Bleed Cubbie Blue: FanPosts

Dawson '88

2009-11-25T21:21:34Z

I was wondering if some of you may help me out.

I was wondering why… in 1988… Andre Dawson had such a drop off in his power stats? (HRS/RBIS) Besides hitting over .300, everything else seemed pretty much normal for him… (if I remember correctly)… but his power numbers, especially from the previous season, really dropped off.

Though I was a huge baseball/Cubs fan, I can’t remember many of the details from that season. I was only 10, going on 11, at the time. Plus, I didn’t follow all the magazines, nor had ESPN, so… I just knew what I saw on the tube… whatever Harry and Steve told us.

I was wondering if any of you all remember more specific details of the season… if you could help me out? Thanks.

The Hawk Rules 4-Ever

Tell Me About Mr. Cub

2009-11-25T18:18:11Z

I'm not exactly looking to start a series or anything here, but the Hot Stove has been pretty luke warm at this point. I'm looking for some reading while I'm at work.

I'm a college student, so my only memories of Ernie Banks are of him singing the 7th inning stretch and such. I've met him a few times at the Cubs conventions but don't know much about his impact on the game, who he was, etc. I know there are tons of readers on here who know a lot about Mr. Cub and the legacy and standard for what a model professional baseball player should be. I'm looking to find out more about who he was, what kind of player he was. I'm not writing a biography, but he seems like a cool guy to know more about.

I do have a cool story about him. My dad, who was kind of heavy set as a kid, used to live on the south side when it wasn't as bad as it is now, and he and Ernie's son went to school together. They actually had the same bus stop. His son used to get dropped off at the stop, sometimes by Ernie. So I took my dad (admittedly a Sox fan) to the Cubs convention a few years ago and we were in line for Ernie. We got up there and he said "Mr. Banks, I'm not sure if you remember me, but your son and I used to have the same bus stop." Ernie looked at him for a few seconds and said, "You were that fat kid! Hi! How are you?" I just laughed.

What to do with Marshall?

2009-11-25T14:42:20Z

With all the talk about need of bullpen help, what do you all expect to do with Marshall. Will he be in contention for the 5th starting job again, or be strickly middle/long relief.

As I see it, we have Marmol closing, Garbow and Guzman setting up. That leaves Marshall, maybe Spellcheck, Patton, Berg, Atkins. Who are going to be our long relief guys? With the addition of Parker and Gaub to the 40, it is possible that they could make the 25 given great spring training. If Gaub becomes the LOOGY that we were all saying we needed before the start of last season, that gives us 3 lefties in the pen.

Given that he has done well in the relief role, is he trade bait? What says BCB.

Ask BCB - Wacky Trade Proposals

2009-11-23T16:58:02Z

A recent fanpost and the subsequent reaction has me thinking that we need one consolidated repository for all "No bleeping way" trades, much like the most "popular" beat writer to BCB does each year.

Readers should submit them here, and fellow BCB-ers should critique the trades using their friend, the "reply" function.

If this catches on, I'll accept submissions until the end of the week, and then create a poll of the top 10 trades. Contenders will be chosen by me based on uniqueness, entertainment value and how much alcohol I have in my system when I make the selections.

Trades should be possible, but can be entirely unrealistic. (Meaning don't propose trades for dead people, fictional characters, etc.) Favoring the Cubs heavily is always an option, but feel free to mix it up by giving away more than you get in return. Trade ideas that have been beaten to death are ok, but probably won't prompt a lot of discussion.

Happy Monday. Have at it.

Also, congrats to NU. I didn't like the outcome, but they look like a pretty decent team. Maybe they can win their first bowl game in 60 years. I keed . . . kind of.

Time to get yelled at...

2009-11-23T15:39:00Z

Halladay, what would it take. I have read a few "rumors" over the past few days, and it seems that maybe the Cubs would be able to get him if they offered the right package. So here goes my weak attempt to create a MLB The Show type of trade:

Cubs:

Bradley, Lee, Dempster, Vitters, Jay Jackson, and maybe a AAA OF.

