Weekend Quick Hits: Castro Reports, Ricketts in Mesa and More

Yesterday was a busy day as the Cubs had their first full squad workout of 2012. Believe it or not, the first Cactus League game of the season will take place a week from tomorrow!

• Tom Ricketts met with the team and with the media yesterday. There are no plans for the Cubs to play anywhere else during Wrigley Field renovations.
• The new Cubs Spring Training facility is still expected to open in 2014.
• Blake DeWitt is happy to be in Spring Training with the Cubs. He said that his plans are not effected by the fact that he is no longer on the 40-man roster. Regardless, he is trying to win a job.
• Red Sox owner John Henry said that there was a misunderstanding between the Cubs and Boston on the Theo Epstein compensation package that caused the negotiation to take so long.
• The bunt tournament is continuing today at Fitch Park. Carrie Muskat reports that Steve Clevenger is set to face Tony Campana today, while Bryan LaHair takes on Anthony Rizzo.
• Dale Sveum clarified yesterday that Bryan LaHair will be the first baseman on opening day. "It's his job, not his to lose," he said.
• Starlin Castro arrived in camp and addressed the sexual allegation charges. He seemed ready to focus on baseball, and said that he learned that you have to be careful because there are a lot of bad people in the world.
• According to the Chicago Cubs twitter, "Szczur, Cardenas, Mota, Lalli, B. Jackson, W. Castillo, Clevenger and LaHair advance" in the bunt tournament today. " Lake, Vitters, Brenly, Adduci, Ha, Sappelt, Campana and Rizzo eliminated."
• According to Carrie Muskat, Alfonso Soriano said yesterday that the Cubs will not miss Carlos Zambrano.
  

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted.

Cubs Convention Day 1: Woody Returns

The 2012 Cubs Convention kicked off early this evening at the Hilton Chicago! It is my fourth year attending the Convention and with each one comes new story lines a lots of entertainment. The Convention officially started with the Opening Ceremonies in the Grand Ballroom at 5:00 today.

Pat Hughes once again served as the master of ceremonies. He introduced Tom Ricketts, who spoke on behalf of his family and the entire organization. Then Wayne Messmer performed the National Anthem.

After that, Pat introduced Cubs players of yesteryear, minor leaguers, front office personal, coaches, broadcasters and current players one-by-one. There was a warm reception for most. Crane Kenney received the loudest boos. Tom Ricketts and Starlin Castro both received mostly cheers with some boos mixed in, while Alfonso Soriano received about half and half.

After Hughes introduced Randy Wells he waited a moment and then said the words, "We have some breaking news." At that instant 90% of the fans in the room new what was about to happen. They erupted into loud applause and started chanting "Kerry! Kerry!"

"I'd like to introduce the Cubs newest acquisition... and the name does sound familiar. Welcome back Kerry Wood!" Pat finished. The fan favorite signed a one year deal to remain with the North Siders today. Woody's introduction was a very special moment.

This year's ceremonial first pitches of the Convention were tossed out by new Cubs skipper Dale Sveum and president Theo Epstein. After the Convention wrapped up, Cubs fans went on the Autograph Treasure Hunt. Among the people signing autographs were Milt Pappas, Randy Hundley, Eric Young, Milt Pappas, Rick Monday and Jose Cardenal.

WGN Sports Night live from the Convention started at 7:00 and ran until about 9:15. Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and Tom Ricketts spent the first hour of the show chatting with David Kaplan, Brian Noonan and Andrea Darlas. The trio was very informative and all three will appear during various sessions tomorrow. Dale Sveum, Chris Bosio and Rudy Jaramillo joined the guys for a half an hour, followed by Bob Brenly and Todd Hollandswoth. The remote was rounded out by Bill Buckner from 9-9:15.

Theo Epstein supporters were all over the place today. The Cubs fans are rallying behind their new leader and are excited about his approach. Various t-shirts and signs with Theo slogans were on display today.

This year's Convention is a sell out. The event has been sold out 26 of its 27 years... the only year it did not sell out was last year.

Tomorrow will be a full day of sessions! I'll have a recap tomorrow night!

What are Cubs fans Thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving Cubs fans! I hope everyone has a great day eating, giving thanks, watching football and being with their families.

Every year here on Everything Cubs Blog, we take a look at a list of things that Cubs fans have to be thankful for. Although the Boys in Blue are coming off back-to-back losing seasons, there are still a lot of factors that make it a good time to be a Cubs fan.

• Tom Ricketts was able to bring Theo Epstein to Chicago.


