1914 - Baseball declares that all stadiums must have a green, blank centerfield wall known as "the batter's eye."  This is not to be confused with the actual batter's eye which has an eyeball.1942 - Cubs sign the Parker Brothers (Emil and Leon) to a minor league contact.  Granted, they never made the majors, but hey, that's Life Hungry Hungry Hippos.1964 - A retired Bob Lemon attempts to break into the childrens' book market.  His first (and last) attempt, "Amerigo Vespucci and the Cheese Monkeys

Okay, maybe this is a little late since Hendry managed to sign Milton Bradley yesterday and will probably be able to get rid of Marquis today(?)got rid of Marquis today. But here is my letter (click to enlarge) to Mr. Hendry via Burger King's Angy-Gram website. To watch an Angry Whopper read the letter, follow the link below.http://www.angry-gram.com/index.php?hash=rqsrqgdfrqwbfffqswrrrfcwccbhgsGo Cubs!

As we mentioned earlier today, the Chicago Cubs could be close to being officially sold. Meanwhile, one man who many fans and players favored for the team was Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who's bid took a hit with the announcement last fall he was being investigated by the S.E.C. for insider trading. Today, Cuban took to his blog to discuss the Cubs, his proposal, the obstacles to his bid, and the credit crisis. An excerpt is below, but you can check out the whole thing here. My sense of th

Jim Hendry has been suddenly busy this offseason, as today he finally shipped Jason Marquis to the Colorado Rockies for Luis Vizcaino (thanks to Jon for the tip). There’s no link, but the Cubs e-mailed out a press release. Vizcaino is crap, and the Cubs have plenty of starters, so this is a [...]

Bauman: Cubs made right move

Chicago’s pursuit began in secret at the GM meetings and concluded with a three-year, $30 million deal.

Cubs finalize Marquis-Vizcaino swap

Shitty O’Kea’s, as Dolan affectionately calls it, has become the traditional gathering place on the Friday night of the Cubs Convention for all of you anti-social mutants to make your yearly journey outside of your dank apartments. Since there might be four of you who read HJE and not Desipio who might not know [...]

Just as the nation prepares to swear in a new president, the Chicago Cubs could learn the identity of their new owner by the time Obama sets up his personal radio in the Oval Office. Or, the Tribune Company might just pull the team off the market altogether. Such is the process of selling a major sports franchise. A "source" tells the Trib that the winning bidder could be announced within the next seven to ten days. However, the Cubs may not be sold at all. Another "source" "cautioned that the pr

After months of silence about the Chicago Cubs, Mark Cuban said he's backed off his pursuit of the team, confirming what baseball sources have previously told the Chicago Tribune.

Mark Cuban, on his personal blog commented today on his experience in the bidding process to buy the Cubs. He reveals and answers some obvious questions but it seems his tactics may still be unfolding. Cuban requested an extension to continue working on valuation and funding possibilities to close this deal in his favor. He says [...]

I'm sorry. I don't care about the ivy, or the history, or wrigleyville or any of that. The cubs are a mediocre team, no matter how many times you make the playoffs and get swept right out. All Jim…

(Crain’s) – Mark Cuban wrote on a blog Tuesday that the credit crisis and faltering economy forced him to drop out of the bidding for the Chicago Cubs, but he’s still interested if team owner Tribune Co. doesn’t settle on a buyer soon. Mr. Cuban, who was among five finalists to buy ...

For you gentle souls who are concerned about this angry man joining the Chicago Cubs ...... please permit me to remind you about who else plays on the Chicago Cubs and what they have been up to the last few years (only current Cubs employees are eligible).

Two reports out say the Cubs have added some protection in Milton Bradley's contract, which apparently will be announced this week. First the Sun-Times:... his new contract is believed to contain language that protects the team on the back end of the deal if Bradley misses significant playing time on the front end.And Bruce Levine, via ACB:Updated - 9:46pm C.T. - Bruce Levine just reported on XM Radio with Joe Casellano that the third year on Bradley’s contract is not guaranteed. The third year i

It's going to happen. There's going to be a hot weekend day, maybe in early August, the Cubs will be losing big in the 8th inning and a long day of drinking will light a fuse....

