Silent "protest" at the Convention

by Doggie Stalker on Jan 12, 2009 11:39 AM CST Comment 61 comments

If you are going to the Convention and were unhappy about how the Kerry Wood situation was handled ( as in did we dump him for the money, was the idea of a one year contract EVER mentioned, are we better off with Gregg/Marmol than Marmol/Wood and what if anything did Lou have to do with this ?) please consider wearing a Wood T shirt or Jersey ( if you have one) to the business meeting at 9AM Saturday. Feel free to wear DeRosa item for same effect.

I picked up a remaindered Wood T shirt for this purpose when I was in town over Thanksgiving ( and he was technically still with the team). I don't usually have player specific items but I wanted something for Wood so that I could wear at the Convention.

Needless to say if you think Hendry handled the Wood /DeRosa situations to your satisfaction you can wear what you like.

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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I'll wear my Wood jersey.

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

by Al on Jan 12, 2009 11:43 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

OR...

You could actually support the players we have now and not worry about players who are now being paid by other teams.

The worst beer I had was pretty good.

by Worf on Jan 12, 2009 11:47 AM CST reply actions 1 recs

Can't they do both?

RIP Ron Asheton (1948-2009)

by dat cubfan daver on Jan 12, 2009 11:55 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

No, they can't

To hold onto Wood and DeRosa is unseemly. There are new players that deserve our support.

Wood and DeRosa are the past. I hate the past. The past sucks. Nothing good has happened in the Cubs’ past.

This is the future.

The worst beer I had was pretty good.

by Worf on Jan 12, 2009 12:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Unseemly,hardly

whats wrong with showing your appreciation for what these guys did while they were in Chicago?

I dont think doing that and supporting the new guys are mutually exclusive

Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

by bren on Jan 12, 2009 12:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Nothing

Cheer them when the Tribe is at Wrigley this summer.

But for the Cubs, the name on the front is more important than the name on the back.

Sweet Lou for Mayor in '11.

by blackhawk24 on Jan 12, 2009 1:25 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

Rec'd

Like blackhawk said…

Wish them well. Cheer them when they aren’t playing us. Root for them to slap the holy beejeezus out of the White Sox.

But the original poster suggested a PROTEST, not a celebration.

I root for the laundry.

The worst beer I had was pretty good.

by Worf on Jan 12, 2009 1:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

unseemly?

Nothing good? They won the division three times in five years. That’s “nothing good”?

I guess I shouldn’t get that Santo jersey either.

And I’ll tell my kid to not bother with history class… it’s the past, and nothing good happened in the past…

"That’s the great thing about baseball, you never know what’s going to happen till you get the final out." — Lou Piniella

by drewishdrewid on Jan 12, 2009 1:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

And they got their hairy asses handed to them each time

I’m sorry… last year was just peaches and cream and fluffly wittle bunnies.

DeRosa and Wood were great. Now they are gone. To issue some silent protest is an insult to the players left.

The worst beer I had was pretty good.

by Worf on Jan 12, 2009 2:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Hm, I dunno.

A protest like this may be utterly useless in the practical sense, and it may end up creating a really awkward social situation, but I don’t see how it disrespects the remaining players. I think the protest would just reinforce how much Woody was loved here and how many of us still don’t fully understand why he wasn’t re-signed.

I do, however, think it’s a little ridiculous to “protest” the loss of Mark DeRosa. I mean, I was sad to see him go, but I think Hendry has explained his rational for that move a little more clearly.

RIP Ron Asheton (1948-2009)

by dat cubfan daver on Jan 12, 2009 2:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

There’s just a way to split the difference. Last year was a great ride, and it was very disappointing that they didn’t get farther, but you can’t look at that year and say “it was utterly worthless”.

Neither am I endorsing a protest. But to say we should ignore history seems, to me, to be shortsighted.

"That’s the great thing about baseball, you never know what’s going to happen till you get the final out." — Lou Piniella

by drewishdrewid on Jan 12, 2009 2:47 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

This ought to teach them a lesson...

not.