• The 2012 Cubs will feature a new president, general manager and manager.


• Dale Sveum does not sound like he will put up with guys like Starlin Castro, Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano slacking. Sveum wants to crack down on Castro's defense.


• Only two months until the Cubs Convention.


• Just three months until Spring Training.


• A week from Monday is the Ron Santo Hall of Fame announcement... maybe #10 will finally make it in.


• You cannot get your Cubs fix all winter long as CSN Chicago has added a Hot Stove show covering the Cubs and White Sox on Tuesday nights.


• Baseball's Winter Meetings are just over a week away and the Cubs are poised to make some moves.


• It sounds as if Kerry Wood will return next season.


• All baseball fans can be thankful that a new CBA has been reached and that the NBA is the only sport facing a lockout.


• The Cubs have some solid prospects at the minor league level, led by Brett Jackson.


• The Cubs have one of the best play-by-play men in all of baseball, Pat Hughes.


• Matt Garza, Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney.

Once again, have a happy Thanksgiving Cubs fans!!!

Breaking News: Hendry Out As Cubs GM

Tom Ricketts and the Chicago Cubs have announced today that Jim Hendry has been fired as the general manager of the team. Hendry started his career with the Cubs in 1995.

Hendry met with the team and coaching staff this morning and just finished a meeting with the media to make the annoucement. Randy Bush has been named the interim GM.

From Ricketts: It is time for a fresh approach for the organization and the search for a new GM will begin immidietly.

Hendry knew for about a month that his time on the North Side was coming to an end. Tom informed him of the bad news on July 22. He focused on making moves at the deadline and signing draft picks anyway. Jim said in his press conference that he has nothing against the Ricketts family. "We just didn't win enough games," he said. Jim told his two kids last night. He has been preparing them for awhile by telling him that most people in that bussiness end up losing their jobs.

He also said that he did not make more moves before the trading deadline because he had already lost his job. He wanted to leave those decisions up to Ricketts and the new GM. Bruce Miles tweeted that there was no mention of Crane Kenney in Hendry's fairewell. Jim talked at length about Randy Bush, Oneri Fleita and Tim Wilken, among others. The fact that he would lose his job in a week did not change the "Zambrano situation" for Jim.

My Take: While is probably was time for a change, I am still very sad to see Hendry go. I hold the players responsible for underperforming, not the general manager for signing the players. Hendry went for "it" in 2007 and 2008. He knew that guys like Soriano and Ramirez would not be as productive by the end of their contracts, but had the Cubs won a ring that would not have mattered. I met Jim in person several times and he was an extremely nice man. He was always very loyal, firing no manager and just one coach (Gerald Perry) in his 10 years as GM. I will miss Jim Hendry.

Notes from Cubs Camp

Position players are in camp and we are set for the first full squad workout! Here is the latest from Spring Training!

• Carrie Muskat reports that Kosuke Fukudome has arrived. The only players who have not been seen in camp yet are Aramis Ramirez, Starlin Castro, Lou Montanez and Alfonso Soriano.
• Mike Quade will have a team meeting with his players today at 11:30 central time.
• Ron Santo Day in Mesa will be March 10 when the Cubs play the Indians at HoHoKam Park.
• Kosuke, Blake DeWitt and Jeff Baker are the three leading candidates to lead-off this season.
• Mike Quade was impressed by Welington Castillo last September. He will give the young catcher a long look this spring.
• Roberto Coello, who came over in a trade with the Red Sox, has already thrown a side session.
• The Cubs new spring facility is not expected to be ready until 2014.
• Quade says that the team will probably break camp with 12 pitchers.
• Bruce Miles is impressed by young RHP Trey McNutt, one of the top pitchers in the Cubs system.
• Carlos Pena is not ready to talk about becoming a free agent at the end of the season, according to a report from Bruce Levine.
• Tom Ricketts is expected to be in camp today. He will meet with the media tomorrow.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always! Much more to come this weekend!

Welcome Back Kerry Wood

Paul Sullivan was on Chicago Tribune Live on Thursday after the signing was announced. Here is what he had to say.

• Wood could have gotten more money from the White Sox or Yankees, but he wanted to return to the Cubs.
• Sullivan didn't expect Kerry to be in the Cubs price range.
• The two sides got together at Ron Santo's funeral.
• Injuries are always a concern with him. He missed the first few weeks last season.
• Sullivan thinks we are starting to see baseball players consider factors besides money. One of his kids goes to school in Chicago, his wife has family here and they just wanted to make this their home.
• Playing for the Cubs always made Kerry happy. Paul wouldn't be surprised if he retires a Cub now.
• If Kerry has a good season, he could be a multi-year deal for next season.
• Zambrano's agent told Sully at the winter meetings that Z will not waive his no-trade clause.

The newest member of the Chicago Cubs joined David Kaplan and company on CTL on Friday:

• Wood called Chicago home. It is where the family belongs and where he wants to be.
• Kerry has been in the city for the last 13 years and it is a perfect fit for him.
• He pointed out that he went to the postseason four of his ten seasons on the North Side.
• Woody thinks when there are no expectations it makes it a little easier for the young guys to get the job done.
• He thinks that the team can sneak up and surprise some people.
• "Mike Quade's great. He's a great baseball guy and a great baseball man."
• Kerry believes that the Reds have talent, but they are beatable. The division is up for grabs.
• He spent some time on the phone with Kenny Williams talking about the possibility of going to the White. It just didn't seem like the right fit for him.

Here are the notes from the press conference to welcome Kerry back yesterday at Wrigley:

• "What a great day for the Chicago Cubs," Jim Hendry said.
• Jim and Kerry did not feel like it was right for them to end and part ways. The two men had not discussed this over the past few years.
• "God bless #10, who in his own way had something to do with this," Hendry said, referring to the fact that this agreement was first talked about at Ron Santo's funeral.
• Tom Ricketts has always expressed the fact that he wants to do what's best for Cubs players and ex-Cubs players. Kerry has made it no secret that he wants to be a Cub for life.
• Woody said that he has always wanted to spend the rest of end of his career with the Cubs. This situation "kind of popped up on him."
• Kerry reiterated that it has never been about the money for him. This is a perfect situation for his family. He feels like he belongs here for many years to come.
• Wood's body feels great and he has developed his cutter. He plans on helping the Cubs get the ball to Carlos Marmol.
• He doesn't think this would have come up if it weren't for Ron Santo's funeral.
• "I'm just going to do my thing. I'm going to just go out there and get outs and hope the guys (in the bullpen) can see the way I go about my business."
• Wood hasn't discussed how long he plans on pitching before he ends his career. He plans on being around whenever his career is over.

Todd Hollandsworth joined Rosenbloom & Grote to talk about Woody and more:

• The Cubs got a really good reliever for a really good price. Hollandsorth called this signing "a gift under the tree" for Jim Hendry.
• Todd doesn't know if Andrew Cashner is ready to be a starter just yet.
• For different players and different pitchers, the amount of time it takes to adjust and learn how to pitch in the bigs every fifth day. There is no doubt that he has the stuff to do it.
• Holly thinks that the 2011 ballclub will be a competitive team. They have a shot to compete in the NL Central.
• Rudy Jaramillo and Mark Riggins will play large roles on this ballclub.
• It is hard to gauge how this team will do, but the whole division is like that. Last year's Reds team had a lot of players that surprised people.
• Todd is a firm believer that anyone can be traded at any time. Carlos Zambrano is a key for next season, but whether or not the team should trade him depends on what it would be getting in return.
• Kerry is definitely viewed as a guy who is a leader. He may not be the one standing up having team meetings, but he could be "the voice of the bullpen."
• The Cubs are not just trying to bring in character guys. The pieces that they have brought in are good pieces. Carlos Pena has had a strong career outside of last season.
• Pena's contract is structured in a way that it is affordable. He got his contract for this year based on his career as a whole, not the 2010 season.
• Holly thinks Mike Quade will be a good manager for the Chicago Cubs. I believes that the key to this team is going to be the fact that there aren't high expectations.
• The way that this team may finally win it all when they start out slow, hang in the weeds, don't have a lot of expectations and then all the sudden get hot down the stretch.
• Todd "absolutely wants to be a candidate to sit next to Pat Hughes on the radio broadcasts. He has "thrown his hat into the arena" but knows that there is no replacing Ron Santo.
• Hollandsworth called Ronnie a guy "who was there for everyone". If we could all live the way Ronnie did, this would be a better world.

Welcome home #34!!! I'll keep you posted.

It's All Over

The last day of the Major League Baseball season is always a sad one. Especially when it ends in early October for the Cubs. Especially when you're capping off a year as bad as this one. Especially when the payroll is expected to drop this winter.

However, there is still a reason to keep an eye on the Chicago Cubs. There is still a reason to hope. The Cubs finished strong. Today's 4-0 loss to the Astros was sour, but they still went 5-2 on the final road trip of the season. They went 24-13 in the 37 games under Mike Quade.

