Cubs News

Cubs' Harden, Johnson file for free agency
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November 7
Chicago Tribune
 
"118 players have filed for free agency, including Cubs starting pitcher Rich Harden and outfielder Reed Johnson. Harden, 27, was 9-9 with a 4.09 ERA in 26 starts. Although he's had past arm problems, he recorded his second 25-start season. Johnson, 32, made $3 million last season, yet was limited to a career-low 65 games and 165 at-bats because of a fractured foot suffered July 29."
Josh Vitters doesn't disappoint in Arizona Fall League
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November 6
Chicago Tribune
 
"As Cubs fans spend yet another offseason marinating in angst, top prospect Josh Vitters retains his Southern California cool and a budding star's confidence. What he might not realize is that part of the North Side hand-wringing stems from Vitters himself. The third overall pick in the 2007 draft still hasn't graduated from Class A. Yet questions about the third baseman's defense, power and patience don't set off alarms on Vitters' panic meter. He's playing well enough in the Arizona Fall League that he was selected for this weekend's Rising Stars Game, though he likely won't play after straining a pectoral muscle in batting practice Wednesday. He's grounded enough to realize his ..."
Cubs Ted Lilly will miss start of season
Comment
November 5
Chicago Tribune
 
"Ted Lilly will miss the start of the 2010 season after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery Tuesday in Los Angeles. How long Lilly will miss is unknown, but the Cubs left-hander said Wednesday he won't begin throwing again for "four months or so." Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said the Cubs were encouraged there was no significant damage to the labrum or rotator cuff, and said surgeon Lewis Yocum thinks there's "a good possibility Ted would be pitching in April" if all goes well. Lilly was reluctant to have the surgery but decided it was his best option in the long run. "I didn't want to go into the season doing what I was doing at the end of the year, where I was missing starts," ..."
Lilly optimistic after surgery on shoulder
Comment
November 5
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"The Cubs' effort to rebound from a disappointing 2009 season already took its first hit this week when their best pitcher from last season underwent arthroscopic surgery on his pitching shoulder. Left-hander Ted Lilly, who went on the disabled list in July for both a sore shoulder and meniscus surgery in his knee, is expected to at least miss the start of the season after undergoing the ''cleaning out'' procedure, performed Tuesday by Dr. Lewis Yocum, considered one of the top two or three orthopedists associated with Major League Baseball. While the surgery wasn't considered particularly serious, and no significant structural damage was reported, Lilly's not expected to begin a throwing ..."
Lilly has shoulder scoped
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November 4
Daily Herald
 
"We'll have more later today, but the Cubs announced that lefty Ted Lilly underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder yesterday in L.A. The procedure was performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum. In a release, the Cubs said Yocum "found no major damage to Lilly's shoulder and the procedure consisted of a washout and cleanup of the shoulder" and that the surgery took about one hour. The Cubs say Ted will begin a rehab program and will be evaluated after Jan. 1 to see when he can begin a throwing program. They say they're hopeful he can be in the rotation within the month of April. We're scheduled to talk with Ted and with Jim Hendry this afternoon. If you remember, Ted had some shoulder issues ..."
Rays working on Iwamura deal
Comment
November 3
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Just got back to New York and heard from an industry source who's not with the Rays that they are on the verge of completing a trade of 2B Akinori Iwamura. The Rays were looking to do some kind of deal since they weren't planning to pick up the $4.85-million option to bring him back. What's interesting is that the source indicated the deal wasn't with the Cubs or the Dodgers as has been speculated on but to an unexpected team. Hmmm. The Rays are operating under something of a deadline since they have until one day after the end of the World Series to either pick up the option or pay a $550,000 buyout and allow Iwamura to become a free agent. They have been working on essentially a ..."
Stage set for Chicago Cubs' organizational meetings
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November 3
Chicago Tribune
 
