Crosstown Showdown- Broadcaster Style

With the Crosstown Series Part II between the Cubs and White Sox set to start tomorrow, I beg the question: Which team has the better broadcasters?

For all three games this weekend the White Sox radio team will be on 670 The Score and the Cubs radio team on WGN-720, so if you are in your car you will have to pick between the two. On Saturday you'll be stuck with FOX-TV if you're at home, but on Friday the Sox TV guys will be on CSN and Cubs on WGN, and Sunday it will be the opposite on TV.

Now I know this is a Cubs blog, so most of us are going to the favor the North Siders when I ask this question. But let us really think about it.

TV Play-by-Play
Ken "Hawk" Harrelson is as big of a homer as they come. If you aren't a White Sox fan, chance are you cannot stand the guy. If you are a Sox supporter, you probably love yelling "You can put it on the board... YES!" along with Hawk. He is very entertaining, but I would rather have colorful color analyst than a colorful play-by-play guy. Len Kasper has grown on me since he took over in the Cubs booth in 2005. He does a good job of letting Bob do his job and building the excitement went necessary.
Point: Len Kasper

Radio Play-by-Play
Pat Hughes is one of the best in the business. He is very fair, has a great voice and has a way of making every game seem exciting. In addition, his sense of humor is unique and hilarious. I miss the magic that occurred in the booth for 15 years when Pat was teamed up with Ron Santo. I haven't heard much of Ed Farmer, but I do know that he's no Pat Hughes.
Point: Pat Hughes

TV Color Commentary
Steve Stone and Bob Brenly both have great baseball minds. They are both very insigthful. I believe that BB is easier to listen to and sounds more natural on the air. However, due to Stoney's popularity on the North Side while working with Harry Caray, I believe that most Chicago fans would take Steve over Bob. Just to be fair we'll give this one to the Sox.
Point: Steve Stone

Radio Color Commentary
Keith Moreland was faced with the difficult assignment of having to fill the shoes of Ron Santo this year. Keith is a great guy and provides some insight into the WGN booth, but it is simply not the same as having Ronnie on the air. His mispronunciations and southern accent are my only complaints. When Pat takes his fifth inning break, I wish Judd Sirott would do the play-by-play and Keith would continue doing color, but they have it the other way around. Darrin Jackson, who played for both the Cubs and White Sox, was very popular when he was on TV with Hawk but unfortunately was demoted to the radio booth. I've always liked DJ.
Point: Darrin Jackson

CSN Pre/Post
Everyone love when Dan Plesac did the pregame and postgame shows for Comcast Sports Net, but Holly has stepped in and done just as good of a job. I like having David Kaplan with Holly this year. I find Bill Melton a bit on the boring side for the White Sox pre and post.
Point: Todd Hollandswoth

All and all I think that all eight broadcasters that we have in Chicago are very good. The only one who I do not care for is Hawk, but if he was a Cubs guy that might be different. Thoughts?

Quick Hits Before the Holidays: Searching for Pat's Partner, Kap's New Show, The Cubs Convention & More

Here's the latest Cubs news and notes:

• Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune says that the field for the Cubs radio analyst is wide open. Former Cubs are preferred but others will be considered.
• The search for Pat's new partner will be a joint effort between the radio station and the Cubs.
• Lou Piniella has no plans of going back into broadcasting. Another guy unlikely to take over for Santo is ex-Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone, who is now with the White Sox.
• Click here for a breakdown of candidates and be sure to vote on our new poll on the right sidebar.
• Pat Hughes' input will be considered but he will not have the final say. The station is hoping to have a decision by the Cubs Convention next month.
• Speaking of the Cubs Convention, a partial list of attendees has already been released. Kerry Wood will make his return while Carlos Pena is welcomed to the Cubs.
• Mike Quade will be there for his first Convention as the skipper and Aramis Ramirez is scheduled to make his first visit to the midwinter gathering.
• Other guys expected to return include Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Marmol, Starlin Castro, Tyler Colvin and Marlon Byrd.
• Chris Archer, Jay Jackson, DJ LeMahieu and Chris Carpenter will all attend and take part in the minor league session on Sunday.
• The 2011 Cubs Caravan luncheon is set for Jan. 12. Mike Quade, Andrew Cashner, Koyie Hill, Sean Marshall, Randy Wells and James Russell will all be at the luncheon, which is emceed by Len Kasper.
• WGN Radio's weeknight sports show will return to the airwaves tonight. Sports Central received the boot last April, but now David Kaplan returns with "Sports Night" when the Hawks and Cubs don't play. The show will be three full hours (7:00-10:00 CT).
• Len Kasper will be one of the rotating cast of co-hosts, a group which also includes Glen Kozlowski, David Haugh, Brian Noonan, Dave Eanet and Phil Rogers. The show will focus on the Hawks, Cubs and Northwestern since they all play their games on WGN-720. Jim Hendry and Mike Quade will be frequent guests on the program.
• The Cubs signed former Astros farmhand Polin Trinidad, a left handed pitcher.
• The team is still looking for pitching. They are still in the mix for Brandon Webb and Matt Garza.
• Pat Hughes was given a five year contract extension by WGN Radio through 2015.
• David Kaplan recently inked a new contract with Comcast Sports Net that includes hosting duties on the Cubs pre- and postgame shows.

