Sammy Sosa, Jerry Hairston Jr., prospects, Jorge Julio, Kyle Farnsworth, Aubrey Huff, Danys Baez, Magglio Ordonez, Octavio Dotel, Jeromy Burnitz: these are among the names being thrown around wildly in the news this morning following reports that Sosa to Baltimore will be a done deal as of Monday. Only the other names remain to be confirmed in the game of musical chairs this weekend.

National Media
Cubs would get Hairston, prospects (ESPN)
Sosa still has the presence to make a splash (ESPN)
O's putting together package for Sosa (Sporting News)

Chicago Media
Sosa going, going ... gone? (Herald)
Going, going … (Tribune - Reg. Req.)
Deal shows just how far slugger has fallen (Tribune - Reg. Req.)
Destination: Baltimore? (Southtown)
Sosa trade to Orioles could be announced today (Sun-Times)

Baltimore Media
O's close to Sosa deal (Baltimore Sun - Reg. Req.)

Don't Look Down....

....unless you are not yet bored senseless by the Sammy soap. Dave van Dyck in the Tribune says no one's interested, and unless some mystery team shows up with a trade proposal, the boombox stays. Mike Kiley in the Sun-Times, meanwhile, says two specific teams are actually still interested, and that a third mystery team has indeed emerged from the cornfield. Bruce Miles in the Herald counts four interested teams. This is getting ridiculous.

The headline links are below, where more sensitive readers (sensible?) need not scroll.
















Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Agent predicts trade for Sosa (van Dyck)

Sun-Times
Who wants Sosa? It's still a mystery (Kiley)

Herald
Trade him or keep him? Sosa situation still up in air (Miles)

MLB.com
Cubs' spring broadcast schedule

From around the country
Baseball America: Top Ten Prospects: Chicago Cubs


Breakfast Nuggets
2004 Cubs Record 89-73 .549
Games with Sosa 68-58 .540
Games without Sosa 21-15 .583

Sammy's Year-End Stats .253/.332/.517/.849
As of Super Sneeze (May 16) .291/.385/.590/.974

Just the headlines, ma'am.

Sun-Times
Alderman backs Cubs' expansion (Spelman)

Herald
Cubs' dilemma with Sosa needs resolution ... and fast (Miles)

From around the country
Sporting News: Agent: 'I think Sosa will be traded'
Washington Post (Reg. Req.): Orioles Discussing a Pursuit of Sosa

Some speculation below from a variety of sources on the aftermath of the Marlins' signing of Carlos Delgado. Will it result in a chain reaction of moves, including a quick deal for Magglio Ordonez and renewed interest in Sammy Sosa from teams still seeking a slugger? Much to ponder, but little to report.

Herald
Will Mets turn to Sosa with Delgado out of picture? (Miles)

Sun-Times
Sosa could star in B move with Mets or O's (De Luca)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Marlins hook Delgado; let dominos fall (van Dyck)

From around the country
According to New York Newsday, the Yankees will sign for their bench either Doug Glanville or Tom Goodwin. Don't know what that does for the ex-Cub factor this year, but it must mean George Steinbrenner has finally run out of money.

We face a barren desert in the landscape of Cubs news for the next three weeks. Sometime around the middle of February, a few days before pitchers and catchers report, things will heat up as the beat writers start packing their Hawaiian shirts and Bermuda shorts for Mesa. Until then, unless GM Jim Hendry surprises with a trade or unexpected signing, things will be dead quiet.

Today, Barry Rozner reports on a night out with the '89 Cubs. Oh, and Ben Grieve found a gig with the Pirates, leaving Tom Goodwin as the winner of the prize for last 2004 Cub to find a new job.

--

Audio from the Cubs Convention is now available on the WGN Radio website on this page. You can hear Kurt from Goat Riders of the Apocalypse grilling Dusty and Jim during one of the sessions.

If you haven't seen it, check out "A Cub Conversation," a recent post from the blog View from the Bleachers. It's not news, but it is some good Cub Content nonetheless.

I don’t think any of the noise coming out of the Cubs Convention is real news, but rather fodder for us fans to talk about and keep our interest up over the dark days of winter. Despite news reports, Dusty Baker has not really decided who will bat where in the line-up, who will start in left, or who the closer will be. Those decisions will be made at the end of spring training, and any talk about it now—even from Dusty—is just speculation.

That pretty much covers what has come out of the weekend Cub fest, apart from the intensifying Sammy Sosa saga, which hasn’t advanced much except for references to some kind of tropical Sammy Summit that may or may not take place between superstar and management prior to spring training. There were also allusions by Dusty Baker to clubhouse “snitches” last year who talked too much to the press, helping to create the perception of the team as, well, unbalanced. I wonder who the so-called snitches were, and whether they are now off the team (Bako? Goodwin? Mercker?), or whether they are current roster players who have since been chastised by the boss.