"With a new owner in place and a disappointing 2009 season in the rearview mirror, speculation is Jim Hendry will have one year to turn things around on the North Side. But asked if he felt like he was "on the clock," the Cubs general manager said he'll approach this offseason like any other. "I don't ever feel any different about that," Hendry said. "I put a lot of pressure on myself. We've had real good years, and we've had not-good years. We had it going really good in the right direction and this year had a hiccup. "I'm certainly capable of leading the baseball organization to where everyone wants it to go, and if there comes a day when I'm not the right guy, then I don't think I should ..."
The new Mr. Cub
Comment
November 1
Chicago Tribune
 
"A young woman cautiously approached Tom Ricketts at a Chicago Cubs game on the last weekend of the season. She had a camera in hand and a pleading look in her eyes. "Can you take a picture of us?" she asked. Behind her, her husband was standing, holding a baby bundled up on a cold, damp afternoon. Ricketts, dressed like any Cubs fan in a blue fleece jacket with a team logo, obliged without hesitation. "I thought she wanted a picture of me," he said sheepishly as he sat down. The soft-spoken, unassuming 44-year-old walks around Wrigley Field unrecognized and sits in stands with the rest of the crowd. That's soon going to change. Ricketts and his three siblings assumed control of the Cubs on ..."
Cubs deny Bradley-for-Wells trade talks
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November 1
ESPN.com
 
"Although the Cubs have had discussions with Toronto about different scenarios, Cubs sources on Saturday vehemently denied that there is any type of a trade for Milton Bradley for Vernon Wells being discussed. Bradley had two years left on his contract at $21.5 million. Wells has five years left at $98 million, including $23 million each in the last two years of the contract."
Wells swap 'has legs'
Comment
October 31
Toronto Sun
 columnist Bob Elliott
"It's not a match made in heaven. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The Chicago Cubs would like to -- have to -- deal disgruntled outfielder Milton Bradley. And one player they are eyeing as a target destination is the Blue Jays, with centre fielder Vernon Wells going to the Cubs in return. "It's early on, but we think this one has some legs," said one Cubs official. "But they aren't the only team we are talking with." Bradley, 31, who was suspended for the remainder of the season by the Cubs on Sept. 20, has two years and $21 million US remaining on his contract. Wells has six years left on his contract extension, $107 million remaining, including the $8.5-million final instalment of his ..."
Their new toy still a business
Comment
October 31
Chicago Sun-Times
 columnist Neil Hayes
"Laura Ricketts met a friend for lunch in Wrigleyville the same August day her family signed an agreement with Tribune Co. to purchase the Cubs. Her friend suggested they take a Wrigley Field tour to celebrate. They were sitting in the bleachers when the news reached another member of the tour via his BlackBerry. The deal was done, he announced. The Ricketts family had officially purchased the Cubs. Laura and her friend shared a secret smile. ''It was just an incredible moment to be right there with the fans in the bleachers when we got the news and nobody knew who I was,'' she said. ''That's when it finally became real to me. It was beyond cool.'' Each of the four Ricketts siblings, Cubs ..."
Ricketts outline game plan for owning Cubs
Comment
October 31
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Thomas Ricketts spent $845 million for, among other assets, a baseball team that in a good year will record a profit of around $30 million. The new owner of the Chicago Cubs will have to repay loans of $425 million he obtained for the purchase. That's an expense the Cubs' seller, Tribune Co., never had. He'll have to look at costs of Wrigley Field renovation to facilities that sorely need improvement -- and to create revenue. Ricketts said he's looking at work spread over five to seven years and costing "significantly less" than $200 million. Ricketts vowed that anything he does will preserve the essential non-commercial atmosphere of a game at Wrigley. "We have to be looking in our plans ..."
Ricketts says he'll lead off with repairs to Wrigley Field
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October 31
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Now that Tom Ricketts has control of the Cubs and Wrigley Field, he has plans to make immediate upgrades to the ballpark that turns 100 years old in 2014. Enough upgrades, he hopes, that Major League Baseball will agree to hold the 2014 All-Star Game at Wrigley. In a wide-ranging interview with the Sun-Times before taking control of the team, Ricketts confirmed ticket prices will rise in 2010 but vowed to retain as much of the history at Wrigley Field as possible. And he has no immediate plans to sell naming rights to the old ballpark or install a JumboTron for now. "We intend to preserve the ballpark and improve it," Ricketts said. "It's a special place, and hopefully, when we all bring ..."
Meet the won-way Ricketts
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October 31
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Three years ago this month, in a prelude to a sale as it turned out, John McDonough took over as Cubs president and declared, ''It's time to win a World Series.'' Since then, time, a half-billion dollars in payroll commitments and McDonough have passed through an organization still waiting on a World Series with the urgency of a five-beer buildup at the back of the line for a Wrigley Field trough. Next! On Friday it was Tom Ricketts, the head of the Cubs' new family ownership group, standing before a packed news conference dismissing curses and vowing to make the Cubs a perennial playoff team and World Series champion. Among the messages he said he wanted to deliver to Cubs fans in his ..."
Finally, some Chicago Cubs fans own the ballclub
Comment
October 31
Chicago Tribune
 columnist Rick Morrissey
"The best comment, the one that cut to the core of what the news conference was all about, came from Todd Ricketts, a member of the family that was introduced Friday as the new owner of the Cubs. The question was how he came to be a Cubs fan, and it was asked with enough knowing sympathy the question might as well have been how he came to have that permanent tire-tread impression across his face. "You get sucked in, and there's no getting out," he said. "You're a Cubs fan forever." That's it, isn't it? You're either born into the affliction or you walk blindly into it. One day you're enjoying your first game at Wrigley Field, the next you're trying to extract the dagger from your heart ..."
Fla. group touts advantages in fight for Cubs
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October 30
East Valley Tribune
 
