Ryan Theriot and the Cubs will be heading to arbitration it seems. Which is probably doesnāt bode well for The Riot, as much as I like him, doesnāt look so great on paper. My bet is that arbitration will go down in favor of the Cubs and the $2.6 million figure.
Which in a way, is a shame. The Cubs have gotten a steal the past two years with Theriot and his sub-mil salary. Heās been a solid, full-time infielder. His average took a dip last year mostly because (rumors say) he was taking swings for the fences). True enough, the homers increased (from 1 to 7) but so did the strikeouts (58 to 93) and the OBP dipped (.387 to .343). Management has reportedly talked to Theriot at the end of last season about reverting to making more contact.
When I read that Skip Schumaker signed recently with the Cardinals for a two-year deal worth $4.7 million I was reminded immediately of Theriotās situation. Ok, theyāre not of exactly the same value but they are close. Young middle infielders who hit for decent average.
Iām not about to take sides in this battle but at the same time, I will say this: the Cubs have gotten more than fair value from Theriot the last few years. Maybe itās time for payback.
Gomes has plenty of potential but the knock on Heart Attack Jonny (he suffered a heart attack in 2002) is the injury issue. He hasnāt put in a full season in the seven years in the majors. To be fair, letās call it five since he was up for just a cup of coffee for the first two.
I feel Gomes has a lot of power potential. Take the last five years. Accumulated, heās averaged 28 homers per 500 at-bats. Yes, his batting average is a tad low. By a tad low, I mean averages like .216, .244, .182 and a whopping .267 last year. To his credit, Gomes ability to get on base with the walk raises his OBP to a more respectable career level of .330.
Last year to go along with his Hornsby-like .267, Gomes hit 20 longballs in 281 at-bats proving that heās making improvements. The question is could he do this over an extended and more importantly, do the Cubs have a need for him.
At this point, yes, I feel the Chicago Cubs could most certainly find a use for Heart Attack Jonny. I wouldn’t expect him to play a full season if he was acquired but he would play a vital role. As a righty, he could platoon in right field and spell Soriano when (yes, when not if)he goes down.
Gomes is 29 and if he could fashion a respectable year in 2010, he could right his career. Heās been one of those players that had very interesting numbers and Iāve always liked to see what would happen if he was given a chance.
Most important on the listā¦ Piniella has management backing
(Team president Crane) Kenney said the Cubs are satisfied with the job he has done. Kenney also pointed out they have the second-best record among National League teams (behind Philadelphia) in the three years since Piniella was hired.
"We think we have the best manager in baseball," he said, adding: "We like it when he gets a little hot."
Refreshing, I guess. Lou has what it takes to get the Cubs to the playoffs. Heās already shown that. My concern and maybe Iām putting the horse before the cart, is how to translate the success during the regular season to success in the postseason.
But in the end, I support Lou and am encouraged by the managementās backing of him rather than finding a quick fix or worse, pulling a PR move to look as if they are ādoing somethingā to solve the problem.
During the interview, he spoke at length about his family especially his mother and his grandmother, Eunice Taylor, who he considered a āmentorā.
Dawson seemed to have a high opinion of playing in Chicago and of the Chicago fans:
I just went out and said I was going to have fun. The fans embraced me from day one of spring training. And I think even though I pressed a little bit at the outset, I hit a grand slam home run that kind of got me going.
And from there, you know, things just started to happen on a daily basis. But for the most part of the six years that I was there, I really enjoyed the reception, the fact that I had an opportunity to play amongst fans who really didnāt put any pressure on you, you know.
Plus he had great comment about one of my favorite baseball people:
Don Zimmer always would make the comment, get here early and donāt really go out and do something that would embarrass the fans.
Something else about the interview struck me too. Something that some people might appreciate more than others:
The Southern (IL) reports on a trade in the Frontier League whose name seems to hearken back to older Cub days (emphasis mine):
When Southern Illinois Miners’ manager Mike Pinto traded for the Gateway Grizzlies’ Stephen Holdren last July, he called it one of the biggest trades in Frontier League history.
Pinto said the deal he finalized Monday, sending Holdren to the River City Rascals in exchange for power-hitting first baseman Ernie Banks, is even bigger.
Apparently, Banks, a former Marlins draft pick, is more than just a namesake to the former Cub. This minor league firstbaseman really can hit, too. Last year he hit .353 for the River City Rascals, good for 3rd in the Frontier League. He also placed 5th with 24 homeruns (in just 77 games no less).