The Cubs on Monday announced that they had reached an agreement with outfielder Milton Bradley on a three year, $30 million deal. Did the Cubs make a bold move toward addressing the need for an upgrade in right field and a left-handed bat (Bradley's a switch hitter)? Or will the team be "Sorry"? We haven't a "Clue."Bradley had a career year with the Texas Rangers in 2008, batting .321 with 22 homers and 77 RBIs. His .436 on-base percentage led the American League. But $30 million is a lot to

Fare thee wellMr. Miles examines Hendry's lefty obsessionFrom the Daily Herald:--Bradley is a switch hitter who led the AL in OBP and OPS last year. Cubs people made sure to stress the OBP thing with me, knowing full well I've been their harshest critic on that stat for a few years. Hendry's heart was in the right place on that count with Kosuke Fukudome last year, and despite his horrid second half, Fukudome wound up with a .359 OBP after flirting with .400 early in the year. --Fukudome bats lef

The Chicago Cubs and free agent Milton Bradley reached a preliminary agreement Monday on a $30 million, three-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The deal is subject to a physical scheduled for Thursday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been finalized.

The Chicago Cubs and free agent Milton Bradley have reached a preliminary agreement on a $30 million, three-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The deal is subject to a physical scheduled for Thursday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been finalized.

Ken Davidoff delivers a new and exciting statistical analysis of a player's worth that is only slightly less useful than the landmark Phil Rogers plus-minus system.It involves health and happiness and the remarkably simple measures of "yes" and "no," but it only seems to apply to players with nine-figure deals. Here's how Davidoff describes it:In honor of the recently arrived new year, let's use two measures of evaluation for these players: Health, and Happiness. "Health" will cover actual health

The Chicago Cubs apparently have found a left-handed bat to augment their lineup.

Tribune Co. close to Cubs decision

I'm covering territory already looked at by Goat Reader Harry Caray and Goat Rider Colin* but I just can't help myself.  At the end of March, Lou and Jim are going to have some decisions to make as the Cubs are looking exceptionally deep right now in almost all facets.  Let's take a look at how things might look (with players who are on the bubble in italics)(*in my defense, I wrote this last night before bed, which means that technically speaking, in a roundabout way, I sort of beat Colin to the

The Cubs have signed Milton Bradley to a reported 3-year 30MM deal with some bonus possibilities. The Cubs believe he is the left-handed (technically switch hitter, I know) bat that will solve their playoff offensive woes. I, however, couldn’t disagree more. The Cubs said they were seeking a lefty power bat and, well, Bradley is not that. Bradley is the switch hitting version of Mark DeRosa, which is not bad, but it is not the kind of bat that will draw fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers.

Tribune Co. could announce winner in week to 10 days Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Cubs , is close to selecting a winning bid for the team from three finalists, according to people familiar with the sales talks.

Tribune Co. could announce winner in week to 10 days Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Cubs , is close to selecting a winning bid for the team from three finalists, according to people familiar with the sales talks.

Sources tell the Tribune that the Tribune could be close to selling the Cubs. Or maybe not:Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Cubs, is close to selecting a winning bid for the team from three finalists, according to people familiar with the sales talks.The Chicago-based media conglomerate has been evaluating bids since the beginning of December and could make a decision within a week to 10 days, sources said. But one source cautioned that the process of narrowing the auction to one bidder could st

Melissa Isaacson seems to think the signing of Milton Bradley will turn the Cubs clubhouse into "one big festering cancer." She bases this on ... well, nothing anybody who has played with Bradley has ever said.So, what if Bradley turns the Cubs clubhouse into "Real World: Wrigleyville"? Does it matter in the least? A team that featured Sammy Sosa, Sammy Sosa's boom box, Kenny Lofton, Kyle Farnsworth and Mark Prior got to within five outs of the World Series.I don't care if they get along, so long

Subway used this entire jar of Pepper Rings to Put on My SandwichHey subway. What's the deal with only putting like 2 pickle slices on my sub and then 10 million slices of banana peppers? And this is after I specifically requested, "Just a little bit of banana peppers." And thank you for reading my mind about how much mustard I wanted as well. I really didn't want to taste anything else on my sandwich. I hate you Subway. At least I got my Dance Dance Revolution Valkyrie Action Armband I needed.

Well it looks official now, Milton Bradley is the newest Chicago Cubs. Jim Hendry feels that he found his left handed right fielder it appears as Bradley and the Cubs have agreed on a three-year contract that will be worth $30 million dollars. I found it pretty interesting that their possible is a claus in the contract that if Bradley gets hurt, the Cubs will not owe him the full contract if the injury is severe. Sounds like a good deal to have in place as Bradley always seems to get hurt.Bradley

And like that, the Cubs are done upgrading in the field - although it remains debatable as to whether or not the team actually upgraded (and I'll have a post on that tomorrow, probably).As HC pointed out in the Reader's Blogs, the Cubs now have an overflowing roster, but in theory they still have a couple of moves to make.  First and foremost, Jim Hendry will probably make one more attempt to acquire Jake Peavy.  He also just might go after another lefty reliever assuming he doesn't want to burde

The Cubs agreed to a three-year deal with Milton Bradley....

