Curious

From Today's Trib:

Damon watch

Boston center fielder Johnny Damon, who comes to town with the Red Sox on Friday, will be a free agent in November and is the type of leadoff man the Cubs have been lacking. Damon's only drawback is his lack of power—he had one homer through Tuesday. He doesn't think that should hurt.

"I'll be all right either way," Damon told the Boston Globe. "They know what they'll get—a winner. I can do a lot of other things."

Is this just Paul Sullivan stirring the pot? If so, why not wait until Johnny Damon got to town and ask him directly about his impending free agency? Why go to the Globe and pull a quote?

Could this be more meddling by the Cubs themselves? Could a Jim Hendry say to Sullivan, "We need a guy like Johnny Damon," thereby causing Sullivan to go snarf any quote he could find and avoid being scooped?

One thing's for sure. Conventional wisdom now accepts the fact that the Cubs need a leadoff hitter.

It's bad enough it took the CW 18 months to figure that out. Why the hell hasn't Hendry?