A Few Cub Notes

It's not official yet, but it appears that soon, former Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly will be named Cubs TV analyst.

Good. Brenly's smart, funny and won't hold back his opinions. He's not Steve Stone, but he's probably about as close as you can get; he does have a connection to the Cubs, having been a radio analyst on WGN in 1990 and 1991, and he also has a connection with Dusty Baker, having served on Baker's coaching staff in San Francisco from 1992 through 1996.

This hiring will undoubtedly fire speculation that Brenly is being put in place to replace Baker someday, but I won't engage in that. Unlike a lot of people, I'm still a Baker fan, and putting Brenly in Stone's place will, I hope, quiet down a lot of the rancor with which the 2004 season ended. So far, no play-by-play partner for Brenly has been chosen.

Also yesterday, the Cubs put passes for their 2005 Convention on sale -- very quietly. There were no notes in the local papers, and no specific time was ever mentioned on the Cubs website, only to call the Cub office on November 8 for "information". Nevertheless, the event sold out in two hours, the fastest sellout ever, despite the fact that the price increased from $40 to $50. Within a short time, more than 20 listings for passes popped up on eBay, with the going price appearing to be around $150.

Ah, we do live in an entreprenurial age, don't we?