The Astros win today put them in fourth place in the NL Central. The Cubs dropped to fifth with a final record of 75-87. There are a lot of questions to be answered this winter.

Here's the latest from the final weekend of the 2010 season:

• The biggest question going around, "Will Mike Quade return as the Cubs full-time skipper in 2010?" Tom Ricketts and Jim Hendry were asked today, "When do you plan to have a manager in place?"
• Quade told Carrie Muskat that he feel good about his chance to return.
• Cubs legend Ron Santo will be honored in Mesa, Arizona next Saturday. Ron will have another shot at the Hall of Fame in December.
• Bob Melvin was interviewed for the manager's job by Jim Hendry on Saturday in Houston according to the report from the Sun Times.
• Carlos Zambrano wants to Cubs to go after Adam Dunn.
• Speaking of Big Z, Jim Hendry has announced that the big right hander will stay with the Cubs next season.
• Ken Rosenthal thinks that if the Cubs wait for Joe Girardi to finish his season to name their manager, they will be taking a risk. Many other candidates may have moved on by that time.
• CSN Chicago reports that Rudy Jaramillo plans to honor his contract as the Cubs hitting coach no matter who the team's manager is.
• While there is no time table for the search for a new manager, Jim Hendry expects to narrow it down in the next couple weeks.
• Tom Ricketts said on the WGN Radio broadcast today that the new manager will be in place by mid-November.
• Paul Sullivan reports that Jim Hendry was pleased with Kosuke's season. Hendry said that Kosuke did a much better job. He does not believe the team over-evaluated the right fielder.
• Carlos Marmol, Geovany Soto, and Sean Marshall are all arbitration eligible. They will all be due big raises once again.
• Xavier Nady is the only Cub set to become a free agent. Aramis Ramirez will take his player option for 2011.

Opening Day is at Wrigley on April 1 against the Pirates! I'll keep you posted on all the rumors and news... the best time to blog on the Cubs is during the winter!

Go Cubs Go!

All Star Break Roundup: Rumors, TV Schedule, The Futures Game, and More

Before we get into all of the Cubs rumors going around today, let's start with the All-Star festivities!

Yesterday, the XM Radio All-Star Futures Game took place at Angel Stadium! The U.S. team beat the World 9-1 took even the all time series at 6-6. Two Cubs prospects took part in the game. Brett Jackson was on the winning U.S. team. Jackson struck out in his first at bat and walked in his only other trip to the plate. Right after drawing the base on balls, he was picked-off first base by the catcher. Jackson started in center field and then moved over to right in the second inning.

Hak-Ju Lee came off the bench to play the second half of the game at shortstop for the World team. Lee is a 19 year old who is playing for the Peoria Chiefs. He popped out to short in his first AB before drilling a sharp single to left in the 8th. Hak-Ju had a fun week playing at Wrigley Field on Wednesday and Angel Stadium on Saturday. However, he had a rough time in the field in Sunday's Futures Game, making two mistakes at short (1 ruled a hit, the other ruled an error).

For those of you that don't know, here's the full schedule of the MLB-All Star Break on TV. All times are CDT.

Tonight:
Now-7:00 MLB All-Star Batting Practice, MLB Network
6-7 Base Tonight All-Star Edition, ESPN
7-9 MLB Home Run Derby 2010 Live from Angel Stadium, ESPN
7-9 Classic MLB All-Star Games, MLB Network
Southern League All-Star Game 7:30 radio broadcast on MiLB.com
**Game includes Cubs farm hands Blake Lalli, Robinson Chirinos, Steve Clevenger, Tony Campana, Ryan Butcher, and Luke Sommer
9-10 Taco Bell Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (recorded Sunday), ESPN
9-10 MLB Tonight: All-Star Team, MLB Network

Tuesday:
Noon-3 1975 All-Star Game, MLB Network
3-4 MLB All-Star Red Carpet, MLB Network
4-6:30 MLB All-Star Batting Practice, MLBN
5-7 Sports Center at the All-Star Game, ESPN
7:00 MLB All-Star Game, FOX
10-12 Sports Center at the All-Star Game, ESPN

Wednesday:
12-3 1990 All-Star Game @Wrigley, MLBN
5-6 Plays of the First Half, MLBN
6-9 Triple-A All-Star Game PCL VS IL, MLBN
** Includes Iowa Cubs Darwin Barney and Thomas Diamond

Now for the Cubs rumors going around today:

