The Lukewarm Stove is coming up later this morning, and that will have some bullets, so, between this, that, and the Obsessive New Manager Watch round-up earlier, you’re going to have approximately 40 bullets hurled at you this morning. I’m five short of a powerpoint presentation.
Ron Santo is one of ten “Golden Era” candidates for induction into the Hall of Fame, which process serves as an additional route to enshrinement. A 16-member committee will vote on the candidates on December 5, with the candidates needing 12 votes to be admitted. Obviously, I’m thrilled for Santo’s family (and Ronnie, somewhere), but I remain disgusted that Ronnie was deprived of having his moment of enshrinement in the living years.
This came in too late for the Managerial round-up, but Phil Rogers continues to beat the Joe Maddon drum, despite all evidence to the contrary. In the new Ricketts era, I won’t rule anything out, but it just seems so very, very unlikely given what Theo and Jed have said. Theo, himself, has essentially confirmed that the Cubs aren’t even looking at any sitting managers.
Cubs’ management, among scouts from other teams, will be monitoring Carlos Zambrano’s outings in Venezuela this Winter. President Theo Epstein, who is hoping to speak with Zambrano next week, said, “I think it’s a good thing [that he’s pitching], under the circumstances. He probably needs the innings. It could be good for his state of mind to get out there and perform.” That’s right, Theo. Play it cool.
Theo didn’t have much of an update on progress in the compensation talks between he and Red Sox GM Ben Cherington. But that’s because, “We haven’t made a ton of progress.”
Doug Glanville offers a treatise on loyalty in the wake of the Cubs’ refusal to interview Ryne Sandberg for their open managerial spot.
A watchdog group in Mesa isn’t crazy about the Mesa/Cubs’ stadium/Wrigleyville West plans.
It looks increasingly likely that the Astros’ sale to Jim Crane will be approved in two weeks at the upcoming Owners Meetings, which should pave the way for the Astros to move to the American League.
Relatedly, collective bargaining talks are progressing, but hard slotting in the draft (i.e., pick number 1 gets $X, no negotiation, pick number 2 gets $Y, no negotiation, etc.), which would be terrible for the sport (it could push elite athletes into other sports) and bad for the Cubs (who are all too happy to nab some great, overslot talent), remains a sticking point. A resolution is expected next week at the earliest.
Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here.
Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.
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