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MattClementsGoatee · 07-27-2011, 01:24 AM

January 3rd, 2011

Chicago, Illinois
After a disappointing showing in the 2010 Winter Meetings, Chicago Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry has found himself being lead to the plank on the verge of the slow walk towards a fall into the ocean of unemployment. Fans of the Cubs both in Chicago and around the nation have bombarded message boards and radio shows, calling for Hendry's dismissal. The days and weeks leading up to the commencement of December 6th (the beginning of the Winter Meetings) were filled with optimism and speculation as to which prized free-agent the Cubs would go after. Hendry failed to live up to the expectations and was immediately attacked in the media for his relucatance and eventual failure to act on any rumor.

Hendry's generally been known as an aggressive GM, going after the likes of Alfonso Soriano and Koskue Fukodome while resigning franchise staples Carlos Zambrano and Aramis Ramirez. Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, a Chicago Cubs fan since 1984, publicly supported Hendry in the days following the Winter Meetings, and up until earlier this morning, Ricketts has stated implicitly that Hendry needn't feel that his job security threatened. But after an appearance on Chicago's ESPN 1000 WMVP-AM, the tone of Rickett's support suddenly has a doubt cast upon it.

When responding to a caller's laments about Hendry's lack of action during the previous month, Ricketts responded with, "I'm just as disappointed as you are. Our financial security and reputation as a spending team gave him [Hendry] the means to go out and acquire an impact player. Our [the Cubs] failures last season should have given him the motivation. But he didn't act, and that frustrates us [the Ricketts family] and I'm well-aware of our fans' frustrations." When the host asked Ricketts what his next big move could be, Ricketts responded with a cryptic message, bordering on riddle, "I tell you what. Our next big move may not even impact the lineup, the rotation or the bullpen." Without resorting to decrypting his statement, one can reasonably assume he was talking about Chicago's front office staff.

With pitchers and catchers reporting in less than two months and the Chicago Cubs looking less and less like a contender amidst a flurry of Central teams' moves, and the media zoo that is Chicago, the upcoming weeks will play out with quite a bit of news. Stay tuned.

07-27-2011, 01:24 AM	#1
MattClementsGoatee Rookie OVR: 0 Join Date: Jul 2011	The Chicago Fire(sale) January 3rd, 2011 Chicago, Illinois After a disappointing showing in the 2010 Winter Meetings, Chicago Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry has found himself being lead to the plank on the verge of the slow walk towards a fall into the ocean of unemployment. Fans of the Cubs both in Chicago and around the nation have bombarded message boards and radio shows, calling for Hendry's dismissal. The days and weeks leading up to the commencement of December 6th (the beginning of the Winter Meetings) were filled with optimism and speculation as to which prized free-agent the Cubs would go after. Hendry failed to live up to the expectations and was immediately attacked in the media for his relucatance and eventual failure to act on any rumor. Hendry's generally been known as an aggressive GM, going after the likes of Alfonso Soriano and Koskue Fukodome while resigning franchise staples Carlos Zambrano and Aramis Ramirez. Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, a Chicago Cubs fan since 1984, publicly supported Hendry in the days following the Winter Meetings, and up until earlier this morning, Ricketts has stated implicitly that Hendry needn't feel that his job security threatened. But after an appearance on Chicago's ESPN 1000 WMVP-AM, the tone of Rickett's support suddenly has a doubt cast upon it. When responding to a caller's laments about Hendry's lack of action during the previous month, Ricketts responded with, "I'm just as disappointed as you are. Our financial security and reputation as a spending team gave him [Hendry] the means to go out and acquire an impact player. Our [the Cubs] failures last season should have given him the motivation. But he didn't act, and that frustrates us [the Ricketts family] and I'm well-aware of our fans' frustrations." When the host asked Ricketts what his next big move could be, Ricketts responded with a cryptic message, bordering on riddle, "I tell you what. Our next big move may not even impact the lineup, the rotation or the bullpen." Without resorting to decrypting his statement, one can reasonably assume he was talking about Chicago's front office staff. With pitchers and catchers reporting in less than two months and the Chicago Cubs looking less and less like a contender amidst a flurry of Central teams' moves, and the media zoo that is Chicago, the upcoming weeks will play out with quite a bit of news. Stay tuned.