"A Florida development team took aim at Mesa on Thursday by boasting of their ongoing talks with the Chicago Cubs as they work to snag the team's spring training from Arizona. The Ricketts family, which owns the Cubs, recently traveled to the area around Naples, Fla., to look at potential spring training facility sites, said Craig Bouchard, whose Chicago-based Esmark company is talking with the Cubs. With the owners coming to Mesa next week for the first time, Bouchard tried to portray the sequence of visits as an advantage or signal that benefits Florida. "They came here first, and they're going out there next," Bouchard said. Bouchard is working on a proposal with Gary Price, a Naples ..."
Path to promised land?
Comment
October 30
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Before the clinching game of the 2004 World Series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Boston Red Sox owner John Henry looked at team president Larry Lucchino and said, ''If this were to happen, is there anything bigger to happen in New England since the Revolutionary War?'' Lucchino paused. ''He couldn't think of something,'' Henry told reporters after the Red Sox snapped an 86-year championship drought with a victory that night against the Cardinals that gave them a four-game sweep. The October night that rocked a six-state region came in the third season after Henry's and partner Tom Werner's then-record-price purchase of the Red Sox. Eighty-six years? That's nothing. Imagine something like ..."
New Cubs boss, same old stuff
Comment
October 28
Daily Southtown
 
"At 11 a.m. Friday, Tom Ricketts and his family will be introduced as the ninth owners of the Cubs. Ricketts is a bona fide Cubs fan, not a corporate entity hiding inside a neo-Gothic tower on Michigan Avenue. He likes to drink beer and sit in the bleachers. He knows the pain of 2003 and the disappointment of 2007, 2008 and - especially - 2009. He's an owner Cubs fans can appreciate because he's one of them. So unfurl the wish list. There is a bustling free-agent market ready to swing open its doors. Chone Figgins, John Lackey and Fernando Rodney all are seeking new homes. A Cubs owner who is a Cubs fan is getting his new toy today. The timing couldn't be better. Except for one thing. ..."
Business as usual for the Cubs
Comment
October 28
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"At 11 a.m. Friday, Tom Ricketts and his family will be introduced as the ninth owners of the Cubs. Ricketts is a bona-fide fan, not a corporate entity hiding inside a neo-Gothic tower on Michigan Avenue. He likes to drink beer and sit in the bleachers. He knows the pain of 2003 and the disappointment of 2007, 2008 and -- especially -- 2009. He's an owner fans can appreciate because he's one of them. So unfurl the wish list. There's a bustling free-agent market ready to swing open its doors. Chone Figgins, John Lackey and Fernando Rodney are all seeking new homes. A Cubs owner who's a Cubs fan is getting his new toy today. The timing couldn't be better. Except for one thing. Anyone ..."
Blake Parker may be good catch for Chicago Cubs
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October 28
Chicago Tribune
 
