Typical

Jim Hendry is going to bring some clarity to Dusty Baker's situation as Cub manager. Well, the Jim Hendry kind of clarity, anyway:

Sources said Hendry will discuss Baker's situation today, though no firm decision about his future is expected to be announced.

The more and more you see, the more and more you are convinced that Jim Hendry belongs nowhere near an executive suite. This fiasco is entirely on his shoulders. If Hendry wanted everyone to stop speculating on the future of the club, all he'd have to do is say one of the following:

1) "Dusty's fired."
2) "Dusty's been offered a two year extension. Ask HIM if and when he's going to sign it."
3) "I've been prevented from making a managerial decision because my boss is concerned about branding issues. Since marketing is taking precedence over baseball operations, and has thwarted many moves that I've intended to make, I hereby resign."

If Jim Hendry had any kind of stones, he'd say one of those three things.

As to the Big Zamboni news, you've all heard by now that Joey Cora clipped Carlos Zambrano's elbow last night with a baseball bat. Rumors have Carlos going on the DL. I'm not worried. See, Cora's OK. He speaks Spanish which is so important to today's player.

Finally

I don't usually read Mike Imrem's columns. They are kind of pedestrian. Much better than this space, but still pedestrian. But this title, "Is it time for Cubs to admit MacFailure?" caught my eye. Imrem seems to have this part correct:

I raise the possibility of MacPhail resigning because no sports executive is more aware of public sentiment.

MacPhail is a baseball lifer. He loves and respects the game. He knows his tenure as president has been, as sports-talk radio wags say, a MacFailure.

Whatever was tried hasn't worked. The team on the field is broken and the organization’s infrastructure appears to be.

The worst thing a baseball man wants to hear is that he's better at producing revenue than victories, which is being said of MacPhail.

I truly believe MacPhail is honorable enough to want what's right for the Cubs — perhaps thinking if things don't fit, the president must quit.

Imrem closes with thinking along the lines of this page:

MacPhail could resign, take a job in the commissioner's office, revive his previous "Boy Wonder" image and resume climbing toward some day succeeding Bud Selig.

This could be the face saving measure across the board. You know it will happen for certain if the Chandler's and Ariel Capital have their way.