The Chicago Tribune’s Hardball blog is reporting the Cubs have all but finalized a 3-year, $30mil deal to make Milton Bradley a Chicago Cub.  Bradley needs to pass a physical, which is routine, but I wonder if there is a psychological profile being conducted as well?  If not, perhaps WGN radio’s “Mr. Fix-It” Lou Manfrendini [...]

The Cubs are close to a deal with Milton Bradley. No, not this one. This one. Although the latter has been known to be "trouble." Get it, Trouble?...

Dare we wish for a Chicago Cubs season with a happy ending? The Cubs open their spring training against the Dodgers on Ash Wednesday, February 25. Tickets go on sale...

The dust around him isn't from sliding into home, it's from whaling on all the pregnant women in the standsmlbtraderumors.com: According to ESPN Radio's Bruce Levine, the Cubs signed Milton Bradley to a three-year, $30MM contract "with some options in the deal."  Ken Rosenthal has a similar story, noting that the two sides have to "work through language issues."   Bradley, 31 in April, had a monster .321/.436/.563 line this year for the Rangers, but he spent only 165 innings in the field.  This i

The Cubs long search for Sammy Sosa's replacement brings us Milton Bradley to play right field for the Cubs in 2009. That's six in six years, for those keeping track at home:

The Cubs have apparently signed (GUESS WHO?) Milton Bradley to a three-year, $30M deal with the Cubs. I guess you could say the Cubs really sank the Nationals’ BATTLESHIP, after nearly getting caught up in a bidding CROSSFIRE for Bradley’s services. The Cubs’ STRATEGO for 2009 is to have Bradley play right field. [...]

It appears that your 2009 Cubs lineup is, as follows:CF  Johnson/FookySS  The Riot3B  Clutchy McClutchersonRF  Life!  by Milton BradleyLF  Sori (I dropped that fly ball, I'll do better next time)1B DPLeeC  Rookie-of-the-year2B Icanseefor MilesP  Pitcher du-jourLet's go get 'em!!!

The Cubs signed Milton Bradley to a 3 year, $30MM deal today after the Rays settled their deal for Pat Burrell.Two gigantic, "let's hope the glass knees don't break for three years" thumbs up on this one. Bradley's good at baseball.

Our wonderful radio listening audience heard Bruce Levine of ESPN1000 reporting that the Milton Bradley signing is about to become official. Three years and $30M sounds like the damage, which seems a bit expensive with the Rays about to sign Pat Burrell for two years and $16M total. I'll chime in later with a thorough analysis, but adding the AL OPS leader, even if a bit of a fluke, is never going to hurt your team. That is unless Bradley kills a racist Bleacher Bum, then things might go bad. UP

A newspaper out of Tampa reports that Bradley's contract with the Cubs will be formally announced later this week. The general response to this news is one of celebration and brow-wiping by the Goat Riders (who feared that Dunn would get his Wrigley Field wish) while Al Yellon is gently shaking with rage because the Cubs chose talent over character. But hey, when they have the Character Guy World Series, while Bradley would lose, we can take comfort in knowing that he will pummel the winner.UPDAT

1920 - (Direct quote from www.nationalpastime.com in italics) Red Sox owner Harry Frazee defends selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees for cash by calling his former player "one of the most selfish and inconsiderate men ever to put on a baseball uniform". What they never realized was, homers win more games than unselfishness each and every day....except for tuesdays.  Tuesday is the day of the scrappy white guy.1920-2000 *no history occurs*2001 - Cardinals sign Bobby Bonilla, Bernard Gilkey, John Mabr

As per young Kurt this morning: (with his question boiled down to its simplest version)"Without Bradley and/or Dunn, would you agree that the Cubs should be favored to win the NL Central and reach the playoffs?"This assumes the following:Bradley and Dunn are our only two available choices to play our Vacant Corner Outfield Position DuJour - currently regarded to be Right Field.That you, the gentle reader, are going to answer Yes, to complete the rest of Kurt's premise.I think both are presumptuou

