Dropping the Ball

Have to agree with this article.

Henry Blanco.

That's all general manager Jim Hendry has been able to add to the Cubs' roster this off-season.

A reserve catcher.

Sad, but true.

Whatever plan Hendry had after the disastrous end that resulted in a third-place finish last season, it isn't working.

Remember all that talk about how players would be breaking down the Wrigley Field doors to play for Dusty Baker?

Well, Baker likely destroyed that trust on the last day of the season when he snitched on Sosa leaving early. Who wants to play for a manager who will tattle-tale on his biggest star when the heat gets turned up?

Players have broken down the door to play for Dusty. Rey Ordonez, Lenny Harris, Jose Macias, Shawn Estes, Kent Mercker, Tom Goodwin to name a few. It just that the ones that want to play for Baker just plain suck. Because they know they will get playing time with Baker and the Cubs.

And the tattle-tale part is so true. Why would any self-respecting free agent want to sign to play for Baker and when things get tough your manager starts outing everyone and what they do. That free agent is thinking, what if I have a bad year? Will Baker start ripping me apart in the media like he did with the franchise player Sosa? I don't need that kind of back stabbing.

But the deafening silence on players wanting to play for the Cubs since Baker was hired can't be ignored. We all remember those reports of how so and so was dying to play for Baker. Well where are they? But you know what I can't fault Baker and the free agent thing. The Cubs hardly ever sign good free agents. But combining Baker's poor handling of the team and the Cubs stigma of being cheap and it is double whammy in making the Cubs an attractive team to play for.

The Cubs, who didn't hesitate to raise ticket prices yet again, feel they can contend in the National League Central without changes to a team that sank like stone in last September's pressure cooker.

But hey I guess we can all agree with Tony Larussa's take on not getting Beltan...

I think [the Cubs and Astros] are strong enough. They don't need an impact player like Beltran," La Russa said Tuesday.

You know Larussa is tickled to death the Cubs didn't get Beltran. Nice to see our enemy saying we don't need Beltran. Ofcourse we don't it makes the division easier to win for the Cardinals next season! Who needs an impact player on offense? Certainly not the Cubs!