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

Weekend Roundup: There's Trouble Brewing on the North Side

Are the Cubs Getting Along?
Bleed Cubbie Blue, a usually reliable Cubs fan site ran by Al Yellon, reported yesterday that the Cubs are having major problems in the clubhouse. A "trusted" commenter on the site told Al that the Latin players, led by Ramirez and Zambrano, have separated themselves from the rest of the clubhouse. BCB also reported that Aramis Ramirez has totally shut down. They said that Rami refuses to practice and barley wanted to take the field for games.

Bruce Miles, a beat writer who actually sees what happens in the clubhouse everyday, gave his take on the clubhouse in the comments on his blog. "It's never fun after losses, but it's not a "bad" clubhouse by any stretch. Dempster, Lilly, Soriano and Byrd are all pretty good guys from a leadership or accountability standpoint. Soriano is always there after tough games, and he always talks. Howry and Marmol seem to be helping the young pitchers adapt."

Miles elaborated on specifically Ramirez- He took BP and fielding right up to the other day when he had to rest his hand, and he was talking in earnest with Rudy Jaramillo (contrary to other speculation). I asked another writer this question a minute ago: "Do we have a bad clubhouse here?" He said, "A bad clubhouse? What are you talking about?"

BCB is a great site, but I trust Miles and the other beat writers who are in the clubhouse on a daily basis.

Koyie's Done Losing
Last night, in an interview on Comcast Sports Net, Cubs' catcher Koyie Hill pointed out that he is fed up with the way this team is playing. Hill even went as far as to describe the Cubs as "one of the worst fundamental teams". Rarely do you see a guy rip his own club, but I like that fact that he's tired of losing. Hill is willing to step up and be honest. Soto hasn't done that poorly, but Koyie's a gamer it'd be great to see him the lineup on a daily basis.

All Isn't Well for Wells
Cubs pitcher Randy Wells appears to be suffering from the dreaded "sophomore slump". There were a few reports on various radio stations this morning that Randy was out late last night celebrating with the Chicago Blackhawks last night and was not well rested to pitch his 1:20 game today. Wells denied those reports. The Cubs righty has been struggling all year, especially in the first inning as of late. With Tom Gorzelanny pitching well in the Cubs bullpen, it could only be a mater of time before Wells and Gorzo switch roles.

Lou VS Stoney
Steve Stone started the argument between the Cubs manager and the White Sox broadcaster when he said, "Lou doesn't have a good grasp on what to do with young players," and made other comment about the way Piniella is managing this club. Today, when asked about Steve's comments, Sweet Lou fired back (to the Daily Herald) "And Steve Stone?" Piniella said. "He's got enough problems doing what he does with the White Sox. What job has he had in baseball besides talking on television or radio? What has he done? Why isn't he a farm director and bring some kids around? Why isn't he a general manager? Why hasn't he ever put the uniform on and been a pitching coach? Why hasn't he been a field manager?
"There's 30 teams out there that could use a guy's expertise like that. You know? I'm tired of some of these guys, I really am."

Steve made a joke out of the situation by saying "Lou's probably grumpy because he only went 3-11 against me with no RBIs."

That's all the controversies for today! On a final note, it was great to see Alfonso Soriano hit his 300th career homer today. Hopefully this will get him going, because when he's hot Sori can carry the club.

I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always!

Quick Hits: Piniella, Zambrano, and More

• Carlos Zambrano will eventually return to the starting rotation. Lou Piniella is going to use Zambrano in long relief instead of setup duty to start getting his arm stretched out for the time being.
• Lou is not sure how long it will take to get Z back into the rotation.
• Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports thinks that the Cubs should fire Piniella and replace him with bench coach Allan Trammell. Rosenthal writes, "It could happen. I'm guessing it will happen."
• Jim Hendry responded to Rosental's article by saying that Lou is safe for the 2010 season. He does not think the manager is at fault for the team's slow start.
• Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says that the Cubs would trade Derrek Lee if they could.
• Steve Stone said Monday on 670 The Score that the next Cubs' manager should be Joe Girardi.
• Mark Prior recently started throwing in hopes of making one last comeback, but Prior took a line drive off his pitching shoulder and is injured again.
• Another injured former Cub is Jim Edmonds, who was recently placed on the DL by the Brewers.
• Phil Rogers suggests that the Cubs take a chance on bringing Bob Howry back. Howry was released by Arizona.
• Rogers also reports that bullpen help could be on the way in the form of Jay Jackson.
• Ryne Sandberg succeeding Lou is not a sure thing according to Paul Sullivan.
• The chances are slim to none that a team would take Zambrano off the Cubs' hands.

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

Radio Recaps: Stone & Holly on 670 the Score

Steve Stone on Boers & Bernstein to talk Castro

• In the short term, Castro is a very promising young player.
• Stone saw him in the Arizona Fall League and noticed his hand-eye coordination.
• He puts a lot of "pitchers' pitches" in play.
• The one thing that baffles Steve about this is that Ryan Theriot and Castro did not work together as a double play combo in Spring Training.
• Ryan had not played second base in some time.
• The Cubs have 11 stolen bases as a team, while Juan Pierre has 15 by himself. The Cubs have a slow team. When you go to big ballparks or the wind blows in at Wrigley, you cannot win without speed.
• Barry does not think this timing makes any sense. Steve says that the Cubs didn't want to bring him up this early, but there are some things that are difficult to explain with this team.
• The Cubs continue to stock their lineup with right handed hitters.
• A five man rotation in a Major League Baseball outfield does not work.
• Sitting Colvin on the bench is not doing him a lot of good.
• With Gorzelanny throwing the ball very well, Carlos Zambrano may not have a chance to move back into the starting five.
• Randy Wells admits that he was goofing around with Geovany Soto in the bullpen before the game. Steve's question is, "Where was Larry Rothschild?"
• Losing three games to the Pirates just doesn't look good.
• Lou Piniella has only one thing in mind for the Cubs, winning games.
• Mike Fontenot and Jeff Baker do not have much value on the trade market.
• Ryan Theriot is a guy you want to keep.
• If you could move Aramis Ramirez, Stoney believes you should do so.
• The Cubs are very limited as to who they can trade and when you can trade them. They will have to eat a lot of money to dump so big players.
• A guy who can only play second is not very valuable if he is not starting (Fontenot).
• Carlos Zambrano's bat is not a factor in the decision to move him to the bullpen.

Todd Hollandsworth on the Danny Mac Show to give his take on Castro

• Todd thinks that Aramis Ramirez's problems are mental. Rami's body language is just awful right now.
• Ramirez looks defeated and unsure of himself. He is "out and around" everything at the plate, meaning that he's trying to crush the ball.
• The best action for Lou Piniella might be to sit Ramirez down for awhile.
• Todd is seeing a guy who's trying to get it all back with one swing. A couple days off to clean his head and refresh his mind might be the right thing for Ramirez.
• Mike Fontenot has been "solid enough" this season. The starting pitching has been pretty good, Soto is off to a good start, Soriano has gotten his act together, Theriot is hitting well, but they are still losing.
• Hollandsworth is looking for a "spark plug" or "lighting in a bottle". Starlin Castro could be that guy who shakes things up.
• They have a veteran team, but something is missing.
• Moving Zambrano to the 8th inning was a "wow factor".
• Todd doesn't want to put the word "critical" on any game. As a player, you have to look at everyday as an opportunity to beat the opponent.
• The Cubs are certainly not out of it, but they need a spark.
• They do not have much flexibility with their roster because they do not have a lot of guys who can be sent down to AAA.

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

More Dawson Reaction

The guys talked about Dawson on Chicago Tribune Live. Fred Mitchell called the "blank contract" good theatre for the beat writers because contract negotiations were usually behind closed doors. This made good stories for the journalists. Dawson and the Cubs finally reached a contract despite some difficulties. Andre new he wanted to play in Chicago. He loved day baseball and playing on the grass in the big city. Fred said at the time "it seemed too go to be true" for the Cubs fans when a player of Dawson's caliber played for the Cubs for $500,000. Steve Stone joined the guys to talk about the Hawk:

• Dawson epitomized what you what of a Major League Baseball player.
• He can represent your team well on and off the field.
• Stone called Andre's first year with the Cubs magnificent. It was unfortunate that the team still finished lost.
• Steve doesn't think Dawson would have done "some of the things that the players in the 90s did" even if Hawk played during that time period.
• The only thing that Rice did better than Andre was pure hitting, but every aspect of The Hawk's game was sensational.
• Fred and Steve liked the facts that Dawson did the little thing. Stoney said, "He would do everything he could to help the team win."
• In the 1989 playoffs, Andre couldn't put any weight on one leg but still played.
• "Let's hope there's a Cub cap on Andre's head when he goes in," well said by Stone.

Andre Dawson had his live press conference earlier today in New York City. Here are some notes:

• Jack O'Connell, the BBWAA treasurer, spoke highly of Dawson. He is the 109th player elected to the Hall of Fame. "Today he is second to none," he said.
• This year was the first time they had a third recount because the voting was so close.
• Jeff Idelson, the Hall of Fame president, said that one of every 100 MLB players make it to Cooperstown. The Ford C. Frick award (by the way) will be announced February 1.
• Idelson said they called Andre "the manager's dream".
• Next Jeff put Dawson's jersey and cap on him for the final time. (They were the National Baseball Hall of Fame jersey and cap).
• Dawson made the following brief remark prior to the Q&A session- "I must say that the last 24 hours have been very emotional and quite overwhelming. Upon my retirement in 1996, after 20 years of Major League Baseball, there was one other uniform I wanted to put on, and it was this one." Then he thanked the BBWAA saying that he is enthusiastic and excited beyond words.
• Once Andre had the left knee done, his right knee felt a great deal better. The announcement of what cap he would be made later in the day, according to Dawson at this time. Idelson said that the final decision will be made by the HOF, but they always consider what the player wants.
• Andre worked very hard at both offense and defense, but he is move enthusiastic about the Gold Gloves.
• "Yeah they got a pretty good deal," he said when asked about the famous blank contract.
• He wanted to play in the United States and get off the turf in Montreal. It was not about the money for Dawson, it was about his love of the game.
• Andre made the offer to two teams, Atlanta and the Cubs. The Cubs were his first choice.
• Dallas Green was shocked when Dawson took the $500,000 contract.
• If he would have stayed in Montreal, his career would have been a lot shorter. Andre was happy to get the chance to play at both Wrigley Field and Fenway Park.
• Dawson didn't like playing in the American League. He wasn't a fan of being the DH, and he realized that he better retire before someone had to carry him off the field.
• The person who had the greatest influence on his baseball career was his grandmother. She was the one who made him go to college instead of straight into the big leagues.
• Andre was a little more optimistic this year because he had no one left in front of him to hurtle, but you can't be too certain. He new that the only possible first ballot guy was Alomar and there had never been a year when nobody went in.
• Today would have been his mother's birthday. She died in 2006. Dawson thought of his mother a lot yesterday while waiting to find out whether or not he was going into the Hall. He visited her grave sight prior to getting home for "the phone call".
• Dawson is grateful that both the Expos and Cubs gave them the chance to play for them. He got his start with the Expos, but playing at Wrigley Field was "amazing" and it "rejuvenated his career". The way the Cubs fans embraced him the first year propelled him to win the MVP award.
• Andre thinks he owes the Cubs' organization a lot.
• He played in Montreal for ten years and had a wonderful time there.
• Dawson admitted that he had "a very painful career (because of his knee)". The problem started with a high school football injury. He had to take medicine "almost daily".
• The Hawk focused on his work ethic to get past the injury.
• He doesn't regret not making it the the World Series, but that's pretty much was you work for every year. He was on teams that were a player or two short of getting to that.

Len Kasper was on the Danny Mac Show today:

• Kasper called Dawson "a class act". He always acted like he had been there before, he never treated a home run like it was his first. The Hawk only had a few "blow ups" and they were understandable.
• You have to put his numbers in context with his era. He was just before the steroid era.
• Andre doing it naturally, being a great teammate, and the knee thing could have all factored in to some votes.
• Mac says "honestly as a baseball fan I don't care whether the guy is nice or not". Mac doesn't think the BBWAA writers should have given Roberto Alomar a "slap on the wrist" for the spitting an the umpire thing.
• Len doesn't think it will take anything from Dawson as a Cub if he goes in with an Expos hat on. Trying to be objective, Kasper said that he thinks The Hawk is an Expo first.
• Andre could keep the Expoes dream alive! The guys joked that they never knew that the odd looking letter on the hat was an M.
• Kasper agrees that it should be the Hall's choice. He would be surprised if it is not an Expos hat.
• Len talked more about the Len & Bob Bash for Cubs charities. This will be the fourth year of the bash. Kasper and B.B. will get up on stage, and Matt (Mac) from 670 will get up there as well. You can still get tickets to the event, which will kick off the Cubs Convention.
• The discussion turned to the Cubs offseason. Kasper thinks Marlon Byrd will play really good defense. He's not a great hitter, but he is a good hitter. If he's healthy, he'll be fine. The Cubs need help "up the middle".
• Kasper thinks chemistry comes from winning, not the other way around. The clubhouse was weird with Bradley last year, but not bad.
• When teams are bad, it's no fun to be in the clubhouse whether you love everybody or not.
• Tyler Colvin is "a forth or fifth outfielder if he's a major leaguer at this point".
• Len thinks this team can do it in 2010.
• Patience is a virtue during this offseason. There are going to be solid guys who sign minor league contracts because of the economy. Len would be shocked if Jim doesn't add a veteran type guy for cheap who can compete for the rotation. A caller motioned Ben Sheets.

Keith Moreland joined Waddle and Silvy today to talk about the Hawk and college football. We'll focus on the former of those two topics:

• At some point, Zonk thinks Lee Smith will be a Hall of Famer as well.
• Dawson really understands the game of baseball. He will steal a base when you need him too.
• Andre was the best high ball hitter that Keith has ever seen. The only one close is Albert Pujols.
• Moreland says that there's no doubt that Roberto Alomar will be in. Keith thinks it is totally wrong that 5 voters turned in their ballots completely empty.

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

More Byrd Reaction

Here the latest after the Cubs signing Marlon Byrd to a 3 year $15 million deal yesterday:

• Marlon Byrd has a good relationship with former Cub Milton Bradley calling him "a great guy".
• Byrd told the Chicago Sun-Times that the Chicago was a place he really wanted to go.
• According to Phil Rogers, Byrd is a fit with the Cubs, but he does make a right handed lineup even more right handed.
• The Chicago Tribune's poll tells us that 60% of voters are happy with the this signing.
• Carrie Muskat reports that Byrd's decision to sign with the Cubs was influenced by the fact that his hitting coach with Texas Rudy Jaramillo is now in Chicago.
• Keith Law of ESPN.com doesn't like the Byrd signing, saying that it was the latest in the series of outfield mistakes for Jim Hendry.
• Dave Cameron described Marlon as an average player.

Steve Stone joined Kaplan, Van Dyck, & Rogers to talk about the move yesterday on Chicago Tribune Live:

• Stone thinks he's a very solid center fielder.
• Byrd had a pretty good year last year offensively with Texas.
• Steve doesn't think he will bring speed or power, but he is a good guy and a solid player.
• The only problem with Marlon is that he is another right handed bat in a lineup loaded with right handed bats.
• If your team's real good, you can still win with only one left handed bat in the lineup (Kosuke).
• The Cubs "are in pretty good shape" to compete in the NL Central next year.
• If Matt Holiday stays in St. Louis, they could give the Cubs a problem next year.
• The money is not there for the Cubs to go out and get that left handed difference maker.

Next up, Cubs GM Jim Hendry joined the guys on CTL:

• Hendry said Marlon is a great teammate and a terrific guy in the clubhouse.
• Rudy has talked to Lou, Randy, and Jim since the first day Jaramillo was signed to try to get them to go after Byrd.
• Jim will leave it up to Lou where to bat Byrd in the lineup.
• There wasn't really a "big bat" center fielder available. The Cubs expect Marlon's numbers to be consistent.
• Lou is very happy that the Cubs got Byrd.
• The Cubs may still be a different club when they get to camp than they are today.
• Brett Jackson is a "fast track" guy and the Cubs are confident he is going to get to the big leagues.
• The Cubs brought Ty Colvin up sooner than they planned due to the injuries. James Adducci has a chance to be a good player as well.
• Jim says the Cubs have good outfielder coming, but they are not worried about 3 years down the road yet.
• Now that the center field thing is taken care of the Cubs will regroup.
• The Cubs would certainly like to add a bullpen arm.
• There are still a lot of good players out there, and Jim thinks they will still be there in a couple weeks.
• Hendry is still looking at someone who can hit off the bench and maybe help in the outfield against left handed pitching.
• The Cubs feel they got their defense a lot better by moving Kosuke to right field and plugging Byrd into center.

Dave Van Dyck pointed out that the Cubs have tried 6 different guys to replace Sammy Sosa in the outfielder since Slammin' Sammy left after the 2004 season. He listed Jeremy Burnitz, Jacque Jones, Cliff Floyd, Kosuke, Milton Bradley, and Marlon Byrd. Rogers wonders what the Cubs have gotten out of the system with Byrd in center, Soriano in left, and Kosuke in right.

Paul Sullivan was on 670 the Score with Hub Arkush and Barry Rozner:

• Sully doesn't see this as a bad deal at all.
• It's hard to imagine the Cubs going in to the season with all these right handed bats in the lineup.
• Paul, Hub, and Barry made fun of the fact that Byrd said Chicago was where he wanted to go all along.
• Byrd does hit right handed pitching well.
• We've seen the Texas thing "too many times".
• Barry is a little nervous that Byrd was released by Washington before coming to Texas. He is unsure if Marlon can hit outside of Texas.
• Sullivan hopes that Byrd will turn out kind of like bringing DeRosa in from the Rangers.
• If Lou is going to keep Soriano 6th, Byrd could hit 5th.
• Right now, Theriot would be the lead off guy according to Paul, followed in the lineup by Fukudome, Lee, and Ramirez. So 5th or 6th is the "likely spot" for Marlon.
• The Cubs have a place down in the Dominican where Aramis and Alfonso are already working out.
• Surgery was not necessary for Aramis Ramirez.
• The Cubs do keep track of there players workouts by sending guys around to world in the offseason.
• Barry is surprised the Aramis didn't have surgery. Sully says Ramirez didn't want to get the surgery, he just wanted to rehab his arm. Rozner "guarantees" that the shoulder will dislocated again since it was not surgically repaired.
• Sullivan called the Marlon Byrd signing an OK move. He thinks Mike Cameron would have been a better fit.

Other Cub notes:

• Jim Hendry fully expects Carlos Zambrano to return next season.
• Carrie Muskat says "Will new ownership make a difference" is the number 1 question going into 2010.
• Carrie lists her favorite 10 Cub games of the decade.
• She posted on her blog that she sees the Opening Day lineup looking like this: Fukudome, Theriot, Lee, Ramirez, Byrd, Soriano, Soto, Fontenot. It's interested how Stone, Sullivan, and Muskat all think Byrd will be hitting fifth, I expected him lower in the order.
• Bruce Levine says Marlon will hit between 5th and 7th.
• The Chicago Tribune took a look at the best Chicago games of the decade.

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

Breaking News: Cubs Sign Marlon Byrd (Updated)

On the one year anniversary of the day the Cubs traded Mark DeRosa to the Indians, Jim Hendry makes his biggest move of the offseason (so far) once again. The Cubs have inked Marlon Byrd to a 3 year $15 million dollar deal according to Cubs.com.

Byrd will be reunited with Rudy Jaramillo, who was his hitting coach in Texas. The Cubs plan to move Kosuke Fukudome to right field and plug Byrd in center.

Here is the official press release.

According to Bruce Levine, the Cubs are still looking to add a 4th outfielder and a bullpen arm. They are looking at Ryan Spillborghs for that backup outfielder's role, and the Cubs have talked with the Blue Jays about bullpen pitchers. Levine mentioned Jason Frasor as one guy on the Cubs' radar.

Jim Hendry said the Cubs "explored every avenue" as far as center field. Hendry said that this move really helps "our overall defensive situation".

Gordon Wittenmyer tweets that Byrd's contract is backloaded, just $3M on '10 payroll, plus 5.5 in '11 and 6.5 in 2012.

Steve Stone was on 670 the Score to talk about the move:

• Stoney called this move "former Ranger part 3". Jim is batting .500 with former Rangers (Mark DeRosa work out well, Milton Bradley did not).
• The Cubs still have a problem when you take a look at their team because they still don't have left handed difference makers.
• The team still doesn't have a real lead-off hitter. Ryan Theriot could be a decent lead-off man if he goes back to his old solid hitting without trying to drive the ball.
• Steve is not sure if the lineup fits together particularly well, but it could be enough to win the NL Central if the Cardinals don't bring Matt Holliday back.
• Stone thinks Jim has done some great things like the trades for Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee. Bringing in Ted Lilly, and bringing in DeRosa were both great moves.
• Now it's going to be a question of "Can you win without spending much money?"
• St. Louis is the only team in the division that Steve thinks can compete with the Cubs.
• The Cubs have not developed position players, and that's why they have to go out and spend so much money on guys like Bradley, Soriano, and Kosuke.
• Steve thinks Rudy Jaramillo can do wonders, calling him the "unsung Dave Duncan of the hitting world". The things that he cannot bring with him are the temperatures, the lineup, and the hitters ballpark.

More info on Byrd:

• Outfielder
• Bats and Throws Right handed
• Drafted by the Phillies in the 10th round of the 1999 draft
• MLB Debut for Phillies on Sept. 8, 2002
• Has played for Phillies ('02-'05), Nationals ('05-'06), and Rangers ('07-'09).
• Batted .283 with .329 OBP and .808 OBS in 2009 for Texas. He hit 20 homers and had 89 RBIs.
• Career .279 hitter with .329 OBP in his 8 seasons.
• Can play all three outfield positions.
• 32 years old

Updated 3pm CT

Phil Rogers joined the Danny Mac Show on 670 today:

• Marlon Byrd was described as "middle aged".
• Rogers thinks this makes sense because the Cubs were very patient with seeing what happened elsewhere.
• Phil doesn't think the Cubs were that crazy about Marlon Byrd. If they were crazy about him, they'd have had this deal done a few weeks back.
• 1-2 years would have been better for the Cubs, 3 is "taking a big risk".
• Jim Hendry is throwing money at a problem once again to try to fix it.
• He strikes out too much, he doesn't hit for much of an average, but he does play good defense.
• Dan and Mac think the Cubs are moving to quickly once again.
• There are lots of similarities between Byrd and Bradley. Both guys are older, the Cubs were the first team to give both of them a multi-year deal, both strike out a lot, both even have the same initials "M.B.". They were both resurrected in Texas under Jaramillo.
• Rogers thinks Rudy could be a difference maker.
• Byrd is not a very good base runner, so he will fit in with the Cubs.
• Phil agrees that Theriot is the best lead-off man spot.
• The Cubs are increasing the load on Theriot because they spent this money on someone who cannot lead-off.
• The guys don't understand why Jim hurried to sign Byrd, but Phil thinks the Cubs have been patient, but they weren't excited by any other options.
• Rogers guesses that there was another team that moved in on Marlon to trigger this.
• It will be interesting to see how the Cubs operate the next 2-3 years.
• The last 2-3 years under the Tribune "it was like nobody was watching the cash register."
• A Cub fan could be disappointing that a new ownership hasn't done much yet.
• If Rogers could make a few moves to improve this clubs, he would like to rip a few years off the calender to give this team more flexibility. The number 1 thing he would do at any cost is to dump Carlos Zambrano.

More later...

Radio Recaps: Johnson, Holly, and Stoney

Reed Johnson was on 670 the Score with Mully and Hanley. Here's what he had to say:

• Reed says that the beard is still going strong, but it could be trimmed soon.
• Johnson has been working out with Aaron Rowand with the Giants, getting up at 4:30 AM to work out!
• He prepares himself to play everyday. He doesn't sit there and whine and pout about being apart of a platoon.
• Johnson is still waiting for a chance to start on a daily bases.
• Reed thinks that luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
• It sounds like he is fighting hard to get a starting job for the Cubs.
• It took awhile for Reed to get past the playoffs series. "It is something all of us still think about." "I think the experience was good for us."
• Johnson says it would be unfair to say that the players weren't as crushed as the fans that the Cubs were swept out of the playoffs.
• Reed thinks the Cubs are a better team that they were last year as far as experience and talent.
• He says the Cubs felt like they were finished after they lost Game 1 of the LA series. He says the Cubs need to realize that it's a 5 game series.
• The Cubs need to find a way to "stay hot" rolling into the playoffs in 2009.

Steve Stone talked Chicago baseball with Waddle and Silvy on ESPN 1000. Recap:

• The DeRosa trade baffles Steve.
• Jeff Stevens has a chance to make it in the bullpen this year.
• Stone doesn't think Bako is a better back-up catcher than Henry. (I totally agree.)
• Steve points out that Bradley is not one of the best run producers around.
• The rotations is strong.
• He doesn't think that Marmol will have any problems in the 9th.
• Stoney says the questions are; What do you do with Samardzija?, What do you do with Heilman?, and What do you do with Marshall?

Todd Hollandsworth also joined Waddle and Silvy:

• Todd hopes to fill Dan's shoes or even do a little better in his role as pre-game show analyst.
• Hollandsworth says that he will not be wearing Dan's train hat.
• He says in all sports the playoffs are a different animal all together. The season starts over and anything can happen.
• Jim Hendry wanted to go out and shuffle the deck a little bit this off season.
• Todd says that this team is not built around Milton Bradley. He is just being added to a good core to put it over the top.
• The team will miss Mark DeRosa's intangibles.
• Todd expects Kosuke to improve. He hopes he was able to improve his swing. He wants to see him stay back on his back leg.
• He think the key to the team is Kosuke Fukudome.
• Todd points out that Milton and DeRosa's numbers are very similar.

Cubs talk on the Radio...

Steve Stone was on 670 the score today to talk about the Bradley signing with Dan Hampton and Laurence Holmes. Recap:

• Stoney says that Bradley's 2 best years were when he was mostly just a DH.
• He also points out that Bradley has been on the DL 8 times. He doesn't think Milton will hold up because he will have to play in the field and play in cold weather at the start of the year.
• Steve says that Milton's been with 7 teams for a reason.
• He said to keep in mind that he hit 68 points higher in Texas than he did on the road last year.
• Bradley had never been a run producer.
• He hits better from the right side.
• The guys mentioned that they are concerned about the Cubs clubhouse with guys like Bradley, Soriano, and Zambrano.
• Stone says winning cures everything in the clubhouse.
• He reports that the Peavy situation is still hanging out there.
• Steve takes a look at the guys the Cubs got in the DeRosa trade and says Archer could be a 4th or 5th starter somewhere down the road, Gaub is a left who throws hard but has had a lot of shoulder issues. Stevens will be the guy who could move into the 7th inning role.
• Steve thinks Samardzija will go down to AAA for some work and some starts to start the year.
• Steve thinks the Cubs will have a double digit lead in the division in the middle of the season and then tons of teams will want to trade with them in July before the deadline and the Cubs can give up less for a guy to help them down the stretch and into October.
• Holmes doesn't think that the Cubs have strong defense at the middle infield positions with Fontenot, Miles, and Theriot.
• Stone would much rater have DeRosa on the field at second than Miles.
• He thinks the Cubs will miss DeRosa's leadership and flexibility as well as his bat.

Rangers beat writer Richard Durrett was also on the Hamp and Holmes show. Recap:

• Durrett says the Cubs are getting a guy who works hard and treats his job very seriously.
• Richard was surprised that Bradley got a 3 year deal.
• Durrett thinks that Bradley has learned a lesson from some of his experiences.
• Richard says that the Royals broadcaster was saying thing about him and his emotions got the best of him. He says getting emotional is part of his personality. He thinks that the Royal broadcaster situation got overblown.
• Durrett says he would put Milton on his team.
• Durrett says that he only did interviews for the paper every once in awhile and he doesn't trust people in the media. He thinks if Bradley talked more the fans would like him more.
• Hamp mentioned that Dusty Baker went to dinner with Milton 3-4 years ago and Baker came out of the dinner saying that he didn't want Bradley on his team.
• Durrett says Bradley is a better man now but he thinks he will have some kind of incident in Chicago.
• Richard said that Ron Washington was a good fit as Bradley's manager.

Victor Rojas, former voice of the Rangers, now of the MLB Network, joined Mike Murphy on his show on 670 to talk about what Cubs fans can expect from Bradley.

• Murph asked what the Cubs fans will see from Milton Bradley this year.
• Rojas says he's never seen a guy who "grinds out his at bats" like Bradley.
• Victor thinks that Bradley is best suited for right field to play on an every day basis.
• He said he has a good arm and tracks balls well.
• Victor said that guys love him in the clubhouse because he treats the other team as the enemy.
• He thinks Milton will fit in nicely in the clubhouse. He says the only questions are dollars, years, and health.

Statman John Dewan was also on Murph's show and gave the top 10 reasons why he really likes what the Cubs are doing this off season. Here they are:

1. The payroll.
2. The 3 young pitcher (from DeRosa trade)- it's always good to stock up on young pitchers.
3. The young pitchers could be added into a Jake Peavy deal.
4. Milton Bradley is not too shabby as an outfielder and says that he is an average outfielder.
5. Fukudome or Pie will be replaced with Bradley. Bradley has a much better OPS than Pie and Kosuke.
6. Wrigley Field is a better hitters park than Texas.
7. The Cubs now have 3 rightys in the starting lineup and 2 more guys coming off the bench in Gathright and Miles who can bat lefty coming off the bench.
8. Mike Fontenot- DeRosa 34 years old, Fontenot 29 years old
9. Mike Fontenot- DeRosa -8 at 2B last year, Fontenot +11 on Defense.
10. Mike Fontenot- DeRosa lower projected OPS than Fontenot.

Well that's it for now, but I'll have more Cubs Stuff later.