Blue Jays:

Halladay, Encarnacion, Wells

The Cubs could then move Rami over to 1B, Encarnacion can roam around at 3B, and we can have the most expensive OF in history. The Blue Jays get Bradley (DH more than OF), Lee can play 1B (Overbay can also DH when Bradley isn't), and an innings eater in Dempster. Vitter's can play 3B for them in a few years, Jackson can possible replace their front of the rotation guy in a few years, and they can have a potential OF this year or next year. What says the BCB fans?

Cubs HR Over/Under

2009-11-23T04:34:39Z

How about a little offseason fun?

How many career HR's do you think these current Cubs will have at the end of their careers?

Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano and Geovany Soto

(I'm not including Bradley because I just want to start pretending he is not on the team anymore)

I'll give you their age, career HR total and then my over/under for about where I think they will end up.

Derrek Lee - age 34 Total HR: 293 Over/Under: 400

Aramis Ramirez - age 31 Total HR: 264 Over/Under: 350

Alfonso Soriano - age 33 (will be 34 when 2010 season begins) Total HR: 293 Over/Under: 375

Geovany Soto - age 26 (will be 27 when 2010 season begins) Total HR: 37 Over/Under: 110

Thoughts??

OT Aged Stadiums

2009-11-23T03:33:01Z

Many times we have discussed Wrigley and its age, and Fenway is another that ranks along with Wrigley in age, but I was recently having a discussion with a friend and an interesting question came up. I personally have no clue the answer, but what non professional stadium (i.e. college, minor league) that is active (sorry Roman Coliseum) is oldest? I did locate this article which talks of the three oldest in NCAA dating back as far as 1895 (does that make Wrigley "young"?)

Does anyone know if there are older that are active?

from the artile

The NCAA deems Franklin Field (33rd Street at South Street, Philadelphia), which has staged University of Pennsylvania sports since 1895, as its oldest football stadium. The facility is believed to have hosted the most football games by any one collegiate team – No. 800 for Penn is slated Saturday versus Dartmouth – although the NCAA does not keep official records in this category.

Harvard Stadium (95 N. Harvard St., Allston, Mass), opened in 1903, is the oldest permanent concrete structure in the country.

The Yale Bowl (276 Derby Ave., West Haven, Conn) hosted its first tilt, against Harvard, on Nov. 21, 1914.

Together they represent three of the four oldest Division I stadiums in the country; Bobby Dodd Stadium at Georgia Tech opened in 1913.

I thought was an amazing trip thru time about Franklin Field from the same link

Franklin Field firsts
Penn's all-time record at Franklin Field: 535-234-31 (.688) • Built in 1895 at a cost of $100,000 (equivalent to about $2.5 million in today's dollars) • Home to the first scoreboard (1895) • Site of the first neutral Army-Navy game (Army 17, Navy 5, Dec. 2, 1899) • Penn's football team was the first in the United States to use numbers on its jerseys (1911) • The first college football radio broadcast (Cornell 9, Penn 0, on WIP-AM, Nov. 30, 1922) • The first double-decker football stadium (1925) • The largest stadium in the United States when upgraded in 1925 (seating 78,205) • The site of the first college football telecast (Penn 51, Maryland 0, on Philco, Oct. 5, 1940) • The first Canadian Football League game played in the United States (Hamilton 13, Ottawa 7, Aug. 23, 1958) • Vince Lombardi's only NFL playoff loss (Eagles 17, Packers 13, in the NFL Championship, Dec. 26, 1960) • The site of the first episode of ABC's "Wide World of Sports" (covering the Penn Relays, April 29, 1961) Source: University of Pennsylvania

Franklin Field firsts

Penn's all-time record at Franklin Field: 535-234-31 (.688)

• Built in 1895 at a cost of $100,000 (equivalent to about $2.5 million in today's dollars)

• Home to the first scoreboard (1895)

• Site of the first neutral Army-Navy game (Army 17, Navy 5, Dec. 2, 1899)

• Penn's football team was the first in the United States to use numbers on its jerseys (1911)

