I don't know what will happen in regards to Hendry getting an extension, but there is talk they are looking to get something done.  I assume their is a possibility the ownership change could put a hold on this, but this is what I would do:

I would give Hendry an extension through 2010 (which would match Piniella).  There are some signs that the long/poor track record of position player development could be improving and I think you need to give this group a couple more years to show that is indeed the case.  My other thought is this; the core of this team has a window that is about 2 years long to get something done.  Lee, Soriano and Ramirez are your big position player contracts and between the three, Lee and Soriano are probably on the downhill side of their careers and Ramirez will be there as well by 2010.  If they don't win by that time and have not had a couple of young guys come up that are performers, you may very well to be in a position where the club is not going to be a playoff competitor, without continuing to spend an enourmous amount of money.

Hendry has had his fingers on the farm system since 94, and for this team to be a legit playoff contender for years to come, you can't keep going to the FA and trade route to get it done.  If things aren't looking good by the end of 2010, the new owner would have to go in a different direction.

First of all, I want to say how much I enjoy reading the various thoughts on this board.  Al does a hell of a job with this site and I have learned a lot listening to the various opinions from many of the regulars.  In fact, in many ways, you learn more reading this site than you do the beat reporters covering the team (and certainly the columnists), because many of those guys are conerned about upsetting the front office or players they deal with on a day to day basis.  Also, there is no question in my mind, that the media uses this board to learn about fan setiment and to gauge some of their discussion.

Both 07 and 08 brought both positive and negative events to the Cubs.  The problem has been, the negative has reared it's ugly head when you would expect the club to be mentally focused, motivated and on top of their game.  When you play like the Cubs did in two straight post-seasons, you have to really evaluate what is going wrong and what can be done to fix it.

A few of my thoughts:

Piniella - I have made my opinion of Piniella pretty clear on this board and I won't bore folks with why I think he has been very good with this club.  With that said, I think the most important thing for Piniella, is to just be Lou Piniella and not worry about anything else.  At times, I feel as though he has played politician, instead of doing what he felt was right.  Lou has stated many times, the game has changed and it is important for the manager to change with it (I believe he refers to the big money contracts and player egos) you need to be cognizant of.  At this point, Lou is probabaly going to manage for 2 more years and then he walks away and I want him to manage this time period 100% his way and not be concerned with egos.

Hendry - Jim is another guy who I have stated my opinion on this board for a long time.  Hendry has some excellent strengths as a GM, but he also has his share of negatives.  For the most part, Hendry is a "players GM", not unlike you would call Dusty Baker a "players manager".  He goes out of his way to take care of players when they are traded, hands out no-trade clauses like they are candy and makes promises to players that he goes out of his way to keep.  This has helped him to sign guys ahead of other teams, because players talk to each other and they let others know that Hendry "will take care of you".  Clearly, this can help you out in getting players you need (as long as you pick the right ones), but it can also bite you on the backend.  There are times when you find out you need to change the makeup of your club (this offseason is an expample of that) and when you have the bulk of your big salary guys on no-trades, it really makes it difficult to move players for other parts that may be a better fit.  Also, Hendry has never been a guy who is willing to trade players at the peak of their value, to get another guy who may be more of a need.  This is something I really think he needs to change if the opportunity is there.  If the Cubs want to trade any of these guys, that player can go to them as say - no, I won't accept a trade or you can trade me to any team except the 25 I have on this list (and that is usually what happens).  Clearly, this limits your ability to shop talent from other clubs and make a deal that can help you.  I don't know how much longer Hendry will be GM with the Cubs, but I can imagine the new owners doing their due dilligence on the Cubs payroll and not being pleased with all the backloaded deals and no-trades that can stick you with players you may not want.

The Lineup: Overall, they produced a lot of runs during the regular season, so their has to be some positive points about the makeup of the talent.  IMO, the positive is the depth and the club got good returns from the lower part of the order which helped to seperate them from other clubs.  Also, the club had a lot of games where they scored 10+ runs and also quite a few where they scored 3 or less.  There is an element of inconsistancy that has to be addressed and this issue is always magnified in the post-season.

I am done with Soriano at leadoff, and I sure as hell hope the brain trust feels the same way.  It's true that the club went well when Soriano was hot, and that is why you had so many 10+ run games and others where the offense looked completely different.  For once and for the first time since 03, they have to have a leadoff hitter who is an excellent OBP guy and can steal you a base at key times to manufacture runs.  During the playoffs, when your 2-3-4 hitters watch their leadoff guy look feeble at the plate, it causes them to try and do too much and we have seen this 2 straight years and some during the regular season.

