01-06-2010, 03:59 PM
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->What about Sisco and Veal? Two fairly advanced LH pitchers given away for nothing.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
OH CRAP! My bad. I'm so embarrassed. I forgot about the asshole/headcase who had ONE YEAR of sub 7.11 ERA, and who is now out of baseball! Of course, that 7.11 for Sisco was better than Veal's 7.16 (not to mention the 20 walks in 16 innings, which is the reason the Cubs gave up on him), but since he had a good month in the AFL, I think we can all safely conclude he will be around another 15-20 years, antagonizing us. Why, this is nearly as bad as when the Pirates (via the A's) stole Javier Martinez from us in 1999. I remember reading all the articles about how THAT was going to come back and bite us in the ass.
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Then what about trading prospects who were out of options for next to nothing? It would have been nice to have Pie last season when the team was desperate for a CF (he's not exceptional, but due to his defense he's worth about a WAR per season and is owed almost nothing). Instead we got Gathright for a month.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
We didn't have a spot for Pie last year. Period. He played badly for us, and yes, he was out of options. We couldn't afford to carry him, so we had to trade him. If the Cubs weren't coming off a 97 win season, maybe we could have, but we couldn't. He would not get playing time with us, and would probably still be viewed as a failed prospect. It sucks, but it happens all the time.
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->No, it's Hendry's fault that he can't spend money wisely. The fact that the Cubs have no payroll flexibility wouldn't be a problem had Hendry been wiser with the contracts he gave out earlier, but he wasn't. Now the Cubs are committed to a group of players that is aging but not good enough to contend. Zambrano, Soriano, Bradley, Wood, Miles, and Fukudome were all bad contracts given by Hendry.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
No, it's partially Hendry's fault, partially the Tribs fault for jacking up then bringing down his budget, and partially the players faults for sucking. Zambrano (and ARam) probably signed for less than they would get on the open market. Soriano was the first big free agent we ever actually got, and if we paid over the market value, it wasn't by much. Why is Wood even listed here? When he was healthy, he was UNDER paid. Fuk took LESS to sign with the Cubs. Bradley and Miles were bad signings. They happen.
I'm going to ignore the rest of this because much of it is either unfair or doesn't make sense (Wells counts as a strike AGAINST Hendry because we ALMOST lost him to the Blue Jays, but he gets no credit for him having a lights out rookie year? Prior was "risky"? No credit for Wood or Zambrano? Marshall? Guzman? ).
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->So tell me what evidence there is in favor of Hendry's ability to negotiate contracts and manage the roster?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
manage the roster? His teams have been in the playoffs 3 of the last 7 years.
Negotiate contracts?
Lilly
Dempster
ARam
Lee
DeRosa
That's just off the top of my head. Every one of those guys is/was signed for less than either what the market would pay them, or for what they are worth.
Hendry's record is spotty. It's hit or miss. The problem is, you take every miss, and act as if the hits don't exist. And that's the biggest problem I have with your argument. You bitch and moan about Felix Pie, Donnie Veal, and Ronny fucking Cedeno (who was caught stealing second on on a mother fucking WALK for God's sake), and you ignore that Hendry procured either through the draft, trade, or sensible contracts, the guys who make up the meat of a team that, while they have disappointed, have also been the best team we've seen in our lifetimes.
In a word, you are being unfair.
OH CRAP! My bad. I'm so embarrassed. I forgot about the asshole/headcase who had ONE YEAR of sub 7.11 ERA, and who is now out of baseball! Of course, that 7.11 for Sisco was better than Veal's 7.16 (not to mention the 20 walks in 16 innings, which is the reason the Cubs gave up on him), but since he had a good month in the AFL, I think we can all safely conclude he will be around another 15-20 years, antagonizing us. Why, this is nearly as bad as when the Pirates (via the A's) stole Javier Martinez from us in 1999. I remember reading all the articles about how THAT was going to come back and bite us in the ass.
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Then what about trading prospects who were out of options for next to nothing? It would have been nice to have Pie last season when the team was desperate for a CF (he's not exceptional, but due to his defense he's worth about a WAR per season and is owed almost nothing). Instead we got Gathright for a month.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
We didn't have a spot for Pie last year. Period. He played badly for us, and yes, he was out of options. We couldn't afford to carry him, so we had to trade him. If the Cubs weren't coming off a 97 win season, maybe we could have, but we couldn't. He would not get playing time with us, and would probably still be viewed as a failed prospect. It sucks, but it happens all the time.
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->No, it's Hendry's fault that he can't spend money wisely. The fact that the Cubs have no payroll flexibility wouldn't be a problem had Hendry been wiser with the contracts he gave out earlier, but he wasn't. Now the Cubs are committed to a group of players that is aging but not good enough to contend. Zambrano, Soriano, Bradley, Wood, Miles, and Fukudome were all bad contracts given by Hendry.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
No, it's partially Hendry's fault, partially the Tribs fault for jacking up then bringing down his budget, and partially the players faults for sucking. Zambrano (and ARam) probably signed for less than they would get on the open market. Soriano was the first big free agent we ever actually got, and if we paid over the market value, it wasn't by much. Why is Wood even listed here? When he was healthy, he was UNDER paid. Fuk took LESS to sign with the Cubs. Bradley and Miles were bad signings. They happen.
I'm going to ignore the rest of this because much of it is either unfair or doesn't make sense (Wells counts as a strike AGAINST Hendry because we ALMOST lost him to the Blue Jays, but he gets no credit for him having a lights out rookie year? Prior was "risky"? No credit for Wood or Zambrano? Marshall? Guzman? ).
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->So tell me what evidence there is in favor of Hendry's ability to negotiate contracts and manage the roster?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
manage the roster? His teams have been in the playoffs 3 of the last 7 years.
Negotiate contracts?
Lilly
Dempster
ARam
Lee
DeRosa
That's just off the top of my head. Every one of those guys is/was signed for less than either what the market would pay them, or for what they are worth.
Hendry's record is spotty. It's hit or miss. The problem is, you take every miss, and act as if the hits don't exist. And that's the biggest problem I have with your argument. You bitch and moan about Felix Pie, Donnie Veal, and Ronny fucking Cedeno (who was caught stealing second on on a mother fucking WALK for God's sake), and you ignore that Hendry procured either through the draft, trade, or sensible contracts, the guys who make up the meat of a team that, while they have disappointed, have also been the best team we've seen in our lifetimes.
In a word, you are being unfair.
I wish that I believed in Fate. I wish I didn't sleep so late. I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders.