mariotti writes, "Already fans and media are justifying a potential Maddux rejection by saying some very dumb things: Juan Cruz will be just fine as a No. 5 starter ... Tribune Co. shouldn't succumb to a jerk like Scott Boras, Maddux's bulldog agent ... Maddux is breaking down quickly and won't serve any purpose as he nears 38. What fools they are." I agree with Mariotti that those who say Cruz is just fine as the number five starter and/or Maddux won't serve any purpose are wrong. Cruz has not shown he can be a reliable pitcher and Maddux can still pitch.

The rest of the column however, is not extremely useful. After wasting time writing about curses, goat hexes, Steve Bartman (again), and re-watching Game 6 of 2003 NLCS (Did Mariotti notice the Cubs were ahead 3-0 when the "Bartman Ball" incident occurred, not 8-3 as he wrote back in December?) Mariotti writes about the Dodgers' interest in Maddux. The Dodgers have not made an offer to Maddux and Scott Boras is simply trying to get the Cubs to bid against themselves but Mariotti pleads for the Cubs to do just that. Mariotti writes, "Obviously the time has come for the Cubs to up the ante. Their only offer -- $12 million over two years, delivered to Maddux three weeks ago has become stale and vulnerable. Even if Maddux isn't the dominating pitcher he once was he's still a proud stubborn competitor who isn't wild about making $6 million a year after making almost $15 million last year. Don't make the mistake of thinking Boras is the only one driving this negotiation. Maddux might appreciate Hendry's recruiting and pleas to "come home," but he wants to see respect the form of dollars." Mariotti continues, "Spending $8 million a season won't cause Tribune Tower to crumble. Rather than play a drawn-out negotiating game and risk losing, why not think about the ultimate goal of a championship and reel him in with the respect he wants -- and deserves?" If the Cubs had offered Maddux $8 million a year, the contract would still be sitting on Maddux and Boras's desks just like the current one is. Boras and Maddux know the Cubs' offer is not going away so they are trying to stretch this out and hope another offer comes along to give them increased leverage. If Maddux had another offer from another team Boras would have leaked it to the media. Since no offer has been made the Cubs would be bidding against themselves.

Mariotti then writes about interviewing Jim Hendry on radio. Mariotti writes, "And much as I respect Hendry, I was leery of his response Wednesday when I asked him on ESPN 1000 if he remains confident about landing Maddux. "I don't know if confidence is the right word," he said. "All I can hope for is that Greg will think this is the best place for him. Whatever somebody pays Greg in the end -- I would never say that he doesn't deserve it, because he's earned what he can get and he has earned the right to go wherever he wants. I'm just hopeful he'll make think this is the best situation to finish his career. I know he is more about winning than he is about the money. He wants to be treated with respect financially, and we're going to try and do that. But the end if we don't get him, I'm confident I will have done [all] I could to give him a fair deal, and that he just felt it was better for him and his family to go elsewhere."

What was Hendry supposed to say? Should Hendry have said, "I guarantee we are going to sign Maddux."? Only a fool would say that publicly. Hendry would likely have to overspend to get Maddux so as to not make a fool of himself. Not exactly a wise strategy.



LaRUSSA TALKS TO MADDUX: SCOTTSDALE -- According to today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa talked to Greg Maddux recently. LaRussa said Maddux seemed to have an idea where he would pitch next. Translation: the only team that has offered him a contract.



PROOF SOME SPORTSWRITERS WILL BELIEVE ANYTHING SCOTT BORAS SAYS: SCOTTSDALE -- You would think by now most people would have a Scott Boras bunk detector. Apparently Mike Klis of the Denver Post does not. Klis falls for the Boras spin. Klis writes, "As the Maddux situation sat Friday, Cubs fans shouldn't get too excited. The Cubs two-year, $10 million offer is at least 50 percent below what Maddux eventually will receive." That would mean Maddux would be getting at least a two-year $20 million contract. Fat chance. But Klis is not done falling for Boras's whoppers. "There was a Northeast team that made Greg a lucrative offer, but he chose not to accept it primarily because of family reasons," said Boras, who wouldn't reveal whether the team was if the New York Yankees, Boston, Baltimore, the New York Mets, or Philadelphia. "That ruled out the largest contract he could have received." Right. If so, why didn't Boras leak it to the media to try to get the bidding for Maddux to go up? This offer is probably just like all those other "big offers" Boras always talks about his clients getting but often do not seem to exist.
posted by Thomas at 8:44 PM