Friday Roundup

Tons of articles speculating on the moves percolating at the baseball Winter Meetings. The Trib starts off with a piece on Maglio Ordonez and his desire to be a Cub. I'd sign you, Mags (so long as we don't have to hear that dumb Wizard of Oz chant each at bat) to a Nomar-like 1 year deal. I have no idea if his knee is sound, but I'd take the risk. The upside is huge.

Phil Rogers has a take that this page has had for two years: Carlos Beltran is a must have for the Cubs. He even suggests that his bosses at the Trib spend extra in 2005 to get Beltran even if they can't dump Sammy Sosa (and look close for where Phil thinks Sammy should bat in the lineup). Perhaps something can be done by going after both Mags and Beltran. They both are represented by Scott Boras.

The Sun Times' Mike Kiley scoops Phil by saying that the Trib has already approved such a salary structure. He then goes on to note that:

The Cubs already have committed about $72 million to 14 signed players. That doesn't count salaries for arbitration-eligible players Aramis Ramirez, Corey Patterson, Michael Barrett, Carlos Zambrano and Kyle Farnsworth.

Ramirez almost certainly will sign a multiyear deal with free agency pending after 2005. He could ask for as much as $9 million to $10 million a year. Any fans hoping to see Sosa and free-agent center fielder Carlos Beltran in the same outfield are likely to be disappointed.

I'm not sure of what to think when the outside reporter has better information than the inside guy. Okay, I do know what to think. But saying what I think about Phil's work might get me slapped with another libel charge.

This page has stated, repeatedly, that not getting Beltran would be a tragic mistake. It already cost the Cubs a playoff spot in 2004. How many more will not signing him cost?

Preps Plus

I took my oldest to his first basketball game last week. Glenbrook North versus New Trier. The #4 ranked Spartans overcame an early deficit to win by a comfortable 12 points. They've got a junior named Jon Scheyer who already passes like a college players. Too bad his teammates aren't ready to receive them.

But a better point is this. My five year old and I got seats, a box of popcorn, a can of Coke and a bottle of Grape Gatorade and had a hell of a good time. And we spent $6. Go support your local high school teams. Take your kids. Young kids will enjoy Wrigley, but they get more enjoyment out of being able to see and hear what's going on. My son was clapping and cheering during the game. He was talking about the game for 4 days. That's the same reaction I got from taking him to a Cubs skybox game two years ago. This time I didn't need to drop over $100 to get that reaction.

I'd never have gone had I not traded some thoughts on GBN with a frequent reader. I owe you one, T.J.