Pinella/McDonough/Hendry Meeting -or- Barrett MIA

by Yepsen on May 30, 2007 6:42 PM CDT

While listening to The Score on the way home they reported that McDonough and Hendry have been locked away in Lou's office since 4:15PM, this was reported at around 6:15... 2 hours of meeting in what I'm sure is a close-quarters manager's office.

This obviously lends itself to lots of discussion, is Lou wanting out? Do they want Lou out? Is this a PR move to make it seem like they care?

Also, it appears that Michael Barret had not yet arrived to the ballpark and was not listed as the starting catcher for today's game... Lots of possibilities here as well, was he traded away? Is he pissed and taking a "personal" day?

Lots of stuff... Look for a Press Conference later and see what happens I guess... I for one think Lou wants to leave, and management is talking him out of it, as for Barrett, I have no clue.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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they

said lou said "nothing is going on" i dont buy it

by tbizzle83 on May 30, 2007 6:42 PM CDT reply actions

Yeah...

Seems odd to me, and on the same day that there was a player's meeting... Weird.

by Yepsen on May 30, 2007 6:46 PM CDT up reply actions

Lou........

is lying.

Lou sounded defeated last night. I think Hendry and Lou are butting heads.

As I have said 100s of times, this falls soley on the head of Jim Hendry.

RIP kerrysotherwife!!!!

by timeforachange on May 30, 2007 6:47 PM CDT up reply actions

Beat me to this......

The Score (670 AM) just issued an update (6:40 PM)

Michael Barrett is nowhere to be found. A PR rep told reporters Barrett would not be made available.

Lou held a press conf. after the 2 hour plus meeting and said nothing. When asked about the meeting, Lou stated this was "scheduled" meeting.

IMHO, big things are going on at 1060 W. Addison. I would not be shocked if Lou threatened he would walk if Hendry did not make changes.

Wow!

RIP kerrysotherwife!!!!

by timeforachange on May 30, 2007 6:46 PM CDT reply actions

I bet Hendry......

was just giving him his famous "Astros and Marlins" speech.

RAMIREZ!! PRIOR!!

by PriorandAramisfan23 on May 30, 2007 6:48 PM CDT reply actions

Yes, this is Hendry....

"Okay Lou, we need you on that line out there...When all the breaks are going against our boys just win one for Dusty."

by DudeVf11 on May 30, 2007 11:54 PM CDT up reply actions

maybe a two hour meeting

on finding out where Barrett is? maybe they cant find him

by Chanman25 on May 30, 2007 6:53 PM CDT reply actions

Ah yes, here's the info.....

May 30, 2007

Chicago (AP) In an unprecedented move, the Cubs held a players-only meeting before the month of June.

"Usually, we don't have this meeting until mid to late June at the earliest", said a source close to the team, "but this year, we have been unusually shitty. We thought maybe this might shake things up a bit. Plus, it gives Dempster a chance to do his Piniella imitation for Marmol and Guzman." The source also said that a vote was held and "We suck" was the most popular vote for an explanation of the team's play. "It's too cold" was a close second.

Also having his own meeting was Manager Lou Piniella, but it was rumored to be concerning his current medication.

by Peoria Matt on May 30, 2007 7:05 PM CDT reply actions

Hopefully it means

Barrett's about ready to be dealt. Either that or he's back in LA getting high.

SORIANO! YESSSSSSSS! JIMBO!!!

by CubFaninCA on May 30, 2007 7:06 PM CDT reply actions

So the game has started...

and still, no one has any idea where Barrett is? This team is heading in the wrong direction.

2007 Badger Football - 1-0 every week...

by Schwa on May 30, 2007 7:18 PM CDT reply actions

omg

where do guys get this stuff? barrett is sitting in the dugout eating sunflower seeds. he was shown 1st inning. probably just a day off.

Here comes the nasty leftie to shut it down in the 9th......Clay Rapada!!!!

by cubsluver22 on May 30, 2007 7:37 PM CDT reply actions

that bastion of sports journalism

the Score. Hey, I bought it, too.

by davidalanu on May 30, 2007 7:45 PM CDT up reply actions

Can anyone...

... confirm that the Score reported anything in regards to Barrett other than that he wasn't starting?

DmL

by dmlichte on May 30, 2007 8:18 PM CDT up reply actions

That...

