The managerial search is moving into high gear for two teams and another is about to join the hunt as well. The Cubs are hot and heavy into the search now that they have their GM, former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein on board and the Red Sox have been in the hunt for some time now looking to replace Terry Francona. This week, with the resignation of Tony LaRussa, the Cardinals also join in the hunt.
The Cubs will look to interview Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin. They have also requested permission to speak to Rangers hitting coach Mike Maddux. Epstein also stated that he had spoken with his former manager in Boston, Terry Francona and if Francona were to consider coaching the Cubs, he would not require an interview. Among the other candidates the Cubs may consider are Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum, Indians coach Sandy Alomar Jr., Red Sox coach and Chicago native DeMarlo Hale, and Rays bench coach Dave Martinez. Read more... (345 words, 1 image, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)
The 2011 World Series may be in full swing, but there is still quite a bit of drama going on between the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.
But unlike the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers, the theatrics between the Red Sox and the Cubbies has been going on behind closed doors instead of on the field.
Although it was already reported nearly two weeks ago that Theo Epstein had parted ways with the Red Sox and signed a lucrative contract to become the new president of baseball operations for the Cubs, the deal isn’t going as smoothly as the Cubs would have hoped.
Now MLB commissioner Bud Selig is saying that he’ll intervene if the Red Sox and Cubs can’t agree to compensation for Theo Epstein by Nov. 1. Read more... (263 words, estimated 1:03 mins reading time)
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Red Sox and Cubs Now Have Deadline to Get Epstein Deal Done
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Boston Red Sox fans may have seen this coming, but it will still be strange once the 2011-12 season begins and Theo Epstein won’t be up in his usual press box at Fenway Park.
That’s because Epstein and the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a five-year deal worth nearly $20 million, according to sources. WEEI, which first reported an agreement between Epstein and the Cubs, said that a title has not yet been agreed upon, but it has been assumed that he will get a higher title than what he had on the Red Sox, executive vice president/general manager. Read more... (206 words, estimated 49 secs reading time)
If you were responsible for a team with one of the highest payrolls but the second-worst record in the National League, you would get the can, too.
That’s exactly what happened to Chicago Cubs general manager and vice president Jim Hendry, who was officially fired July 22, but Hendry wanted to help the team by staying on through the July 31 trading deadline.
“[Team chairman] Tom Ricketts told me July 22,” Hendry said during a news conference Friday. “He’s a very honest guy and a very classy guy. At that time, we decided it was best for me to stay on. We had a deadline coming up and a lot of draft choices that needed to be signed. I think we both felt that possibly me staying through that gave us the best chance to sign the rest of the players.” Read more... (364 words, 2 images, estimated 1:27 mins reading time)
As could be expected, pitcher Carlos Zambrano was severely disciplined by the Chicago Cubs following the incident that took place following the Cubs 10-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Friday.
Zambrano has been placed on the disqualified list and will go 30 days without pay and without contact with his team after he cleaned out his locker and told trainers and clubhouse people during the game that he was “retiring.”
This came before Big Z was ejected for throwing a pitch at Chipper Jones. Zambrano surrendered five homes runs in the game prior to his ejection.
“His actions last night are very detrimental to his teammates,” Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. “There’s not much worse than running out on your teammates and announcing your retirement.” Read more... (221 words, 2 images, estimated 53 secs reading time)
Carlos Zambrano may have thrown his last pitch as a member of the Chicago Cubs—or as a professional baseball player.
No, he hasn’t been traded and no, he hasn’t suffered a career-ending injury. Zambrano, apparently, has had enough. After Zambrano was ejected in the fifth inning of Friday’s game for nearly throwing two heaters right at Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, he not only left the field, he left the stadium. That’s right—after being ejected, Zambrano cleaned out his locker, left the visitors’ clubhouse before the game was over and told Cubs team personnel he was considering retiring, according to manager Mike Quade.
As you could imagine with how the Cubs season has gone (by the way, they lost the game to the Braves 10-4), Quade wasn’t too pleased with Zambrano’s bizarre actions. Read more... (352 words, 2 images, estimated 1:24 mins reading time)
Almost as soon as the baseball world began to beg the question as to whether or not the Pittsburgh Pirates were for real or not, they have effectively proven that they are not.
A day after getting routed by the Chicago Cubs 11-6 (a game in which the Cubs knocked out 21 hits), the Pirates failed to solve the Cubs once again, getting shutout in a 1-0 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday. After getting swept by the Cubs, the Pirates have now lost six straight games, matching a season high set from May 10-16. Pittsburgh has also lost eight of nine and 11 of 14 to fall under .500 at 54-55. Read more... (296 words, 2 images, estimated 1:11 mins reading time)
It was almost ironic (painfully so, if you are a Cardinals fan) that Albert Pujols’ 2,000th career hit would come against the Chicago Cubs, the arch rival of the Cards and the team that is reportedly first in line to give Pujols a major contract once he comes a free agent at the end of the season.
But on Friday he was still a Card, which is what he has been his entire career.
It was an eighth-inning double down the third-base line off Carlos Marmol that capped a 2-for-5 night and drove in a run in a 9-2 victory for the Cardinals. Pujols stood at second base and waved his helmet in appreciation of the standing ovation by 42,042 fans at Busch Stadium after recording his 2,000th hit. Read more... (279 words, 2 images, estimated 1:07 mins reading time)
The Cleveland Indians may have lost out on the Carlos Beltran sweepstakes, but that doesn’t mean their throwing the tall in their season. Or did they?
On Thursday, the Indians traded two prospects to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Kosuke Fukudome.
Not exactly a guy who has put up Beltran-like numbers over the past few seasons.
Fukudome is batting .273 with three home runs and 13 RBIs. In three-plus seasons with the Cubs, he batted .262 and never really developed into the player that the Cubs had hoped for.
Fortunately, the Indians didn’t have to give up much by sending minor league outfielder Abner Abreu and right-handed pitcher Carlton Smith to the Cubs. Read more... (255 words, 2 images, estimated 1:01 mins reading time)
“Greatness all over; I don’t know how Albert does it.”
Neither do we, Tony, neither do we.
That was the response from Cardinals manager Tony La Russa when asked about the performance of Albert Pujols during the Cards weekend series against the Chicago Cubs.
Pujols crushed the Cubs with back-to-back walk-off homers over the weekend, first with a solo shot in the 12th of Saturday’s game, then with a towering 446-foot shot in the 10th inning of Sunday’s game against Rodrigo Lopez. Pujols became the 11th major leaguer to hit game-ending homers in consecutive games. The last player to achieve that feat was when Albert Belle did it for Cleveland against Toronto in 1995. Read more... (375 words, 2 images, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)
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Pujols Blasts Another Walk-Off Shot Against Cubs; Zambrano Steamed
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