"Many Americans have been in job-changing mode recently, but Blake Parker got a head start. Drafted as a catcher, Parker hit a pedestrian .254 for the Cubs' rookie ball team in 2006. He was summoned to low Class A Peoria for a late-season look, and it didn't go well. His 0-for-21 line helped him qualify for job training -- as a pitcher. The 6-foot-3-inch, 225-pound right-hander remembers with some irony the day at extended spring training in 2007 when his job switch became official. "They called me in the day I hit a walk-off homer, and I thought I was getting called up," Parker said. "But they said they had looked back in the scouting reports and that I had a good arm. I was excited and ..."
Cubs sale to Ricketts is complete
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October 27
Chicago Tribune
 
"The Ricketts family officially took control of the Cubs Tuesday morning, closing the $845 million deal to take 95 percent controlling interest in the team, Wrigley Field and 25 percent of Comcast Sports Net. "My family and I are thrilled that this day has finally come and we thank Commissioner Bud Selig and Major League Baseball owners for approving our ownership," said Tom Ricketts. "Now we will go to work building the championship tradition that all Cubs fans so richly deserve. "It's fitting that this closing takes place during World Series week. Out of respect for the Fall Classic, and at the league's request, we will wait to introduce ourselves to the media and fans until this ..."
Cubs look safe at home
Comment
October 27
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Don't start pricing timeshares in Southwest Florida for Cubs spring training trips yet. While a Collier County, Fla., group may well be serious in its effort to lure the Cubs away from Mesa, Ariz., the chances of the Cubs leaving the greater Phoenix area in the foreseeable future appear to be slim to none, based on the logistical headaches already driving major league teams away from Florida, the Cubs' centerpiece position in Arizona's Cactus League and common sense. The Cubs are using a looming deadline for opting out of their contract with Mesa to court other offers while seeking upgrades to their existing HoHoKam Stadium and Fitch Park facilities to bring them more in line with newer, ..."
Mets not interested in Lackey or Bradley; Holliday tops their list
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October 26
SI.com
 (scroll down)
"The Mets don't seem inclined to pursue top free-agent pitcher John Lackey, who will surely shoot for a $100 million-plus contract in light of A.J. Burnett's $82.5 million deal. They do want to add a solid starting pitcher (they may try a do-over on Randy Wolf), but their big-ticket target is most likely going to be a left fielder. Matt Holliday is believed to top their list, though Jason Bay will certainly suffice. Bobby Abreu is another top free-agent outfielder, while Carl Crawford could be available in trade. The Mets have no interest in taking on Milton Bradley's problems."
Wrigley neighbors: Clark project too tall
Comment
October 23
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Lake View community groups are lining up against a plan to construct a hotel, retail and residential complex across from Wrigley Field featuring a building so tall they fear it would set a precedent and destroy the residential character of their neighborhood. If M&R Development is allowed to build a project at Addison and Clark that rises to 91 feet at its tallest point, that could pave the way for future developments with buildings that high, said Amy Karatz, president of the East Lake View Neighbors Association. "This is the pivotal development that will change the nature of the entire neighborhood. We don't want a downtown, tall-building commercial district in the confines of a mostly ..."
Multiple teams interested in Bradley
Comment
October 22
Foxsports.com
 (scroll down)
"Multiple teams are in contact the Cubs about outfielder Milton Bradley, with one source saying, "You would be shocked at the level of interest." The Cubs remain confident that they can trade Bradley without assuming the vast majority of the $21 million remaining on his contract over the next two years. New owner Tom Ricketts has set a limit for how much money the Cubs will include in a deal, one source says. The Cubs can take back a contract but pay only a fixed amount of cash."
La Russa will have options, if he wants them
Comment
October 22
Foxsports.com
 columnist Ken Rosenthal
"A year from now, four marquee franchises — the Braves, Cubs, Mets and Dodgers — all could have managerial openings. Tony La Russa isn't likely to be interested. Bobby Valentine might be. La Russa, 65, currently is deciding whether he wants to return to the Cardinals. He does not sound enthused about starting over with another club. If La Russa manages next season, it will be with the Cardinals. And even if he signs only a one-year contract, he probably would be unwilling to accept a multi-year deal with another club next winter. "Looking ahead, I don't see that I can ever make that commitment to someone," La Russa said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "The way I look at it now, when ..."
Cubs land a heavy hitter in Jaramillo
Comment
October 22
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"No hitting coach ever has been credited with leading a team to the World Series. And not even Rudy Jaramillo's best groups of hitters have taken him there. But the Cubs -- pouncing on the sudden availability of the best hitting coach in the game when they might be able to use him most -- are betting $2.4 million over the next three years that Jaramillo will have as much impact as any free agent they've signed in at least five years. ''For us, it was just like a tremendous stroke of luck from the beginning of an offseason that obviously we deem very important,'' general manager Jim Hendry said at Wednesday's unveiling of the Cubs' new high-powered hitting coach. ''The timing of it was just ..."
Jaramillo joining the Cubs
Comment
October 22
Dallas Morning News
 