And that he had not yet reported to the ballpark... The last time I heard that was just prior to me stepping out of my car, around 6:20...

by Yepsen on May 30, 2007 8:21 PM CDT up reply actions

More that he was

nowhere to be found, and would not be made available to the media.

by davidalanu on May 30, 2007 9:33 PM CDT up reply actions

to be more clear

nowhere to be found in the locker room. They emphasized that he may be in the trainer's room, etc., but they hadn't seen him in the locker room.

by davidalanu on May 30, 2007 9:34 PM CDT up reply actions

Well...

... I assume that we'll hear more about this tomorrow.

DmL

by dmlichte on May 30, 2007 10:04 PM CDT up reply actions

Didn't see tonights game

what's the latest, did they ever track down Barrett? Maybe he went over to Borders to buy a book on how to catch.

"Just give me 25 guys on the last year of their contracts; I'll win a pennant every year" - Sparky Anderson

by MPH73 on May 30, 2007 9:48 PM CDT reply actions

I would bet Piniella called the meeting

and read Hendry the riot act. I don't see Piniella walking away, because he knows Hendry is likely gone after this year anyway. I would imagine he told both Hendry and McDonough - this team is all wrong, and if you want to make a run at a shitty division this year, we can't wait until the deadline to make moves.

"Just give me 25 guys on the last year of their contracts; I'll win a pennant every year" - Sparky Anderson

by MPH73 on May 30, 2007 10:13 PM CDT reply actions

That was probably what he said......

but too bad he wasted his breath on the likes of Jim Hendry, Randy Bush, Crane Kenney and McDonough.......

RAMIREZ!! PRIOR!!

by PriorandAramisfan23 on May 30, 2007 10:14 PM CDT up reply actions

According to Carrie Muskat:

Roster moves were not discussed at the management meeting.

"I've got the right mix out there," Piniella said. "It's just a question of getting the job done. I haven't asked for any more pitching, one way or another. I've got five starters and bullpen kids and some are experienced, and some are young. I'm fine with it all. I think our pitching basically has done a very representative job. We've let some games get away, but what are you going to do?"

by John Q Freejazz on May 30, 2007 10:17 PM CDT up reply actions

k

we do NOT have the right mix. we have a bad lead off hitter( he isnt a bad hitter just not lead-off material), no clutch hitting, bad defense, bad baserunning and bad pitching. ive heard stoney lately talking about this teams baseball IQ and how bad it is, how can this be changed? i dont see it happening and i dont know how long lou can deal with this.

by tbizzle83 on May 31, 2007 12:57 AM CDT up reply actions

It can be somewhat changed...

by doing the following:

moving/benching our two lowest "baseball IQ" players (Barrett and Jones) and replace them with Pie and Blanco
rearranging the lineup to include a leadoff man who fits the leadoff mentality

I'd go with the following lineup for a while and see if it sticks:

Theriot (good OBP)
DLee
Ramirez
Floyd
Soriano
DeRosa
Pie
Blanco

by SouthernCub on May 31, 2007 7:05 AM CDT up reply actions

I really......

love Carrie.

She is worthless. What did she expect Lou to say.

Also, how odd is it that Barrett gets the night off prior to an off day?

RIP kerrysotherwife!!!!

by timeforachange on May 31, 2007 1:09 AM CDT up reply actions

So, Carrie, upper management had a 2 hour

meeting and the roster wasn't discussed? Boy, that's some in-depth journalism there. Of course it was discussed.

My guess is that the 3 of them talked about what this team doesn't have that it needs and what this team has that it doesn't need. That sentence is hardly brain surgery in itself. I guess we will see what pans out in the next few days/weeks.

For what it's worth, I think this team has a decent amount of talent, it's just not in the right places and much of it is redundant. That plus some real bad middle relief performances. The middle relief is much better than what's been shown so far.

by NO100 on May 31, 2007 9:45 AM CDT up reply actions

What I find curious

Is why Crane Kennedy would need to be in on the meeting. Isn't he the Trib counsel? Why do you need a lawyer to be involved with a baseball meeting?

I just don't quite understand.

"Just give me 25 guys on the last year of their contracts; I'll win a pennant every year" - Sparky Anderson

by MPH73 on May 31, 2007 10:09 AM CDT up reply actions

Just a guess...

... but perhaps he's the liason between the Cubs front office and the TribCo in regards to the sale of the company. So part of this meeting may have been issues in regards to contracts and how potential moves could be impacted by the impending sale (or vice versa).

DmL

by dmlichte on May 31, 2007 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions

You might be right

Particularly with the General Counsel being in the meeting.

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room."

by BlueMike on May 31, 2007 11:20 AM CDT up reply actions

I would agree with this.