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on Jan 12, 2009 11:58 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

you forgot the 'Pause'

Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

by bren on Jan 12, 2009 12:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I think you're asking the wrong question

are we better off with Gregg/Marmol than Marmol/Wood

I don’t think anyone thinks the answer to that is a yes. But that’s not the real question. This is the real question:

Are we better off with Gregg/Marmol/Milton Bradley than Marmol/Wood?

by Wreckard on Jan 12, 2009 12:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

hell yeah

by aramis on Jan 12, 2009 12:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Still not the right question

because you have to figure out who the other OF will be. AND… we don’t know that the Wood money went to Bradley until we hear Jim say, “This is your 2009 team.”

In addition, we were so set on keeping Wood off this team that we refused to offer arbitration. We now see that Wood was tradeable (he was signed for more than he would have gotten in arbitration), which makes a lot of this problematic.

The author of this post is not a certified scout, doctor, agent, statistician, manager, or journalist, nor was he ever a very good player, though he tried very hard to be like Ryne Sandberg and was about as scrappy as it gets (in T-ball). Any opinion expressed above should in no way be confused with fact, truth, or reality and is hereby qualified in the following ways: 1) The author does not know as much about baseball as Lou Piniella. 2) The author does not know as much about baseball as Jim Hendry. 3) The author does not know as much about baseball as either Dusty or Darren Baker.

by DGU on Jan 12, 2009 12:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Fair point

Does arbitration only ever take the previous year’s salary into account?

by Wreckard on Jan 12, 2009 12:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Good question and one I do not know the absolute answer to.

But, Wood, as a reliever, wasn’t going to get an arb figure over what the Indians are paying him and they gave him a multi-year contract. We’re now paying Vizcaino and Gregg what we would have paid Wood and both of those guys could be DFA’d by us before the year is out.

by DGU on Jan 12, 2009 1:02 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

signing Wood would have given him 10/5 rights, giving him a full no trade clause

by philadelphiacub on Jan 12, 2009 2:54 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Ah, perhaps another piece in the puzzle.

RIP Ron Asheton (1948-2009)

by dat cubfan daver on Jan 12, 2009 2:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He was with the team since the start of 1998

Don’t all of those [injured] years count???

Sweet Lou for Mayor in '11.

by blackhawk24 on Jan 12, 2009 3:06 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I thought the 10/5

would have kicked in 2 days into the 2009 season. Maybe I’m misremembering. Either way, the loss of the two draft picks is maddening.

by DGU on Jan 12, 2009 4:54 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

wouldn't we have gotten the draft picks only if Wood did indeed sign elsewhere?

Assuming you take Wood at his word, seems like he would have accepted arbitration. Hence no picks.

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Jan 12, 2009 9:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

And if he had accepted arb

then you can trade him, because Wood on a one-year contract is a valuable commodity.

by DGU on Jan 14, 2009 2:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Forgot who said this but boy does it make sense

If you make moves based on the fans desire, soon you’ll be sitting with them.

Please get over the Wood thing. I’ve never heard so much angst for a guy with a lifetime W+Sv average of 10 with earnings average of $4.4M. I liked him, everyone liked him but he’s gone and that’s that.

And as for DeRo, they finally dealt someone at the height of player value, not the other way around. And to boot, the season doesn’t start tomorrow. Wait and see what Hendry does before you get all upset.

I don’t seem to remember Wood coming out and saying he’d play for a 1 year deal before the Cubs declined a contract offer.

There’s just so much going on with the Cubs, especially the sale of the team.

I prefer to look ahead.

