Cubs for Breakfast

A Rumor the Cubs will Confirm

2005-06-16T03:57:00.000-07:00

Jim Hendry laughed off the Gary Sheffield rumors the other day, but according to the Tribune and the Rocky Mountain News, "Cubs sources" admit they are interested in trading for Rockies' outfielder Preston Wilson. According to the Trib article, the Nationals wanted him but refused to give up Ryan Church and pitcher Zach Day. If the Rockies are looking for a young center fielder and a mediocre pitcher, I should think the Cubs would be able to swing that kind of a deal, as long as they don't ask for Felix Pie.

Piling On

2005-06-10T03:10:00.000-07:00

The bandwagon is rolling fast, first with the Tribune itself contemplating the Cubs going after Johnny Damon, to Mike Kiley's off-day write-up suggesting Corey could be half-way out the door, to the Tribune website publishing a fan's complaints about Patterson's apparently fan-unfriendly attitude.

Ross's prescience (now there's a candiate for Len's Word of the Day) is undeniable.

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In this morning's article Winded City, the Boston Globe's Gordon Edes explains the Chicago Cubs to Red Sox Nation.

The Enigma in Center

2005-06-07T04:46:00.000-07:00

Ross, a poster at Bleed Cubbie Blue, composed an appropriate faux news item last week about Corey Patterson. According to the blurb, Corey was named the Cubs official whipping boy after the departure of LaTroy Hawkins to the Giants.

Interviews like the real one Corey gave to the Daily Herald today will only make sure that this happens!

The headline reads "Patterson Sees Himself as Offensively Versatile". Corey's ego is as big as his talent, but only one of them has reached its full potential. If I were Chuck at Ivy Chat, I'd say it would be easy to switch the adverb and adjective in the headline and it would then be more accurate. But Ross's news item was only a joke, wasn't it?

So Jealous

2005-06-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

I am so jealous, not only of those of you who get to see the Cubs in person these days, but also just on TV. The west coast games so far have been on far too late at night for me (the 9 pm central starts are 3 am here). Every morning I've been checking the scoreboard at Yahoo and delighted to see the Cubs on top day after day this week with my breakfast. But I haven't seen a game on MLB.TV or listened to Gameday audio since their last day game in Chicago, so I'm missing out on the hot streak! Oh well, I'll get to see them Sunday on the computer, and hopefully on a real TV next Wednesday.

That was going to be the game I would see them at in person this year, but my trip to Chicago got canceled at the last minute. I am over the disappointment and looking to maybe come over in September. But I put my 3 upper deck box tickets up on Ebay, so if you are interested, please take a look at the following link. You can pick them up at the box office, and the way things are going, get them for a real good price too.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6536734241&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

Assignment: Chicago?

2005-06-02T06:14:00.000-07:00

Danny Graves, late of the Reds, and Eli Marrero, Kansas City, have both recently been "designated for assignment" by their clubs, and speculation has resulted among Cub fans about the utility of either being signed by GM Jim Hendry after their release.

The Daily Southtown article linked here says the Cubs are mildly interested in both, but that Marrero might require a trade before his 10-day DFA period is up, due to higher demand. Graves' 10-day period has passed as of today.

Maybe....

2005-05-27T02:16:00.000-07:00

Maybe, Moises Alou was a good clubhouse leader (despite his whining with umpires and broadcasters)

Maybe, Mark Grudzielanek brought more to the team than was visible to the eye

Maybe, Sammy Sosa wasn't such a big-headed distraction after all

Perhaps, Paul Bako and Tom Goodwin were extremely effective cheerleaders....

Subtraction by subtraction?

Fantasies Don't Come True

2005-05-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

Which Cubs are on your fantasy team? Are you sorry you picked them? I was out of town when my league had its in-person draft in March. I had to have a friend pick my team (don’t ever let that happen to you), and I only had time to tell him to put a couple of Cub players on it. So, what does he do? He goes and picks seven Cubs for my 21-man roster!

Could you name seven Cubs you’d want on your fantasy team, given the team’s performance so far?

Well, I’ve had Nomar, Walker and Wood all sitting on the bench for ages, and wasn’t allowed to replace them until six weeks into the season. Prior has been great for ERA, WHIP and Ks, but I’ve got four other pitchers with as many or more wins than him. I’m very happy with Jeromy Burnitz’s performance in real life, but in a 12-team fantasy league with a pool of all MLB players, you expect a little more from your corner outfielders. Michael Barrett dragged me down in April, but I knew I’d be happy with him by the end of May. Most disappointing, of course, has been Aramis Ramirez. He has fewer RBIs than anyone on my team except for Barrett and Scott Hatteberg (and of course Nomar and Walker). Johnny Damon, who last I checked was a leadoff hitter, has four more RBIs than A-Ram.

My team, the Frank Chances, is currently languishing in 10th place. Although I picked up potential rookie phenom Clint Barmes to replace Nomar, his awesome April has turned into a decidedly average May. Which Cub players are you happy or unhappy with on your fantasy team? And did you find any “lightning in a bottle” from the later rounds of your draft?

Infield Help to Arrive Today

2005-05-17T04:44:00.000-07:00

The Sun-Times reports that Carlos should be fine to pitch this week-end, and that the Cubs will add a back-up infielder "without giving up any players in return".

http://www.suntimes.com/output/cubs/cst-spt-cside17.html

Ronnie Cedeno will get sent down, and this year's version of Rey Ordonez will have a spot on the bench. Yep, that'll fix things!

Rehashing an Old Hope

2005-05-12T03:25:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time, nearly a year, since I’ve seen any reference made to Derrek Lee’s home/road splits for home runs established with the Marlins. Remember, in 2003 Lee hit 20 home runs on the road but only 11 at home in the cavernous Pro Player stadium. In 2002, he had put up the same 2:1 ratio. Much speculation was spouted when Lee was traded that his HR totals could potentially increase by one-third after his move to the Cubs. Of course, it didn’t turn out that way in 2004. Lee increased his home totals by seven, but his road totals decreased by six, leaving him with 32 jacks for the season as opposed to 31. That is a 3% increase in longball production, not 33%.

Maybe it just took a year to warm up for the slow-starting giant, at least that’s what we hope. Lee has six homers in 17 games at home and four homers in 16 road contests. At this pace, he will hit 29 at home and 20 on the road in 2005. While it would be foolish to expect his output to date to hold up over the course of the whole season, expecting last year’s hoped for 33% increase—about 40 total jacks—seems more than reasonable.

Now Those are the Cubs I Remember

2005-05-10T05:20:00.000-07:00

I was going to post this after the six or seventh loss of The Streak, but then I thought I’d wait for when they lost their 8th of 9, which seemed inevitable what with the tenuousness of Z’s victory the other day.

These are the Cubs I remember. It’s like the 1970s all over again. Raise expectations with a great, but ultimately futile, season. Check. Produce back-to-back-winning seasons with contention through September. Check. Right about now, it’s time to dash all hope as the realization sets in that our team is just not that good. In the early ‘70s, our hopes were raised and dashed, raised and dashed, and then the slow, unending decline set in that beat fans down with cruelty and no pity.