• The first college football radio broadcast (Cornell 9, Penn 0, on WIP-AM, Nov. 30, 1922)

• The first double-decker football stadium (1925)

• The largest stadium in the United States when upgraded in 1925 (seating 78,205)

• The site of the first college football telecast (Penn 51, Maryland 0, on Philco, Oct. 5, 1940)

• The first Canadian Football League game played in the United States (Hamilton 13, Ottawa 7, Aug. 23, 1958)

• Vince Lombardi's only NFL playoff loss (Eagles 17, Packers 13, in the NFL Championship, Dec. 26, 1960)

• The site of the first episode of ABC's "Wide World of Sports" (covering the Penn Relays, April 29, 1961)

Source: University of Pennsylvania

Here's a thought

2009-11-22T22:58:01Z

Wouldn't it be great to see Greg Maddux as the pitching coach?

I mean he practically did that when he was playing for the Cubs anyway. And his command and knowledge that he has of the game could help improve an already good rotation. Larry Rothschild is a good coach but I think it's time for new blood to shake it up a bit.C'mon Ricketts at least look into Maddux for the future of Cubdom.

25th Annual Cubs Convention

2009-11-22T21:37:10Z

As everyone knows, the 25th Annual Cubs Convention is scheduled for this coming January 15-17, 2010. I was wondering, does anyone know of anything special that is being planned or that is in the works, such as extra special guests or events? I have my passes already but I'm curious to know something before they post the usual list of participants in early January.

That being said, I'd like to see them bring someone like Mark Grace to the event one year, and the 25th Annual event would be the perfect time to do so. Unfortunately, since he's associated with the D-Backs he'll probably be unable to come.

On a side note, I'd also like to see them monitor the autograph/photo lines better. Last year I watched people constantly cutting in lines in front of people who had waited for hours. These people usually had bags of balls that they are just going to get signed so that they can sell them on EBAY. It'd be nice if they actually kept the cutting to a minimum for once, on behalf of the real fans who are there.

Can anyone else think of any events, attractions, or special guests that you'd like to see at the Convention this year (try to keep them serious please)?

OT: Annual Thanksgiving Thread

2009-11-22T19:09:03Z

Its become a yearly tradition that some of us here discuss Thanksgiving food and preparation. So for those of you who want to share ideas, tips, recipes, this is a great place. Also, for those of you who have questions, fear not... don't be afraid to ask questions. This is a good place to come and ask questions to help make a great Thanksgiving meal.

My first bit of input as I have always started... your turkey does not need to be dry and flavorless. While it requires some added time and preparation, there are a few ways to make a great turkey.

Tip #1... brine the turkey. Simply put, this means soaking your turkey in some salt/sugar/spice bath for up to 48 hours. The solution can be as simple as water, Kosher salt and sugar. I've used a few recipes that call for a variety of spices, juices (cider), veggies, etc. Google search "Brine Recipe" and find something that you're comfortable with. You can brine the turkey in a clean, 5 gallon bucket. I actually put the turkey in a heavy duty ziploc bag, then store it in a large bucket and put it in the fridge. If you lack the fridge space, you can do this in a cooler, too... just make sure you're adding ice occasionally.

I've been brining for a few years now and won't go back.

Tip #2... A few simple ways to add flavor... place butter between the skin and the meat of the turkey. Carefully slide your hands between the skin layer and the meat as you want to be able to replace the skin and not burn/dry out the mean.You're really just seperating the skin without removing it. You can place pats of butter between the skin and meat in a few spots. ... Add aromatic fruits and veggies. You can do this between the skin and meat or just in the roasting pan. Onions, apples, oranges, lemons, etc, all add flavor to the turkey. If you don't stuff the turkey with stuffing instead add the aromatic fruits and veggies there, otherwise just throw them in the roasting pan.

Tip #3... if you're really adventurous, inject the turkey. They make syringes with heavy gauge needles that you literally can inject various flavor/liquid combos. Again, lots of recipes are out there and its not that difficult.

Finally, especially if you are limited with oven space, I recommend using a grill. You can either use a gas or charcoal grill. Use indirect heating and, again, if you don't know where to start, either ask here or google search. But we usually grill one bird and do a second one on the grill.

Also, if you have a frozen bird, better figure out when you need to start defrosting it, which can take a few days and you want to do in the fridge.

Anyhow, its always fun to see what people here have to add and with it being the Sunday before the holiday, I thought I'd get the ball rolling.

Cubs 2010 2B and "the L word"

2009-11-22T04:03:56Z

There has been some speculation that the Cubs would be fine with Jeff Baker at 2B. However, in the most recent Paul Sullivan piece, he writes:

One of the more popular free agents on the market, the Cardinals' DeRosa is drawing no interest from his former team, despite inquiries made to the Indians last May after Aramis Ramirez's shoulder injury. The Cubs still prefer a left-handed hitting second baseman, which is why they're interested in the switch-hitting Castillo.

Now, there's a statement to raise the ire of many different Cub partisans - those who love DeRo, those who don't want Castillo, those who want to see Jeff Baker get the job, and those who thought we were past the LH obsession.

Now it is possible that Sullivan is mis-reading things, that the Cubs are planning to split 2B evenly between Fontenot and Baker and that there's "interest" in Castillo only as a Bradley exit strategy. But I figure it's worth reconsidering what the 2B options are, with Bill James projections a guess at defensive value based on the past three years of UZR.

Mike Fontenot Age 30 .273/.343/.415 with very good defense

Jeff Baker Age 28 .280/.337/.460 with average defense

Luis Castillo Age 34 .282/.363/.331 with very poor defense

Orlando Hudson Age 32 .280/.357/.417 with mildly below average defense

Felipe Lopez Age 30 .281/.352/.400 with mildly above average defense

Adam Kennedy Age 34 .270/.332/.373 with a big question mark at defense (see past two years' UZRs)

Now, I know some of you won't be able to buy into this Fontenot projection - but why not, really? If you push him back to part-time play, why shouldn't he split the difference between his very good 2008 and very bad 2009?

And if you buy into these projections, it doesn't look like Lopez or Hudson offer enough over what we have in-house to pay them what would be significantly more money. If you had to pick one of the free agents, Felipe Lopez was very good last year, both offensively and defensively - if you buy him taking a step forward.

But with multiple middle infield options in the pipeline, you definitely don't want to do a multi-year deal - so, again, keeping Fontenot and Baker seems like the best option.

What are your thoughts? Any options on the trade market you'd consider that I haven't included here?

Poll

Cubs' 2010 2B?

Is there anyway we trade some of our high-priced players?

2009-11-21T23:12:40Z

We all think Milton Bradley will be moved this offseason, but is there anyone else that has a chance to be moved with him? Let's take a look at some of the options.

First off -- common sense says that NO ONE and I mean NO ONE would be remotely intrested in taking on Alfonso Soriano's contract. So our 2010 left fielder will be Alfonso Soriano.

But what about the other expensive contracts we have? Carlos Zambrano? Ted Lilly? Kosuke Fukudome?

Let's start with Zambrano. Carlos is owed almost 19 million next year. In your opinion, is he worth it? We would have to say no to this point but he could very well be worth it sometime during the duration of his contract. What teams would be interested in his contract? The Yankees? The Red Sox? Carlos is someone that teams maybe interested in but you don't know if his contract maybe too rich for maybe even the Yankees.

Ted Lilly is someone we all don't want to trade for fair value. He is a good pitcher and is an excellent #3 pitcher, but IMO I think his value will never be higher. You could trade him to a team such as the Braves, Mets, Angels, Yankees or the Red Sox. He is owed 13 million in '10.

Kosuke Fukudome would be hard to trade, he is owed 28,500,000 over the next 2 years. I don't think any team in this current state of economy would be interested in him without the Cubs paying majority of his salary.

If it meant trading one of these players to free up salary to get other pieces would you do it?

Poll

Who is the most tradable?

