Adventures in Pettiness: Teams Still Angry About Cubs Tax
As the so-called “Cubs Tax” works its way through the Arizona Legislature, sans support from Major League Baseball or the other Cactus League teams, the Chicago Cubs continue to lean back and let things run their course.
The other teams, however, are keeping things petty.
Four teams boycotted the annual Cactus League kickoff breakfast - hosted by Mesa this year - to protest a proposed leaguewide ticket surcharge to build a new Chicago Cubs spring-training complex and to finance other improvements.
The Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds all were absent from an otherwise upbeat breakfast where other organizations thanked their host cities on the eve of the 2010 season.
Opening day for the Cactus League season is Thursday for many teams.
“In a nutshell, we continue to feel it’s fundamentally wrong to implement a tax on loyal baseball fans,” Angels spokesman Tim Mead said, acknowledging that his team stayed away for that reason. “We just fundamentally disagree.”
Josh Rawitch, the Dodgers vice president of communications, released a similar statement by e-mail.
“The Dodgers and White Sox simply feel it is wrong to ask fans coming to Camelback Ranch to pay for another team’s new stadium with a surcharge on their tickets,” he said.
The breakfast was hosted at Mesa’s Hohokam Stadium and attended by Mayor Scott Smith, who has criticized White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf for opposing legislation that would keep the Cubs in Mesa after his own team received public financing for a stadium.
The breakfast was also attended by state Rep. John McComish, R-Fountain Hills, the House majority leader and sponsor of legislation that would partially finance a new Chicago Cubs training complex and pay for improvements to other Cactus League facilities.
“I think it’s a shame to boycott a kickoff breakfast,” McComish said. “That’s what petulant children do. In this case, they already had their turn at bat, they got their stadium.” The Arizona Republic.
Really? Skipping a breakfast, which is a tradition, to protest the tax? Don’t they realize it’s the most important meal of the day?
I get why they don’t want this tax - I really do. But you can be assured that they don’t want the Cubs to leave the Cactus League.
ShareThe Chicago Cubs 2010 Television Schedule
The Chicago Cubs have announced their broadcast schedule for the 2010 season, and it will feature the lowest number of games on WGN in a long, long time - just 58 games. And that, of course, does not include Opening Day, which will be on WCIU. The Cubs will be on Fox eight times, and ESPN at least twice. There are six games that could wind up on ESPN or WGN.
Enough summarizing, let’s check out the full schedule. The full Cubs TV schedule is after the jump.
ShareThe Mets and A’s Might Be the Most Agressive in Pursuing Ben Sheets
Free agent starter Ben Sheets threw for several teams including the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, the session was widely well-received. Sheets’ fastball hung around his normal range, and his breaking ball looked crisp. He’ll throw again next week for teams - if he’s not already signed.
For now, Buster Olney. has suggested that the New York Mets and the Oakland A’s may be in the best position to aggressively pursue Sheets, based on the perception that they have money remaining to spend.
The Mets have danced with a few free agent pitchers this winter, most recently Joel Pineiro, but the Angels actually took him home.
The Cubs are not completely out of it for Sheets, but if another team steps up with a “regular” contract offer - as opposed to a very low base salary, high incentive type deal - he’s very unlikely to be a Cub.
ShareNo Joel Pineiro for the Cubs - But You Already Knew That
No, it should not be a surprise that the Chicago Cubs were not players for starting pitcher Joel Pineiro, despite repeated national reports that the Cubs were involved. Buster Olney even went so far as to once state the Cubs were the leader. We did our best to debunk these reports, but alas, we remained ever so slightly hopeful.
Those tiny, tiny hopes were dashed last night when Pineiro signed with the Anaheim Angels. So did he get the 3/$30 million he was looking for? I mean, if he did, there’s no reason to fret. It’s not like he signed for only two years, and a total reasonable, affordable salary.
Oh. He signed for two years and $16 million. Bummer.
ShareAroldis Chapman Signs with Mystery NL Team?
Cuban youngster Aroldis Chapman has been attached to a number of teams this winter, including the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs long ago appeared to bow out of the bidding - but word is breaking that Chapman has signed with a mystery National League team, despite being most recently rumored to be headed to the Angels.
Cuban LHP Aroldis Chapman agrees to $30M deal with National League team, according to source. Left Ft. Lauderdale airport this a.m. to sign. Jeff Passan.
Don’t get, well, any hopes up for the Cubs on this one. But it will be interesting to see where the kid ends up, and how soon he shows that he can pitch in the bigs. The Marlins are known to have made an affirmative offer, though $30 million is much higher than was reported to be their offer.
