Expect more Theo Epstein coverage later this morning/afternoon/week/decade, but for now, there are some other notable things to discuss (many of which are tangentially-related to the Epstein news)…
- Mike Quade was on the radio yesterday, discussing the season and the Theo Epstein news. Is Quade worried about losing his job? “I probably lost way more sleep during the season trying to solve problems and figuring things out than I have with the current search and what may or may not happen. That’s a fact,” Quade said on MLB Network Radio. “I’ve been doing this a long time. We’ll see how it plays out. It’s a huge decision for the organization, general manager-wise, and obviously they have their sights on one of the best in the business …. I really did vanish for a week and I’ve got 80 million phone calls and texts and people to get back to. Everybody assumes that I’m in the loop and understand it all. Tom [Ricketts] was going to do this search and if in fact it’s Theo – I know it was somebody that he was probably looking at first and foremost.”
- Relatedly, Quade told his staff members not under contract for 2012 (which is everyone except hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo and Quade, himself) that they could start looking for new jobs as soon as the season ended, if they wanted. He says he told them that because Ricketts had told him that the GM search would be a long process. Clearly, Quade didn’t want his guys to be left out if there were other opportunities on the table, but the Cubs were still in limbo. In reality, I think Quade knows he, and the rest of them, will not be back.
- MiLB.com picked the Cubs’ minor league All-Stars (one at each position), and, while there are some obvious ones (Brett Jackson in the OF, Bryan LaHair at 1B, Eric Jokisch at LHP), there were some surprises. Rebel Ridling and Michael Burgess got nods in the outfield over Evan Crawford, Jae-Hoon Ha and Matt Szczur. The list is nice, but it’s also a dour reminder of how weak this year was on the minor league front.
- Andrew Cashner threw another scoreless inning (of relief) in the AFL on Tuesday. More importantly, there remain no reports of any shoulder issues.
- Peter Gammons reports that the Astros’ sale is now expected to go through in mid-November (presumably approved at the owner’s meetings then), and the Astros will agree to move to the AL. They will not be missed. Even when they’re crappy, all they do is provide free wins to the teams ahead of the Cubs. That logic works, right?
- Bradley Woodrum at Fangraphs has some suggestions for presumed new GM Theo Epstein on his first moves as GM. The thrust of Woodrum’s suggestion? A short-term rebuild (trading, among the obvious ones, Marlon Byrd, Geovany Soto; letting Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena walk). If doing things right in 2012 means that the team won’t be competitive until 2013, I’ll be fine with that. I trust Epstein and Ricketts.
- Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be meeting soon with Cubs’ representatives about the city’s involvement in planned renovations to Wrigley Field. He says he’ll take a “jaundiced and critical eye” toward private requests for public money.
Love the pic, but I never really felt like Quade was sleeping in the dugout. I always thought he was actively trying to screw things up. Now Lou, on the other hand…. well I just kept waiting for Trammell to nudge him and wake him up.
I, for one, don’t believe he was trying to screw things up. I honestly believe he was trying his best to win games – I just don’t think he was very good at it.
Who is the new “Matt” trying to steal my tag? I do agree with him, so I suppose its okay.
this is the third matt. you stole my tag ha
One day, when Brett thought I was having a conversation with myself (I didn’t even realize I was answering another “Andrew”) I went to gravatar.com and set up my gravatar. No more confusing conversations with myself.
Since it seems that there are some other “Matts” out there, I am going to officially change my handle. Although “The blogger formally known as Matt” seemed like the logical choice, I went with Hawkeye. For any of you older readers out there, I am not attempting to reference the surgeon on the TV show MASH.
I have also attempted to update my gravatar photo. Hopefully it posts along with thing this…
I still think you’re a little crazy. I hope that’s ok with you.
Key question, did you find the conversation insightful?
LOL – I am the “other” Matt, although not completely sure I’m the “second” Matt. If I did indeed steal your handle, please accept my apologies. I shall change my handle as well to try to clarify things, and certainly hope I’m the first “Matt from Indiana”.
All is well. I am sure I was not the first Matt either. At least we can now confirm that we have fair representation of people named Matt from the east/west border states of Cubbie Nation.
Or maybe this one. I think I like it better.
We have a “Matt from Indianapolis,” but I guess that’s sufficiently different.
(I kid.)
I feel like a new person now that I have a new name and pic to go with my posts. Now when I say something stupid, people can specifically reference me in their rants, and I won’t be able to say…”wonder if they are talking to me, or the other Matt?”
Any of you guys remember that Matt dude? He was such a jagload. Wonder what happened to him?
LOlz
Well played my friend…..well played….
Yea, the Astros going to the AL West very good thing for the Cubs. We (and the rest of the NL Central) have been at quite a disadvantage over the last decaf and a half, because our odds of reaching the playoffs, all things being equal, is 1/6, where everyone else gets 1/5. if our Cubs were ever good, we would have felt that more actuely….
The one thing that does worry me about the move is the increased chances of normalization of the DH rules. Theres no way the AL would give up the DH, with so many mashers signed to long term deals, so the Senior Circuit is gonna get saddled with the baseball abomination to end all abominations – the Designated Hitter. It makes me sick, and it’s almost certainly going to happen in the near future
No… I don’t think the National League will get the DH. There would be too much of an outcry for that to happen.