Banks will be looking at a new team this coming year in the independent league based in the Midwest. The Southern Illinois Miners are based in Carbondale, Illinois
Iāll admit it. Ron Santo isnāt my favorite broadcaster to listen to. But like Harry Caray in his later years, I can forgive that. For all I can tell, Ron Santo is probably as genuine as youāre going to get in a business full of cynicism and insincerity.
Like Harry, no one seems to love the game or the Cubs more (and dare I say it, the enthusiasm doesnāt appear to be an act like so many in the broadcasting biz):
"I love what I do, and it keeps me alive, as far as I’m concerned," Santo said from his Arizona home. "When I go in [to negotiate], I could say I’m looking for a two-year [deal] and they’ll say, ‘Why don’t you take a three-year contract?’"
Iām normally not so sentimental in such matters but in Santoās case, Iāll make an exception. He deserves more (*cough* Hall of Fame *cough*) but Iām happy for the news.
Dan Hudson who pitched for the White Sox organization (and actually made it to the bigs for a quick cup of coffee late in the year) won the award for best overall pitcher. He did so thanks to a 2.32 ERA and a 14-5. Want a more impressive stat? He struck out 166 and walked only 34 for a 4.88 K/BB ratio.
David Cales is someone who Iām looking forward to seeing in a Cub uniform. For Single-A Daytona, he had a 0.78 ERA in 37 games which got him the Best Reliever in Class A Advanced. It may not be too long before we see himā¦ heās already made it to AA Tennessee.
Speaking of Daytona, Catcher Robinson Chirinos who also plays for them, won the MiLBY award for Best Single Game Performance at the Class A Advanced level. On May 31, the Venezuelan native hit two grand slams to help the Daytona Cubs to a 11-3 victory over Sarasota. Thatās the second time thatās happened in the Florida State League history.
The Best Team award went to Padre Class A affiliate Fort Wayne Tin Caps. They won over 100 games (a 101-48 record to be precise) which in the minors, is pretty dang rare. By the way, their manager? Former Cubs speedster Doug Dascenzo.
The Best Hitter award will be announced sometime today.
Listed at age 39, his real age is could be anywhere from 40-45, nonetheless the Cubs are looking at him as protection for Lilly, and also to push the No. 4 and No. 5 spots in the iffy bottom of the rotation
Jose DID pitch well after coming to Colorado in late August (Levine reminds us that he had a 1.59 ERA in Sept/Oct) but his overall second half ERA was still 5.40 coupled with a 2-6 record.
2004: Dugout confrontation with Indians manager Eric Wedge in spring training before getting traded to the Dodgers.
Slammed a plastic bottle at the feet of a fan in the right-field seats at Dodger Stadium after someone threw it onto the field. Bradley drew a five-game suspension. Also received four-game suspension for tossing a bag of balls onto the field after an ejection.
2005: Feuded with infielder Jeff Kent, accusing him of being a racist, and prompted Dodgers to trade him that winter.
2007: Bitter public disagreement with Aās general manager Billy Beane. After trade to Padres and in thick of pennant race, tore ACL in his right knee when he was spun to the ground by Padres manager Bud Black, who was trying to keep him from umpire Mike Winters. Bradley claimed he had been baited by Winters, who was suspended for the final five days of the regular season.
2008: According to Dallas Morning News, Bradley attempted to confront Royals television announcer Ryan Lefebvre in the press box after a game due to what he believed were unfair comments made on the air. Texas manager Ron Washington and GM Jon Daniels chased after him and stopped Bradley before he got toĀ Lefebvre.
January 6, 2009: The Cubs will be the seventh team for Milton Bradley, who has a history of behavioral issues during nine seasons in the majors.
April 16, 2009: Milton Bradley’s suspension was reduced from two games to one by Major League Baseball on Thursday, but that didn’t make him any happier.Ā The Chicago Cubs outfielder still feels he was a victim of his reputation as a hothead.Ā “It figures,” he said after MLB announced its decision regarding the April 16 incident.Ā “I never get treated fairly.Ā This is me. This is exactly what I expected.Ā “I’m Milton Bradley, you know what I’m saying?Ā You expect me to be crazy and throw stuff and do whatever.”Ā Bradley didn’t throw anything after umpire Larry Vanover called him out on strikes with the bases loaded.Ā But the famously volatile ballplayer did get in Vanover’s face and the umpiring crew contended that Bradley’s hat made slight contact with Vanover.Ā It was Bradley’s first Wrigley Field at-bat after he had signed a $30 million contract during the offseason.