Sweet Lou for Mayor in '11.

by blackhawk24 on Jan 12, 2009 12:10 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

The only reason to trade someone at the height of his value

is if you’re going to get really good value from the trade. For me, I’ll wait to the end of the offseason to see what we’re doing with 2B and with the players acquired in the DeRosa trade, but it does not seem to me that we sold high in the traditional sense on either DeRosa or Ceda.

by DGU on Jan 12, 2009 12:47 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm gonna wait to see if there's any subsequent moves

that the DeRo trade “enabled”…

Sweet Lou for Mayor in '11.

by blackhawk24 on Jan 12, 2009 1:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

What would be the point?

With all due respect, this really isn’t a protest. No one will probably even realize that there are more Wood / DeRosa jerseys than normal.

I was really pissed about this too, I’m right there with you but I feel like we gotta move on and root for the team that’s going for it all next season.

Wood’ll be back with the Cubs in some form in the future.

In the meantime, have faith that Hendry made the right decision for the ballclub in the long run and brace yourself for the season.

by EJThunder on Jan 12, 2009 12:10 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Good idea Doggie, but needs more ooomph!

I don’t think mgmt will think twice about seeing a bunch of Wood or DeRosa jerseys in the audience. If they notice them at all, they’ll just probably think it’s the economy – folks can’t afford new shirts.

If you really want to make a statement, you need to take it back to the streets! Power to the people! Stage a sit-in! Lock arms in front of the ballroom doors and sing “Amazing Wood, how sweet the sound”! Chain yourself to the barstools and threaten to not stop drinking (I think you’ll have plenty of volunteers for this one).

Get someone (that can’t be traced back to you) to slip Ronnie Woo Woo $20 to go “Wood Woo!”, “DeRosa Woo!” throughout the meeting.

And if you want to be more forward thinking, rent a megaphone and incite the crowd
“Who do we want? Roberts! When do we want him? Now!”
“Who do we want? Peavy! When do we want him? Now!”

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Jan 12, 2009 12:17 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

20 bucks

Overshooting it, Woo Woo will do it for a luke warm Labatts Blue.

by StevenABQ on Jan 12, 2009 1:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

or a warm OS

n/t

Sweet Lou for Mayor in '11.

by blackhawk24 on Jan 12, 2009 1:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Better yet, don't go to any games

those empty seats will show them…….NOT

Sweet Lou for Mayor in '11.

by blackhawk24 on Jan 12, 2009 1:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If anyone pays you know who...

… I’d like it to be to have him shut up.

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

by Al on Jan 12, 2009 2:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm Kerrys biggest fan

And it broke my heart in a zillion pieces to see him go.

But we have to get past this. As far as the impact on the team we don’t know maybe it will be good.

The day Jim Hendry does something he doesn’t think is right for the team because he’s worried about the fans reaction he needs to go.

Barbara V. October 14, 1941 - December 19, 2008. A great lady who was a friend to all and like a second mom to her children's friends (she was my best friend's mom)

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jan 12, 2009 12:33 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

+1

well summarized…

Sweet Lou for Mayor in '11.

by blackhawk24 on Jan 12, 2009 2:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I love them both...

But taking a step back, I think the Wood situation was the right one. The DeRosa trade, now that’s debatable; I still think we could’ve and should’ve kept him.

Someday we'll go all the way...

by CubsBullsBears on Jan 12, 2009 12:49 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

?

Trades happen. Players are not re-signed. Baseball is a biz…and more cliches.

by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Jan 12, 2009 12:55 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I agree with you 110%

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Jan 12, 2009 2:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

People were saying he should have kept Prior too

No one will be thanking him at next years convention if Wood has another injury for the tribe this year…

by LT on Jan 12, 2009 1:15 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

The idea...

…is to win championships, not to hold on to popular players at all costs.

I will judge Hendry on his ability to build a WS winning team, not how many popular players he holds onto.

"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel

by MPH73 on Jan 12, 2009 1:49 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

+1

Sweet Lou for Mayor in '11.

by blackhawk24 on Jan 12, 2009 2:33 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed, but...

… there are those of us who think that letting Wood go wasn’t a good baseball move, that having Marmol setting up Wood is better than having Gregg set up Marmol.