It would NOT have surprised me if Lou went in to that meeting and threatened to quit if changes weren't made, despite his public pronoucement that none were needed.

It would also not surprise me to see some player move(s) made today, on the off-day.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on May 31, 2007 11:42 AM CDT up reply actions

I have no doubt

Lou made his opinions clear regarding how the roster is panning out. Don't know him well enouph to know whether he threatened to quit, but I am certain he told all that if they choose to wait for the trade deadline to make moves, you are wasting your time, because it will be over.

There will be moves, and some players will be benched, because they have no choice, and have nothing to lose but to let Pie play, Blanco play more, and bench Jones.

"Just give me 25 guys on the last year of their contracts; I'll win a pennant every year" - Sparky Anderson

by MPH73 on May 31, 2007 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions

Lou

I can't imagine that he'd threaten to quit. As great as his reputation was in Cinci and Seattle, his time in Tampa Bay did not help him and burning out in Chicago much the same way would really put an unfortunate end to his excellent career.

I imagine that the meeting was a "state of the organization" meeting, trying to map out the short and long (6-18 months) future. Kenney would certainly have pertinant info in that regard.

What I think we're going to see is Lou Piniella become the defacto GM. The fact of the matter is, as Lou sat in the room with Hendry, McDonough and Kenney, that Piniella not only has the greatest chance of remaining in his current position beyond this season, he may be the only one of the four who is still employed by the Cubs 12 months from now. There is a lot of ramifications in that regard and the fact of the matter is that he likely should have the most say over what happens.

DmL

by dmlichte on May 31, 2007 12:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Agreed 100%

Lou's not an idiot, he knows you can't rebuild a team in the middle of the season.

He's also not going to end his baseball career by quitting 2 months into the season - and that would certainly end his career, because who would rehire a guy who'd done that?

Stone said something yesterday that I thought was interesting; he said that Pinella's tenure in Seattle started very similar to this. He started out with a mediocre, hodge-podge group, and shuffled the lineup around a ton that first year, getting a feel for who should stay and who should go. They shook things up, and 2 years later they won 100 games.

by Wreckard on May 31, 2007 4:35 PM CDT up reply actions

Yabbut...

... the rest of the hierarchy doesn't have two years. This team was allegedly built to win now. Plus, Piniella is 15 years older and he has already said this is his last managing job. He wants to win NOW, not two years from now.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on May 31, 2007 4:57 PM CDT up reply actions

my opinion on Piniella

is he forgets more about what it takes to put a winning team together then Hendry will ever know. Lou is sly like a fox, and he is one of the top baseball minds in the game.

"Just give me 25 guys on the last year of their contracts; I'll win a pennant every year" - Sparky Anderson

by MPH73 on May 31, 2007 9:37 PM CDT up reply actions

Well...

The thing about Lou Piniella is that he isn't one to air dirty laundry in the public, the Rob Dibble clubhouse fight from years ago notwithstanding. Piniella is the type of manager that drives the sportswriters and gossip mongers nuts because he rarely gives them anything to sink their teeth into. That being said, the only way we will ever find out the purpose of this meeting is if Hendry or McDonough offer anything up. Or if there is a consequence of some sort that happens in the next couple of days.

I'm starting to think this meeting was about one of two things.

A. A situation revolving around Michael Barrett.
B. The top brass of the Cubs meeting for a debrief on the status of the sale of the Cubs, and what that means in terms of implications. McDonough and Hendry are surely operating in a big cloud of uncertainty. Perhaps this meeting was to clarify how things will operate in the short-term.

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room."

by BlueMike on May 31, 2007 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions

This all aired out during the McFail resignation..

...Crane Kennedy is, for all intents and purposes, the Trib exec with responsibility for the Cubs. The Cubs president reports to him, and he seems to have had contract approval for the team for the McFail/Hendry years. I can try to dig through my archives and find the articles if folks would like.

by cwyers on May 31, 2007 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions

You are right on this

I forgot this fact. There's so many layers of hierarchy within the Tribune Company that it's no wonder I forgot. By the way, John McDonough is simply a figurehead in case people haven't already figured that out.

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room."

by BlueMike on May 31, 2007 1:32 PM CDT up reply actions

I found a transcript of

Crane Kennedy's contribution to the meeting:

"It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and you've got the stock market beat. But the man worthwhile, is the man who can smile, when his shorts are too tight in the seat."

by cubsbak on May 31, 2007 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions

lol

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room."

by BlueMike on May 31, 2007 1:47 PM CDT up reply actions

FWIW...