I’ll paste newspaper links from yesterday and today below anyway, because along the way, the above speculation and non-news is accompanied by quotes from a variety of Cubs, former Cubs and coaches on hand for the convention, and it’s interesting to see how the different players handle the Sammy question and the clubhouse question.

Sun-Times
Prior realistic about what Cubs lost in Alou and Clement
Three-way meeting in the works (from Sunday)
Hendry still has high hopes for Farnsworth (from Sunday)

Herald
Sosa issue remains distraction for Cubs
Cubs fans go easy on Hendry, Baker (from Sunday)
Top closing candidate: Dempster (from Sunday)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Chemistry lesson for Cubs?
Conventional wisdom: 2004 troubling (from Sunday)
Mess needs spring cleaning (from Sunday)

Out of towners: check out the WGN Radio website for information about listening to recorded sessions from the Cubs Convention. Last year, several of the interview slots with Cubs management were made available for listening shortly after the Convention.

Paul Sullivan at the Trib (Reg. Req.) sums up yesterday's Convention news. You can also see pictures of the Convention here.

According to the Sun-Times, a Sosa trade is becoming less likely and, management will plan for the possibility of a "peace summit with the returning right fielder at an agreed-upon location either in late January or early February." In another article, the paper confirms the Cubs are talking to Robb Nen.

The Herald has a collection of quotes and mentions that Ryne Sandberg's number 23 will definitely be retired this year. More from the Herald's convention coverage here and here.

I think it's safe to assume we will enjoy a few days of Cubs news, or at least PR, over the next few days. That is what the Cubs Caravan and Convention are all about. Dusty Baker will give ten interviews about sitting down with Sammy Sosa man-to-man. Henry Blanco, as the only new guy guaranteed a spot on the 25-man roster, should have been invited so he could explain what a thrill it will be to play at Wrigley every day. Second-year guys like Barrett and Rusch will get a lot of face time with the media, and Ryno and a bunch of '84 team players will compete with '69 mainstays for nostalgic affection. Enjoy the buzz while it lasts, because it will be a lot quieter in early February.

Note that the Herald and Sun-Times articles today are virtually the same as the Tribune articles, but I include them because they don't require a password. Also, one of the Herald pieces mentions some non-roster invitees for spring training: Jimmy Anderson, Angel Echevarria, and a few others whose names hadn't emerged yet.

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Baker: Priority No. 1 is Sosa talk (van Dyck)
Garciaparra optimistic after pain-free off-season (van Dyck)
Mr. Cub eager as ever to go to bat for team (Mitchell)
Cubs win neighbors' support on concerts (Washburn)

Herald
Baker seems set to handle Sosa situation (Miles)
Garciaparra says Achilles OK (Miles)

Sun-Times
A strong lineup of Sammy questions (De Luca)
Hawkins may get another shot (De Luca)

From around the country
First-day ticket sales for Cubs spring training games totaled 29,000, compared with 14,000 last season, according to USA Today.

Finally, in the Associated Press' daily baseball roundup (appearing here in the San Francisco Chronicle and many other papers), Pedro Martinez is quoted saying that in addition to trying to help the Mets recruit Carlos Delgado, "I've also talked to Sammy Sosa, and he told me that it would be an honor to play with me in New York."

Of course, there was a flurry of activity yesterday, with arbitration-eligible players facing an offer deadline, and Jim Hendry signing yet another reliever to a minor-league contract. Relevant headlines below. The Tribune (Reg. Req.) also had a reporter track down Magglio Ordonez's surgeon in Austria, to get the low-down on the down low (uh, info about the knee). Oh, and back to relief pitchers, the Baltimore Sun has a one-liner referring to the Cubs' continued interest in trading for Jorge Julio.

Herald
'Productive day' for Cubs (Miles)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Cubs reward Barrett with 3-year contract (Sullivan)

Sun-Times
Ramirez eyes big bucks (Kiley)

MLB.com
Cubs sign Scott Williamson

Thank you Bruce Miles, for getting up in the morning and getting a Cubs news story in the paper again. It seems like forever (but is probably only two days) since any of the Chicago papers had anything about the Cubs in them. Miles' piece in the Herald talks about today's offer deadline for arbitration-eligible players. It also confirms recent rumors that the 2005 home uniforms would dispense with player names on the backs.

The Sun-Times' Mike Kiley also went to work for the first time in nearly a week and asked Jim Hendry to defend his off-season. There are some interesting lines one could read between. He also covers the situation regarding arbitration-eligible players.