Last week I tried to look at the Flip Side of things, trying to find reasons to be cheerful, or at least not despairing. Today, I don’t have a good feeling about the rest of the season, and I’m starting to think the Cubs’ record will be 23-31 when I finally get home to Chicago to see the Cubs on June 7th and 8th next month.

Why? I can’t rehash the litany you all know so well. (The one that goes: “Corey/leadoff/Bullpen/Closer/Hawkins/Hollandsworth/Dubois/Injuries/Dusty/Blah/Bloody/Blah”)

I don’t like it, but I am jumping on the bandwagon of pessimists among us. It seems the familiar thing to do.

Life on the Flipside

2005-05-05T06:16:00.000-07:00

Look at the standings in MLB. Anyone else find it hard to take that perennial Cub rivals the Cardinals and the White Sox, and Sammy Sosa’s new team the Orioles, are the hottest teams in baseball?

That just makes the hurt even worse, no? Maybe, but for every action there is a reaction, and every 45 rpm single has a flip side. (huh?)

Cub-deniers the Marlins are in first in the NL East.
(But the insufferable Yankees are fighting for last place in the AL East.)

Arizona, Milwaukee, and the ex-Expos are all doing better than the Cubs.
(But the Astros are doing worse, and Carlos Beltran’s new squad is barely doing any better.)

Aramis Ramirez seems to be channeling 2004 Moises Alou on the basepaths, and in terms of general hustle.
(He also seems to have found Moises’s bat from last year sometime this week.)

The bullpen.
(Joe Borowski is apparently looking good in Iowa.)

Milwaukee has a 6-game winning streak.
(Greg Maddux goes today. And it’s a day game.)

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I think the creations of this website are priceless, and deserve wide circulation!

2005-05-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Cubs Blog Army is going all out on this Neifi! For All-Star campaign and I think it is great. But there is no way I’m clicking through 50 votes every day until June 30!

At least with the Virtual Waiting Room, all you had to do was refresh, and not go through a tedious list of repetitive tasks like some 1970s data entry operator.

For Augie Ojeda, maybe, but Neifi!?

From One Start to Six Weeks in Two Days

2005-05-03T02:02:00.000-07:00

First it was one start he would miss, then two starts. Today's diagnosis is three to six WEEKS, depending on which story you believe.

Trib story from last night (Reg. Req.)
Cubs website story

Question: What is .983?

2005-04-25T02:16:00.000-07:00

Answer: Why it’s the on base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of Neifi Perez after 17 games and 52 plate appearances, of course.

But I will not dwell on the wonder that is Neifi, or Dusty, or Nomar, or LaTroy, or Wood’s shoulder.

What about the fact the entire Cubs’ lineup, with the exception of Derrek Lee, is just going up hacking every at bat? If I recall correctly, Aramis Ramirez and Michael Barrett were both more patient last year and willing to work a count, and both were much more productive. I know the style of Baker/Matthews/Clines is to be aggressive in the zone, but I think the top of the order (and Barrett) especially, needs to get more selective. Actually, I think Corey Patterson is a little more patient than he was last year, which was really an imperative, but Hairston, Hollandsworth, Burnitz, Dubois, Blanco, Ramirez, Perez and Barrett are all giving the pitcher way too much of a break and giving themselves way too few pitches to see.

Does anyone believe anything Baker or Hendry says?

All winter long, Hendry went on about Dempster as a closer. Never happened, never even pitched in relief during the Cactus League.

All spring long, Baker went on about Patterson as the lead-off man. Corey did bat lead-off in the Cactus League and underwent special lead-off man instruction. That lasted what, about two weeks (in the regular season)? Of course, Patterson has a grand total of two walks (and 15 strike outs) in 18 games and an on base percentage of .308. I’m glad he’s not in the 1 hole anymore. I just don’t like the way Cubs management seemingly campaigns for assigning players certain roles, and then abandons the direction they led everyone to believe they were taking, without explanation. Be more circumspect, guys, it’s OK. If you’re not sure Hawkins is going to work out as closer, go ahead and say so. He can deal with it. Don’t put up a smokescreen, like with Dempster, and expect the fans to follow along next time.

Nomar We Hardly Knew Ye

2005-04-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

Or, Nomah Nomar

It seemed too good to be true. When the trade materialized out of thin air at the 11th hour, and during the Cactus League ’05 when the old Nomar made a guest appearance, ripping the cover off the ball all across the desert. Of course it was too good to be true.

Muscle ripped off the bone? That’s a far worse image than the close-up on Carlos Zambrano’s blood blister that ESPN showed during my evening meal (we had Cubs for dinner tonight, on the actual TV instead of the computer).

The poor guy, as they say here, must be “in bits.” After everything that’s happened in his last year or two, this really takes the biscuit.

Neifi is going to be the man—who else would be available? Could anything be done about adding a big bat in left field, at this time of year?

Bring Us Your Reds

2005-04-18T04:20:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to reading all about Kerry Wood's dominant return to Cincinnati, where he sets 'em up and mows 'em down. For a pitcher who lacks consistency, this is one area (pitching in Cincy) where has yet to let us fans down. I'll have to read about it Tuesday morning because the game will be on too late for me to watch on this side of the pond.

I got stuck with the Pirates announcers on MLB.TV yesterday, and although they weren’t as annoying as I remember them from last year (constantly referring to their team as the “Buccos”), I’m grateful that the Cubs can attract higher caliber talent (despite my initial dislike of Bob Brenly). The Pirates play-by-play man Lanny Somebody is one of those small market nobodies with no sense of narration. Too quiet. The color man meanwhile is ex-Pirates pitcher Bob Walk, who is good at analyzing the pitching, but lacks knowledge of many of the opposing position players. Should perhaps point out that these guys, while definitely local boosters, did not shy away from criticizing their own team and manager. (They also questioned several of Dusty's moves, including Hairston's sac bunt and taking out Maddux after 77 quality pitches).

We Now Resume Your Regular Programming -- Hopefully

2005-04-15T02:45:00.000-07:00

My apologies for the lack of updates. Hibernating is a good way to describe it, but that's the website, not me. I've simply been off-line from the CBA but not off-line from the Cubs. Funny though, as soon as Cubdom Byron put it in the Editor's Pick category, CFB tanked. Didn't take too long for him to notice and yank the link from that exalted section. Must be some twisted fear of success on my part, eh?

I hope to post once or twice a week over the coming months. Let’s see if I can manage the transition from an off-season news link hub to a more personal fan blog….

Some random tid-bits:

--I have been put off by what seems like an out-of-control wave of negativity from the media, Cubs message boards, and Dusty Baker, since the season started about 10 days ago. Nobody seems to want to give this team a chance. At the other end of the spectrum is new Cubs TV analyst Bob Brenly, who seems to always be making excuses for poor Cub performance. I don’t like either extreme. I do like Len Kasper though.