Regarding the other guys in the lineup; Lee is a good hitter who can be valuable to the team, but he is longer a "feature" type guy that can hit 3rd on a championship club.  In fact, they really don't have this player on the roster and who knows whether they will be able to acquire one.  If they can't, just bringing in a solid leadoff guy will make a world of difference.

Position players: CF, RF and SS are the positions that should be addressed in the offseason.  Will Pie be a guy they can rely on?  I don't know the answer to that question, but I have serious doubts.  Will Fukudome make adjustments?  I think his work ethic and pride will allow him to, but that certainly is not a given.  At least with Fukudome, his OBP was .350+, he plays stellar defense and knows how to run the bases.  If you have to live with him in the lineup (because of his contract), he won't kill you as long as your lineup is solid and he hits 8th.  I would love to upgrade SS, but it will depend on how much leeway Hendry has to sign guys and the no-trades are going to make that avenue difficult.  Time will tell how the powers at be feel about giving Hendry more money.

Pitching staff: Overall, I was very pleased with the staff, especially the emergence of Dempster as a very good starter.  I predicted him to fail as a starter and he proved my completely wrong.  The bad news is, he did exactly what I thought he would do in the post-season game, that I thought he would do in the regular season.  Was it a fluke, was he just to jazzed up pitching his first post-season game?  I hope that is what it was and I am willing to chalk it up to that.  I have seen the discussion about his BAIBP, and there could be something to that, but I also know he has very good stuff and that is why he is very good when he pounds the strike zone.  I sign him if possible and again, this will depend on what he wants and what kind of money Hendry has to toss around.  Lilly is going to be what he is - a reliable starter.  Zambrano needs to be dealt with a little tougher by Lou and Larry, and let him know enouph of this childish bullshit.  Harden is another story, he has dominant stuff, but I see him as another Mark Prior.  You can't pick up the option and deal with that kind of crap again.  I would like to see another lefty in the rotation and I would like to see Marshall get first crack at it.  They need to resign Wood and add someone (could be in house) to replace Howry and they should be ok in the pen.

Not unlike last year, except to a higher level, this offseason has a lot of questions.  The most important one will be how much leaway Hendry has to spend and can or will he trade any players to get pieces that fit better?

According to Soriano, the Cubs were built for a marathon not a sprint and that is why they didn't perform in the playoffs.  To me, this is one of the most self damning statements I have heard in a while.  I guess with Soriano, if he plays in 10 games and has 2 great games in addtion to 8 horrendous games, he will have made his quota and be satisfied.

After committing yourself to 162 games and compiling the best record, there is absolutely no excuse to play like a club that looked like they were completely uninterested in being there when the playoff bell rung.  I guess Soriano needs to pace himself, pick his own spots and not be pressured into performing on short notice in a playoff series.  Maybe MLB can change the regular season to 120 games and then make the playoff rounds the best of 15, so Soriano can have a chance to get a few hits.

I hope this type of attitude pisses off Hendry, Piniella and his teamates as much as it does me, and it also reiterates the club needs some grittiness in the clubhouse.

I actually didn't see the game because I was traveling last night, but In reading the summary, it sure looked like another performance that was extremely rare during the regular season. 

Its always bothersome, when a club plays very well during the regular season and turns to play far below that when you are trying to win a championship in the playoffs.  It is one thing to get beat, but it is another to basically give games away and constantly give life to the other club (which is exactly what the Cubs have done so far).  There is tons of emotion, and folks are all over the place with placing blame; Fukudome, Piniella, the crowd, umpires, etc. etc..  Bottom line here, the team is collectively playing their worst baseball of the year, at the time when you need to be on top of your game.  The big question is - why is the team performing so poorly at the worst possible time?  Is it because this group of players can't handle the pressure of the playoffs and the constant reminders (from media) about the 100 year thing?  I really don't have an answer, but unless they collect themselves and win 3 straight (I'm not banking on it, after how the first two games have gone) you may have to look at the makeup of the club over the offseason.