"Rudy Jaramillo was already the highest-paid hitting coach in baseball, but he agreed Wednesday to a deal with the Chicago Cubs that will pay him more than some big league managers. The Rangers' hitting coach the last 15 seasons agreed to a three-year deal with the Cubs that will pay him $800,000 a year. The agreement comes a week after he declined the Rangers' one-year offer for $545,000. Meanwhile, the Rangers have compiled a long list of potential candidates but won't move on finding Jaramillo's replacement until next week. General manager Jon Daniels has been occupied this week with presentations to potential new owners of the club. Manager Ron Washington, who will make the same ..."
Cubs sign hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo
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October 21
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"The Cubs got their marquee hitting coach. The team agreed to terms on a three-year contract with former Texas Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo and plans to announce the signing today. The contract is believed to be worth between $2.4 million and $2.5 million, which would make Jaramillo among the top two or three paid coaches in the majors."
Cubs zeroing in on hit guru Jaramillo
Comment
October 20
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"One of the Cubs who could have used Rudy Jaramillo most in 2009 said he's looking forward to celebrating the team's hiring of the former Texas Rangers hitting coach. ''That's going to be good news,'' said Alfonso Soriano, who averaged 32 home runs and 98 RBI with Jaramillo and the Rangers in 2004 and '05. ''We had very good communication because he speaks Spanish. He's very good and smart. He works very hard, too.'' Jaramillo, widely considered the top hitting coach in baseball, left the Rangers after this season when the team refused to consider an extension beyond one season with its ownership in flux. He reportedly is negotiating with the Cubs on a multiyear deal that could make him the ..."
Chicago Cubs, White Sox hopefuls square off in Arizona Fall League
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October 20
Chicago Tribune
 
"With Chicago baseball on sabbatical, it does the heart good to watch a mini-preview of future Cubs- White Sox skirmishes. Starlin Castro grounding out sharply to Dayan Viciedo or Josh Vitters lining out to center field against Jacob Rasner might not set the pulse atwitter quite yet. But wait a year or two. So it was not without significance when the Peoria Javelinas, including several Sox prospects, visited the Mesa Solar Sox, featuring an assortment of Cubs hopefuls, in an Arizona Fall League game Monday. The Javelinas roared to an easy 8-1 victory, aided by Jordan Danks' pinch solo home run and Viciedo's two-run single to right. Castro continued to show that, at just 19, he's nearly ..."
StubHub still believes in Cubs
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October 20
Chicago Tribune
 
