Wait til next year....ugh. I haven't been a Cubs fan that long but I'm damn tired of hearing that phrase. My allegiance has been strong over the last 10 years (yes it's true I have southside roots and even possibly rookie cards of Robin Ventura and Frank Thomas somewhere in my room back at mom's place, but I lived and died with Cubbie blue for a while now) and after a while it takes a toll on you. i'm tired of waiting...Ive enjoyed too much success and wishful thinking to be stuck in this pool of disapointment and despair. Ive enjoyed the feeling of knowing we're only a few outs away of going to the world series and being sprayed with champagne in the dugout by Derrek Lee and Ryan Dempster only to feel the tragedy of watching Mark Prior catch a line drive to the elbow, or knowing there's absolutely no fight in our dog as we played the Dodgers in the play-offs. I wanna walk into Wrigley field knowing there's hope, knowing there's a chance...that circus atmosphere, a packed house everyday, and hearing that damn song at the end of games..."Go Cubs Go"...but how do we get there? How do we get that all back? I have a few suggestions.
1. Hire Kim Ng as the new Cubs GM. Lets start at the top. Wanna really make a statement, well this is it. And not a statement for statement's sake, this is a well-deserved over-due statement. My friend Julie has always told me it was her dream to be Cubs GM, and I always wrote it off as just talk. Baseball is mired in tradition...the old boys network. A woman GM? Yes. Now while it would be cool to hire Ng just for the sake of being the first woman general manager in baseball, thats also the same reasoning some people voted for Obama for president. I voted for Barak because he was qualified, and the same can be said for Ng. Kim Ng is currently the senior Vice president for Baseball Operations for MLB. She graduated for the University of Chicago and at one point worked to the White Sox. She has been the assistant GM for both the Dodgers and the Yankees. You dont just luck into those positions. She's interviewed for a couple of other jobs in the past and all agree that she's more than qualified and ready. Cubs owner Tom Ricketts wants to make a statement that this is a new era, well there isnt a better way to say that than hiring Ng.
2. Hire a new skipper. Now let me just say I like Mike Quade, he's not the best manager but he's out there trying. He means well, its not a job you can be perfect at. Hell, even the best managers get fired in every sport. (Chicago loves Mike Ditka...yet Ditka was canned for a horrid 5-11 season too). That just happens. You understand that he's doing one of the toughest jobs in sports, right? The team hasnt won won a world series in over 100 years and he's the guy we're counting on to lead us to the promised land??? You really think there's no pressure that goes with managing the Chicago Cubs? Ha. We're lucky he didnt shoot himself...do you know how many homeruns Ramirez and Pena hit the first two months of the season? The fact that he even showed up everyday after the April and may they had should get him another gig somewhere else.
We need new blood, a new voice, a new feeling...and no I'm not talking about Ozzie Guillen (although that would be crazy, wouldnt it? Too bad Ozzie hates Wrigley Field like garbagemen hate the day after Christmas). While a big name would be cool, thats the old way...big name managers have gotten us where exactly? Close but no cigar, and then....splat! The Red Sox knew the answer, they didnt hire a big name, they hired someone who knows baseball...someone who knows how to win, knows the ins and out of the game. In that spirit I give you one candidate: Torey Lovello.
Lovullo is currently coaching 1st base in Toronto, so lord help him he needs rescuing. He played in the majors for a while and was Triple A manager for the Red Sox organization. Lovullo has been considered ready to manage in the major leagues for the last few years and is known as a great communicator who loves to play aggressive baseball, putting pressure on the opposition with steals and hit-and-runs.
If you dont plan to bring in Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi, Joe Torre is just too old for you, and you're still not sold on the whole Ryne Sandberg for manager idea, this is certainly the way to go.
3. Hello Goodbye Carlos. You say goodbye (Zambrano), and I say hello again (Pena). You need to change the vibe of the clubhouse. I mean, any dude that can get into a fight with Derrek Lee cant be someone you want to keep around. And people despite punching AJ in the face trust me when I tell you this: Michael Barrett is a great guy who no one else wants to puch in the face. On that note, remember how the team said the clubhouse was much better when Sammy left? As for Pena, he may not be Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder, but he gets on base and somehow has over 20 homeruns despite hitting barely .200 all year. Plus winning baseball starts in the clubhouse, and Pena is one of the most respected guys on the team and regarded as a team leader. He's out there everyday and his teammates like him, plus he does get on base. besides who's going to replace him, Tyler Colvin?
Speaking of clubhouse leaders, you're also going to want to bring back Kerry Wood and Ryan Dempster...just sayin'.
4. Speaking of replace.....its time to make room for Tony Campana and Reed Johnson. no more of this 4th and 5th outfielder stuff, these guys deserve more initial playing time, and if that means eating a part of Marlon Byrd's or Alfonso Soriano's salary, then do it.
5. Who's on 3rd? Remember the disaster that was 3rd base throughout the 90's? Anyone remember Gary Scott? It took the Cubs how many years to find an everyday 3rd basemen? While Ramirez does go down at least once a year, not including his start of the season slump ( I'm not sure if he even brought a bat to the plate during April). ARam leads the team in most offensive stats and there's no one on the market that can replace that, especially at 3rd base. You really have no other option but to keep him for another year or two, at least until someone in the farm sysytem is ready...or at least qualified to take over. As for free agent options, well you could always bring back Mark DeRosa....would you like that, ladies???
6. Have I mentioned it's time to play the kids? Colvin and Campana both need a shot at more time and need to have a great winter and spring. Its time to live and die with your young pitchers, Chris Carpenter, Casey Coleman, and Andrew Cashner. No more part time duty, its now or never for these guys to step up. You put the emphasis on Russell and Samardzija and look what happened.
Its also time to figure out if youre ready for the Brett Jackson era to start. Youre never gonna know unless you give him his shot, and there doesnt seem to be a better time than 2012.
.....and on that note 7. C.J. Wilson. You need a stud pitcher, someone other teams fear, a stud in the rotation. remember when teams would talk about not wanting to go up against Kerry Wood and Mark Prior? Well Wilson, who is a free agent when the year ends, is that kid. Already one of the best pitchers in baseball, not only does he not like playing in Texas (he's publically said he hates pitching there and doesnt like the lack of fan support) but is also "straight edge". Isn't current WWE superstar and Chicago native CM Punk a Cubs fan and "straight edge" too? I'm just sayin...maybe they could hang?????? Seriously, Wilson is just hitting his prime and still young....do whatever it takes and grab this kid now!
Either way if you're going to spend, start and stop with CJ Wilson.
Sounds like an easy fix, right? oh Mr. Tom Ricketts, you know I love you and think youre doing a great job (this is me trying not to get fired here, btw...) but this is just a few helpful suggestions from someone's who's boarded this Titanic, sank with it, and survived.
(P.S. Number 8 is personal - just as last year will it kill the organization to put some chocolate or strawberry milk in the pressbox lunchroom, please????)
