Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry is only in the first year of a three-year contract, and aren’t back-to-back division championships enough to keep him around despite this year’s season filled with bad luck?
OK, it’s been more than bad luck with the injury bug; however, blaming Hendry for the changes in the offseason is not the answer to the Cubs’ future.
Several players, the main one being Alfonso Soriano, have had down years, and in Soriano’s case, his season totals are going to plateau at this point in his career. Yes, everyone knows that even without the knee pain he’s been fighting, he’s a liability in the outfield, making his 8-year, $136-million contract look ridiculous. Soriano’s irrelevant at this point though: he’s not going anywhere, and all fans can do is hope he gets it together next year.
As for the other Cub outfielder getting booed on a regular basis, Milton Bradley, he is not far off the expected level of hitting Hendry expected.
After his extremely slow start, Bradley’s been among the most reliable Cubs in July and August. His on-base plus slugging in those two months are .878 and .911.
Compared to the $18 million Soriano made this year, Bradley’s $7 million is a bargain. He leads the team in on-base percentage at .394, and he should have been an invaluable part of a lineup filled with weapons to drive in runs.
Geovany Soto’s huge fall from his Rookie of the Year season in ‘08 has obviously hurt, and Ryan Theriot hasn’t had the same season he had in 2008, when he had a .387 on-base percentage and 73 walks to 58 strikeouts. His on-base mark of .334 in 2009 means he belongs in the bottom of the order with Soriano in 2010.
Even with Soriano slumping all summer and apparently playing through knee pain, a healthy Aramis Ramirez could have helped the Cubs build a lead in the NL Central behind the solid pitching they were getting from the starters.
Manager Lou Piniella, who Hendry said will definitely be back next year, probably should have entrusted third base to Jake Fox when Ramirez went down, but it’s hard to blame the closer situation on Lou when Carlos Marmol had so much trouble throwing strikes through July.
The Kevin Gregg collapse and the injuries to Ted Lilly and Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano would have derailed the hopes for a division title, but with Ramirez healthy the Cubs would have at least been in a position to compete with Colorado and company for the wild-card spot and join the crapshoot that the MLB playoffs have become.
But the future is the real issue.
Repairing the Cubs’ offense, one of the best in baseball in 2008, is the pre-eminent task going forward.
Derrek Lee, who hit his 30th and 31st homers Monday, has shown he’s got a couple big RBI seasons left in him, and Ramirez is in his prime. Kosuke Fukudome has been as steady as anybody by hitting primarily against right-handers this season, and he’s definitely a top-of-the-order option.
Finding a productive second baseman — no, it’s not Mark DeRosa — has to be a priority. Angels’ free-agent-to-be Chone Figgins could play there while adding versatility and speed. A less expensive option might be Akinori Iwamura, who Tampa Bay might deem expendable after Ben Zobrist’s breakout season.
And it’s not a lost season since the Cubs have found young players to help veteran leaders, whether it be in the field or in the rotation.
Offensivley, Fox’s first full season in the majors has been productive, and he has shown he can fill in at both corner outfield spots, both corner infield spots and even catcher if needed.
And rookie Randy Wells inserted himself into the Rookie of the Year conversation with the season he’s had. With a little run support earlier in the season, he should be the Cubs’ only 15-game winner. Wells is a gamer who knows how to pitch, and he might make Rich Harden expendable if the price for the injury-prone right-hander is too high.
Hendry added a great left-hander to the bullpen, John Grabow, so whether they let Gregg move on in free agency or sign him to a much cheaper deal to help the bullpen, the Cubs’ bullpen could be strong in 2010, assuming Marmol will have finally learned that walks are his enemy.
With the big contracts the Cubs have in place, it’s no time for Cubs’ management to panic and break up the core of this team. Staying the course is the best, if not only, option.
Craig Pearson can be reached by e-mail at craig.pearson@tribstar.com or at (812) 231-4357.
Given to Fly
September 7, 2009
'Till It's Over: It’s been rough year but no need to break up Cubs' core
- Given to Fly
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GIVEN TO FLY: ISU women have solid recruiting class
The caliber of athletes that the Indiana State women’s basketball coaching staff is bringing in is on an upswing.
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GIVEN TO FLY: Major leaguers John, Dorsett meet up at tonight’s game
Terre Haute’s only two big leaguers of the last 50 years — Tommy John and Brian Dorsett — will catch up with one another today.
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FOOT NOTES: Valley natives perform well on national stage
Several Wabash Valley natives continue to shine on the national track and field scene.
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'Til It's Over: Sycamores ‘in a good place,’ but searching for more in MVC
Can Teri Moren lift Indiana State, last year’s seventh-place team in the Missouri Valley Conference, to one of the league’s contenders in her first year on campus?
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'Til It's Over: Two sets of identical twins should keep North Central baseball a contender
The last high school baseball team standing in the Wabash Valley was the North Central, the Thunderbirds falling short 4-3 in the Class A Semistate on Saturday just one game shy of Victory Field.
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'Til It's Over: Jarvis, Anderson confident Olney, hard work leads to Division I dream
Olney, Ill., population 8,000-plus and known for its population of white squirrels, might not be the dream destination for high school basketball players in Indiana.