"Hey, Cubs fans, get ready for some playoff baseball. If you believe StubHub. The company sent an e-mail Monday offering tickets for Cubs' playoff games. "Be there alongside your Chicago Cubs as they chase baseball immortality," the e-mail said. "Go to StubHub, where you'll find a fantastic selection of tickets to every playoff game -- so you experience the championship chase live and in person.""
Cubs look to talk with ex-Texas Rangers coach Jaramillo
Comment
October 17
Dallas Morning News
 
"The Chicago Cubs have asked for permission to speak to Rudy Jaramillo, the Rangers' hitting coach for the last 15 seasons. On Wednesday, Jaramillo declined the Rangers' one-year, $545,000 offer for next season."
Top hitting coach available to Chicago Cubs
Comment
October 15
Chicago Tribune
 
"If the Cubs really are interested in Rudy Jaramillo, the Rangers hitting coach is now available. The Dallas Morning News reported that Jaramillo has rejected a one-year offer to return as Rangers hitting coach. Jaramillo is expected to be a candidate for the Cubs vacancy created when Von Joshua was demoted to Triple-A Iowa. Jaramillo has been the Rangers' hitting coach for 15 years, but they finished 11th in the American League in average (.260), seventh in runs (784) and 12th in on-base percentage (.320) in 2009. Cubs minor-league hitting instructor Dave Keller is the only in-house candidate confirmed by general manager Jim Hendry, who said the club will look at outside candidates as ..."
Cubs bankruptcy case in a league of its own
Comment
October 14
Chicago Tribune
 
"The Chicago Cubs' trip through bankruptcy court should be as quick as a 1-2-3 inning. The team, as anticipated, filed its Chapter 11 papers Monday as part of Tribune Co.'s plan to transfer control of the ballclub to the Ricketts family. The Cubs' stay in bankruptcy may last only a day; a hearing is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in a bankruptcy court in Delaware. The swift action is a novel use of the bankruptcy code, according to legal experts. "The parties who structured the sale of the Cubs and obtained the court's approval of the sale process showed a great deal of imagination and creativity in the proposal they presented to the court," John Schanne and David Stratton, bankruptcy ..."
Bankruptcy court approves sale of Chicago Cubs
Comment
October 13
Chicago Tribune
 
"A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Tuesday ruled that Tribune Co. and the Chicago Cubs can proceed with the team's $845 million sale to the Ricketts family. As part of the process to facilitate the sale, the Cubs filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware Monday in a move solely designed to protect the Ricketts so creditors in Tribune Co.'s own bankruptcy case would have no claim against the sold company. Under terms of the deal, the Cubs, Wrigley Field and 25 percent of Comcast SportsNet Chicago will be placed in a limited partnership owned 95 percent by the Rickettses. Tribune Co. will retain 5 percent in the complex structure intended to reduce the sizable tax bill that would otherwise ..."
Bankruptcy filing for Cubs will help in sale
Comment
October 13
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"The Chicago Cubs filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday, a step that will allow Tribune Co. to sell the baseball team in an $845 million deal. The filing in Wilmington, Del., was anticipated and is expected to lead to a brief stay in Chapter 11 for the Cubs. A hearing was scheduled for today in front of the judge who has been handling Tribune's bankruptcy. The Cubs' filing is part of the Sam Zell-run Tribune Co.'s plans to sell the team, Wrigley Field and related properties to the family of billionaire Joe Ricketts, the founder of Omaha, Neb.-based TD Ameritrade. Tribune, which also owns the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, filed for bankruptcy protection in December, ..."
Ex-Cub Eckersley on postseason gaffes: 'It stays with you'
Comment
October 13
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"In Dennis Eckersley's illustrious Hall of Fame career, there were plenty of highlights. But there's one moment of failure that he never will be able to escape: Surrendering a game-winning home run to a gimpy Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, when the right-hander was closing games for the Oakland A's. In a postseason that has been filled with misplayed fly balls, blown saves and shoddy baserunning, there's no shortage of players feeling the same emotions experienced by Eckersley in the wake of their October gaffes. ''It stays with you until you get back out there again,'' Eckersley, the in-studio analyst for TBS, said Monday of the sudden rash of less-than-spectacular plays ..."
Cubs bankruptcy case in a league of its own
Comment
October 13
Chicago Tribune
 