If those aren't enough for you, I suppose you could take a look at this article from yesterday's Springfield State Journal Register that profiles local boy Ryan O'Malley, a pitcher who spent time at three levels of the Cubs' farm system in 2004. It's not really news, and the first half is pretty lightweight, but I enjoyed the piece more as I read through the second half, which discussed O'Malley's 2004 performance in some depth.

Old News and Intangibles

There isn’t any new news, there are no updated numbers, and Spring Training has only drawn closer incrementally. It’s at times like these when the old, reliable “intangibles” of fandom come into play. Like the memories of old games gone by …..

--

In 1973, I skipped school to go to opening day at Wrigley Field with my friend Vincent. We were 10 and a half years old and we took the El to Addison Street from the terminus of what is now called the Purple Line at Linden Avenue in Wilmette. I don’t remember the game very well because Vince and I were in kid adventure mode rather than serious baseball watching mode. We certainly did not get our pencils and scorecards ready when Pat Piper suggested it over the PA.

Although this wasn’t my first Cubs game (that was in 1969, when I was still a little too young to appreciate the drama going on around me), it was the first without my Dad. So I remember the adventures we got up to, as we moved from the left field bleachers, to center field, and on over to right field.

Looking at the box score from Retrosheet.org, I am amazed to see that so many of my favorite players, like Don Kessinger and Glenn Beckert, were still on the team as late as ’73. Rick Monday is one player who I certainly remember from that day, because it was my first exposure to Ronnie Woo Woo, who, stationed high in the center field bleachers, riffed on “Monday Woo” all day. That is a sound that bores into the deepest recesses of one’s consciousness, so that 30 years later it remains in the mind as clear as a (rusty, cracked, out of tune, incredibly repetitive) bell. (Back then, he was just some guy in street clothes, and not wearing a Cubs Halloween costume). While I was busy getting up to crazy hi jinx like smoking a cigarette for the first time from a discarded pack of Kools, and finding myself starting to notice girls, something that had never really happened before that day of total freedom, heroes like Ron Santo were going 2-for-3 with an RBI while Fergie Jenkins went eight innings against the Expos, giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits. Creatures like Tony LaRussa were entering the game as pinch runners for Santo, and legendary umps like Dick Stello were patrolling the bases. I remember Vince, tough as his name, in the thick of a pile up of teen-agers and even bigger people, fighting over a batting practice home run ball in the left field bleachers, but I don’t remember LaRussa scoring the winning run in the bottom of the ninth on a walk by Expos reliever Mike Marshall. For me that day, it was not the scorecard that mattered, but rather the “intangibles”.

Bottom Feeding

We are scraping the bottom of the barrel with the headlines provided today, so be warned. So is Jim Hendry, when it comes to signings this week, come to think of it.

Don't bother reading the last article listed, from the Des Moines Register, unless you are so desperate for Cubs content that you're dying to know what Grace Hoad, 82, of Humboldt thinks "we" should do about a closer. How can I mock, you say? Good point. We are all Grace Hoad, 82, of Humboldt. And she's certainly been a Cubs fan a lot longer than me.

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Cubs sign Fox to minor league deal

From around the country
Arizona Republic: Cubs again threaten spring attendance mark
Des Moines Register: New Cubs TV analyst Brenly sees 'huge upside' for 2005

Renewed Nationalism

The Daily Herald and the Sun-Times have basically identical articles today following a resumption in talks between Jim Hendry and the Washington Nationals regarding a potential trade for Sammy Sosa.

While I find it hard to believe that Sammy will be home-run hopping at RFK any time soon, it seems Hendry is continuing to explore all options, beyond free-spending Omar Minaya and the Mets, to find a way to keep the sour slugger from returning to Chicago. Remember your words, Jim: "only if it makes the team better."

The tagline to Cubs for Breakfast reads:

“This Morning’s Cubs News – This Morning!”

It occurs to me that visitors might be nonplussed by the slogan, for more than one reason. First, not everyone catches up on Cubs news in the morning. (And, not all Cubs news becomes available in the morning – but that’s another inconvenient issue altogether.) Second, I stole the line from a well-known advertising campaign for a bread company – well-known here in Ireland, anyway (“Brennan’s – Today’s Bread Today”). Whether parody or homage, I realized it makes no sense to anyone outside of Ireland, which is basically every visitor to this site.

So, I will come up with a new tagline. Right now I am thinking:

“This Morning’s Cubs News Direct from – the Old Sod?”

--

According to the Boston Herald, the Cubs and Astros have both made offers to ex-Red Sox reliever Scott Williamson. He had great numbers last year but had to be shut down for reconstructive elbow surgery.