Milton Bradley Named NL "LVP" By Joe Posnanski

2009-11-21T02:27:51Z

Joe Posnanski, who I respect a lot -- and I know a lot of others here do as well -- yesterday named Vernon Wells and Milton Bradley as his choices for league Least Valuable Players.

My favorite part of the article is here:

Anyway, put it all together, and including those all-important intangibles, the 2009 LVP is Bradley. He was lousy on defense (minus-12 Dewan in right; minus-4.7 UZR) and not much on offense (99 OPS+ and missed 38 games with injuries). Plus, he was his usual pleasant self... leaving Cubs GM Jim Hendry publicly babbling about how the team doesn't HAVE to trade Bradley, they might WANT to keep Bradley, hey some of the best trades are the ones you DON'T make --- while privately Hendry's working the phones like Judy the Time Life Operator to get rid of this guy.*

*For a while, the hot talk was Bradley for Wells, which would have been the first trade of LVPs in baseball history. Now, that's a fascinating trade. On the one hand, the Cubs would be getting an enormously expensive player who just had a dismal season. On the other hand, the Blue Jays would be getting a less-expensive player coming off a dismal season who also has a knack for making people despise him. Break it down for us, Mel Kiper.

Oh, and:

A scout once told me that Bradley is the only high school player he ever scouted who hit a home run and did not have a single teammate come out to congratulate him.

I think the second Jim Hendry gets another GM to say "yes", he'll be signing the papers before the other guy can change his mind. And it will happen.

Crazy Idea: Rob Quinlan

2009-11-20T21:49:45Z

A candidate for the outfield and the infield, Rob Quinlan is expected to become a free agent. He's been an Angel his entire career but never played a full season. I think this guy would be an excellent addition to the team as a back up and a solid back up for Aramis Ramirez. Here's a link confirming the free agency:

We heard earlier in the week that Quinlan will not be back in Anaheim next year.
The 32-year-old hit .243/.275/.339 last year, spending some time at all four corner positions. He posted an .836 OPS as recently as 2006, but teams may be wary of Quinlan'squestionable defense and fading contact skills. He has a reputation as a solid clubhouse presence and it wouldn't be fair to draw sweeping conclusions from a year of part time play, but his numbers weren't good last year.

Here's a link to his career stats: Linky
The guy plays 1B, 3B, LF, and RF and is a decent hitter
What do you think?

OT: Big Ten Football Thread, Nov. 21

2009-11-20T04:57:22Z

This weekend will be the final week of the conference games for the Big Ten College Football teams. And I know how many Big Ten fans we have here on BCB.

This post is for anyone who just likes one of the Big Ten teams to come and talk/chat about the games on November 21.

The games this weekend are:

Minnesota at Iowa, 12 PM EST/11 AM CDT, ESPN
Ohio State at Michigan, 12 PM EST/11 AM CDT, ABC
Wisconsin at Northwestern, 3:30 PM EST/2:30 PM CDT, Big Ten Network
Penn State at Michigan State, 3:30 PM EST/2:30 PM CDT, ABC
Purdue at Indiana, 3:30 PM EST/2:30 PM CDT, Big Ten Network

Illinois is off this week. They play at Cincinnati on November 27.

On December 5, the last two Big Ten football games will be played. Illinois hosts Fresno State, and Wisconsin visits Hawaii.

Grabow to sign

2009-11-19T13:57:45Z

http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/b...07/name/levine

Quote:

Free agent pitcher John Grabow and the Chicago Cubs are close to agreeing on a two-year contract worth nearly $7.5 million for the left-handed pitcher.

Grabow, who was traded to the Cubs last summer from Pittsburgh, will be the North Siders' primary set-up man from the left side before Cubs manager Lou Piniella goes to new closer Carlos Marmol.

A source with knowledge of the negotiations said the deal should be done by Thursday. Friday is Nov. 20, the date that free agents can begin negotiating with other teams on money and years. Until Friday, only teams that have pending free agents of their own can talk contract language.