"The Chicago Cubs' trip through bankruptcy court should be as quick as a 1-2-3 inning. The team, as anticipated, filed its Chapter 11 papers Monday as part of Tribune Co.'s plan to transfer control of the ballclub to the Ricketts family. The Cubs' stay in bankruptcy may last only a day; a hearing is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in a bankruptcy court in Delaware. The swift action is a novel use of the bankruptcy code, according to legal experts. "The parties who structured the sale of the Cubs and obtained the court's approval of the sale process showed a great deal of imagination and creativity in the proposal they presented to the court," John Schanne and David Stratton, bankruptcy ..."
Chandler stays neutral in Cubs battle
Comment
October 10
East Valley Tribune
 
"Chandler is not taking sides when it comes to competing bids from two neighbors, Mesa and the Gila River Indian Community, to build a new spring training baseball stadium for the Chicago Cubs, said Mayor Boyd Dunn. The important thing is not to let the team move to Florida, he said. "We have a very solid relationship with Mesa, and we have a very solid relationship with Gila River, and I'm not going to get in between," Dunn said. The Indian community's announcement Thursday that it would compete with Mesa for the team came as a surprise, Dunn said. He said he's "happy enough" to see the Cubs stay in Mesa, where the team has trained for decades. "I think the Cubs should do everything they ..."
Report: Cubs pushing Rays for Bradley-Burrell deal
Comment
October 9
Tampa Tribune
 
"The Chicago Cubs are pushing the Tampa Bay Rays to take bad-boy outfielder Milton Bradley off their hands for Pat Burrell, according to the Chicago Sun Times. The talk of a deal isn't new, but it appears the Cubs want to move quickly, possibly as one of the first official acts of new owner Tom Ricketts, whose purchase could be approved by a bankruptcy judge within weeks. The Cubs are so desperate to unload Bradley that they might pick up some of Bradley's salary for the Rays, the newspaper reported. The Rays are a primary target because they were among the teams attempting to acquire Bradley before last season. The Cubs, however, ended up signing Bradley to a three-year, $30 million free ..."
Gila River wooing Cubs for spring training
Comment
October 9
East Valley Tribune
 
"The Gila River Indian Community is making a pitch to host the Chicago Cubs for spring training, positioning itself as a rival that could woo the team away from its longtime home in Mesa. The tribe has traveled to Chicago to speak with Cubs management, which Mesa has also done in the wake of the team saying it is in the market for a new spring training facility. Mesa has tried to discourage other Arizona communities from making proposals in addition to bids that are anticipated from Florida. "It only serves to strengthen Florida's hand because it has the potential of diluting Arizona's position," Mayor Scott Smith said. The Cubs have told Mesa that the Gila tribe has made overtures, Smith ..."
Cubs announcer will broadcast Cardinals in playoffs
Comment
October 7
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"A Cubs broadcaster will be calling the Cardinals' games in the first round of the playoffs. Bob Brenly will serve as analyst on the television coverage of the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, teaming with play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton and reporter Marc Fein for the coverage on TBS. Brenly is a Chicago Cubs TV commentator and former Arizona manager. "I catch my share of grief from Cubs fans who say I'm not enough of a homer," he said, chuckling. "This is a completely different animal. … But when you get into the postseason, you play it right down the middle.""
Cubs sale finally gets MLB's OK
Comment
October 7
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"It's hard to call the timing positive after a ridiculously drawn-out, three-season process. But if Tuesday's approval of the Cubs' sale by Major League Baseball allows the process to conclude by the end of the month, as most predict, then at least the Ricketts family will have the keys to the franchise in time to be full-fledged participants in Jim Hendry's offseason fix-it plan from the start. Ownership point man Tom Ricketts already was scheduled to attend the annual organization meetings that start Nov. 2 in Arizona. But according to those who know Ricketts, don't expect the completion of the $845 million sale to mean a sudden jump in payroll from the $140 million budget the Cubs worked ..."
MLB owners approve sale of Chicago Cubs to Ricketts family
Comment
October 7
Chicago Tribune
 