Southtown
Corner pieces: Sosa, Ordonez, Floyd could be part of Cubs' outfield puzzle (Vorva - from Tuesday)

Playing catch up here. Apart from increased activity away from the computer, by Saturday I had had enough of that Beltran madness, from which I suffered as much as anyone, so no breakfast for two days. Visitors come here for the consistency of new links, I guess, so my apologies for the interruption. For what it is worth, I think the Mets are spending way too much, and I almost feel sorry for Carlos that he had to "settle" for this third choice. (According to the New York Post, the Yankees [1] would not pay enough and the Astros [2] would not agree to a no-trade clause.) Almost, but not really, as it is impossible to feel sorry for someone who just got a $119 million pay day.

Sun-Times
Cubs acquire lefty reliever (Kiley)
Wrigley concrete OK for now (Spielman)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Quiet Cubs watch enemies lose big (Sullivan)
'Pain-free' Ordonez eyeing Cubs (Sullivan - from Monday)
With derby over, Cubs still have questions (van Dyck and Sullivan - from Monday)

Herald
Cubs didn't offer what Beltran will receive (Miles - from Monday)

From around the country
MLB.com: Dodgers sign catcher Bako

Cold leftovers.

Is that what the Cubs will be having for breakfast on Sunday? I'm tired of this Carlos Beltran story. Think I'll sleep through breakfast tomorrow.

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
No 7-year itch to get Beltran (van Dyck)

Sun-Times
Big day in Beltran derby as Astros await decision (Kiley)

Herald
Mets could go after Beltran and Sosa (Miles)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
A Beltran deal could stimulate market for Sosa (van Dyck)

From around the country
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Grudzielanek completes infield
USA Today: Astros down to final days with Beltran

Well OK then. That’s the last time I look to Chris De Luca for baseball expertise. In yesterday's Ryno piece in the Sun-Times, De Luca leads with the fact that Sandberg appeared in 8,385 games during his major league career.

Even me, not a stat hound, choked when I read that opening sentence. 8,385? That’s the equivalent of playing in every game for 51 seasons (and part of a 52nd). Ryne Sandberg was known for steadiness and certainty during his career, but not freakish longevity.

The writer was of course looking at the wrong column – for at bats – but never caught the mistake, nor did the copy editor or anyone else down the line. It’s not really a mistake just anyone could make, since 8,385 isn’t anywhere near 2,164, the real number of games Ryno played in (it has finally been corrected on the web site version of the article). I can forgive Dave van Dyck’s slip-up in the Tribune, also yesterday, when he referred to “$100 million or more” as a “six-figure salary.” Those kinds of numbers are beyond the realm of everyday familiarity.

But more than eight thousand games played? Major credibility hit for the writer and the newspaper.

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Cubs run last in Beltran race (van Dyck)

Southtown
Ryno sticks up for Rose (AP)
Ex-Cub Gonzalez joins Devil Rays (AP)

Herald
Williams: Dawson should be in Hall (Rozner)

From around the country
New York Newsday: Despite payroll of $200 million, George covets top free agent
New York Post: PRICE FOR PRIZE
Newark Star-Ledger: Mets bid for Beltran, but Yanks lurk
Houston Chronicle: Mets make Beltran offer; Bid in vicinity of $100 million; Astros still in hunt

Just the headlines, ma'am...

Sun-Times
Cubs won't be going long with offer to Beltran (Kiley)
Sandberg gets call (De Luca)
Tigers sign former Cub Martinez

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Ryno-mite! (Sullivan)
Ordonez nice Plan B for Cubs (van Dyck)

Herald
Third time's the charm (Miles)
Retiring Ryno's No. 23 could be next (Miles)

Southtown
Sutter helped Sandberg become household name (Vorva)
Beltran talks enter key stretch (AP)

Sun-Times
Sandberg eager to get call of Fame (De Luca)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Mets move on Beltran, Yankees backing away (van Dyck)
Survey says: Ryno's in (Rogers)

It's Carlos Beltran Week

Jim Hendry is still playing it cool with Scott Boras and Carlos Beltran, which is the way to go when you're not actually desperate. The Tribune (Reg. Req.) is reprinting this article from New York Newsday about the Mets' rather public recruitment program which starts today.

In case you missed it, yesterday's Phil Rogers column said "Beltran's old associates in Kansas City have been speculating consistently he's going to wind up with the Cubs." That part came after Rogers' own speculation that the Astros are the only realistic player for the free agent's services.

Meanwhile, today's Sun-Times follows this theme, marking the Mets' offer as PR fodder, the Astros as the favorite and the Cubs as hardball back-door negotiators willing to walk away.

Bruce Miles in the Herald is even more cautious, and predicts that "the likely scenario has Boras and Beltran taking the Astros all the way to the Jan. 8 deadline with hopes of Houston increasing its bid." He also suggests that when Beltran lands somewhere else, Hendry will try to sign up Jeromy Burnitz.