ShareChicago Cubs Looking at Kelvim Escobar
When it comes to pitchers, Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry has shown a penchant for loving two things: middle relievers and reclamation projects.
So when an opportunity to combine his two passions came along, he simply couldn’t pass it up.
The Cubs sent a scout to watch Kelvim Escobar throw in Venezuela. The right-hander had surgery in 2008 to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. He won 18 games in 2007 but has been limited to one game over the last two in the big leagues because of shoulder problems. Other teams watching Escobar throw included the Rays, Brewers, Giants, Pirates, Tigers, Mariners and A’s. Muskat Ramblings.
I’m a bit too hard on Hendry in this instance. Escobar is not expected to get a Major League deal, and so if he wants to join the Cubs on a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, so be it. Just don’t expect much: Escobar, for all intents and purposes, has not pitched in over two years. A torn labrum is a notoriously difficult injury for a pitcher to overcome.
But he is still just 33, and when he was able to pitch, he was always very good.
ShareObsessive Bradley Trade Watch: Milton Going to an AL Team Tonight? UPDATED x2
According to Gordon Wittenmyer’s Twitter, the Cubs may be on the verge of trading Milton Bradley to a “surprise” AL team tonight. Various rumors have linked Bradley to the Rays, Rangers, and Royals in the AL, so none of those three would qualify as a “surprise.”
Yahoo Sports has suggested that the surprise team is the Mariners, and the return is starting pitcher Carlos Silva - a guy the Cubs looked at back when he was a free agent. Silva is signed through 2011, like Bradley, and is owed a total of $25 million over those two years. Silva’s two years in Seattle have been an absolute disaster - hurt last year, and God awful in 2008. And frankly, he wasn’t very good before that. The Cubs need a starting pitcher, but let’s hope this isn’t how it goes down.
UPDATE: See Cigar’s note in the comments. The Mariners/Silva rumor has been, thankfully, squashed. Also, we could see an announcement on the Bradley front tomorrow morning (if word doesn’t leak sooner).
UPDATE 2: Wittenmyer has updated and said that the prospective deal is 3/4 done, that it’s a two-team swap, and it’s for a player that the Cubs will then have to spin off. Hmm. AL team - not the Rangers, Rays, Mariners or Angels - that would take Bradley, and that has a player that want to dump, whom the Cubs wouldn’t want to keep. Any guesses?
The Indians want to dump Kerry Wood ($10ish million left on his deal for 2010) - if Jim Hendry is so intent on getting a righty reliever who can set-up or close, why not consider Wood? Indians may not want Bradley back, though. I’m just thinking out loud at this point.
More details as they become available…
ShareThe Chicago Cubs 2010 Spring Training Schedule
The Chicago Cubs just released their 2010 Spring Training schedule. And, well, here it is:
March 4 vs. Oakland Athletics
March 5 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
March 6 vs. Chicago White Sox
March 7 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (ss) and at Chicago White Sox, Glendale, Ariz.
March 8 at Oakland Athletics, Phoenix
March 9 vs. Milwaukee Brewers
March 10 vs. San Francisco Giants
March 11 at San Diego Padres, Peoria
March 12 at Milwaukee Brewers (ss), Maryvale; vs. Chicago White Sox, Las Vegas
March 13 vs. Cincinnati Reds (ss); vs. Chicago White Sox, Las Vegas
March 14 at Los Angeles Angels, Tempe
March 15 at Colorado Rockies, Tucson
March 16 vs. Texas Rangers
March 18 at Los Angeles Dodgers, Glendale
March 19 at Chicago White Sox, Glendale
March 20 vs. Kansas City Royals (ss); at Oakland Athletics, Phoenix
March 21 at Cincinnati Reds, Goodyear
March 22 vs. Cleveland Indians
March 23 at Kansas City Royals, Surprise
March 24 at Texas Rangers, Surprise
March 25 at Arizona Diamondbacks, Tucson
March 26 vs. Oakland Athletics
March 27 vs. San Diego Padres
March 28 at Seattle Mariners, Peoria
March 29 vs. Cincinnati Reds
March 30 at San Francisco Giants, Scottsdale
March 31 vs. Los Angeles Angels (ss); at Milwaukee Brewers (ss), Maryvale
April 1 vs. Colorado Rockies
April 2 at Arizona Diamondbacks, Chase Field
April 3 at Arizona Diamondbacks, Chase Field
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