... the man's name is "Kenney", not "Kennedy".

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on May 31, 2007 4:57 PM CDT up reply actions

It is still......

VERY FUNNY!!!!!!!

RIP kerrysotherwife!!!!

by timeforachange on May 31, 2007 5:40 PM CDT up reply actions

That's damn funny

and probably about the content of what he contributed. Leave it to the Trib to put a lawyer in charge of a baseball president.

"Just give me 25 guys on the last year of their contracts; I'll win a pennant every year" - Sparky Anderson

by MPH73 on May 31, 2007 9:41 PM CDT up reply actions

"Ok, Pookie - do the honors!"

n/t

by Shawon O Meter on Jun 1, 2007 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions

I know where Barrett was,

he was in the Marlins clubhouse giving them all the pitching signs, which would also explain the blow out today... But why didnt we score runs??? hmm, i dk.

PIE!!!

by LilLPLancer23 on May 30, 2007 10:45 PM CDT reply actions

Barrett needed the day off

As a matter of fact he'll be off a couple of days.

It's all good.

Go 'head and Jump! --- Van Halen

by Scott G F on May 31, 2007 8:16 AM CDT reply actions

Barrett

I hate Michael Barrett. Why? Because Cub fans adore the guy despite the fact that he is the absolute worst catcher in major league baseball and because the coward sucker-punched A.J. Pierzynski in the back of the head.

Trade the dumb-ass. If you can't trade him, then DFA. Montreal and Oakland didn't want him for a reason. And it is no coincidence that the Cubs have mightily sucked ever since he arrived in town to do the catching chores.

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room."

by BlueMike on May 31, 2007 8:56 AM CDT reply actions

Just a thought

I would bet, there isn't another GM in baseball that devalues the importance of a good catcher as much as Jim Hendry or for that matter, the top two spots in the batting order. Barrett's trade value (not unlike Murton) is not near as good as what most people think. Who wants a terrible defensive catcher who is abscent baseball instincts and is a very streaky hitter? Look around, and you won't find winning teams that are weak behind the plate.

I will never forgot the bonehead move Barrett pulled in 04 against the Astros. If you recall, the Cubs were about 6-7 games up on Houston and the Stros were sinking fast. What does Barrett do? He doesn't let sleeping dogs lay, he incites a dispute during a game with Oswalt, and guess what, from that point on, the Stros woke up and eventually passed the Cubs.

The man has no feel for the game of baseball.

"Just give me 25 guys on the last year of their contracts; I'll win a pennant every year" - Sparky Anderson

by MPH73 on May 31, 2007 9:22 AM CDT up reply actions

We could do a top 10..

I personally liked the rundown he failed to execute properly that ended an extra inning (or ninth inning) game against the Phillies. I can't remember the exact date..

I don't hate the guy personally, just wish he wasn't catcher for the Cubs..

Well, sometimes nothin is a real cool hand.

by wicubfan on May 31, 2007 11:20 AM CDT up reply actions

Whatever.

He punched him right across the face. It wasn't the "back of the head." A sucker punch comes from nowhere. Barrett grabbed him, stared him down, and hit him across the jaw.

DFA. Your answer to everything. How's Izturis GG chances coming?

Ignorance is bliss...

MARQUIS! YES, MARQUIS!

by thekansasian on May 31, 2007 5:00 PM CDT up reply actions

This shouldn't

surprise you.

According to BlueMike if you don't agree with his opinion you're an idiot or a moron.

by sue369 on May 31, 2007 7:06 PM CDT up reply actions

No coincidence we've sucked since he arrived?

I keep hearing people spout about how Barrett's arrival in Chicago directly caused the complete collapse of the team. Using that logic, you can uncork the same goofy statement naming Lee, Ramirez, or Dempster as the cement shoes, since they joined the team THE SAME YEAR.

And it's very obvious that MON/OAK didn't want him, right? Montreal traded him to because he was due for a big paycheck and they were, well, the Expos. So a three-team deal was made, trading him to Oakland for all of ONE DAY in December '03. Naturally Billy Beane was able to tell that Barrett smelled like cancer without even having met the kid, right?

And, naturally, it was SOLELY the Oswalt incident that caused the Astros to make up 7 games in the standings over the following months. He should have been much smarter and realized that talking mean to an opposing pitcher would have such dire consequences.

All that being said...I'm glad Lou's giving him a some time off to get his head straight.

Hey, Mike...maybe you should take a few days of vacation too? >8)

by Shawon O Meter on Jun 1, 2007 11:36 AM CDT up reply actions