by Kent Sterling I’m not sure whether Chicago Cubs General Manager is an idiot, full of crap, or made an inept effort to cover for his team yesterday on Buster Olney’s podcast. Below are quotes followed by unpleasant realities: “Usually you draft starters in the draft, and a lot of the best relievers are failed […]
by Kent Sterling When the benefits of breaking the rules outweigh the penalties, corruption will prevail. That’s true in any business, and it’s why baseball continues to be mired in the seemingly endless cycle of performance enhancing drugs scandals. In simpler terms – it pays to cheat. And without an effective leader, it will continue. […]
by Kent Sterling There have been times in the nearly four years he has owned and operated the Chicago Cubs that fans and media have questioned Tom Ricketts competence. So many flaws are obvious in the onfield product that fans who filled Wrigley relentlessly for a decade are finally deciding to stay home. People said […]
by Kent Sterling “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” appears to be a phrase near and dear to the hearts of the Wrigley Field Rooftop Association. They email their literature to me on a regular basis, and appear to have misjudged my feelings toward them. The Cubs business office is run by an […]
by Kent Sterling If the home of the Chicago Cubs is in doubt, the player who will man first base for the next decade or so is not. Anthony Rizzo has signed a seven-year, $41-million extension with an additional two-year club option that could drive the value to $60-million. This deal is a slightly less […]
by Kent Sterling The commissioner of Major League Baseball will turn 80 before he mercifully retires at the end of the 2014 season. Nothing against Bud Selig, but he’s nearly a half century older than the age of the guy who should have the job. Technology is evolving every 18 months, as is the market […]
by Kent Sterling The Cubs were in trouble. President of baseball ops Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer looked at their roster, and had no idea where the Cubs would find a workhorse to eat innings. Matt Garza couldn’t be counted on because of his elbow, and free agent acquisition Scott Baker was still […]
by Kent Sterling This is the fourth straight year the Cubs have been a terrible baseball team. When people talk about the reasons for their low quality of play, a black cat at Shea Stadium and a billy goat that belonged to the Sianis family are recited. The truth is that baseball is played by […]
by Kent Sterling A first base coach can be a drinking buddy for the manager – a bobo who hits pregame fungoes and tells the baserunners on first how many outs there are. They say things like, “Make the line drive go through!” Or he can be a key component in the rebuilding of a […]
by Kent Sterling I wish Cubs owner Tom Ricketts played poker and I could get a seat at his table. Every time he plays a hand, he bluffs, and I would own the Cubs the next day. Today, at a breakfast of business owners in Chicago, he threatened to move. Cubs fans and the City […]