Easy Living

It's been easy to ignore the Cubs this week. A new job, the Little Murtons started school, work on a golf outing, and, oh yeah. The Cubs are the worst team in the National League.

The writers in the local papers have also seemed to follow the lead of the Cubs and headed to the offseason early. Rick Morrisey played the "Whatever I say, you won't listen to" card today. I think that's good advice.

Dave Van Dyck had a little nugget that noted thus:

it was Phil Nevin who went looking for a trade and, in fact, initiated talks that led to his departure to Minnesota.

Nevin called Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on Thursday morning, saying he would like to play there for the September stretch drive, according to a story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Hours later, the deal was consummated between GMs Terry Ryan and Jim Hendry, with the Cubs getting a player to be named.

Nice to know that Jim Hendry has such a good club that he didn't try to trade a 35-year old free-agent-to-be.

The only real annoying thing that's been going around in the talk and chat circuits that really irked me goes something like:

"Jim Hendry got his contract extended this year, so he's going to be here. Deal with it!"

Let's see if I get this. Jim Hendry is being paid about $1.25 million per year through 2008. In the time he's been here he's overseen: A division winner; A team that choked the final week of the season; Two consecutive sub-.500 seasons; A 90-loss season; A minor league system that churns out injured pitchers; A minor league system that cannot churn out a position player; A major league team with ascending fan angst and apathy.

I also recall that, one year ago, a hall-of-fame track player who was causing fan angst was sent out of town. He was sent out of town at a cost of $15 million in cash.

So, Sammy Sosa goes and the Cubs eat fifteen large. Jim Hendry would cost less than one fifth of that to get rid of over two years, yet we are told to take Bobby Knight's advice and "relax and enjoy" what Jim Hendry is doing to this franchise.

Any fan who tells you to "deal with it" isn't a real fan. Hendry may be here next year, but we don't have to take it. If this franchise can take a $15 million hit for Sosa, so can they for Hendry.