--“While putting up a North Side ballpark might have been folly even five years prior to 1913, new forms of public transportation—the electric street car and the elevated trains—were by then serving the north side of the city.” If that’s the kind of thing that makes your eyes glaze over, then don’t read Wrigley Field: The Unauthorized Biography, by Stuart Shea. I, however, eat up that kind of stuff and have enjoyed Shea’s book. Did you know, for example, that more NFL games have been played in Wrigley Field than any other stadium? Did you know that Wrigley Field (version 1.0) took only seven weeks to build?

--There are now around a thousand Cubs fan blogs, but did you know that there is also a brisk business on the Internet of Anti-Cubs fan sites?

http://cubssuck.blogspot.com/
http://spaces.msn.com/members/longer12/
http://www.angelfire.com/il2/cubssuck/
http://cubssuck.knup.net/
http://store.dartboard411.net/048.html

--Soon to come: an essay on a season (2003) of following the Cubs over Internet radio.

--Okay, it might not be that soon. But after that, I’ll write about a season (2004) of following the Cubs over MLB.TV.

New Cubs Closer: Chad Fox?

2005-03-21T01:47:00.000-08:00

I had not seen this floated anywhere before now, but Bruce Miles in this morning’s Herald mentions--matter-of-factly--that non-roster invitee Chad Fox is a candidate for the closer job. Dusty has apparently not made up his mind yet, after telling the press last week that he had a pretty good idea of who would get the nod.

Despite this curious report, I still think Joe Borowski will get the job.

The World Turned Upside Down

2005-03-18T08:19:00.000-08:00

Hey, I liked the picture of Greg Maddux in the green hat, posted on Bleed Cubbie Blue yesterday. I hope everyone had a good St. Patrick’s Day, if they were so inclined to observe or celebrate it.

What did I do on the day, seeing as I am posting from Ireland where March 17th is a national holiday. Why, I played baseball of course.

Here in my town we have one of the few baseball clubs in the country, I have been involved in the youth program for four years, and also sometimes hang out with our adult team (who are all quite a bit younger than me). So after our local parade, which enjoyed sunny, 65-degree weather, the senior team congregated at the rugby club, threw up the homemade backstop, and had their first intra-squad game of spring training (the amateur Irish Baseball League season begins in three weeks).

Your correspondent, although more than twice the age of some of the real players (mostly aged 16 to 25), didn’t acquit himself too badly. I made four plays at second base, one in left field, and blew a couple both at the keystone and in right. I had three at bats and only saw four pitches (I guess I’m like Corey that way, or maybe Nomar!), but never reached base on my infield outs.

So, while many of my fellow Irish residents were walking around with a sore head today on March 18, I’ve been limping around with sore legs, back and arms. The world has truly turned upside down.

(Back to Cubs content in next post)

Dubois Deserves a Shot

2005-03-15T03:12:00.000-08:00

Right now, I have my eyes closed and my hands over my ears, and I am muttering repeatedly “I can’t hear you!” “I can’t hear you!”

If you want to know what I think of the Wood and Prior situations, please see above.

Regarding the rest of the roster, I am sorry to hear that Dave Hansen has been rushed to hospital for an emergency appendectomy, and that he will be out for three weeks. I was looking forward to Hansen possibly performing the role that Todd Hollandsworth did so well during the first half of last year: crafty veteran lefty hitter off the bench. Now, he clearly will not be ready for Opening Day and his future with Cubs is decidedly murky.

Speaking of Hollandsworth, I wonder if he is feeling the pressure coming from below from both Jerry Hairston Jr. and Jason Dubois. Hairston demonstrated his value in the outfield on Saturday, making assists on two plays from center field. Dubois, meanwhile, is leading the Cubs in Spring home runs and is hitting .389, behind only Aramis Ramirez, Nomar Garciaparra, and Henry Blanco among 25-man roster players. I watched him last night muscle the ball to left on that RBI single and thought: that guy is a major leaguer. Dusty Baker will not start him in front of Hollandsworth, but I hope he and Jim Hendry will reward the MVP from Game 162 last year with more than a bench role on the big club. He deserves it.

From around the country:
Cubs fans stretching HoHoKam for record (Arizona Republic)
Nats reliever Beltran to have elbow surgery (Baltimore Sun)

Barrett Should Catch Maddux

2005-03-09T05:58:00.000-08:00

Just a short break from my (business) trip to poke my nose into the Cubs world this week:

I saw the televised Cubs-Rangers game on my laptop Monday night in Munich, and although I wound up falling asleep before it was over, I enjoyed seeing Joe Borowski yell at himself after that first walked batter and then get out of the jam quickly. Also savored the Greg Maddux appearance, but I have just one thing to say about the personal catcher thing that was brought up during the broadcast and in the papers the next day.

Dusty Baker says that Michael Barrett will be catching Maddux this year, at least during Spring Training, because Barrett can learn so much from the experience. Maddux says that he’s happy pitching to anyone, but with the same guy you can work together on days off, watching hitters and developing strategies for certain players.

That all makes sense, but it always seemed to me that all that work was sort of, well, wasted on the back-up catcher who only pitched on days when Maddux would start (as Paul Bako did last year).

Here’s a suggestion that takes into account the starting catcher’s need for regular rest and the back-up’s need to stay sharp, Maddux’s preference for working with his catcher on off days, and Dusty’s desire to have Barrett benefit from working with Maddux.

Why not have Barrett take the day off the day before every Maddux start? That way, Barrett plays 130 games with regular days off and Dusty’s rather understandable desire to have the two work together is achieved. The only downside is that Maddux would only have one day to prep with his catcher before starts rather than four, but at least it would be the day before.

Maddux said early this Spring that Michael Barrett is going to become one of the best catchers in the league. I think these two should be throwing to each other on a regular basis, even though I expect some to contend that Blanco was hired specifically to help Maddux hold runners at first. But if Barrett is going to become one of the best, he is going to have to start doing that too.

Spring is Here

2005-03-03T03:22:00.000-08:00

Now is an appropriate time for me to suspend news updates indefinitely. I’ll be traveling all next week, and real life is cutting into my excess Cubs energy despite the mounting excitement about the upcoming season.

Next Monday’s spring training game against the Rangers is going to be available to watch here in Ireland on NASN, the special pay channel that shows American sports. I have access to NASN for the first time this year (got satellite finally) and would have ordered it in time for the game if I weren’t going to be in Germany next week.

I like all the noises coming out of Mesa, but I’m wary because of the way the Cubs dealt with springtime injuries last year. Most interesting to me will be finding out what the pitching staff will look like next month, with all those prospects and non-roster guys competing for just a few open slots, and the fifth starter position still wide open.

I see the radio broadcast of today’s Spring opener against Oakland will be available through MLB.com – I’ll have to think about subscribing again. It would be nice just to hear Pat and Ron – it would certainly help get this lingering winter feeling more like spring.