June 12, 2009: Milton forgot how many outs there were in a game at Wrigley Field, after catching a fly ball, he turned, and tossed the baseball to a fan in the rightfield bleachers, but there were only two outs, there were two runners on base.Ā The error didn’t cost the Cubs, as there were runners on 1st & 3rd, the runner on 3rd would’ve scored on the sac fly and the other runner was stranded after moving from first to third.Ā Here’s what Bradley had to say about the incident.Ā “I wasn’t embarrassed.Ā I’ve done a whole lot of things to be embarrassed about,” Bradley said.Ā “My heart was in the right place. I tried to give a souvenir.Ā It was messed up.”Ā “We talked about it today, just have fun and relax,” Bradley said.Ā “It’s hard to get me to smile on a baseball field, but I had to smile today.Ā You can’t just keep taking yourself too seriously.Ā You have to chill out, have fun.Ā If we do that, we’ll be all right.”
September, 2009: Here’s what Cubs GM Jim Hendry had to say after suspending Bradley in September for the rest of the season.Ā “Recently, it’s become intolerable to hear Milton talk about our great fans the way he has,” Hendry said. “We pride ourselves on having the greatest fans in baseball, so at this time we felt it was best to send him home for the rest of the season.”
All of this should come as no surprise, it’s been with Milton Bradley, pretty much, his whole life.Ā Here is a recap of a situation involving Milton when he was a minor leaguer with the Montreal Expos, he even was suspended one game from his high school baseball team.Ā Bradley’s anger grew to the point where would explode at authority figures left and right, particularly umpires: He poked one in the mask and later spit his gum at another, earning him a seven-game suspension and the worst reputation in the minor leagues.Ā “It wasn’t violent,” Bradley explains.Ā “It was something I shouldn’t have done.Ā You can’t touch the umpire.Ā You can’t spit on the umpire.Ā I know that. But you just get to the point where you’re just, ‘There, I got that off my chest.’ ”
I remember following this talented switch-hitting kid way back when, when he was in the minors with Montreal, the kid with the board game company name, and his birthday being April 15th, an Aries, my birthday’s the 14th & my brother’s is the 16th, so I was intrigued, but after the spitting incident I decided to strike him from my list.
I just can’t see how so many major league teams have fallen for his B.S.Ā Certainly he is a talented hitter, but he can’t field any more, he once was fleet-footed, but after knee surgeries, those days are long gone.Ā So I can’t see what the attraction is, other than his bat, he is a cancer in the clubhouse, and basically, can’t get along with anyone.Ā Bradley never seems able to accept responsibility for his actions and always comes off playing the victim.
I knew where this was going when the Cubs signed him to that big contract before this past season, why didn’t Jim Hendry?Ā Now Hendry is looking like the hero, finding a new home for Milton & his baggage in the Pacific Northwest with the Seattle Mariners.Ā The Cubs got starting righthanded pitcher Carlos Silva from Seattle, he’s the Mariners version of a mistake signing, $25 million over the next two years.Ā Since signing his lucrative contract the injured hurler has posted a record of 5-17 over the past two seasons, perhaps a change of scenery will do him good, but don’t count on it.
Getting back to the lame excuse Hendry gave for bringing Bradley to the Northside of Chicago in the first place, the team needed a lefthanded bat to balance out their lineup, after getting swept by the Dodgers following a 1st place finish a couple of years ago.Ā There were some very high quality alternatives to Milton, Raul Ibanez (a lefthanded hitter & one of the nicest guys in baseball) signed with the Phillies and Bobby Abreu (a lefthanded hitter, with a long career of solid numbers, & a decent rightfielder) signed with the Angels, both for less than Bradley’s contract.
Milton Bradley will probably do pretty well as Seattle’s regular DH in 2010, but most certainly it won’t last.Ā The Mariners will be his eighth team in ten years.Ā How many bridges must a man burn before there are none left to cross?
Dugout confrontation with Indians manager Eric Wedge in spring training before getting traded to the Dodgers.
2004: Dugout confrontation with Indians manager Eric Wedge in spring training before getting traded to the Dodgers.