• Tom Ricketts has given Jim Hendry to vote of confidence, but when asked about his GM's job security the Cubs owner said, "I support him, I think he does a great job, and after that we'll just take it one day at a time."
• Ricketts told Carrie Muskat that he's having a great time in his first year as the owner despite the team's struggles.
• MLB Trade Rumors reports that the Rays has some interest in Ted Lilly, who could fit the Tigers and Twins as well.
• Lou Piniella's agent Alan Nero says that Lou will definitely finish out this season but he isn't sure about Piniella's future behind this season.
• Derrek Lee will not ask to be traded to a contender. He plans to finish out the year with the Cubs.
• Josh Thole is one of the names that the Mets could send the other way in a Ted Lilly trade according to WGN Radio's Geoge Ofman.
• Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan write that we should count out the Reds in the Lilly sweepstakes. They add that a Giants scout was at Wrigley last week to see Tom Gorzelanny.
• Andrew Cashner gained some respect in the clubhouse by hitting Blake DeWitt with a pitch on his first throw of the 8th inning last night against the Dodgers.
• Lou was not happy about the umpiring crew this weekend according to Bruce Levine.
• Jeff Baker, Mike Fontenot, and Ryan Theriot are all being shopped. At least one of them is expected to be traded by the deadline.
• Xavier Nady is drawing interest from the Rangers according to Levine.
• Bruce also says that the Colorado Rockies now have interest in Theriot, but the Tigers interest has cooled.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always!

Rumor Mill Friday: Lilly on the Market?

With the Major League Baseball trade deadline looming three weeks from tomorrow, it's time for MLB general managers to get busy with attempts to either a) improve their club's chances of winning this year or b) improve their club's chances of winning in the future. Chips are starting to fall with the trade of Cliff Lee to Texas today. How active with Jim Hendry be at the deadline?

The Cubs are finally ready to start making some deals according to a report from the Tribune yesterday. The Ricketts family is ready to address the media soon to talk about what direction the team will go in. If the club continues to struggle before the deadline, their is no doubt that they will be sellers.

Since the New York Mets lost out on Cliff Lee, they will turn to another lefty in the Cubs Ted Lilly. Jon Heyman also says the Mets like Ted, but he tweets that the Cubs have yet to make Lilly available. Heyman adds that Lilly's velocity is down. Several reports have indicated that the Cubs could try to swing a deal now to ship Lilly out for prospects and then try and sign the lefty when he hits free agency this winter. Could The Bulldog's last start as a Cub be tonight in L.A.?

Ken Davidoff agrees with the folks at the Tribune that the Cubs are getting more serious about trades. He also tweets that the Mets like the idea of taking on Lilly's contract instead of giving up more prospects.

Here are some other interesting Cub-related bits:

• Andrew Baggardly wrote awhile back that the Giants have interest in Ryan Theriot, but now the organization has not had any talks about adding The Riot so far.
• Lou Piniella does not plan on leaving the Cubs before the end of the season, but told Paul Sullivan that the Cubs gig will be his last managing job.
• ESPN.com says that Joe Torre could be interested in taking over as the Cubs manager next season.
• Lou says that the Cubs will most likely be sellers at the deadline.
• The Yankees have signed Chad Tracy to a minor league deal. Chad was released by the Cubs in late June after being DFA'd a week prior.
• In another former Cub note, Sean Gallagher will return to the NL Central. He was traded to the Pirates from San Diego with cash going the other way today.
• There is still no timetable on Carlos Zambrano's return to the pitching staff.
• The Cubs made a roster move earlier in the week calling up Mitch Atkins for bullpen help and placing Brian Schlitter on the 15-day DL.

Here is the full list of Cubs that could be on the trade market:

• Ted Lilly
• Kosuke Fukudome
• Ryan Theriot
• Mike Fontenot
• Jeff Baker
• Xavier Nady
• Derrek Lee

It should be an interesting three weeks! I'll keep you posted.

Jim Hendry on Waddle & Silvy

Jim Hendry checked in to talk Cubs on ESPN 1000 today:

• Before Bradley, the Cubs always went after good chemistry guys. The didn't do something totally different this offseason by getting Millar and Byrd, it was more "back to the norm".
• Offensively Milton was the right guy. If he would have hit like he normally did the first couple of months, a lot of the problems would not have occur.
• Hendy said that Bradley got off to a bad start and then it got away from him.
• Jim thinks the Cubs are much better than they were last year. They need a lot of guys to get on track, and Rudy Jaramillo should help with that. The Cubs didn't need a lot of new bodies, they just need guys to come back and play like they did in '07 and '08.
• Having veterans on the bench and in the bullpen is important (hence the Millar and Tracy adds).
• The Cubs are still looking to make another move before or during camp. They need a veteran guy in the 'pen.
• The guys coming in on Non Roster Invites have a good chance to compete for spots.
• The Cubs did like Jermaine Dye. Hendy spoke to Dye and his agent. Jermaine and Nady were two of the Cubs options for 4th outfielder.
• The team is done adding position players. If they make any more moves, it will be to sign pitchers.
• The Ricketts family has given Jim a fair budget.
• More good, young players are coming, and it's time for guys like Marshall, Samardzija, and Marmol to get more of a chance to have bigger roles.
• Hendy thinks that the Ricketts will be great owners for the city of Chicago long after his tenure with the Cubs.
• Alfonso is a good guy, a good teammate, he wants to win, and he does care when he doesn't do well. Having Rudy with him should help him find out what he needs to do to get back on track. The Cubs will be happy if he hits .270-.275 and 30+ home runs.
• Sori's speed game will never return because of the injuries, but he should be able to avoid the long slumps this year.
• The Cubs do not do the promoting for their own prospects. The organization is not looking to over-hype Starlin Castro. He is a very talented guy who has a chance to play well on both sides of the ball. "He'll let us know when he's ready."
• The team has settled 36 arbitration cases in a row, but if it end up going to a trial, that's just part of the business. Neither side likes it, but it is what it is.
• Ted Lilly had a very minor procedure. The Cubs have never been worried about it. If he's 100% the first week of the season, he'll pitch then. If not, they won't rush him. The first few weeks you have some off days, therefore do not need five starters.

Paul Sullivan joined the Danny Mac Show on 670 the Score yesterday:

• The Cubs are going to open up the bottom of the bleachers in the area underneath the cat walk in right field. That will be opened up before the game for corporate events. During the game, it will be open to fans with flat screen TVs, beverage stands, ect.
• They have already begun constructing this at Wrigley.
• The Cubs are looking to get people to stay in the ballpark to spend money after the games, instead of going to the bars and restaurants to spend their money before and after games.
• Sullivan thinks it's worrisome that Wrigley is using many ideas that the Red Sox are using for Fenway Park.
• Sully doesn't like the idea of advertising in the left field bleachers.
• He would like to see the Cubs come up with their own ideas instead of copying everything off of Boston.
• Ricketts is into statistical thinking, but Jim Hendy is definitely old school and loves scouting first.

That's it for now!

A Letter from Tom Ricketts

I plan on having more updates later, but we'll start today's posting off by continued our Cubs Convention coverage with the letter from Tom Ricketts, the new chairman of the Chicago Cubs, which was printed in this year's handbook/guide to the 25th annual Cubs Convention.

Dear Cubs Convention Attendees:

On behalf of the Ricketts family and the entire Chicago Cubs organization, welcome to the 25th annual Cubs Convention. It has been a whirlwind three years for our family and the Cubs as we became stewards of our beloved team and treasured ballpark. As we look ahead to the 2010 season and beyond, we are excited about what is in store for our franchise.

Our goal is simple... to win, and to win consistently. As Cubs fans, we all strive a championship. We plan to work hard everyday to reach the top, to be the best team and strongest organization in all of baseball. We also understand, as all Cubs fans do, the unique magic of Wrigley Field. We look forward to preserving that magic and doing whatever we can to improve the overall experience of seeing a Cubs game at The Friendly Confines. Welcome your observations and encourage raised expectations.

This year's Convention marks and incredible milestone... 25 year of Cubs fans coming out in the middle of winter to celebrate and show their love for the Chicago Cubs. We have a great weekend planned with some of your favorite current and former players in attendance and several exciting new features in store for your. Proceeds from the convention benefit Cubs Care, a fund of the McCormick Foundation, and we are extremely proud of the work we do along with the McCormick Foundation to help give back to our community.

Thank you for your dedication to this franchise. Once again in 2009, the Chicago Cubs drew more than three million fans. We are the only Chicago professional sports team to ever reach three million in attendance and are one of only five teams in Major League Baseball to have reach that mark in each of the last six seasons. This is a remarkable accomplishment and reinforces what we already knew: Cubs fans are the best fans in all of baseball!

We are excited about all that lies ahead and we truly appreciate your continued support. Go Cubs!

Sincerely,

Tom Ricketts
Chairman

More Convention stuff as well as other Cubs notes in the next few days.

