It would be easy, and even lazy to put together a post with names most of you have never heard about and talk about why they may be a candidate to replace Jim Hendry. I seem to remember MLBTR even having a list and Baseball America used to put together similar lists. I’m sure many others have. So there’d be no new information other than regurgitating what others had come up with. I don’t think there’s any real point in coming up with a list of candidates. The reason is quite simple: the Cubs can basically hire whoever they want.
Let’s start with the most talked about candidate, Andrew Friedman of the Rays. I’ve read today that people think he may not want to leave Tampa Bay and while that may in fact be true, I don’t think anyone saying that had any information one way or another. Here’s what we do know.
- The Cubs can pay Friedman more than the Rays can
- General Managers like to have money to spend on players and the Cubs have significantly more of it
- Friedman’s contract with the Rays expires after the season
It’s possible Friedman is just happy to sit back and enjoy life in Florida. However, it’s more likely he’d prefer a job that could give him more money and spend more money on players.
Let’s also understand one thing: whoever is the GM of the Cubs when they win the World Series is going to be considered, at least for a brief time, the greatest general manager in sports. The Rays could win a World Series and in 30 years nobody is going to remember who their GM was except a small contigency of Rays fans. If the Cubs win the World Series most people are going to know who the GM and manager were. Considering the egos these guys have, it only makes sense that almost any GM would jump at the chance to be that guy who is forever remembered as the GM to lead the Cubs to a World Series after more than 100 years of failure. We’ve heard managers talk about how great that job would be for that very reason. The Cubs candidates for GM includes every current GM.
The Yankees are without doubt a far more popular franchise than the Cubs. The Reds Sox, too. After them you have a trio of teams in the Cubs, Dodgers and Cardinals who are more popular than the others. Not even the Red Sox owners seems to know how long Theo is signed, but from what I could find on my google machine, it appears he signed a 3-year extension after the 2008 season, which would mean his contract is up after this season. It’s the last I could find of an extension, but perhaps another one was given and we just didn’t hear about it.
Regardles of that, if the Cubs wanted to hire Theo and he was interested in the job, they’d work something out. The same goes for Brian Cashman, but I don’t know why the Cubs would have interest in him to be honest. If we’re making a list of candidates, it begins with all the current GMs in the game.
Other than writing a bunch of names down, I see no reason to compile a list. They can get whoever they want. They have the money, they are a franchise that any GM would love to be the one who wins a World Series with, and GMs are just egotistical enough to think they can be the one to do it. They’re always looking for a challenge and certainly, taking over the Cubs would be just that. It is, however, an organization that any GM could turn around quickly enough.
Comments
GW, what I think is funny is Bruce Miles saying the Cubs can’t keep their search for GM secret on the same fucking day he learned they had just kept the firing of their long-time GM secret for nearly a month.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=mb21]GW, what I think is funny is Bruce Miles saying the Cubs can’t keep their search for GM secret on the same fucking day he learned they had just kept the firing of their long-time GM secret for nearly a month.[/quote]
exactly.
GWQuote Reply
great post.
GWQuote Reply
One other thing I should have added is that taking the Cubs GM job is a low risk job to one’s career. If they don’t win the World Series, big deal. It’s the Cubs. Did anybody think they really were going to win it? He couldn’t do what people for 100 years haven’t done. And so on.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=mb21]One other thing I should have added is that taking the Cubs GM job is a low risk job to one’s career. If they don’t win the World Series, big deal. It’s the Cubs. Did anybody think they really were going to win it? He couldn’t do what people for 100 years haven’t done. And so on.[/quote]
But how many former Cubs GMs, in recent memory, have gotten another job after they were fired (besides McPhail)? Just like the field manager job, there may not be much expectation of a turnaround, but it might hurt your ability to get a job after the inevitable firing.
doc_blumeQuote Reply
I think if we looked at all managers who were fired, we’d find similar results. Teams hire a bunch of no-name managers each year. Same with GMs. Getting fired is never good, but being the manager or GM of the Cubs is nice because everyone expect you to lose.
mb21Quote Reply
Colin Wyers’ article on Hendry via BaPro: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=14829
ACTQuote Reply
dammit act
GWQuote Reply
(dying laughing) http://www.themortonreport.com/blog/epic-fails/morton-report-readers-trolled-by-internets-mischief-maker-david-thorne/
mb21Quote Reply
Great article by CW.
mb21Quote Reply
mb21Quote Reply
mb21Quote Reply
These are just too funny
mb21Quote Reply
http://27bslash6.com/f26a.html
mb21Quote Reply
MB how do I host pictures here?
GBTSQuote Reply
[quote name=GBTS]MB how do I host pictures here?[/quote]How do you post them or how do you upload them?
mb21Quote Reply
Upload.
GBTSQuote Reply
Easiest thing to do is go to your profile, click on manage blog, new blog, which takes you to here: http://obstructedview.net/index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=pluginclass&plugin=cbblogs&action=blogs&func=new&Itemid=247
Then click on the little image button and you can upload images.