SI archive story on Sandberg and Salaries

2009-11-17T19:07:04Z

Posted on the SI website is an an old article discussing Ryne Sanberg's record breaking 1992 contract extension. I read the article and thought folks might like a break from the hand-wringing, waiting, and anticipation that comes with the November to February months.

There are many interesting aspects of the article.

How right were the owners and GM's who decried the signing as the end of baseball?
What does that signing and how it was made say about Trib ownership? Interesting that some of the most scathing remarks came from the man who would take over the Cubs just a few years later.
How good was Ryno? It is interesting that the article really clearly puts him into the elite 2B of all time, yet it took so long for him to get into the HoF. Did this huge (and widely panned) contract slow his HoF election?

Reversal of opinion...Bradley will not be moved

2009-11-17T01:51:28Z

I have come to the conclusion that Milton Bradley isn't going anywhere. In fact, I'm starting to see signs of infamous Jim Hendry spin control (e.g., Rudy Jaramillo saying nice things about Milton, Ryan Theriot doing the same). I want Bradley gone as much as anybody, but I think Hendry is realizing he jumped the shark on this one. First, the market for Bradley is zilch despite the proclamations to the contrary by prognosticators like Ken Rosenthal. Second, the Cubs have screaming need for a left-handed bat to break up Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano and presumably Geovany Soto in the heart of the order.

Hendry isn't going to eat $20 million. And finding no suitable alternative to Bradley that is economically viable he does an about face and keeps the man. The spin will culminate with a press conference where Milton issues a formal mea culpa standing side by side with Jim Hendry at the podium.

You watch. I'm wrong about a lot of things, but I don't think I'm going to be wrong on this one.

OT -- Head to Evanston to Root on Northwestern -- 11/21 v. Wisconsin

2009-11-16T21:32:15Z

Every year, thousands of Northwestern students skip class in the spring or fall, and head down to Wrigley to root on the Cubs. It's practically a right of passage.

Well, Northwestern needs Cubs fans' help.

On Saturday, November 21 at 2:30 pm, the Cats close out their season in Evanston against the visiting Wisconsin Badgers. The Cats are currently 7-3 and jostling for better bowl position, while Wisconsin is 8-2 and ranked #16 in the BCS.

Why should you go to this game?

Northwestern wins the right way. Not to say that Wisconsin doesn't (they're an excellent school and team), but Northwestern is consistently among the top academic sports programs in the nation....last year's BCS National Championship would have been between Northwestern and Boston College if you based rankings on academic progress/graduation rates. Isn't it nice to root for "student-athletes", where the priority is LITERALLY in that order?
Pat Fitzgerald is AWESOME. Um, yes he's a Sox fan. But I'm fairly certain that the Cubs are 3-0 in games at which he throws out the first pitch or sings the 7th inning stretch. Plus he's just an incredibly good, young coach who is so intense, it's shocking he's not tackling people during games.
You owe Northwestern. Like I said, NU students/faculty have long supported the Cubs by taking the ride down to the Addison stop on the El for gamedays. Northwestern also gave the Cubs Joe Girardi (well, at least Joe played for the Cubs). Saturday is supposed to be good football weather (temps comfortable in the 50s) and the game means something....don't you owe it to the Cats fans that have supported the Cubs to throw on purple, ride up to Evanston and root for Northwestern for ONE game? Speaking of...
You can get there on the El. That's right -- no need to drive, no need to park. Just take the El (or the Metra) up to Central Street in Evanston, hop off, and your just a few blocks from tailgating and the game. Oh, tailgating? Yes...
Free Goose Island Beer. That's right....pregame, at EVERY Northwestern game, there is free Goose Island Beer at Wildcat Alley (behind the stadium on the softball field). There's also tons of stuff for kids to do, concerts by the marching band...it's pretty damn awesome.
You hate the Brewers/Wisconsin/Brett Favre/Cheeseheads. Okay, so maybe the Wisconsinites also hate Favre now....but I think as Cubs fans we rightfully retain hatred of all of those other things. Plus, Wisconsin is threatening to do to Northwestern what Cubs fans do to the Brewers -- sell out NU's stadium and outnumber Cats fans (much as Cubs fans always outnumber Brewers fans in Milwaukee). We will not stand for this aggression, man.