"Major League Baseball owners welcomed the Ricketts family to an exclusive fraternity Tuesday, unanimously approving its proposal via conference call to become the owner of the Cubs. "The Ricketts family is honored to have received the approval of Major League Baseball owners today," said Dennis Culloton, the family's spokesman. "This is a major step forward, but the transaction is not yet complete." The change in ownership of one of baseball's most star-crossed franchises has been complicated by the bankruptcy proceedings of the Cubs' current owners, Tribune Co., parent of the Chicago Tribune. The Ricketts family still must clear one more hurdle in bankruptcy court before it can assume ..."
Ryne Sandberg won't be candidate for Cubs hitting coach job
Comment
October 6
Chicago Tribune
 
"Ryne Sandberg won't be a candidate to replace Von Joshua as Cubs hitting coach, sources said, and likely will return as manager of Double-A Tennessee. Before Joshua was fired as hitting coach Sunday and offered the same position at Triple-A Iowa, general manager Jim Hendry said Sandberg's assignment was up to farm director Oneri Fleita. Sandberg has made no secret of his desire to succeed Lou Piniella as manager in 2011. "Ryne had a Hall of Fame career here as a player," Piniella said. "I'm not the one who is going to be hiring the next manager here, but certainly he'll be in the mix." That's assuming Piniella doesn't change his mind and stay on -- if he's given that option. "I don't want ..."
Piniella: Sandberg would be 'in mix'
Comment
October 5
MLB.com
 
"Ryne Sandberg is expected to ride buses for at least another year before he has a chance to fulfill his ambition of succeeding Lou Piniella as manager of the Cubs. Piniella, whose contract expires after the 2010 season, said managing in the Minor Leagues serves as helpful, but incomplete, preparation. "One thing is, managing in the Minor Leagues gives you an insight into the game," Piniella said. "You don't really have six or seven coaches like you have up here. You've got to dwell in a lot of different areas, and at the same time, you get a chance to find out if you really like this or don't like it. But I'll tell you this: Handling young players at the Minor League level and handling ..."
All Wells that ends Wells: Rookie closes '09 in style
Comment
October 5
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Count pitcher Randy Wells among the best chapters to a sad Cubs story. Brought up in May to fill in for the injured Carlos Zambrano, Wells outperformed all but one of his rotation counterparts, capping his 12-10 season Saturday in the Cubs' 5-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Wells equaled Ted Lilly for the most victories this season, and his victories and innings pitched (165 1/3) were the most by a Cubs rookie since Kerry Wood's rookie of the year season in 1998. ''It's a game of adjustments, and you have to take your lumps when you have them and learn from them,'' he said. ''The thing I'm most happy about is the fact I was able to let a bad start go and concentrate on the next ..."
Von, goodbye: Joshua fired
Comment
October 5
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Another hitting coach took the fall for the Cubs' poor run production when Von Joshua was fired Sunday from the position he accepted June 14 after Gerald Perry was fired. Joshua, visibly upset after receiving the news after the last game of the season, declined to comment. He was offered his former job as a coach at Class AAA Iowa and is expected to accept. The rest of the coaching staff will return for what is expected to be manager Lou Piniella's last season. General manager Jim Hendry said he doesn't have a potential replacement in mind and hasn't given any thought to in-house candidates. ''I told him there wasn't anything I was upset with,'' Hendry said. ''He didn't do anything wrong. ..."
Lou pledges his best
Comment
October 5
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Some thought Cubs manager Lou Piniella wouldn't make it through the season once the team's high hopes began to slip away. Some thought he would pen his own ending by declining to return in 2010 for the final year of his contract. But Piniella not only is coming back, he is embracing next season as a personal challenge. His goal is to ''re-establish'' the Cubs as a contender for new owner Tom Ricketts, if not achieve what the organization hasn't in 101 years -- a World Series title. ''It's an important year for the organization,'' Piniella said of the coming season, when the Ricketts family takes control after 25 years of Tribune Co. ownership. ''I'll do the best job I can humanly do.'' The ..."