I’ve been meaning to install something else to make it easier, which I just downloaded and will install tomorrow, but that way should work for now.
mb21Quote Reply
I saw Cubs Stats’ post from today and, well, I just had to.
GBTSQuote Reply
[quote name=GBTS]I saw Cubs Stats’ post from today and, well, I just had to.[/quote]This is beautiful.
Cubs_StatsQuote Reply
I do have to say, it’s been a common saying on this blog that the Cubs took an inexplicable turn towards “dumb” right when Ricketts took over in 2009. The about-face in the past week has been just as abrupt, and much more satisfying.
GBTSQuote Reply
[quote name=Alvin]A bit of bad baserunning by Tony Campana — who was totally deked by Ryan Theriot on a ball that wasn’t even in the infield, after Theriot made an error allowing Campana to reach — took the Cubs out of a possible game-winning opportunity in the ninth, but Carlos Marmol and Sean Marshall were both outstanding today and in the 10th, Marlon Byrd had his first sacrifice bunt as a Cub.[/quote]One sentence.
GBTSQuote Reply
[quote name=GBTS]I do have to say, it’s been a common saying on this blog that the Cubs took an inexplicable turn towards “dumb” right when Ricketts took over in 2009. The about-face in the past week has been just as abrupt, and much more satisfying.[/quote]I couldn’t agree more. I’m much happier with the direction of this program now than I have been for at least at least a few years. Even then I was skeptical of its longterm outlook, but Ricketts seems to understand what it’s going to take to win longterm.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=mb21]I couldn’t agree more. I’m much happier with the direction of this program now than I have been for at least at least a few years. Even then I was skeptical of its longterm outlook, but Ricketts seems to understand what it’s going to take to win longterm.[/quote]Does this mean you’re no longer disappointed with the draft?
GBTSQuote Reply
[quote name=GBTS]Does this mean you’re no longer disappointed with the draft?[/quote](dying laughing)
mb21Quote Reply
4 innings, 4 hits, 1 run for McNutt, but 3 walks and 2 strikeouts.
mb21Quote Reply
Jackson 0-1, K
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=mb21]Jackson 0-1, K[/quote]
Don’t you like anything?
Aisle424Quote Reply
[quote name=Aisle424]Don’t you like anything?[/quote]I hate everything.
Jackson is now 0-2, 2 K. Good chance Jackson strikes out 200 times in about 600 plate appearances at the big league level. At least.
mb21Quote Reply
McNutt: 6 IP, 5 H, R, 3 BB, 3 K
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=mb21]I hate everything.
Jackson is now 0-2, 2 K. Good chance Jackson strikes out 200 times in about 600 plate appearances at the big league level. At least.[/quote]0-3 3 K
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21](dying laughing) http://www.themortonreport.com/blog/epic-fails/morton-report-readers-trolled-by-internets-mischief-maker-david-thorne/%5B/quote%5DI can’t remember if this blog introduced me to David Thorne, but I do remember losing about 2 days of work to his web site.
binkyQuote Reply
Can someone tell me why people give a fucking shit about the fucking Kardashians?
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=ACT]0-3 3 K[/quote]What is the single season record for strikeouts?
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=mb21]Can someone tell me why people give a fucking shit about the fucking Kardashians?[/quote]Uh………….Because while they joined Dominian, they might also hold the only key Star Fleet has to defeating its longtime enemy
binkyQuote Reply
BJax just walked, though gameday location suggests it should have been strike 3.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21]What is the single season record for strikeouts?[/quote]http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/SO_season.shtml
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]http://www.whatistherecordforstrikeouts.com/singleseason[/quote]
fify
GWQuote Reply
According to Google, the Iowa Cubs stadium address is 1 Line Drive. Fucking Iowa people.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/SO_season.shtml[/quote]I love that the top three are all Mark Reynolds.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]I love that the top three are all Mark Reynolds.[/quote]
BJax is coming after you, Mark Reynolds.
Aisle424Quote Reply
I don’t remember people bitching about Sammy Sosa’s 171 Ks in 1998.
Aisle424Quote Reply
Bobby Bonds’ K record stood from 1970 to 2003. Since then, it has been broken 9 times.
ACTQuote Reply
…by four men.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]…by four men.[/quote]Were three of them Mark Reynolds?
binkyQuote Reply
I know it’s a bit of what Vonnegut called a granfalloon, but I’m curious about people’s connections to real baseball players. For example, my (extremely tenuous) connection is that my wife’s mom works with Torii Hunter’s uncle at a furniture store in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. She’s met Torii a few times — he basically keeps the store in business.
binkyQuote Reply
Ryan Madson just had an epic blown save, allowing 6 runs, including a walk-off grand slam to Ryan Zimmerman. Marmol shouldn’t feel so bad.
ACTQuote Reply
At mb’s request:
http://obstructedview.net/chicago-cubs/articles/other-secrets-the-cubs-beat-writers-are-on-the-verge-of-uncovering.html
AndCountingQuote Reply