The Long National Nightmare

Today, as I was traversing I-94 between Jackson and Kalamazoo, the word came down over the radio. Well, actually it was reported on 670 (the score) but was tipped to them via twitter. Yes, David Kaplan "tweeted" the news that I feared would not happen before next year: Jim Hendry was done as GM of the Chicago Cubs. Setting aside the fact that I suddenly felt old (after all, I knew Kaplan as the voice of WGN's sports central growing up, and now this guy was ... tweeting?), I had a moment of hope pass over me. I immediately called my brother to let him know what was transpiring, leaving him a voicemail that I hope lifted his spirits. Then, as I drove around Michigan I listened to the press conferences and commentary. Let's break them down one by one:

1. Jim Hendry - he did himself well as he went in front of the media. He acknowledged how lucky he was to have the job for nine years while not winning the series. He let the cat out of the bag: he was really fired on July 22nd. Hendry, as one caller noted, almost ruined the entire day. He was humble, respectful, and made you feel bad for him. For a fleeting moment I actually felt bad for the guy and started to think maybe we shouldn't have done this. Then I stopped and thought of the following:
- Soriano - 8 years, $136 million
- Fukudome - 4 years, $48 million
- Bradley - 3 years, $30 million
- Kevin Gregg - traded prospects for him, then let Kerry Wood go
- Allowed the total mishandling of Zambrano after paying him like an ace
- Four top prospects for Matt Garza heading into a year we already weren't going to compete

Really, the list goes on and on. Hendry pointed out that Andy McPhail left him with a team on the edge of winning, and he's correct. And it would be terribly one sided and unfair to ignore some of the good Hendry moments:
- traded Bobby Hill, essentially, for Aramis Ramirez, Kenny Lofton and Randal Simon
- signing Ted Lilly was sneaky good; he was much better and coast 1/3 as much as the more heralded Barry Zito (who also signed that offseason)
- signing Marlon Byrd to a flexible deal that increases his value

And there are probably a few others. That doesn't change the fact that Hendry mismanaged this team. He allowed the core of the would be Wood/Prior/Zambrano dynasty to disintegrate in front of our eyes. He held on to Sosa far too long, killing any trade value. He had a habit of sitting on prospects way too long before cashing them in (see Patterson, Corey and Fox, Jake if you have questions). On the whole, we can surmise the following from the Hendry era:

- He was a really nice guy who had a big heart and wanted to see the Cubs win.
- He was capable of making good deals when trading with Pittsburgh
- He was not afraid of spending money
- He did not know how to spend money well
- He was overmatched as a big league GM

Much like Jerry Krause before him, Hendry will undoubtedly resurface as a scout somewhere. And he should. He has some skills. But as GM of one of the top five revenue clubs in the majors? It took our next person far too long to realize what we all already knew: Hendry was not a fit.

2. Tom Ricketts - The owner then took the mic and said many good things. That he wanted a GM with experience. More importantly, with winning experience. That he was going to check in with experienced baseball people around the league to see what they thought. That the Cubs one goal is to win it all. But this move left more questions than answers. Most notably:

- How did it take him this long to get rid of Hendry?
- Why did he allow Hendry to waste another year by hiring Quade, who is comically over matched at the big league level, and will be a one and done manager in his only cup of coffee as the big league boss?
- Why did he allow Hendry to pay the farm for Matt Garza (a good pitcher) when anyone who was awake the last few years knew this team was going nowhere?
- Why did he allow Hendry to execute this year's trading deadline (in which the Cubs largely sat stagnate) when he decided to fire him on July 22nd?

Ricketts now needs to do his best to turn public sentiment back in his favor. There was a great deal of excitement upon the family's purchase of the Cubs, but most people have come to fear that the ownership group isn't that much better than the Tribune Company was. Can I get a "why couldn't we have had Mark Cuban?" Let's just say I'm terrified that he will buy his hometown Pirates someday and turn them into a powerhouse that kicks our tail.

3. Steve Stone - the ... ugh, WHITE SOX (that still makes me sick) ... play by play guy is a staple on The SCORE, and he came on and had some good insight. It's beyond me why the Cubs won't find a way to get him back in the fold. Losing him from TV was rough, but isn't there a way to have him in the front office. Love him or hate him (and the Tribune obviously fell in the latter group), he often foresaw issues before they happened. His baseball acumen is great. I wouldn't say "hire him as GM" but I would find a place in the front office if possible.

At any rate, it's a good day to be a Cubs fan, or at least as good of a day as we've had this year. It doesn't undo the fact that we are in need of cleaning house, and refocusing with a target date of 2014 to be relevant again. While I'm ranting, here are a few suggestions for GM:

1. Andrew Friedman - GM of Tampa Bay

Friedman has shown an uncanny ability to turn former prospects into future prospects before they lose value, and to hold on to players and turn the draft picks acquired when they leave via free agency into a strong minor league system. He will never be able to compete year in and year out with Boston and New York, not with Tampa's payroll. But with the Cubs payroll? I bet he'd do damage.

2. Brian Cashman - GM of New York Yankees

His contract is up, he's a proven winner who generally does okay with big money expenditures. The Cubs payroll certainly isn't the Yankees, but he knows how to spend smart. Let's not forget that he sold high on Soriano way back when. He's not the best, but he knows how to win, and would give the Cubs a sense of legitimacy.

3. Ben Cherington - Assistant GM of Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox also know how to run things. I don't think we'd be able to pry Theo away ... but maybe his to lieutenant?