The Monday After

2005-02-28T02:57:00.000-08:00

It's the Monday after the Virtual Waiting Room Weekend.

Want to hear my ticket story? I’m sure you don’t, but too bad. I was after tickets for June 10th, the first game of the Red Sox series. As you probably know, that was the first series to sell out, and no, I did not get lucky. This left me with a dilemma when I finally got the chance to order tickets after four mind-numbing hours watching the PC screen.

Like many, I like baseball the way it was played when I first became a fan. I don’t actually like inter-league play, because of the unbalanced schedule, but I am only going to be in Chicago for about a week this year and it corresponds with the inter-league part of the schedule. On the other hand, I could probably stretch my trip by a day or two and go see the Marlins on the 13th. Trouble is, that’s a night game, and I like night baseball even less than inter-league play. So although the Marlins game would have been somewhat more meaningful, given the two teams’ history together and the fact that Florida should be an NL contender in ’05, I decided to go see the Blue Jays on the 8th in the sunshine with my Dad. We’ll sit in the same section (upper deck box) we sat in for the Cubs 16-15 victory over the Reds, when Bill Buckner and George Mitterwald both hit a pair of homers and both Reuschel brothers pitched, with Rick coming in to win the game in the 13th inning. We also had luck in that section last year, in another walk-off victory in extra innings.

In the Tribune today, we learn that Carlos Zambrano will start the Cubs’ spring opener against the Athletics on Thursday. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild also confirms that Ryan Dempster could be fifth-starter material. Could this mean that Joe Borowski truly is looking like his old self?

Meanwhile, in the Sun-Times, the Cubs have apparently denied that they are talking to Detroit and Oakland about their surplus closers, Ugueth Urbina and Octavio Dotel.

2005-02-25T02:37:00.000-08:00

When I started Cubs for Breakfast on last November 1st, I imagined it would follow this news aggregation format up until the season started in April. Once the season starts, although there is a lot of news, it is almost all game news and we all have plenty of things -- like watching the actual games -- to focus our Cubs energy on. When the season starts, I thought, I would migrate to a more traditional blog format, flexing some writing muscles and including personal views and impressions of an overseas Cubs fan.

Although I've been on vacation the last 10 days, I've checked the headlines, and it seems all the stories from all the sources are the same - almost like during the season. Since it's been awhile, I'll go ahead and post some of today's headlines below. Over the next six weeks, I will continue to watch for significant (and, of course, obscure) news which I will pass on, but I will start experimenting with more personal blogging as well.

PS: I am going to skip the Sosa soap opera stories.

Herald
Borowski happy with early results (Miles)

Sun-Times
All in the Cubs family: Mia gets Wrigley honor (Kiley)

From around the country
Apparently, ESPN will be showing more baseball games this year, at least in April and May, due to the lack of hockey. Does that mean more analysts are needed? Today's New York Post says both Steve Stone and Eric Karros could land color jobs with the network shortly, and the Los Angeles Daily News confirms that Karros' is a done deal.

2005-02-14T03:42:00.000-08:00

No news this morning, but an article making the rounds since Friday is enough to provide a little bit of cheer cheer to Cubs fans, if you haven't already seen it. The Arizona Republic reported that 15 members of the Cubs' spring roster arrived early last week, including Corey Patterson and Jason Dubois.

Oakland GM Billy Beane told the Athletics' fan fest that Octavio Dotel is not on the trading block, despite the Cubs' apparent interest in the closer.

Over the next week and half I will be offline more than usual, and so updates to this site will be few, and possibly, non-existent. In the meantime though, check the other sites in the Cubs Blog Army (listed on the right side of the page) for ongoing coverage of the Cubs.

Aramis Ramirez Wants a New Deal by April

2005-02-11T04:31:00.000-08:00

According to this AP story, he's looking for four years and between $40 and $52 million in total.

Like you, I suspect, I would like to see A-Ram around for a long time to come and hope that this is one player the front office will make a long-term investment in. Jim Hendry doesn't like to do more than three years, but at this stage of his career, Aramis is worth going for four.

Thumbs up: The Farns and His Dad to Detroit

2005-02-10T02:49:00.000-08:00

Kyle Farnsworth drove me, along with everyone else, to distraction with his inconsistency on the mound, but I was probably one of the only fans who actually liked the hairstyle he wore last year. Wouldn’t look good on me, but the Farns pulled it off.

The Cubs gave up on him this winter and sent Kyle, his dad and his hair gel to Detroit for three prospects, including pitcher Roberto Novoa and Chicago area native Bo Flowers. There are rumors that this could be part one of a larger transaction that could add a premier reliever, but Jim Hendry says the team will be sending scouts throughout the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues this spring to identify guys to go after later. (What's that about Kyle's dad? Nothing, only that the guy seems to be vicariously involved in his son's career, always talking to the press, as in today's Sun-Times piece, and apparently getting a mention from Dusty Baker early last year when the manager referred to a discussion with one of the players' father about the boy's maturity level.) Good luck in the Motor City, Mr. Farnsworth.

The Dayton Daily News has a story on Ohio resident Scott Williamson, who signed a minor league deal with the Cubs this off season following his second Tommy John surgery in October (which followed a season of pitching in pain for the Red Sox). The site requires visitors to register, so I’ll pass on a few bits of it here:

Even though the Red Sox said Williamson would be on the postseason roster, he decided during the last series that he would go back to Cincinnati for surgery. "I loved Boston," he said. "I loved the aura and the fans. But I didn't want to risk my career any longer."

Williamson was a free agent and wanted to get back to the National League Central, where he began with the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros all called.

He expects to be ready to pitch in the majors by mid-May or June.

The Arizona Republic says Cubs spring training game ticket sales are up 12%, and that they are considering putting up temporary bleachers to boost capacity on weekends.

Down in Louisiana, Todd Walker country, one of the local papers talks to another second baseman in the Cubs organization, newly acquired minor leaguer Mike Fontenot, who came over from Baltimore in the Sosa deal.

Relief Needed

2005-02-09T03:08:00.000-08:00

Relief from the tedium of early February, relief in the bullpen -- we need it all.

Cubs message boards are passing on rumors from local broadcast reporter Bruce Levine that a big change in the Cubs' bullpen will be made in next day or two. I can't find anything similar in today's papers, although the Sun-Times' Chris De Luca discusses the closer situation in this morning's column and repeats again that the team is pursuing Robb Nen.

For those message board posters more worried about the outfield than the bullpen, Ken Rosenthal at the Sporting News speculates on what it would take from the Cubs to get Aubrey Huff from the Devil Rays.

If you look around, there are several columns and soft news pieces that discuss, in part, Sammy Sosa's upcoming transition to a new club. If you are like me, you'll find these depressing. But only because we are so tired of reading about him this winter.

Desperate times call for desperate measures: Tom Goodwin is the last 2004 Cub to secure a job for '05. Tampa Bay extended a minor league deal to the perennial bench warmer yesterday.