In the playoffs, pitching and defense have to be the basis of how you win games, because the hitting is not always going to be there against good pitchers.  In game one, your best regular season pitcher had a horrid performance and basically handed the game over on a platter.  In game two, fielding plays that are typically made, give second life to your opponent and again, put the game on a platter for them.  A 3 game comeback is possible, but it will require 2-3 guys to put the team on their shoulders and set an example of how to turn it around.  Harden could be the start tomorrow from a pitching aspect, but I am not confident they have the type of hitters that will respond under these circumstances.  The Red Sox broke a long streak in 04 with a very loose club, and I just see this team as one that doesn't handle things quite the same way.  We'll see, but I am very dissappointed in how this team has failed to show up when it counts.

Obviously, these series usually come down to pitching first, with both offense and defense coming in tied for second.

Looking at the Dodgers, they are a club that puts the ball in play more often than the Cubs, but with less authority.  I would anticipate Torre putting the game in motion to stay away from rally killing double plays (they hit into 153 this year) and to pressure Soto and the Cubs defense.  Also, depending on the score, I would imagine the Cubs will not give Manny much to hit unless they have no choice.  He is the one guy you don't want to give the opportunity to beat you by himself, and he has the capability if you let him.  The Cub's pitchers need to be aggressive with hitters ahead of Ramirez and eliminate any free passes ahead of him.  Piniella will be listening to his advance scouts and will probably mix in some pitchouts, when they jive with when Torre likes to send guys.  Being the underdog, the Dodgers will be aggressive, and the pitchers will have to manage keeping guys close and Soto will need to show he can gun guys down.

Just a guy feeling on my part, but I feel both Lee and Edmonds are going to do some damage in this series and I'm going with the Cubbies in 4.

...and allow Hendry and Piniella to have a clearer picture of what needs to be done to improve the club.

There has been a long debate on whether Soriano should leadoff or not, and this injury is going to solve this issue for the remainder of 08, and possibly for future years.  Although I disagree with those who say just keep putting Pie in CF and let him work it out, I do feel strongly you need to put Soriano in the 5 hole and let him work it out.  For a player, who has 583 AB's in the 5-hole (a full seasons worth), he has hit:  .268, slugging of .513, has 34 HR's and 107 RBI's.  To me, that ain't bad for someone who can't hit anywhere but leadoff, and 107 RBI's would appear to help the team more than his 70 in the leadoff spot.  It's time for Soriano to get comfortable with the middle of the order, and put his power to good use.

The other  key factor is what Hendry decides to do with the gapping hole at leadoff.  He tried to address it during the offseason, and now this injury is going to make his decision much clearer.  They will play around with Johnson, Theriot and possibly Fukudome (I doubt it) at leadoff, but at the end of the day, the chances of Hendry making a move here just shot through the roof.

...and its the last day of the season.  The Cubs are trailing by one run, and they have the bases loaded with one out.  It just so happens, the Cubs need to win this game to make the post-season and they are facing a tough pitcher on the mound.  My question is simple, who would you most prefer to see hitting in this situation and why?  Also, throw in your 2nd and 3rd choices as well.

35 games to go, 1.5 game lead and a mediocre (at best) division.

To date, they have milked everything they can out of DeRosa, Theriot, most of the starters, the pen and even ole Jaque Jones the last six weeks.  The time has come, for Lee, Ramirez, Soriano and Zambrano, to take turns putting this team on their backs the next 30 games and putting this thing to rest.  The Cards smell blood, and I don't care how bad they look on paper, LaRussa will get everything he can out of that crew for the duration.

If me math is correct, the Cubs have about $400 million committed to these guys, and the time has come for a little "ROI"

First of all, I am always one that says pure stats don't tell the whole story of what a catcher provides (either positive or negative) for their club.  But, I just heard some interesting stats from John DeWan (sp) that I had to share:

Barrett catching with Cubs:
record: 24-28
ERA: 4.17

Without Barrett catching:
record: 16-4
ERA:3.71

Barrett Catching for Padres:
record: 3-10
ERA: 4.10

Bard Catching for Padres:
record: 33-19
ERA: 2.55

Pretty interesting stuff.

I don't think Hendry ever does this very necessary deal if he didn't have Piniella taking him to school with Baseball 101.  There is no way Piniella could have dreamed, that the Cubs starting catcher since 04, could have been this bad defensively, and have such a poor feel for the game.

There is more to come folks, this is just the beginning of Piniella's influence on a GM that has not understood how to assemble the right parts.