We’ll see whether that’s right or not.

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

by Al on Jan 12, 2009 2:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

IF that were the argument made...

then fine, but all too often was the preverbial, “he was my favourite player”.

My only condition on the end-of-the-pen comparison is 2009 is not yet set. I would consider it set – and subsequently ready for comparison to 2008 – on opening day.

Sweet Lou for Mayor in '11.

by blackhawk24 on Jan 12, 2009 3:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If you really want to make a point

Buy something at their lockeroom sale of either Wood or DeRosa and then cherish it. A few people from this site which by the way isn’t even 1% of the fans who will be at the convention won’t make any difference in a “protest”.

by ak123 on Jan 12, 2009 2:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

If you're going to preotest the fact that the Cubs could not afford to pay

Kerry Wood and Mark Derosa, protest Sam Zell. Hendry doesn’t make the payroll, ownership does. Hednry’s job is to put the best team on the field within that figure. Ownership is why these players couldn’t be afforded. Do you honestly think that Hendry didn’t want to keep Wood? Thems the facts. Making Lou Piniella the scapegoat is not the answer either- there’s simply nothing to support that assertion.

by philadelphiacub on Jan 12, 2009 2:52 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

What happened to...

…cheering for the name on the front instead of the one on the back? Kerry Wood was great (at times) while he was a Cub, but after reading your take on the whole thing, it sounds like you thought he was your best friend and his parents just sent him away to military school so that the two of you couldn’t hang out any longer.
In other words, sounds like you have been cheering for the “Woods” instead of the Cubs.

by 14theofleury on Jan 12, 2009 4:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

should we not

make any attachments to the players at all? Cmon. He was the face of the Cubs for many years. If the name on the back doesn’t matter, if history doesn’t matter, people would never buy cubs jerseys with “Santo/10” on the back.

"That’s the great thing about baseball, you never know what’s going to happen till you get the final out." — Lou Piniella

by drewishdrewid on Jan 13, 2009 10:23 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I for one...

appreciate the players who were CUbs and I do own jerseys of some of these old players, including Wood, but that being said, now that Wood is on another team, he means nothing to me. I don’t follow the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox or any other major league baseball team…I follow the CUbs. When a player is on the Cubs I root for him. If he is on another team…the heck with him. I hope that player inplodes when he faces the Cubs and what he does in other games…who cares. I have gotten into arguments with Jessica about this concerning Maddux, while he was a good Cub, when he was elsewhere, I could not care any less about him. The same could be said about Wood now. Yes, I root for the laundry. That does not mean that I didn’t appreciate them while they were here, but they are gone and I have moved on to new players to root for.

Kasey

See what old Cubs Scorecards looked like at http://cubsbythenumbers.com/scorecards.html
Also, see the Cubs 2009 schedule at http://cubsbythenumbers.com/sched2009.html

by kaseyi on Jan 13, 2009 10:34 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

While I agree with the basic concept of "rooting for the laundry"...

… I will always enjoy watching Kerry Wood pitch, except when he faces the Cubs, when I want the “laundry” to beat the heck out of him.

Make sense?

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

by Al on Jan 13, 2009 4:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

You lead a very restricted life

I love baseball no matter who is playing and I like some teams and players more than others. Maddux , Wood, Dawson
etc will never be laundry to me.

GO TRIBE

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry

by Doggie Stalker on Jan 13, 2009 6:04 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

aw doggie...

seeing that warms my heart on this cold cold night… ;-)

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Jan 13, 2009 9:21 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, when they're here

If he’s a premier player, then attachment after he leaves is fine, but Woody – even with all his fandom – is not a premier player. Correlating him to Ron Santo is invalid.

Too much in the media has been made on the Cubs being the bad guys. I still didn’t hear Woody say he’d do another 1-year deal before the Cubs non-tendered him.