Who is more desperate then? The Devil Rays, for taking a flyer on Goody? Or Cubs for Breakfast, for scrounging the tiniest crumbs of Cubs news and calling it a meal?

2005-02-07T01:47:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl Monday is not usually a good day for finding baseball news, and this year is no different from others. Besides the Magglio Ordonez signing by the Detroit Tigers, very little is going on and not much that includes the Cubs.

This is how cold the hot stove is: out-of-town columnists dedicate columns to pointless interviews with bench coaches (in this case, the Cubs' Dick Pole).

Somewhat more interestingly, the Orioles' Larry Bigbie Jr. told his hometown paper in Lake County, Indiana, how both he and Jim Hendry wished he was included with Hairston in the Sosa deal.

This Morning's Menu

2005-02-04T04:36:00.000-08:00

Even if Jim Hendry is done dealing, which I doubt, there is plenty to speculate about the Cubs prior to pitchers and catchers reporting to Mesa in what, 11 days?

Today's menu of crystal ball gazing includes:

Kyle Farnsworth is on the block?

Hairston Jr. as the everyday lead-off man?

The ghost of Steve Stone will haunt Wrigley Field?

Camden Yards will be a "paradise" for Sammy Sosa?

No Sammy, None of the Time

2005-02-03T03:29:00.000-08:00

I have not posted much this week mostly because of outside factors, but the Sosa story is a contributing one. I’m uncomfortable about the trade and sad to see Sammy go despite the fact that I know it was the best thing to do. There’s been a Sammy Sosa poster on a bedroom wall in my house for seven years, and even though its owner is now old enough to understand the situation with the player and the team, I’m glad that our last visit to Wrigley Field ended with a 10th inning Sosa walk-off homer to beat the Astros 5-4 (on July 1st last year).

Herald
Newcomers set pressure gauge at low (Miles)
Neither happy nor sad, Cubs says it's time to move on (Miles)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Joyous Sosa joins Orioles, sidesteps Cubs questions (Mitchell)
Baker eager to clear the air with Sosa (Sullivan)
Burnitz takes Sosa's spot on field, not in clubhouse (Sullivan)

Southtown
This Bird has flown (Vorva)
Sosa moves into 'new house'
Team player? Consider new Cub Burnitz just that (Vorva)
Hendry passes on Maggs (Vorva)

2005-02-02T03:50:00.000-08:00

Sammy Sosa’s deal is expected to be finalized today, after which the Cubs apparently plan to announce the signing of Jeromy Burnitz to a one-year deal with a second year mutual option. Cubs fans will want to know if that’s the end of the off season as far as roster moves are concerned, and I predict that Jim Hendry will say just that. But he always says he’s content with “the roster we have now”, and remember Greg Maddux was signed only a day before spring training in 2004, so I’ll continue to look out for news and rumors on the ever-cooling hot stove.

Herald
Sosa's physical expected today; Burnitz signing near (Miles)

Sun-Times
Burnitz waits in wings (Kiley)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Next up for Cubs? Signing of Burnitz (van Dyck)
Sosa is 'ready to win crowd' (Mitchell, et al)
Favored treatment for Orioles denied (Hirsley)
WSCR close to Stone deal (Sherman)

2005-01-29T03:50:00.000-08:00

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....

2005-01-28T02:33:00.000-08:00

....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

2005-01-27T03:40:00.000-08:00

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

2005-01-26T03:10:00.000-08:00

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.

2005-01-25T02:56:00.000-08:00

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.

2005-01-24T03:16:00.000-08:00

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)

2005-01-22T04:30:00.000-08:00

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.

2005-01-20T02:49:00.000-08:00

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."

2005-01-19T02:39:00.000-08:00

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

2005-01-18T02:52:00.000-08:00

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.

2005-01-17T03:29:00.000-08:00

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”.

2005-01-15T02:42:00.000-08:00

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

2005-01-13T02:12:00.000-08:00

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."

2005-01-12T03:15:00.000-08:00

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)

2005-01-11T02:09:00.000-08:00

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

2005-01-08T04:34:00.000-08:00

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)

2005-01-07T03:06:00.000-08:00

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

2005-01-06T03:35:00.000-08:00

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

2005-01-05T03:57:00.000-08:00

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)

2005-01-04T03:26:00.000-08:00

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

2005-01-03T03:25:00.000-08:00

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.

2004-12-30T03:09:00.000-08:00

Not getting anything out of the front office, Tribune beat writer Paul Sullivan hit on agent Scott Boras last night for news on the Cubs-Beltran situation. Boras was only too happy to oblige, outing the Cubs’ apparent continuing interest for the other GMs to see.

I found a couple of things about the article (linked below) eerie in light of my optimistic comments yesterday.

Me (yesterday): “…perhaps the Cubs GM is flying under the radar to San Juan [Puerto Rico, where Carlos Beltran was earlier this week] right now.”

Sullivan in last night’s article: “…[Boras] said he respects the Cubs ability to ‘fly below the radar’”.

Sullivan tried to get comments from Hendry, but he declined as he was “en route to a family get-together” (uh-huh), but did say the Cubs are still “interested” in Beltran.

In light of all the recent press, and with respect to the inability to trade Sammy Sosa to date, this would have been the perfect time for Hendry to say that the Cubs are no longer in the Beltran hunt. The fans have been prepared for it, and a back-up plan involving a possible Magglio Ordonez acquisition has been heavily floated. But Hendry did not take that opportunity to say the Cubs are not interested in Beltran and has never said so. I admit I am overly optimistic, but it seems the Cubs still have a shot at signing this year’s premier free agent.

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Boras: Beltran, Sosa fate not tied (Sullivan)

From around the country
Hey, it looks like the Scripps Howard News Service is the first to predict a Cubs pennant for 2005. Do they know something, or have they not been paying attention?

--

Meanwhile, I’ve felt bad this week chatting about free agent signings during one of the worst humanitarian crises the world has witnessed, but I wasn’t sure what I could say that would mean anything.

Well done to Al Yellon at And Another Thing!, who simply pointed out what we all can do to help, if only a little. See Al’s latest post for a link to the relevant Red Cross donation site for pledging assistance to relief efforts in Asia.

2004-12-29T02:10:00.000-08:00

As an optimist, I choose to believe that the downbeat reports this week of the Cubs losing out on Carlos Beltran due to financial and personnel (Sosa) constraints are simply the parroting of the media message that the front office wants out there this week. The Yankees and Astros have done enough on their own to keep Beltran's price tag high. A showy pursuit by the Cubs in advance of talks would make the competition bid even higher.

In the De Luca column linked below, it is reported that the Astros want an answer by the end of this week, not by January 8th. Of course, that could mean simply declining their offer and not necessarily agreeing to someone else's.