Now, it would be logical to say that there will be more Interleague games and as a result NL teams will be able to use the DH slightly more than they currently do. Depending on how it all pans out, some NL teams may become slightly more likely to carry a guy who is a defensive liability for occasional usage in the field, but mostly DH/pinch hitting (read – if the Cubs are stuck with Soriano this could be a good way to use him…).
While I really hope you’re right, I’ve been under the impression that Astros move has been made to even the field that the teams are playing on (not money-wise, obviously, but on a competitive level well after the financial injustices have taken place). It’s just very weird that the same league has plays under two extremely different sets of rules, and the next step after evening out the amount of teams per division/league is to normalize the DH rules.
I think it will be baby steps to the NL DH – it will begin by having DH in ALL interleague games and then DH in the NL – quite frankly I don’t care…I prefer to not have a dolt batting 2 times a game but at the same time I dont like having the pitcher not bat…
You could avoid this issue by announcing the repeal years before it took effect. (Not that I’m predicting that’s going to happen.)
Why move the astros? Move the brewers back to the AL. they were recently an AL team, let them go back to the “minor league”. as an Al team close to home (that wasnt the sox) i always kind of liked the brewers; my family would go catch some discount games at county now and again… but the cheeseheads have become unbearable with their skewed and immature,view of the cubs brewers “rivalry”. just because emperor selig stuck you in our division, doesnt mean an intense rivalry exists! it takes decades, not years, for a real good rivalry to form. yeah i want to beat the, but for division standing reasons only. with punk bitches like nyjer morgan on the team, who doesn’t want to beat the dog shit out of the brewers? anyway, im tired of looking at brauns goof-ball eyes and ignorant cheddar heads, johnny-come-lately-wanna-be-baseball fans, talking shit to me: move them back to where they belong. they have prince already, he’s a DH if i ever saw one.
While I don’t think Quade will be back, I don’t really think it’s news that he was out of the loop on the GM search. Seems to me that only a handful of managers would be involved in the process of picking their own future boss. Doesn’t really make sense to involve him.
No, it isn’t surprising. I think some folks just need to be reminded of how clear it is that he’s gone. To not even be aware that this was happening means he’s pretty far removed from the organizational center.
agree, if we were talking about Joe Girardi then he would at least be kept abreast of the situation – the fact that Quade doesn’t know what the rest of us know show’s he is out of the loop and doesnt try to be in the loop
Changing the handle up, I see.
He’s in a transition phase. It’s kinda like pre-op.
Next week he gets his breast implants.
I agree with you both. Girardi is one of the handful.
There are some excellent phrases and words quoted in today’s bullets, Ace!
A “jaundiced and critical eye” is nice – it reminds me of Paddy Chayefsky’s script for Network.
Next thing you know Rahm will declare his position as “intractable and adamantine.”
And “dour” is one of my favorite words.
Y’all know that, pronounced correctly, it rhymes with “sure”, right?
Really? It’s one of those words I think I’ve only seen written. I always heard it in my head (and probably said it to other folks like a pretentious douche) as “dower.”
Right right right… and the correct pronunciation of “forte” (as in a person’s strong suit) is “fort”, there is no “zoo” in “zoology”, and “Holliday” should be pronounced “douche”, but come on!
I’m thinking that Ian doesn’t use the “correct” pronunciation of “dour” too often when he’s visiting his local upstate Vermont biker bars.
Except in music, where it is always pronounced “for-tay”.
Accurate and earnest as ever, Ray-Bob!
Actually, it can be pronounced either way and both are correct.
In other news: Bryan LaHair went 4-4 with 2 dingers and a double in the Venezuelan opener
Wait? so it’s official that the cubs have theo epstein? he’s now a cubbie?
No, not official-official yet. Might not be official-official until next week. My guess is the press conference will be just after the LCS end.
yeah it’s official now
Just my opinion here but listening to Francona on the AL playoff broadcasts, I’m impressed by just how smart about baseball he really is. It makes me wonder how a man like Quade, who’s been in baseball a long time, seems to know so little about the game. Any one the Cubs have as manager next season has to be better than Quade.
I dont think anyone would have won with this team, I know Quade left the starters in too long in some games but he didnt have much of a pitching coach or bullpen to go to, and its not like he can go out and catch the ball for the defense or hit the ball he could only do so much!
By the way im not much of a Quade fan just think he has been judged a little unfairly!
Lets go get Ryno
Quade gave people that aren’t under contract *permission* to look for jobs. Umm…ok.
Ha, it does seem strange – but I think, technically, their current contracts run through October or so.
yep..just as I said yesterday….Theo was Rahms first choice; not Mr. Ricketts’….our owner caught in the middle of a situation he never bargained for…and by the way, if he was so astute, then look at the deal he made for the Cubs in the first place…he was taken then too….but its too late as Theo cant go back to Boston and its too late for Cubs to attract another GM…so here we are off to a good start to righting the ship.
Cookies are good!
I worked alongside the mayoral candidates this past year as a political advisor during their municipal election. Had plenty of meetings about emmanuel’s economic structure. Good luck if the the Cubs actually think he is gonna give any money considering Illinois is pushing upwards of $13 billion in debt now. I hope when I move back home to Wrigleyville after my baseball career is over there are some renovations, just no Toyota signs.
“Giving money” is not the same thing as “tax abatements,” “investment,” and “repurposing the amusement tax.” Being in politics, I assume you know these things – there are any number of ways to make it happen.