So, the point is -- Come up to Evanston. Wear some purple. Root on the Wildcats. Tickets are still available (www.nusports.com or call 847-491-CATS).

Go Cubs Go, indeed....but also GO CATS!

On Harden and the Players Jim Hendry Lets Go

2009-11-16T02:10:25Z

Without access to health records, Rich Harden looks like a great candidate to offer arbitration - at the very least, if not offer an incentive-based contract. Yes, he kills bullpens, but not if you pair him with Sean Marshall who also lacks endurance to be a starter. Yes, he can be maddening, breaking down, but when healthy, he is the best pitcher in baseball. I can understand thinking Harden isn't worth a long-term contract, but that Jim Hendry wouldn't even offer arbitration mystifies me.

That said, Jim Hendry has been pretty good at knowing when to cut bait. Consider

In 2004, Hendry traded Hee Seop Choi, who had just had a promising rookie season - Choi was out of baseball two seasons later.

In 2005, the biggest story was the trade of Sammy Sosa - who was miserably bad in Baltimore and not given a contract the year following. Hendry also let Mark Grudzielank go; Grudz was decent the following year, but his OPS+ dropped 5 pts to 93 and 3 more points to 90 the next year. Moises Alou was also let go - a mistake as Alou was very productive throughout his next contract, but an understandable mistake given Alou's age of 38. He did only play in 123 games the next year and 98 the year after that. But if Alou was a mistake, letting Matt Clement go was brilliant. Clement had been excellent over his three Cub years and was only 29, but Hendry let the Red Sox nab Clement on a three-year deal. Clement gave the Red Sox one slightly below average year, one half of a bad year, and one entire season lost to injury.

In 2006, it was Nomar let go - and Nomar was unable to find a job playing middle infield. He had a productive partial season as a 1B, but his bat failed him the following year, and his health failed him after that.

In 2007, Hendry let Mark Prior go - Prior has yet to pitch again in the major leagues.

In 2009, Hendry let go Kerry Wood, and traded Mark DeRosa and Jason Marquis. Marquis had an excellent season, although Sean Marshall and Randy Wells, who replaced him were better and Marquis also had his characteristic second-half slide. DeRosa and Wood, on the other hand, didn't fare as well. DeRosa's season was marred by injury and in the end, he and Mike Fontenot had identical triple slash lines v. RHP. I'd argue that moving DeRosa turned out to be a great decision - it's just that replacing him was miserably done on multiple levels. Kerry Wood was very poor in the first half of the season, making it look like letting him go was very smart. Wood turned his season around and, over all, it was right to let him go (although he might be worth bringing back in a trade of bad contracts if possible).

All in all, it seems like Hendry should only regret letting Moises Alou go, while, on the other hand, he's made some extremely prescient decisions, letting players go that I would have thought should be kept. That makes me think twice when I hear that the Cubs seem set to let Harden walk. Jim Hendry's track record on these things has earned him the benefit of the doubt.

Poll

Bleed Cubbie Blue: FanPosts

Dawson '88

Tell Me About Mr. Cub

What to do with Marshall?

Ask BCB - Wacky Trade Proposals

Time to get yelled at...

Cubs HR Over/Under

OT Aged Stadiums

Here's a thought

25th Annual Cubs Convention

OT: Annual Thanksgiving Thread

Cubs 2010 2B and "the L word"

Cubs' 2010 2B?

Is there anyway we trade some of our high-priced players?

Who is the most tradable?

Milton Bradley Named NL "LVP" By Joe Posnanski

Crazy Idea: Rob Quinlan

OT: Big Ten Football Thread, Nov. 21

Who is your favorite Big Ten football team?

Grabow to sign

SI archive story on Sandberg and Salaries

Reversal of opinion...Bradley will not be moved

OT -- Head to Evanston to Root on Northwestern -- 11/21 v. Wisconsin

On Harden and the Players Jim Hendry Lets Go

Rich Harden?