Like mentioned earlier, he’s a good guy but let’s face it, in his 11 years he averaged 10 wins + saves and was compensated quite well. Hendry was the GOOD GUY letting Woody go, up front and clearly. The Cubs didn’t have the money to spend on all the players they wanted (remember he’s still not done yet dealing) and Woody was rewarded with $10M+ for 2 years from the Tribe.

Sweet Lou for Mayor in '11.

by blackhawk24 on Jan 13, 2009 10:53 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I understand the need for trades

but I think in the case of Wood in particular I want Hendry/Lou to explain what happened. Hendry was very evasive
about whether a one year or below market deal was ever discussed. Lou has never said anything about what if any role he played in letting Wood go. Obviously there will be a TON of questions regarding Wood/DeRosa the budget etc. Ironically I would say I was a huge Wood fan. I just thought he was a very effective closer and I have very little faith in how Lou uses pitchers so now that he does not have an easily established 8.,9 I am not a happy camper.

I certainly don’t expect a GM to make decisions based of fan favorites. As previously noted my biggest concern is that Hendry bends too much to the wishes of his manager rather than building a team he thinks can win and I think the Wood situation in particular relates to this ( as does of course the Eyre/Howry situation which I would love to ask about but I really don’t feel like buying an Eyre shirt).

I would like to honor the service of Wood and DeRosa but the point of this is not to say how much I liked them etc but how and why the Cubs got in the position of letting them go when I feel it has made the team weaker and how those decisions were made.

Sorry to take so long to respond. Have a bad cold today.

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry

by Doggie Stalker on Jan 12, 2009 4:27 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

OOPS

I meant I was not a huge Wood Fan. I always liked him etc but had no particular or special interest in him, I try to be
a one woman man and we know who that was.

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry

by Doggie Stalker on Jan 12, 2009 4:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes

We all know you have a special fondness in your heart for Doug Strange (most obscure player I could come up with off the top of my head).

Barbara V. October 14, 1941 - December 19, 2008. A great lady who was a friend to all and like a second mom to her children's friends (she was my best friend's mom)

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jan 12, 2009 7:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

IT'S THE UNKNOWN ...........

Of what could happen to the bullpen when the going gets rough ….Only time will tell us but Cubs Nation will be watching ………

by cubs north on Jan 12, 2009 6:12 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I always root for the name on the front

However, Ceda, Wood, DeRosa, Marquis and Edmonds for Bradley, Vizciano, Gregg and 4 non roster minor league players, and a lot of you folks say we are better?
Hendry better have another move to make this team better.
I love history, you learn from history, unfortunately the Cubs have not learned from history.

"Have You heard of the Boom on Mizar 5?"

by Grockcubs on Jan 12, 2009 9:13 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

YOUR RIGHT......

The Cubs have not learned anything and don’t expect Hendry or Lou to talk about it …The best we can do is move on as it’s not in our hands …..

by cubs north on Jan 13, 2009 11:24 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Weird for me

Someone asked me who my favorite player is now that Wood is gone. Honestly I don’t know.

When Grace left, Kerry was here, when Sandberg left Grace was there. When Dawson left Sandberg was there (as well as Grace).

Probably Dempster or Ramirez.

Barbara V. October 14, 1941 - December 19, 2008. A great lady who was a friend to all and like a second mom to her children's friends (she was my best friend's mom)

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jan 13, 2009 12:22 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

in that case, please consider making Cedeno your new favorite player. ;-)

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Jan 13, 2009 1:06 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I stopped having favorites years ago

I was devastated when Kessinger was traded, then Monday, Murcer etc ( I was a kid ok so maybe not the best taste)
My all time favorite Cubs in Dawson, my all time favorite baseball player is Maddux but even when they where Cubs I did not
call them favorites. Obviously I am fonder of some Cubs than others ( Orange Guy). On the current team I would admit a special
fondness for TRL but still I won’t call anyone my favorite.

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry

by Doggie Stalker on Jan 13, 2009 2:14 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs