Agony & Ivy

Pujols Right Guy for Cubs

I wish Chicago Sun-Times columnist Joe Cowley would stick to telling White Sox general manager Ken Williams how to do his job.

In Thursday's Sun-Times, Cowley, a former longtime White Sox beat writer, advised Cubs fans to not get their hopes up in regards to the North Siders signing St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols. He suggested that any Cubs fan who dares dream of Pujols donning a Cubs uniform in 2012 should "pick up the nearest stapler and punch it into your chest to help snap you back to reality."

Welcome, Doug Davis!

Remember how Jim Hendry and the rest of the Cubs front office would always downplay the extent of the injuries suffered by Mark Prior and Kerry Wood?

A Contrarian View of the NL Central

I remember fondly throughout my childhood the February day in which my father would bring home a stack of baseball preview magazines.

I would devour those things and have continued the practice into adulthood. All of that reading material has helped me get through those final few weeks without baseball, but I learned long ago that such publications should not be believed as gospel.

Adios, Carlos Silva

And don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out the door.

Kudos to the Cubs organization for making the right decision in naming Andrew Cashner the team's No. 5 starter and releasing Carlos Silva.

Time for Cubs to Walk the Walk

When spring training opened last month, Cubs manager Mike Quade let it be known that there would be open competition for a large percentage of the spots on his team's Opening Day roster.

Only 32 Days Until Opening Day

The snow has melted, the days are getting noticeably longer, and the Cubs are playing spring training games in Arizona.

Garza Trade Good for Cubs

The acquisition of pitcher Matt Garza by the Cubs, along with two minor leaguers, from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for five prospects - that include right-handed pitcher Chris Archer, outfielders Brandon Guyer and Sam Fuld, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee, and catcher Robinson Chirinos - is a brilliant and gutsy move by general manager Jim Hendry.

Welcome Home, Woody

All sentiments aside, the signing of pitcher Kerry Wood on Friday to a one-year, $1.5 million contract was an astute move by Cubs general manager Jim Hendry.

Glass is Half-Empty, Glass is Half-Full

Consider me among those who has been underwhelmed by the Cubs' offseason activity up to this point, but it seems that every piece of less-than-exciting news has been surrounded by a silver lining.

Rothschild Yankees Bound; How About Maddux as Successor?

It was a surprise to learn Friday that longtime pitching coach Larry Rothschild has left the Cubs after accepting the same position with the New York Yankees.

102 Years and Counting... Why Us?

My grandfather turned 90 earlier this year.

Pops is no saint, but I have always been struck by his ability to make friends. It's a testament to his talent for relating to others that a week does not go by when somebody in our neighborhood asks me how he's doing or tells me a story about a good time they had with him.

But the fact that he has been a Cubs fan since at least the 1930s has to be penance for something. The man has been subjected to more bad baseball in his lifetime than anybody else I know and has not even enjoyed the experience of watching his favorite team play in the World Series since 1938. He was serving in the Pacific while the Cubs participated in the 1945 Fall Classic.

"Wait 'til next year!" my late grandmother would mutter whenever she'd hear a Cubs fan speak those words. "It's always wait 'til next year with those Cubs!"

Cubs Player Rankings

The improved play the Cubs demonstrated under interim manager Mike Quade during the season's final weeks (a 24-13 record) was encouraging but it doesn't change the fact that the 2010 season was an unmitigated disaster.

Cubs Make Right Call with Quade

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry made the right call Tuesday in announcing that Mike Quade would manage the team in 2011.

Building a Winner is Not a Zero-Sum Game

Much of the debate regarding how the Cubs should go about building a winner has centered on whether the team should "play the kids" or pursue a quicker fix.

Hendry Memoirs Would Be a Real Page Turner

According to the Tribune's Paul Sullivan, a fake press release was inserted with the game day media notes in the Miller Park press box Friday describing a fictional book authored by Jim Hendry.

Cubs Should Follow Winds and Change Approach

"When you play with the Cubs, it's like playing with heavy shoes on."

Girardi's Still Trying To Focus on Managing the Yankees

Joe Girardi, I assume, is in complete agreement with Deadspin's David Matthews that much of the talk so far regarding who the next Cubs manager is going to be has been wild speculation.

The Inside Story Behind Lou's Early Departure

According to sources close to The Cub Factor.

Ole!

Bob Brenly did not pull any punches after Derrek Lee smashed a three-run double to the right of Aramis Ramirez and inside the third-base line in the eighth inning of Sunday's Cubs debacle at Wrigley Field. Lee's first hit as a member of the Braves gave Atlanta a 13-3 lead.

End of the Road for Uncle Lou

The Cubs announced that Lou Piniella will step down following Sunday's game against the Atlanta Braves because of family reasons.