Quick Hits as the Winter Meetings Approach

Let's catch up on the latest from the Cubs from the past few days-

• The Cubs did not offer arbitration to Kevin Gregg, Rich Harden, Reed Johnson, or Chad Fox. If any of these guys sign with a different team, the Cubs will not receive any draft picks.
• The Cubs could still re-sign Reed Johnson, but if they offered him arbitration, they'd risk him getting a big raise.
• Each member of the Cub received $8,261.97 in compensation for finishing second place in the NL Central.
• Progress is slow on the Milton Bradley front. Jon Heyman has tossed out the Rays, Giants, Royals, and Padres as "still possible" places for Milton.
• Talks of the Milton Bradley for Pat Burrel swap are still alive. According to the New York Post the trade is a "strong possibility". (Thanks to MLBTR for this one).
• According to Jon Paul Morosi, The Cubs are serious about Curtis Granderson, but they have made it known that they won't give up Marmol or Castro. Andrew Cashner and Josh Vitter could be sent to the Tigers in return for Curtis.
• Danny Rodrigez, who is pitching in winter ball, is expected to sign with the Cubs soon.
• Bruce Miles doesn't think that Milton Bradley will be traded by the Winter Meetings, but maybe at the meetings, which start next Monday.
• The Cubs are one team interested in Rafael Betancourt. He was offered arbitration yesterday, so now if the Cubs were to sign him it would cost them their #49 pick.
• The Cubs may look at Vicente Padilla or Jarrod Washburn as options for the rotation according to ESPN via Chicago Cubs Online.
• Ricketts met with the governor of Florida to talk about Spring Training in Naples.
• If the Cubs do move to Florida, Crane Kenney says that the Cubs would likely move their Class A Daytona team to the new Spring Training stadium.
• MLB Players would like to see 7 game division series.
• Carrie Muskat says trading Milton Bradley, and finding a center fielder are the priorities for the Cubs, who will focus on trades (not FA signings) at the Baseball's Winter Meetings next week.
• MLB.com's Q&A with Jeff Stevens

The stove is started to heat up, and with the Winter Meetings Mon.-Wed. next week, it is just going to get more fun! So, that's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!

Cubs Roundup: Talkin' Baseball, Hall of Fame Voting, and More

HOF Ballot

The Major League baseball Hall of Fame ballot is out for 2010! Andre Dawson is on the ballot for the 9th time. Lee Smith is also back on the ballot. Cubs bench coach Allan Trammell, former Cub Fred McGriff, and former Cub Eric Karros are up for voting as well. Dawson received 67% last year, just short of the needed 75%. Results will be announced Wednesday January 6.

Cubs Searching for Outfield Help

According to FOXSpots.com, the Cubs will kick of their search for a center fielder once Milton Bradley is traded. A left handed hitter would work best, so a deal for Curtis Granderson will be explored. Other guys out there include Coco Crisp, Scott Podsednik, and Rick Ankiel. Right handed center fielders available include Marlon Byrd, who played for Rudy Jaramillo with Texas, and Mike Cameron. Jim Hendry is not as concerned with the "left-right" issue as he was last year. The Cubs need a good hitter, no matter which hand he hits with.

Bruce Levine and Jonathan Hood had Talkin' Baseball on ESPN 1000 today. Here's the Cubs Notes:

• In an ideal world, Chone Figgins is the lead off man for either the Cubs or White Sox, but right now there's no payroll flexibility for either team.
• For the Cubs, you're going to be hearing more about Hendry making trades, not signing free agents.
• Wally Heyward, who is the new Chief of Sales and Marketing, had been instrumental in the 2016 Chicago Olympic bid. Bruce Levine went out on a limb and said that marketing guys are the second most important person in the front office.
• The way teams structure their payroll is based on projections from the sales and marketing department.
• The Cubs are taking to different sponsors about adding them on the plywood that they put in front of the Horseshoe Casino. Budlight could become a sponsor in that area.
• If doing advertising on the sign stands out like a sour thumb, they won't do advertising their.
• If the sign that goes up there blocks the roof top view, their could be some controversy with them. The Roof Top Owners pay the Cubs a certain percentage of their earnings.
• The best matchup for Milton Bradly is still the Tampa Bay Rays. When Hendry get Pat Burrell back from the Rays, they have no place to put him because of Soriano. So Jim must then find a team interested in Burrell.
• The Texas Rangers are "out of the question" as a suitor for Bradley. There's no matchup with Toronto. The Mets are a better fit, but there's some question there too.
• The Cubs whole offseason is dedicated to getting better. They cannot just give Milton Bradley away and pay his whole contract.
• The best trade would be with the Mets because Luis Castillo actually works on this team. However, the money matchup is not good with the Mets.
• Bruce thinks the Cubs need another bullpen guy. The Cubs are most likely looking for a right hander.
• Jeff Samardzija is ticketed to fight for the 5th starter's spot. 2010 is a huge year for Samardzija.
• Starlin Castro is the guy in the organization that Levine is looking forward to seeing more of.
• Rick Ankiel is a possibility for the Cubs. He might fit what the Cubs are looking for.
• The Twins are interested in Rich Harden. The Cubs could have traded him to the Twins in July, but the Cubs felt that they were still in it. They could have gotten a prospect or two back for him, but Jim didn't want it.
• The Boston Red Sox are also in the hunt for Harden.
• Roy Halladay to the Cubs would be an almost impossible deal to make.
• Levine thinks this should be Andre Dawons's year.
• McGriff could be the all time leader in home runs for guys not in the Hall.
• Lee Smith should "absolutely" be in the HOF.
• Trammell should have made many more All Star games if it weren't for Cal Ripken.
• The last day to offer your players arbitration is this Wednesday. If the Cubs don't offer Harden and/or Gregg arb., they will not get any compensation (draft picks) if those players sign with other teams.

