Open up the bank account so that my GM has some flexibility in making a better team for 2010.

Frame the future.

Tell cubs fans what the Cubs are going to look like, play like and win like. Tell us the future of Wrigley Field. Tell us how you’re going to accomplish this. Tell us your expectations and what is going to happen if they are not met. Tell us about the next 20 years, not next year. Build us an empire. Show us the framework for success.

Mark DeRosa.

j/k….but a present like Al mentions of opening the bank acct. would be nice.

And explain that I’m going to begin the search for a team president to replace Crane Kenney, someone who has baseball industry experience and has a track record of success. NOT an Andy MacPhail, who never understood Chicago is a large market, but someone like John Schuerholz, with a track record of success.

no questions asked.

… trade Bradley AND Soriano. Any way possible, paying as much of their future salries as you have to. It will be painful, but the biggest improvement to the 2010 would be this type a addition by subtraction. Replace them with gamers who hustle, can play defense, and create a positive environment to move forward.

I’m going to stick with the realistic. We already know that Bradley is gone, so that’s off my table. Here is what I’d do:

Start a plan to build a yearly contender. This means I would have a meeting with the staff to tell them that there needs to be something more like the Red Sox plan in place for the Cubs. That means that we don’t simply just spend, but spend well. There is also the necessity of improving minor league scouting. I wouldn’t interfere with the daily running of the club, but I would let them know that it is my plan to build a yearly contender and, if necessary, I would go after the people that could get this done. I’m not looking for yes men. I only want results.

I’d start slowly buying out the rooftop building across the street. forget splitting the money with the rooftop owners. just BE the rooftop owners. That could potentially be a huge source of revenue for the team. Obviously this would be a pricey thing, but I imagine that over time you would more than make your money back.

…and go sit in center field for a few hours, just letting it sink in.

Tomorrow, I’ll start kicking ass and taking names, drawing up 5 and 10 year plans and discussing expectations, meeting with current employees and compiling short lists of future ones, etc .etc.

But today, I’m going to sit and dream for awhile. Think about all that has been and start to visualize about all that will be.

And I’m gonna smile. A lot.

If he will work for the Cubs. Ok so he does not like cold weather no problem, the guy could coach or manage via
Satellite from Vegas during the cold months. Seriously he could. In case anyone missed this extraordinary article on
Maddux check out the last paragraph in the 2nd disclaimer re Maddux calling the game from the bench for Penny

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3336514

I detailed this a bit above, but I would find a good baseball man to take over baseball operations. Crane Kenney has done a nice job with stadium issues and can oversee ballpark renovations, the development of the triangle building, etc. This organization, however, needs someone who really is attuned to a constructive philosophy that drafts and develops players who can contribute to the long term success of this team.

I recall reading an interview with Andy MacPhail a year or so ago and he acknowledged that one of the biggest, if not the biggest mistake that he and his front office made when they came to Chicago was that they didn’t realize how bad the farm system was and did not take appropriate actions. In retrospect, he would have acted to remedy this, but instead he took the intermediate approach and tried to patch things.

The Cubs need someone who has a wide angle view of things and can put this into action at all levels of the organization. This person should make sure that coaches and coordinators throughout the Cubs system are able to instill organizational philosophies, teaching fundamental baseball and he (or she) could replace coaches who can’t. This person should also have oversight over Hendry, Bush, Gary Hughes, and so on.

Oh, and the second thing I’d do is fire Ed Lynch!

Put on my favorite pajama’s! Then get a space heater, tent,sleeping bag, pillow, and a case of bud light and camp out all by myself on the in-field and drink to the thoughts of being the luckiest sob in the world!

have 19 of my closest friends come to Wrigley and have a night of softball. Then I would trade for Upton or Granderson. Then I would reduce the number of celebrity stretch singers to just one a week or one a month and install Pat/Ron/Bob/Len plus former players the duty. Then I would hire more security (and bilingual at that) for the bleachers. Then I would bring Sandberg up as a bench coach only. Then I would show Lou the door and give Trammell the job. Then I would make a stab at Duncan. Then I would get rid of the Aarons and Gregg. Then I would trade Fontenot and Fox while they still have value. And then…and then…and then…

That the Cubs will have an organizational philosophy of playing fundamentally sound baseball from Instructional League though the Majors. Fire anyone not on board with that and hire people to implement it.

…and you were Tom Ricketts…would you raise payroll anyway…would you charge more for tickets? ♪♫

I would start immediately by:
1. Getting rid of Jim Hendry and Crane Kenney. I would ask Steve Stone if he wanted to serve as the Cubs President, and I would ask for his input on a general manager.
2. I would also ask for his input on a new manager, and would part ways with Piniella. I would highly suggest that we hire Ryne Sandberg, but I would be ok with Bob Brenly as well.
3. The pitching coach and 3rd base coach need to go. I don’t want to hear anymore about how the pitchers respect Larry Rothschild. He waits too long to talk with his pitchers when they get into trouble, and when he goes out there it looks like someone woke him up. He also doesn’t talk to fans (from what I have seen) and only gives us dirty looks. As for the 3rd base coach, have you ever seen so many runners get thrown out by 20 feet in your life?
4. I would do what I needed to do to sign Mark DeRosa. I know he’s getting older, but he is a positive clubhouse presence and loved being a Cub. We need more people like that.
5. I would push the new GM to make a two or three way trade which would 1) get rid of Milton Bradley and 2) get us Kerry Wood back. If we are going to spend so much money, we mine as well have a player who is a clubhouse leader, loved being a Cub and who was a very good reliever with tremendous stuff.

I think that the sight of Steve Stone, Ryne Sandberg, Kerry Wood, and Mark DeRosa at the Cubs Convention would bring faith back to some fans who were trampled on by the dumb mistakes of Cubs management during the past year. It’s time to fix things, and hopefully Mr. Ricketts will make the right decisions.