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'Til It's Over: Robinson 7-footer more focused in postseason; 6-foot Jones keeps producing
Robinson 7-footer Meyers Leonard is not going to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA some day, but his odds of reaching the league are pretty solid if his game continues to evolve as it has during high school.
- 'Til It's Over: ‘Stepping stone’ game points Sycamores in right direction Whether the win comes against a top-25 team or a conference pushover, ending a four-game losing streak is always a relief.
- 'Til It's Over: Indianapolis ISU recruit rolling along in senior season As Indiana State recruit Anna Munn approached Christmas with the Decatur Central basketball team, the senior guard didn’t seem to need much of a wishlist.
- 'Til It's Over: Magic’s still there for '79 Sycamores For the former Indiana State players who visited the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in late November, the weekend was a chance to relive memories with teammates and see Larry Bird’s career with the Sycamores celebrated again.
- CRAIG PEARSON: North has strong history in cross country state finals Vigo County is home to just four IHSAA state championships in team sports. Most recently, Terre Haute South won girls titles in basketball (2002) and tennis (2001).
- 'Till It's Over: It’s been rough year but no need to break up Cubs' core Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry is only in the first year of a three-year contract, and aren’t back-to-back division championships enough to keep him around despite this year’s season filled with bad luck?
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'Til It's Over: Hansbrough, Hibbert give Pacers glimpse of future
You might have heard of the Indiana Pacers’ 2009 first-round draft pick. He was on the television once in a while during his four-year career at North Carolina.
- 'Til It's Over: Bertoli, Moore put on show in abundance of events “Anthony and Erica” may not have the marketing capability of “Dan and Dave,” but neither of Indiana State’s outstanding multi-event participants had let-down performances this weekend in the Missouri Valley Conference Championships.
- ‘Walking wounded’: ISU seniors return to provide spark All three ISU seniors will graduate in May, and all three will be in uniform today as Indiana State battles Bradley in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament quarterfinals.
- Given to Fly: Northview standout runner Thacker coming to ISU Doc Brown told an old-timer in a saloon in “Back to the Future III” that despite having automobiles in the future people run for recreation.
- Given to Fly: Schilli’s Rodman-like performance aids ISU With Indiana State’s women’s basketball team ranking eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference in field-goal percentage (36.5), the Sycamores need as many shot attempts as possible to maintain their standing on top of the league.
- Given to Fly: A classic in every sense of the word What tournament director and co-founder Gary Fears had in mind when creating the tournament came to fruition Tuesday. Marshall, with an enrollment of 438 students, became the smallest school to win the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic in the ninth season of the tourney.
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Given to Fly: ISU women should build confidence off strong outing
Indiana State did not pull off the monumental upset Saturday against No. 23 Kansas State, but the Wildcats are —aside from Connecticut in 2005 — the best team the Sycamores have played in the Jim Wiedie era.
- Given to Fly: ISU women's hoops team slides onto commercial radio Coach Jim Wiedie expects the Indiana State women’s basketball team to have a bit of a retro feel this season, meaning the Sycamores have the potential to get back to creating havoc with their full-court press.
- Given to Fly: ISU vets hope to prove pundits wrong Indiana State’s only two seniors were surprised to see they were picked ahead of just three Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball teams Tuesday morning.
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Footnotes: In first marathon, former Sycamore comes out a winner
Indiana State graduate Dani Prince made her debut in the event with a victory in the Columbus Marathon on Sunday.
Prince’s goal was a time under 2 hours and 50 minutes, and she ran a 2:48.56. -
Given To Fly: ISU volleyball turning things around
It was an extremely busy weekend for Indiana State athletics this weekend.
- Footnotes: Here’s hoping perfect weather is still around for Nationals in November The weather made for a perfect fall afternoon Saturday at LaVern Gibson Championship Course. For what it’s worth, the Farmer’s Almanac calls for more sunny conditions from Nov. 20-24, with the NCAA Championships falling on the 24th this year.
- Terre Haute natives cherish memories of ‘House that Ruth Built’ Yankee Stadium was packed as usual on Easter Sunday in 1979. George Steinbrenner’s Yankees were one loss away from being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers to start the season. That was no way for the two-time defending World Series champions to perform, so the boss had a conversation with his new veteran left-handed starting pitcher prior to the game.
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Footnotes: Oregon men and women have strangehold on preseason NCAA cross countryrankings
The Oregon men and women were almost both unanimous picks as the No. 1 teams in the nation in the preseason cross country national rankings released recently.
- Given to Fly: Bronze medalist has strong ISU ties One of the remarkable American medalists of this 2008 Olympics thus far also provided one of the most sparkling stories in the brief history of the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course here in Terre Haute.
- Former ISU QB gets back to Amarillo This week, Indiana State signed its most highly-touted football prospect in years, and former quarterback Julian Reese is ripping it up for the Amarillo Dusters of Arena2.
- Indiana State track sending strong group to NCAA regional Three sophomore women and three senior men lead a large Indiana State contingent of track and field athletes into the NCAA Mideast Regional this weekend at Fayetteville, Ark.
- Given to Fly: Sycamores embracing underdog role at MVC Tournament The frustration of not living up to expectations can cause problems within any sports team, from the coach down to the players at the end of the bench.
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