How about Randy Bush/Billy Williams for the balance of '11?

It's become glaringly obvious that both Jim Hendry and Mike Quade will be fired at the conclusion of the season. If that decision has already been made, as surely it must have been, then why have two lame ducks making the calls for the rest of the season? Why not install Randy Bush as interim GM, and Billy Williams as interim manager, with the obvious understanding that both would not be considered for the jobs in '12. Bush may be able to make some moves which would position him for a job with another franchise, and letting Billy manage for the balance of the year would reward him for his years of service to the Cubs--also would be in keeping with the "senior manager" trend. I'd rather have Billy than Pat Listach. It also wouldn't be fair to Ryne Sandberg to have to inherit this train wreck of a team. I think it would be better to have interim leadership rather than lame duck leadership.

10 months ago perseman 46 comments 0 recs |

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No.

That is all.

"When they signed Fukudome, I knew they were trying to get me fired". - Ron Santo, January, 2008

by BeerCub on Jul 20, 2011 8:10 PM CDT reply actions

While I like Randy Bush, I have met him, ate with him, even played a joke on him with Gary Hughes, I know that if Hendry goes, so does Randy. It’s that simple. He’s Hendry’s alter ego, day to day guy with the team.

As for Billy Williams, he sure wouldn’t look at it as a reward, not now. He had aspirations to manage at one point, but that was decades ago. From hanging around him at Fantasy Camp I can tell you he would not want the travel, even if a serious offer was made. But truly, this is tantamount to firing Jim Leyland and bring in Al Kaline, or ousting Bruce Bochy for Willie Mays, or dumping Charlie Manuel for Jim Bunning. No rationale for any of those moves.

"When they signed Fukudome, I knew they were trying to get me fired". - Ron Santo, January, 2008

by BeerCub on Jul 20, 2011 8:52 PM CDT up reply actions

Why? No reason for such a move. None.

by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Jul 20, 2011 8:35 PM CDT reply actions

No.

The other posters above haven’t given reasons; I will.

After the trading deadline, what is the point of replacing the GM? To satisfy bloodlust? Finish the season and then begin again.

Billy Williams is a great guy and was a good 1B coach for many years. He is 72 years old and has never managed in the major leagues. Why would you want to put him in charge of this awful team? Let the man enjoy his retirement.

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by Al Yellon on Jul 20, 2011 8:42 PM CDT reply actions

NBF, is that you? Bloodlust? Really?

I would have fired him before well before the trade deadline, the guy screwed this thing up so bad I wouldn’t want him setting up trades, it has nothing to do with “bloodlust”

Guys, hitting is not about muscle. It's simple physics. Calculate the velocity, v, in relation to the trajectory, t, in which g, gravity, of course remains a constant.... It's not complicated. - George Costanza

by troutfishin on Jul 20, 2011 9:12 PM CDT up reply actions

And trades are the one thing he's generally done fairly well.

So you’d have been cutting off your proverbial nose to spite your proverbial face there.

That’s why I said “bloodlust”. Maybe that’s a bit too strong a term, but it does seem that some want Hendry fired just because… well, just BECAUSETHETEAMSUCKSANDSOMETHINGHASTOBEDONERIGHTFREAKINGNOW.

I’d rather have Tom Ricketts develop a good plan, cover all his bases, get everything in order and do it at the end of the season.

This is the same argument I had with a lot of people who wanted Dusty Baker fired about this time in 2006. I said at the time: what would the point be? Just because you can’t stand him?

The right thing to do, and what was done, was to make the change when the season ended. The next two years after that worked out OK, didn’t they?

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by Al Yellon on Jul 20, 2011 9:27 PM CDT up reply actions

Yes after a mass infusion of money to inflate the value of the team, yes they...

…better. I think you and others seem to overrate Hendry’s ability to horsetrade. Sure he had his moments with Dave Littlefield but what has he done in recent years. He had the Garza trade but I’m still not convinced that the trade wasn’t a lateral move.

btw, when you use terms like bloodlust you make your readers seem as though they have subhuman mentalities. The majority of your readership here wants Hendry fired, and I think the sooner the better.

by troutfishin on Jul 20, 2011 9:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Look at the posts, trout

Listen to the callers on the radio. Read the comments on the stories.

Maybe you don’t fall under that category, but for the majority, “bloodlust” is right on target.

by Not Bruce Froemming on Jul 20, 2011 11:30 PM CDT up reply actions

NOT Bruce wants Hendry to stay...

by TJ11 on Jul 20, 2011 11:34 PM CDT up reply actions

"bloodlust" is pure hyperbole

It’s describing people that are requesting the Ricketts family to give them a reason to stick around. Whether you agree or not, it is the fans who Ricketts has to be accountable to, without us he losses his franchise.

by troutfishin on Jul 20, 2011 11:49 PM CDT up reply actions

You're right.

