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The Chicago Cubs spent this past offseason pointing the franchise in a new direction.Former Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein is in to run the show, with former San Diego Padres GM Jed Hoyer serving as the Cubs' new GM. Now that the Cubbies have an All-Star front office, the future is bright.The present, on the other hand...It takes time to build a winning ballclub, and the simple truth is that the Cubs' new regime hasn't had enough of it. They have the Cubs headed in the right direction, but championship contention is still a few years away.In the ...
The majority opinion (by a rather large majority, I might add) is that the 2012 Chicago Cubs could possibly be more inept than the 2011 Mike Quade-led edition.As the first year of the Theo Epstein Cubs work out in Arizona, some themes are common among both fans and media:Rebuilding.Hopefully we'll finish ahead of Houston and Pittsburgh.This team won't be competitive until 2014.Well, I suggest that those in the doom-and-gloom camp get themselves a Happy Meal because this Cubs season will surprise you.No, I'm not going to predict a Cubs World Series this year. But this season won't be nearly as ...
Theo Epstein presented general manager Jed Hoyer, manager Dale Sveum and the rest of his staff throughout the organization, a thick manual explaining how the organization will begin assembling a championship-caliber organization."The Cubs Way."Epstein has already been credited with reversing one curse in his career, and now his focus is on doing the same thing in Chicago.But the way he will go about that is much different than "The Boston Way."Let's get one thing straight: Epstein's situation he's walking into is much different than what he was given to start in Boston. There are no Manny Ramirez's walking into the ...
Even though he wasn't my pick for the new Chicago Cubs' manager, I was impressed with Dale Sveum's tough-guy approach to the lackadaisical way the team played last year, and that it wouldn't be tolerated anymore. The poster boy for the culture change needed at Wrigley Field is Alfonso Soriano. Without naming names, Sveum mentioned when he was coaching with the Milwaukee Brewers last year, he noticed how the Cubs failed to play hard and run out balls, and generally, play the game the way it's supposed to be played. Things started so well at Cubs' camp. Sveum created a bunting contest that is ...
For years, the Chicago Cubs have been the "doormat of the National League," constantly at the center of harsh insults, failures and embarrassing moments. Players have come and gone, many of them receiving enormous contracts only to be run out of town by angry bleacher bums and even teammates. Here is a look at the 10 most disappointing Cubs figures of the past 20 years. Begin Slideshow
The Cubs are giving Bryan LaHair, 29 and a career minor leaguer, his shot as a major league regular in 2012. The first base job is LaHair's to lose going in to the season. What are reasonable expectations for this minor league journeyman with only 65 major league games under his belt?In LaHair's previous 219 major league plate appearances, he posted a .262 batting average, a .335 on-base and a .395 slugging percentage with 22 walks and 58 strikeouts. LaHair came to the plate 150 times at age 25 with the Seattle Mariners in ...
Cubs starting pitcher Ryan Dempster and Trever Miller have more in common than just their uniforms. When the two began playing catch in warm-ups the other day, neither man really knew much about the other. Immediately, they began asking about each other's personal backgrounds. Both Cubs pitchers? Obviously. Have three kids? Interesting. Both have a daughter with a rare chromosome disorder? Say what?!Dempster, who is entering his eighth season in the blue pinstripes, has a daughter with 22q11.2, also known as DiGeorge syndrome, a rare chromosome disorder. Much to his surprise, he isn't the only Cub dealing with a situation ...
Is there anything more beautiful or precious than Wrigley Field?OK—perhaps to most there is, but not to diehard Chicago Cubs fans. For that reason, that is why so many have been so harsh on any type of change that has been proposed to the stadium, and they are right.Wrigley is landmark, and it is something that should not be tampered with. Improvements, sure. But beyond that, the park should pretty much be left as is.These are five things that the club can do to improve the stadium, while not hurting what it represents.Begin Slideshow
When the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox couldn't decide the right compensation for Theo Epstein leaving Boston to become the President of Baseball Operations in Chicago, I didn't have a good feeling. That feeling got worse when the decision was to be made by Commissioner Bud Selig. That feeling became a reality when finding out the result. Yes, I'm aware that the Cubs were forced to give the Red Sox the middle reliever Chris Carpenter, not Cy Young award winner Chris Carpenter. But the fact of the matter is the Cubs surrendered too much in this deal. Carpenter is ...
The picture above serves as quite the symbolism of the Cubs last year. There were more empty seats than usual. Fans had empty feelings about the season and direction of the club. The players on the field were mostly empty promises that didn't exactly pan out. But times have changed with the hiring of Theo Epstein and the activity thus far this MLB offseason. One player left on the market that the Cubs have an eye on is Jorge Soler. I'm on record saying that I don't believe the Cubs should sign the Cuban outfielder, but there are positives to ...
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