8 Midgets

So, it's official. Lou Pinella is the manager of the Chicago Cubs. They had the press conference today. Here are some tidbits:

Apparently we're putting a lot of resources behind the team, or at least that's what Lou keeps saying. Let's not go do something stupid like throw it all at a mediocre corner outfielder and three relievers, ok?

Can we go through a press conference in Chicago without mentioning the history and tradition of the Chicago Cubs? It's a history of losing and a tradition of crappy baseball! Even when we had four Hall of Famers on the team playing for a Hall of Fame manager in the late 1960s we couldn't even win the National League much less make it to the NLCS in 1969, so whatever tradition we have here, it's not good. I'm sick and tired of the tradition.

"we haven't had any discussions about A-Rod"
-Well, part of me hopes they do, as long as they intend on moving him back to shortstop. On the other hand, the Yankees are gonna want whatever we have left in our farm system, and that's like "whatever," but it depends on our goal here. Are we on a 2 year plan or a 5 year plan? Is the goal here just to win before we hit 100 years? If it is, then trade for him at all costs, I suppose. Then make sure you also re-up Aramis Ramirez and that'll be the best left side of the infield in baseball.

"You have a nice nucleus of players here, obviously we're going to have to...add a few"
-More like add half a roster.

"Yeah, we're gonna keep [Larry Rothschild]. He'll do a nice job here."
-...shit.

"No! No, no. There's no curses!"
-Good philosophy, Lou.

"My philosophy is to get 8 midgets up there that walk all the time"
-Sounds like a plan to me.

"I like the idea of lettin' the players play, and me staying in the background"
-Wait, isn't that was Dusty Baker did?...fuck.

So, how much are the 2007 Cubs going to pay per win? My guess? Lots.

Lou Pinella coming to the North Side, or so it appears

The Chicago Sun Times reports on Saturday that the Cubs are apparently set on hiring Lou Pinella.

On the surface I say: WHAT? I'd much rather have Joe Girardi, and Pinella's not really all that better than Dusty Baker except for his hard-ass-ness, which is kinda like "whatever," but their on-field managing styles are the same in the sense that they probably would have both given Neifi Perez [that is, American League Champion Neifi Perez] the same number of at bats thus still driving me insane. Additionally, Hawk Harrelson now thinks that if the Cubs hire Pinella then Chicago will have the two best managers in baseball...which is just kind of "lol," but also bad cos it's Hawk. Additionally, Larry Rothschild was Pinella's bullpen coach when he managed the Reds to the World Series. That means they have a history. That means Larry's probably coming back [much to the dismay of Branlee, but much to the joy of F-C friend of the Website and contributor JR Day]. The fact that there are two guys out there who genuinely want the Cubs job [Girardi and Pinella] is astounding, but out of the two of them, Girardi would have been the better choice.

Deeper than that, though: This doesn't really matter. Pinella still doesn't have anything to work with, mostly because Jim Hendry won't give him anything. The Cubs won't make any offseason splashes on the free agent market or the trading block, but whatever moves they make will be minor because for some reason Hendry probably thinks we're only a piece or two away from contending.

On the bright side: Pinella probably won't get more than a two year contract, which is how long Hendry is signed for. Also, Girardi won't be winning anything if he signs with the Nationals.

These two are going to see us to the century mark, and reall, when I say "see us to the centry mark" I mean "see us beyond the century mark," although hopefully they're both gone by year 101.

So really, this hiring [when it happens] willn't matter because we still don't have much talent.

Anyone can have a bad centry...but we're staring a second one right in the face.