Jeff Samardzija of the Cubs joined Levine and Hood:

• Jeff thought the time in Mexico went great. He learned to get used to the country and had a lot of fun.
• He worked on establishing his fastball and throwing the curveball.
• It was nice for Samardzija to end the season with 5 solid starts.
• The last few years have been a great experience for him, but he sees himself as a starter. That's what he wants to do, that's what he's going to do, and he wants to learn as much as possible.
• Whether you're the favorites or not, you have to go out and play hard everyday for 162 games.

Ricketts on Monsters in the Morning

Tom Ricketts was on Comcast Sports Net yesterday:

• Most of the major changes will be with the triangle building.
• The clubhouse will be a better place for the players next year.
• When the players come back they will notice that there is a better situation for them.
• There are a lot of little things that Ricketts will try to do to make improvements to Wrigley.
• Tom plans to put together a 4-5 year plan to make improvement to Wrigley.
• He thinks having more space to work with would be good, but it has not been discussed.
• They would like to have more option of places to bring a family in the area, not more bars.
• Laura Ricketts is going to be very active in the community relations area.
• The family had a very, very normal childhood. Most of the money Ricketts' dad has made was in the last few years.
• Tom says the Cubs should embrace some of the good things from the past. There's a lot of really positive history in the organization. Anything associated with a curse needs to be forgotten.
• There will be not billy goats at Wrigley Field, because there is no curse and no need for it.
• The Cubs would like to do more of bringing back greats from their past.
• Tom doesn't think the Cubs gave Andre Dawson enough support.
• He would like to see the Cubs take more walks.
• Ricketts thinks it's important to be a fan of the sports if you want to own a sports team.
• It is a business, but you get more back then just a financial return.
• His favorite all time Cubs include Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson.
• He is not focused on who will replace Lou in 2011 if Piniella does leave.
• The family knows that there is no "one player who puts you over the edge".
• The Cubs are going to invest more on player development.
• Letting the GM have flexibility to make mid-season trades is the key.

Sully & Kap Talk Cubs

David Kaplan and Paul Sullivan briefly chatted about the Cubs on Chicago Tribune Live yesterday:

• Nothing is going on with the Cubbies.
• Neither Matt Holliday nor Roy Halladay is coming to the Cubs.
• Granderson- who knows?
• Sully doesn't see the Cubs doing a whole lot until Bradley is gone.
• Sullivan has heard that the Cubs could eat as much as $17-18MM, but the Cubs are saying they will pay no more than half the money left on Bradley's contract.
• There's no scenario where Bradley comes back.
• The two team he mentioned were, once again, Tampa & Texas.

Spring Training Update

Carrie Muskat tells us via her blog that some members of the Ricketts family will travel to Naples, Fla., next week to look at possible Spring Training sites. Mesa Mayor Scott Smith says the city should know within a few weeks whether the Cubs are going to keep their Spring Training facility in Arizona.

Infield Update

MLB Daily Dish says that the Cubs could look to add a free agent shortstop like Orlando Cabrera. If they sign a guy like Cabrera to a one year deal, they could move Theriot to second base, where he would learn the position by platooning with Baker. Starlin Castro could be called up some time next season, but the Cubs are not going to rush him. If the Cubs do not make a free agent signing or trade, then Jeff Baker, Mike Fontenot, Andres Blanco, Aaron Miles, Bobby Scales, and Darwin Barney will be in the infield mix along with Theriot in Spring Training.

That's all for now, it should be a fun month of December!