But making a change now would be changing for the sake of … what, exactly?

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by Al Yellon on Jul 21, 2011 6:41 AM CDT up reply actions

it would be for the sake of the 2012 season and beyond

Ricketts shouldn’t let this fester any longer, giving the fans any reason to believe that Hendry will be here beyond this year only further endangers Ricketts financially.

by troutfishin on Jul 21, 2011 7:38 AM CDT up reply actions

You simply don't fire your GM 10 days before the trade deadline because keeping him worries the fans.

Whether or not people here understand it, Hendry is a professional and will be looking for a future job with another club. Sometimes it feels like people here think Hendry is going to purposefully screw the Cubs at the trade deadline so we’d better get him out while we still can.

The sad fact is, his replacement is Randy Bush, who would do nothing differently from Hendry as they are often seen as the exact same mold of GM.

by bdlugz on Jul 21, 2011 8:49 AM CDT up reply actions

I didn't put a time specific date on his firing although I did say...

….I would have made that move long before the trade deadline. I understand your point, regardless of how I feel about Jimbo making some moves that could potentially set this team up for the future I do recognize that he’s the only one available to do it. Let him finish his job since he’s still here and kick his ass out the door once the trade deadline is over.

by troutfishin on Jul 21, 2011 9:30 AM CDT up reply actions

So you'd hold the door open at 3 pm on July 31?

Again, what’s the point other than to satisfy your desire to FIREHIMNOWOMG!!!

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by Al Yellon on Jul 21, 2011 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions

Yeah Al I'm frothing at the mouth right now...get a grip.

If you read my response to you earlier, it would behoove Ricketts to act as soon as possible, mostly in a financial sense to get on with the business of fixing this organization. There is a reason why people have stopped showing up to the ballpark, give people a glimmer of a brighter future and 2012 starts to look better.

by troutfishin on Jul 21, 2011 10:30 AM CDT up reply actions

The reason is because the team stinks...

Most fans could care less who the GM or coach is, they simply want to see a team win.

Firing Hendry now or early in the year wouldn’t fix the 2011 Cubs. They would still be unbelievably bad and the fans would still not be showing up to the games. Firing Hendry after the deadline does not fix this team and will not help put money in the Ricketts pocket.

You act as if Rickett’s financial success for 2011 is somehow directly tied to Hendry being the Cubs GM, when that simply is not the case.

by bdlugz on Jul 21, 2011 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions

No it would signify that the era of stagnation is over.

Why is it that this team stinks, who crap pieced it together? who gave escalating contracts with no trade clauses to B & C -level talent? Anyone who calls themselves a fan knows the answer to those questions. If people are assured that this era is coming to a close it will lend itself to a more prosperous 2012.

by troutfishin on Jul 21, 2011 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions

I think it's just as reasonable to write this off to a lost season...

… and begin changes in October.

You’re not going to get the guys you really want now anyway. They’d be interim. Again, as in 2006, what would be the point?

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by Al Yellon on Jul 21, 2011 12:15 PM CDT up reply actions

This is my point...

I clearly wasn’t saying Hendry stays because he’s good at his job. You just dont fire him because you have no one to replace him with.

It’s not like Cherington or Hahn are our assistant GM… it’s Randy Bush.

by bdlugz on Jul 21, 2011 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Hyperbole is what's been used vis a vis Hendry for sure....

… matter of fact, it’s impossible to deny.

"When they signed Fukudome, I knew they were trying to get me fired". - Ron Santo, January, 2008

by BeerCub on Jul 21, 2011 7:17 AM CDT up reply actions

134 million dollar payroll.

Second worst record in baseball.

GM's are in charge of Managers, not the other way around.

by shoemile on Jul 21, 2011 3:15 PM CDT up reply actions

This is what drew me to Cubs blogs

firedustybaker.com

This BCB blog is a much better piece of work. Just as negative though. Even when we win, somebody is pissed. Is it the Chicago water?

One day, we will all be happy… or not.

by Tat14 on Jul 21, 2011 2:34 AM CDT up reply actions

Honest question, Al - Has Hendry ever acquired a single prospect at the deadline who ever contributed in any way?

I see a very limited set of trades in which Hendry tried to get value for veterans at the deadline, and I think that he absolutely whiffed on every single one. To the tune of Lilly-for-DeWitt and Maddux-for-Izturis.

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by D98 on Jul 21, 2011 7:35 AM CDT up reply actions

The Maddux deal was a personal favor to Maddux.

The Cubs weren’t likely to get any value out of that. It remains to be seen whether either of the prospects acquired in the Lilly trade will amount to anything.

Also, remember that up to last year, the Cubs were buyers at the deadline, not sellers, so they wouldn’t have been trading for prospects. The players dumped in 2006 weren’t really worth any prospect of value.

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by Al Yellon on Jul 21, 2011 8:39 AM CDT up reply actions