It is against my nature as an off-season Cubs news junkie, but I am hoping for complete quiet from the organization this week. There has been no announcement that the Cubs will meet with Beltran like the Yankees and Astros have done and like the Mets and possibly Tigers will. What I am banking on is Jim Hendry already being in Puerto Rico to make the Cubs' offer with no negotiation through the media. After all, he went quietly to California to close the deal with Nomar. It will be far more difficult to do with the number one free agent on the market, but perhaps the Cubs GM is flying under the radar to San Juan right now.

For the moment, no news is good news.

Sun-Times
Adding Beltran seems like impossible dream for Cubs (De Luca)

From around the country
The Baltimore Sun (Reg. Req.) says that "the Orioles aren't pursuing a trade with the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Sammy Sosa despite various reports to the contrary."

2004-12-28T02:07:00.000-08:00

The Tribune article (Reg. Req.) on Todd Hollandsworth's return to the team is interesting both for getting a sense of club thinking on the outfield next year, and the situation regarding the battling trainers who were overwhelmed with Cub injuries last year. They've also got a "Where Are they Now?" piece on the 2003 playoff squad, demonstrating that only one infielder and one outfielder from that championship team remain on the Cubs for 2005.

Sun-Times
Cubs' timing not right for Beltran (Kiley)
Player in question backs up Groeschner (Kiley)

Herald
Cubs re-sign Hollandsworth to one-year contract (Miles)
Alou finalizes Giants deal (AP)

From around the country
The Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser has an account of a settlement between Jennie Patton and the Cubs over a sex discrimination lawsuit. The former part-time scout for the Cubs sued the organization for failing to promote her because she is a woman.

2004-12-24T04:23:00.000-08:00

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Cubs wait, see about Beltran bid (Sullivan)
Snub by Cardinals led to ex-trainer's lawsuit (Mitchell)

Merry Christmas from Cubs for Breakfast

2004-12-23T02:09:00.000-08:00

When there's no news and no moves, even the beat writers following the Cubs resort to naked speculation. Usually that's the realm of uninformed columnists and fans. Sober Bruce Miles says why not Green for Sammy over at the Herald, whereas breathless Mike Kiley at the Sun-Times says no way no how on a deal with the Dodgers.

Herald
Cubs making Green trade in realm of possibilities (Miles)

Sun-Times
Training for a fight: Krum files lawsuit vs. Cubs (Kiley)
Dodgers don't want Sammy (Kiley)

Southtown
Giants poised to sign Moises (AP)

From around the country:
I got nothin'

2004-12-22T03:01:00.000-08:00

Here in Ireland, it is tough to get into the spirit of the Hot Stove league--away from the computer anyway. I was reminded of how far removed I am from the world of baseball the other day at my in-laws, when my wife’s niece was taken to task by my brother-in-law for the designer gear she was wearing – that being the pink ladies-style Yankees hat on her 18 year old head. He saw it as a designer label, she called it a “New York hat”.

Yankees merchandise is widespread here despite the complete and utter lack of interest in baseball in the general population. It is down to the Bronx Bombers’ marketing partnership with Manchester United, their soccer equivalent in Europe, and its former megastar player David Beckham being photographed wearing a "New York hat" a few years ago.

I think I saw some pink Cubs hats on sale at Wrigley Field when I was there this year, but somehow I can’t see them taking off the same way – thank god for that.

--

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Yanks fume as big deal falls apart (van Dyck)

Sun-Times
Nets not good enough at Wrigley, city says (Spelman)

From around the country
Tampa Bay could offer a reunion of sorts for the Cubs erstwhile double-play combo from their division championship season of 2003. The Devil Rays, already mentioned as a Mark Grudzielanek suitor, are apparently considering asking Alex Gonzalez to play third base for them in 2005. If it was good enough for A-Rod, why not A-Gon?

2004-12-21T01:57:00.000-08:00

In Barry Rozner's Daily Herald column this morning, Ryne Sandberg is the guest, ostensibly to talk about his Hall of Fame chances. In the end, Rozner lets the mild mannered one go off down a path of subtly slamming the players of today for their less-than-subtle abuse of performance enhancing drugs, which Ryno seems to view as an abuse of the game itself.

The Rocky Mountain News reports that Desi Relaford has offers from the Cubs, Rockies and Rangers. He can apparently play all the positions the newly-re-signed Jose Macias plays, plus shortstop. Is the Cubs' offer now withdrawn, because Macias has been signed, or is Jose just a stop-gap measure?

Southtown
North Siders tender contracts to five players, re-sign Macias (Vorva)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Jockeying heats up in Beltran derby (van Dyck)
Reds sign Mercker to 2-year deal (AP)

Sun-Times
Engineers say nets at Wrigley should remain in place (Spelman)

2004-12-20T01:39:00.000-08:00

Herald
Finding a closer, Sosa situation top Hendry's list of challenges (Miles)
Alou OK after spinout in Dominican Republic

Sun-Times
Sosa-to-Mets deal not dead yet (Kiley)
Sosa quandary gumming up works for Cubs-Beltran deal (De Luca)

2004-12-18T02:21:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Matt Clement, who signed a multi-year deal with Boston. With the Cubs hosting the Red Sox in inter-league play next June, maybe Matt will get one more start in Wrigley Field to make up for the ones he missed in September when he was pulled from the rotation.

RIP Ted Abernathy, who I remember from the Cubs bullpen in the late 60s-early 70s, and who threw with an underhand submarine type motion that was unique at the time. Abernathy died aged 71 in North Carolina.

Sun-Times
Cubs cut back on bleachers to win city OK

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Clement jumps at Red Sox pitch
Sammy another piece in puzzle (Sullivan)

I Don’t Get it Either

2004-12-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Anonymous for his or her comment on Dec. 10. He or she said:

I don't get it if I need to get Cubs news I just go to the link below or run an RSS feed.
http://www.prosportsdaily.com/mlb/cubs/rumors.html
Its great what your doing but its redundant...

Believe me, I thought about this too, because there are so many ways already to “get Cubs news”. I wasn’t aware of the site you mention, but for an automated feed of relevant Cubs articles it is excellent. Most ways of aggregating lots of sources reporting on a topic result in either too much irrelevant junk or else too narrow a focus in terms of sources. The Pro Sports Daily bot works really well, as it sucks up articles from the four Chicago dailies as well as major news sources around the country.

So, am I wasting my time? I started doing this because during the off season I am scouring for Cub news updates every morning between around 3:30 and 5:30 am Chicago time (it’s a lot later here) when a lot of daily news sources get updated. I thought, since I’m already scanning, it might be useful for others if I collected the new headlines and stuck them in one place early every morning for easy access. It only takes me an extra minute or two and others might benefit from it.

A couple things that will keep me going:

-I get new headlines up about 90 minutes earlier than Pro Sports Daily and other aggregators.

-I filter out articles that add nothing to what has already been posted. I also “filter in” bits that might not make it the other sites or get lost among the junk: e.g., the last paragraph of a piece from Louisiana on Todd Walker, or something from a columnist (rather than a news article) that includes actual news and not just commentary.

