The despair of the Thursday morning round-up
Oh, sadness and horror. Every single day seems to bring us one step closer toward the inevitable Lou Piniella managerial signing. The worst part of the whole deal? If the Cubs do in fact bring in Piniella, we at Goat Riders are going to have to get okay with it or else blogging about the Cubs will be even more painful than before. So if Piniella becomes the team skipper, don't be surprised if I "endorse" him in the sense that I won't want him to fail. But man, will I feel miserable about it.
Fred Mitchell writes that Andre Dawson is a fan of Girardi. Hey, nobody messes with the freakin' Hawk. If Awesome Dawson is a fan of Joe Girardi, then he surely must be good at what he does. Right?
Ed Sherman writes that Bob Brenly is San Fran's top choice, meaning that Steve Stone will have a shot at returning to the booth for the Cubs. I for one have come to enjoy Bob's style in the booth, but nobody - nobody - is Steve Stone. The Cubs could be a 100-loss team, but with a duo like Kasper and Stone in the booth, they'd be worth listening to.
The Caveman Journalist writes that Piniella knows what he's getting into. I still can't get over how Lou has determined that the Cubs are closer than the Nationals. Lou must be on back medication or something, I don't know. Either way, his judgment appears to be effected. As for Caveman Phil, at least his headline made sense today. Mr. Rogers, I get the impression that a lot of journalists read the blogs, so I have to figure that you might stumble across Goat Riders from time to time. Tell me, sir. How can you justify endorsing a manager who basically exemplifies many of the bad habits that we detested Baker for, but who also will surely berate and yell at you as his frustration with the team builds? Piniella doesn't care for OBP, he doesn't know what WHIP is, he keeps useless coaches around, he doesn't like using rookies, he doesn't like using rookie pitchers... does this guy really sound like somebody you want to manage the Cubs? If so, why?
Bruce Miles writes that Piniella "might be Cubs' top choice." Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
Ugh. Well, Bruce Miles is a smarter guy than me, and he seems to be okay with the idea of Piniella being the team's skipper. Yet I can't help but think that, to really turn the Cubs around and point them in the direction of becoming a winning organization, maybe they need to do the best thing for them long term. Piniella is a terrible choice for the long term, and he's not a good choice for the short term, either. Just listen to him do the playoffs. The guy sounds clueless and inept. Is that what you want from your manager?
Really?
Wagner
Tim Kurkjian (or however you spell it) was saying this morning on ESPN radio with Mike & Mike (golic sucks) that Lousy Lou would be he Cubs next manager. Hooray, let's suck for at least 3 more years!
Cubs Fan
I dont think there is a manager in baseball that wouldnt prefer veterans to rookies. Pinella is the complete opposite of Baker. He is big on fundamentals, he is, by all accounts, a good strategist, he has a quick hook on starting pitchers. That is worth signing him right there with this fragile staff. He doesnt put up with shit from his players and he can definitely handle the Chicago media. Not to mention he has actually managed a team to the world series and won. Girardi did a great job in florida, but they finished under .500 and didnt win anything. He was then fired with 2 years left on his contract and will probably win manager of the year. For all the Girardi fans out there, be careful what you wish for you might just get it. He was fired for a reason, if he is really another Showalter, that is the last thing the Cubs need. Ok, rip away!!
Sean
If Pinella is going to be the Cubs manager he had better call Aramis and Pierre right now! And start sucking up. I get the feeling that both of these guys will test the free agency waters if the Cubs hire Lou. Ugh!
Hendry had 3 months to figure out who he wanted and he has held "real" interviews with 3 guys! Well, if the Cubs hire Lou here is to hoping that Brenly gets the SF job. That way Stone can come back to the booth and will be just "down the hall" when Hendry reaches the end of his rope.
Scott G. F.
Because we "fans" are showing so much "man love" to Girardi and hate for Piniella I get the feeling that Piniella will be the man. Why? Here's why.
Baylor was the fans choice, Dusty was the fans choice. Girardi is currently the fans choice. Sorry but we need Piniella for our own good. If you want to win. Get Piniella and STFU!!
greg
Ok, why do you think Ramirez and Pierre will leave because of Lou? Why do you think they will love girardi so much? I think they might test the waters regardless of who the manager is, but i hope not. The cubs need to do everything in their power to re-sign these guys. After reading a lot of articles of lou, i think he could be a good fit for the cubs, he wont tolerate some things that were left unnoticed in past years. Also why do you think stone will just jump back over to the booth if Brenly is gone. What is stone loves working for ESPN?
IHC
Now the Cubs have Lou-do.
Santos Sorrow
Re-sign these guys?
Well Aramis, sure? That is, if you can keep him under 14 million per and 5 years. Pierre? Hell, no the man sucks and his only real plus asset is his legs that WILL LEAVE him during the duration of his next contract. Juan Pierre with old legs is pretty much Neifi Perez at 7-8 million dollars a year!
Sean
You keep Aramis and JP because this team has holes elsewhere, RF and Starting pitching, and you can fill them all at once. I don't think the Cubs should give JP a long term deal but he is worth keeping for 3 years. Aramis is solid when D Lee is healthy and another bat is around. Again the Cubs shouldn't over pay or over extend his contract.
Unless, Pie is suddenly "ready" and there is a 3B hiding somewhere that no one has told us about JP and Aramis are the Cubs best options for CF and 3B next year.
The reason I don't think they will stay is because Pinella has a rep as a hard@ss. Veterans don't typically like those types. Especially guys like Aramis who have a rep for being lazy. From my understanding Pinella is the anti-Dusty when dealing with players. Not that this is a bad thing in certain respects but it doesn't always lend itself to getting FA's.
Stone: He has basically said that he would go back to the Cubs booth in a NY minute. I don't believe he is under contract with ESPN for next season.
greg
Sean, thanks for the insight on stone. I agree Pierre should not be kept long term but at least a few more years. Santos Sorrow, i dont know how you can say that Pierre sucks. I really dont. batting .291, leading the NL in hits, making no errors defensively and stealing 53 bases. How is that a bad year? or a bad player? Also he works hard and plays hard everyday. If this was corey patterson we would all be rejoicing but since its not, its suddenly a bad year. And dont say he killed the cubs with a bad april and may. No team has must win games that early in the season. And everyone goes through slumps. I dont think a tough type like Lou would bother him. I think Lou might keep Ramirez and pierre around because he wants to win and he makes that no secret, they will appreciate that visible dedication.
Jason R.
Juan Pierre didn't have a bad year, per se, but 8 or 9 million is a hell of a lot of money. I mean, Lee is only making 13 million. If we can't get anyone else, Pierre is better than Pie. If Hendry can think outside the box and get someone better, then the position should be upgraded.