The stuff on Prior was gold. Negotiating a contract with him for '08 after "paying him $7M to sit in a tub for two years".

Genuinely refreshing to see Hendry get a chance to talk without any press around.

What we always thought of Wood and Prior. Wood is the guy you'd love having growing up next door to you, playing on the same team as you, in your wedding party and buddy for life. Prior is just a conceded ass.

I hope his limited optimism by other division teams' moves motivates him to go out there and really up the ante.

It'll be interesting to see these 2 significant moves if they can be made. I can only hope which 2 they are.

Too bad there wasn't more about the rotation.

Sweet.

Interestingly enough, we never heard Hendry complain about giving Prior the money at the time.  It's very easy to try and cover your butt today, but does he expect Prior to roll over him because he was dumb enough to bring him back in the first place?  This is hardly a crowning moment for the GM.

Yes, Jim, if every player just said "Pay me what you think is fair" then your job would be great.  That has zero relevance.

Valuing a player's worth is tricky, it's even more difficult for pitchers.  Hendry took foolish gambles AT THE TIME, on Prior and Wood and now he gives us the truth?

Did Jim have any 2nd thoughts on Dusty?  How about keeping him on at least one year 2 long?  

I didn't read anything here on Prior I hadn't read plenty of times before.  But I guess for some of you it was good to have the pot stirred one more time.

But, if the report is only 3/4 true, it is still enlightening. I too appreciated the organization's sense of Marshall's value. - TL

I heard from SSM's sources yesterday about the Roberts/Bedard thing. There is a chance that the cubs will get both. Pie would be included and Hill would, too. That means that Marshall WOULD be staying and the cubs think he's ready to take a big step forward. But he'll still probably not start the year in the rotation, so, whatever. The holdup is that Hendry wants to secure another CF before making this trade so he's not handcuffed when he's only got SAM FULD as an option out there. There is a name being thrown about. The guy has played for the cubs and has recently been moved out of his CF position to make room for a new guy. We're talkin' about Private First Class Gee Mat Jew. The cubs like his glove, his switch-hitting, and his mostly solid approach at the plate. The Angels like DeRosa as a stopgap at third because they know Brandon Wood isn't ready. Hendry also wants them to take Dumpster or MarKey or throw in some cash for PFC's contract. If this looks like it's gonna go through, then expect Hendry to pull the trigger on the O's deal and the Angels deal. They have no idea how long this might take because they're in the early stages of talking to the Angels. If it doesn't happen within 2 weeks, though, then it's probably NOT going to happen. We've got more about it at SSM which also includes a roundtable discussion featuring Apex, 5laky, CT, me, and a special guest. Check it out if you get the chance.

What does it mean?  Anything?

Do people really think that Hendry is a proper business man? I have never gotten that from his words, appearance, or mannerisms. I can easily imagine him making those comments about Farnsworth etc. There probably is truth to the statements about Hendry's days being numbered with new management coming in, so why not tell it like it is? Especially concerning deals that are done and players that are gone.

It also helped reaffirm my position and feelings on Wood and Prior. It just seemed that Wood wanted it bad and he took a hit in the wallet and a place in the bullpen to prove it. I never heard or read anything like this about Prior. I wasn't sad to see him go. What nostalgia I felt for Prior has slowly but surely disappeared over the years.

I hope that DeRosa isn't totally crapped on by the Cubs. Same goes for Marshall. Getting a really sturdy 2nd baseman would be great, but not at the expense of losing several good and or evolving players to get it. Management will do what it feels is necessary, I just hope they aren't the victims of it.

It seems that there are two schools of thought for the improvement of this team. One side says to make our pitching more solid and the other to make our bats and fielding more solid.

I have been for improving the bats and fielding. The Cubs were missing consistant power and players were moved around a lot last year. Fukudome takes care of power and fills the the hole in RF and Soto seems really solid all the way around. I don't see many problems with the infield. As long as Soriano stays healthy and Pie plays with the spirit he showed last year, we are set in the outfield.

Sure the pitching could be tweaked, but Lou has shown he doesn't mind moving people around and trying new things. The pitching lineup will play out early on in my opinion. Generally speaking, Cubs pitching as a whole compared with other teams is very good. The pitching coaches have the goods, they just need to bust their butts maximizing their performance.

I won't be popular for saying this, but if there aren't any other "big moves" before this season gets here, I would be very happy with what the 2008 Cubs have to offer. Guess we will see!

If you use the Who/What/When/Where/Why basic journalism tenets... you cannot answer all of these questions. Besides, there would never be such a setting where the media couldn't attend. Of course, they'd be there for a 'blogger' luncheon. No such writer/broadcaster would be 'forbidden' from attending.

Besides, Hendry would never talk like this in a public setting....no GM would, c'mon.

And besides, what would a Cubs Blogger luncheon be without Al? This event never happened, but it's a hilarious piece of fiction....