So, for the moment, I’ll keep posting. If I get more feedback that Cubs for Breakfast is redundant, I’ll reconsider the format, but I intend to do that anyway when the season starts.

2004-12-17T02:09:00.000-08:00

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Serious suitors kissing off Sosa (Sullivan)

Fround around the country
At the very end of this morning's New York Times (Reg. Req.) article on Atlanta's trade for Tim Hudson, Braves General Manager John Schuerholz "said he had financial flexibility to address Atlanta's outfield needs, [and] admitted that he had had preliminary conversations with the Chicago Cubs about Sammy Sosa." But the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Reg. Req.) says that despite this, "a deal appears highly unlikely."

Some Thursday items that posted late:

Sun-Times
Cubs still hope to talk with O's (Kiley)

Southtown
Sosa rumors rumble (Vorva)

Cubs.com
Cubs' Spring camp opens Feb. 16 (Muskat)

2004-12-16T02:00:00.000-08:00

Herald
Cubs no closer to moving Sosa (Miles)

Tribune (reg. Req.)
Cubs keep shopping while Sosa takes hit (Sullivan)

From around the country
The Baltimore Sun (Reg. Req.) quotes an Orioles executive as saying that the team would only be interested in acquiring Sammy Sosa if the Cubs paid 80 percent of his salary....The papers in Boston are saying that Matt Clement is now the Red Sox's main target for a new starting pitcher, but the ex-Cub free agent has just visited the Dodgers and Angels and will make a decision on where to sign today or tomorrow....Meanwhile, the Reds are still interested in Kent Mercker, but have not made an offer yet.

Ill-Timed Hiatus

2004-12-10T13:49:00.000-08:00

After missing only one day in our first six weeks, it’s too bad that a staff shortage in the kitchen will keep the Breakfast closed for a few days just as we start to pick up some visitors (and, just as the Hot Stove really heats up – damn!). But it’s nice to have a life once in awhile too. Updates will resume sometime next week.

2004-12-10T01:38:00.000-08:00

Herald
Payroll could exceed $100M (Miles)
Hendry's assumption: Sosa will return in 2005 (Miles)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Maggs: 'Why not the Cubs?' (Sullivan)
Cubs can't let Beltran go elsewhere (Rogers)
For Cubs, dealing Sosa not so easy (Foltman)

From around the country
Despite Jim Hendry's posturing in the Herald and Trib (and the Sun-Times and Southtown), the Sosa saga continues with full force. New York Newsday says this morning that Mets GM Omar Minaya has not given up, and that the Cubs have upped their offer financially.......Remember that story in October suggesting that Nomar Garciaparra could go to the Yankees next year and play second base alongside Derek Jeter at short and Alex Rodriguez at third? The New York Post claims it was Nomar himself who came up with the idea......The Brewers are the latest to throw their hat into the ring for Matt Clement

2004-12-09T02:46:00.000-08:00

Sun-Times
Sosa plays mum on trade talk (Kiley)
Hendry zeroing in on Brewers' Kolb (Kiley)

Herald
Christmas shopping in Anaheim (Miles)

Southtown
Blanco could be a real steal (Vorva)

2004-12-08T01:58:00.000-08:00

Cubs.com
Blanco signs deal with Cubs

Herald
Return engagement (Spellman)
Walker thinks Sosa will apologize (Miles)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Nomar, Walker on board (Sullivan)

Sun-Times
Cubs' daily double: Nomar, Walker (Kiley)
Mariotti column

2004-12-07T16:36:00.000-08:00

Cubs.com
Cubs agree to terms with Walker

2004-12-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

Cubs.com
Cubs reach deal to keep Garciaparra

2004-12-07T01:18:00.000-08:00

Sun-Times
Cubs bid adieu to disappointed Alou (Kiley)

The Kiley article above and Carrie Muskat’s piece on MLB.com last night suggested that the Cubs might offer arbitration to Todd Hollandsworth, who says he is completely healed. Paul Bako is also mentioned as an arb candidate, while the remaining free agents are given short shrift. Do they have the inside track here? We’ll find out tonight.

Why do the Rockies still think the Cubs might be interested in Charles Johnson? This comes up in the Denver press about once a week. Could there be a Sosa angle, even after last week's events?

The Mets are the latest to join the queue to talk to Matt Clement's agent, although Peter Gammons has added the Dodgers and Cardinals to the list...

Herald
Cubs' Hendry working hard to re-sign Garciaparra, Walker (Miles)
Rozner column with new Cubs rumor

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Toughest tasks up next for Hendry (Sullivan)
Santo low-keys Hall vote (Sherman)
Cubs hire head trainer

2004-12-06T03:07:00.000-08:00

Sun-Times
Cubs go combo, get set to re-sign Nomar, Walker (Kiley)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Cubs might take look at rehabilitating Nen (Rogers)

Cubs Free Agent Watch III: Moises Alou

2004-12-06T02:28:00.000-08:00

The Japan Times said last month that Moises Alou, “coming off a 39-homer, 106 RBI, .293 year at age 38, will check out the options available for 2005, including a return to Chicago and a second tenure of play for his father, this time in San Francisco.”

Do those options really exist?

Apparently, “his father would love for him to play in San Francisco and it would depend on what kind of offer the Giants can make,” according to Scout.com. The Cubs declined his option but said they could be interested in a cheaper deal, however, that seems very unlikely if Sammy Sosa cannot be traded.

But the New York Post says the Mets are interested in maybe having Alou instead of Sosa, and the Texas Rangers are also said to be looking at a 2005 outfield with Mo.

2004-12-05T03:14:00.000-08:00

From around the country:
Shreveport Times: Walker open to return to Chicago

The St. Louis Post Dispatch said on Saturday that although Nomar was first choice, the Cubs have started talking to Edgar Renteria's agent just in case. Today, they mention that Tony Womack is now being looked at more closely by the Cards than the Cubs...Meanwhile, the Fort Worth Star Telegram (Reg. Req.) says the Rangers will wait to see if the Cubs offer Todd Walker arbitration before offering him a deal to play in Texas....

2004-12-04T03:04:00.000-08:00

Sun-Times
Steroid fallout dims chances of Sosa trade (De Luca)

2004-12-03T03:58:00.000-08:00

From around the country
New York Newsday says the Giambi episode casts further shadows over the potential Sosa trade, as the Mets front office tries to convince their GM to "Just Say No"...

2004-12-02T01:52:00.000-08:00

Sun-Times
Cubs working on deal to keep Garciaparra; Walker could be in the mix (Ginnetti)

Herald
Cubs' Hendry still optimistic (Miles)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Astros open Beltran bidding (van Dyck)

2004-12-01T01:23:00.000-08:00

Herald
Cubs' Hendry working to sign Garciaparra (Miles)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Pedro talks put Sammy on hold (van Dyck)

2004-11-30T01:21:00.000-08:00

Sun-Times
Cubs seek to add up to 80 premium seats (Spielman)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Cubs propose placing ads behind home plate (Washburn)
Stone: Nothing's in works with White Sox (Mitchell)

From around the country
The New York Times has another Minaya/Sosa piece preparing Mets fans for the (possible) arrival of Slammin' Sammy next year, but in their article on Pedro, they actually have some minor Sosa news down near the bottom (regarding the state of Hendry/Minaya negotiations). A password may be required to view these articles.

