Phil thinks like me

I missed Phil Rogers column from Monday and wanted to comment on a few things.

It's time for general manager Jim Hendry to do what he should have done after Pettitte bolted New York to join the Astros a month ago: shake enough money out of his Tribune bosses to sign Ivan Rodriguez or Greg Maddux.

Yes he should be.

For a franchise that hasn't had back-to-back winning seasons since 1972, there has been a sense of arrogance about the Cubs and their fans since they did the unthinkable and won a playoff series. It's as if Dusty Baker just has to snap his fingers and they're right back in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, another five outs away from the World Series.

I cant agree more, I read a lot of sites and the general consensus is the Cubs are going to have a easy skip thru the tulips on the way to a division title. Forgetting that Houston only finished 1 game back with a shody injured rotation. And they added 2 dependable work horse pitchers who are capable of winning 12-15 games each on a down year. Hello, time for a wake up call.

This might be a good time to point out that St. Louis and Houston outscored the Cubs by 152 and 81 runs, respectively, last year. The Astros have certainly narrowed the pitching gap that allowed Baker to eke out a Central title. They might have eliminated it altogether.

Indeed they have. Are you listening Hendry?

Maddux is 11 wins away from 300, which increases the box-office appeal of a possible return to Wrigley Field. That could make it an easier sell to Tribune Co. Chairman Dennis FitzSimons, a ratings man.

Box Office appeal? BOX OFFICE APPEAL? Are you friggin kidding me? We are gonna sell out every damn game of the year whether Maddux pitches or not. This is why I hate the Tribune, they want to make money first, win second.

You know what Mr. FitzSimons do yourself a favor and sign no one. Why? Because putting Maddux back as a Cub for $8-$10 million isn't going to attract anymore fans to an already sold out ball park. So why pay for something you already are getting, its just more money in your pocket. And that's what its all about right?

Read the whole article.