2004-11-29T02:01:00.000-08:00

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Plenty of shopping days left for free agents (van Dyck)

From around the country
According to the Fort-Worth Star Telegram (Reg. Req.), Todd Walker "is being courted to be the Rangers' designated hitter in the No. 2 spot in the order. "

2004-11-26T03:22:00.000-08:00

From around the country
New York Newsday: Minaya developed Sosa; now he wants to make him a Met

2004-11-25T01:49:00.000-08:00

Herald
Cubs sorting through key issues (Miles)

From around the country:
New York Daily News: Sosa deal fading fast over money
Newark Star Ledger: Mets acting prudent in Sosa talks
Fox Sports: Looking around the league (more Sosa chatter)

Cubs Free Agent Watch II: Todd Walker

2004-11-24T11:57:00.000-08:00

Tony Womack, just the other day, was at the “top” of the Cubs’ “wish list” according to the Sun-Times, not to mention Ken Rosenthal at the Sporting News. That was then. Today, it seems those claims were somewhat inaccurate, if you believe the next batch of spin. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that “negotiations stalled earlier this week”. Someone at The Cub Reporter has an ESPN Rumor Central account and says that column is claiming Todd Walker’s the choice du jour. Also, anyone who read down to the bottom of the Trib’s Dan Kolb article on Monday would have seen some back pedaling regarding Womack. Too early to say “Phew?”

Who is stalking Walk? Jim Hendry?

Actually, it’s the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Texas Rangers. According to his hometown paper, the Shreveport Times, Walker is planning to take his time making a decision this off season, although the Cubs would be his preference.

2004-11-24T04:35:00.000-08:00

Sun-Times
Kasper hails Cubs TV job as best in baseball (Ginnetti)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Cubs to advertise new look behind plate (Sullivan)

Herald
'It's the best play-by-play job in sports' (Cox)

Southtown
Kasper OK as shtick in the mud (Vorva)
Baseball Notebook (Vorva)

2004-11-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

We can expect a lot of hype on Len Kasper (who? Oh yeah, him) today and tomorrow. The Cubs are having a press conference to introduce him today at Wrigley Field. Wish they'd save the big splash for someone who will make a difference on the field.

Free agent Kent Mercker is again getting his side out, on the Cubs website, seeing as teams are now wondering if he's bad for the clubhouse.

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Cubs call about Brewers' closer (van Dyck)

From around the country:
New York Times (Reg. Req.): The Boo Birds Are Circling a Fallen Star (Sosa profile)

The NYT website requires free registration. The article doesn't have anything new about the progress of trade talks with the Mets, but implies that they are very much alive. Mainly, it is a description of how Sammy fell from grace in Chicago, and it has quite a downbeat tone throughout.

2004-11-22T01:16:00.000-08:00

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
When Hendry talks, GMs listen (Rogers)

In case you didn't want to bother registering to read the Mercker story from Ohio the other day, here it is reprinted in the Trib (where you're more likely to have a password). Mercker says he never screamed at Steve Stone.

From around the country:
This is something I don't understand. Ken Rosenthal in the Sporting News says that the Cubs are "getting closer on a deal" with Tony Womack. If Womack is so great, why did he warm the Cubs' bench in 2003 when Mark Grudzielanek was the starter? Why are the Cubs letting Grudz go and now apparently going after Womack? Personally, I think Todd Walker should get to start all year for the Cubs but he won't be signed if they get Womack. Walker is supposed to be a bad defender and I understand that he is a little below average statistically, but I remember him making a lot more great plays last year than bad ones. More importantly, I like his bat and his relative patience at the plate. Womack is probably being targeted because he is a "true leadoff hitter" (and a supposedly better defender), but I prefer Walker, who somehow always inspires confidence when he comes to bat. He's been consistent at the plate during his career, while Womack has been flakey and flukey.

2004-11-21T12:11:00.000-08:00

Further to yesterday’s post about Matt Clement and his suitors, there is something in the New York Times (Reg. Req.) today about the current free agent starters on the market which says that his strike out and walk rates for the last two years are by wide margins the best among his free-agent competition. And the Tribune (Reg. Req.) posted something late from today’s paper on Matt’s off-season as well.

2004-11-21T03:14:00.000-08:00

Southtown
Prior down on Sosa (Whalen)

Herald
Rusch signing official (AP)

From around the country:
Boston Globe: Alou goes to bat for Sosa
Dayton Daily News (Reg. Req.): Mercker's take on Stone Saga

Cubs Free Agent Watch

2004-11-20T15:36:00.000-08:00

Which teams are targeting the heroes, villains and “lemons” of the 2004 Cubs roster? Carlos Beltran is coveted by a laundry list of teams, but who is looking at Moises Alou? Who is talking to Todd Hollandsworth’s agent? Which teams hope Matt Clement will be pitching for them in 2005?

We’ll try to figure it out over the next few weeks of the off-season, and we’ll start with the most coveted soon-to-be former Cub, Matt Clement. Although Clement was taken out of the rotation towards the end of the season after an extended period of rough starts, Matt was very much the number one or two starter on the team in the first few months of the season. At no point during the season was he really expected to remain on the roster after 2004, and although the possibility still exists if he goes to arbitration (the Cubs have not made him an offer), Clement is the one guy we expected to be saying goodbye to in October. His difficulties on the mound in the second half (plus, according to a recent report, his leaving the team at some point to attend to his pregnant wife, which apparently irked Dusty Baker), meant we never did get to say goodbye.

Teams looking at Clement (relevant articles linked):
Blue Jays
White Sox
Tigers
Rangers
Indians
Red Sox

2004-11-20T03:03:00.000-08:00

Herald
Cubs will sign Rusch for 2 years (Miles)
Closing late, Kasper wins job with Cubs (Rozner)

Sun-Times
Kasper choice as Cubs' new TV voice (Ginnetti)

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Kasper the friendly host (Sherman)
Ticket prices going up again at Wrigley (van Dyck)

2004-11-19T02:29:00.000-08:00

Herald
Re-signing Rusch could be first move (Spellman)
Vasgersian back in lead for Cubs job (Rozner)

From around the country:
San Diego Union-Tribune: Cubs interested in Vasgersian

2004-11-18T01:38:00.000-08:00

Tribune (Reg. Req.)
Cubs still looking for closer (van Dyck)

Sun-Times
Urbina, Renteria, Dye could land in Chicago (De Luca)
Kasper, Vasgersian in Cubs' TV voice hunt (Ginnetti)
Cubs not out of options for closer (Kiley)

Herald
Here's one way for Cubs to deal Sosa (Rozner)

2004-11-17T01:27:00.000-08:00