Each of these ideas, in my opinion, would be a better use of $10M than signing Milton Bradley to a 3 yr $30M deal: 1.) Finish the Peavy deal2.) Sign Bobby Abreu (RF)3.) Sign Adam Dunn (RF)4.) Sign Derek Lowe (SP)5.) Sign Oliver Perez & either Joe Beimel or Juan Cruz (SP & RP)6.) Sign Orlando Hudson (2B)7.) Make a trade for Brian Roberts (2B)8.) Make a trade for Michael Young (SS)9.) Use the money to sign some of the team's current players to longer deals10.) Hold onto the money until the trade de

The rest of the world might have been on holidays the last few weeks, but general managar Jim Hendry was busy shuffling the deck chairs on the Cubbie Titanic. Things happened at a rather fast and furious pace last week, so let's revisit with a more in-depth look. What you may have missed while in your drunken egg nog stupor... Cubs Sign GathrightGranted, this was before the holiday break, but it's not like I can let a Cubs move go without commenting. Gathright, as we all know by now, can jump o

While we wait to find out if Milton Bradley'll actually be a Cub, some Goat Readers have been debating his value compared with, say, Adam Dunn.?? I don't really have time to dive into it right now, but I will point out something that Colin pointed out a few weeks back (Colin, forgive me if I am distorting your argument).Basically, let's say that Milton Bradley lives up to his type and plays in 110 games next year, while Adam Dunn stays healthy and plays in 150.Counting runs not scored because of

Carrie sighting Well team, there's no new news or commentary today. Luckily for us, Care Bear has decided to write something anyway. From Cubs.com:When he announced the end-of-the-year deals, Hendry indicated there's more to come. "We'll be adding some more people before we get to Spring Training," Hendry said. "We feel confident we'll put a better club on the field by the time Opening Day starts than we had last year. Sometimes, you have to move dollars to add dollars in other areas. It's a tran

Kap talks with Mark DeRosa about being traded from the Cubs.

And this will be the last post hawking our shizz probably until March when everybody will really be Cub crazy.?? Anyway, in the ShoutBox Goat Reader John says "damn you and your prices!!" To which we reply "no, damn Cafe Press!"?? However, I hear what John is saying - things can be a little pricey on Cafe Press.?? Therefore, I'm going to make this post, a list of the most inexpensive items we sell.?? Hopefully you will find something which grabs your eye.Oh, and P.S. All but 2 are under 10 bucks.

There is a lot of information available on the InterWeb, but this site appears to be among the most useful if you have questions about a baseball player's contract status.Cubs details here.

Cubs have more moves left in them

Right, then!  So as you have probably seen by now, I've designed a couple of images this weekend that I've decided to stick on t-shirts and sell to the public at large.  Now, I'm not expecting you, the loyal Goat Reader, to throw down money on these things - especially in the tough economy we live in - but I'm hoping some of you will mostly because it's a cool way to promote the site.However I'm at a crossroads in the designs.  It originally started out with these bunch:My propaganda war poster,

LaRussa sad to see Miles goFrom the Daily Herald:My pal Bernie Miklasz, the great columnist from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has the above-linked column in which he quotes Cardinals management saying the "cheap" tag they've been labeled with this winter is unfair. He also quotes La Russa, who most recently managed Miles. "We took a big hit with Miles," Bernie quotes Tony as saying. "I never had a teammate any better than Aaron Miles, in all of the years I've managed. This guy deserves every bit

The cubs roster is starting to take shape.  The Team has made several moves (some good, some not-so-good, some debatable) and has a big one left to make (Milton Bradley).  My question is, what are we going to do with all of the guys we have that are out of minor league options?Felix Pie has been a hot topic for years now.  However, if the cubs do in fact add Milton Bradley, it will give us 974 outfielders.  Bradley, Kosuke Fukudome, Alfonso Soriano, Reed Johnson, Joey Gathright, Micah Hoffpauir,

While there has been much discussion about the tightening of the Cubs budget, it apparently is hitting everyone else, too (with one notable exception):This offseason, there has been only one non-Yankee contract worth more than $40 million, the four-year, $52 million deal the Cubs gave Ryan Dempster. By the end of 2007, there were four (Aaron Rowand, Carlos Silva, Francisco Cordero and Torii Hunter).Does that mean there were four non-Yankee contracts in 2007? Or four overall? Either way, both are

The weekly radio baseball gabfest known as "Talking Baseball" (ESPN AM 1000, Chicago) hosted by Bruce Levine (and frequently Chet Coppock, in the role of sidekick) is a nice source of Cub information. Of course you have to wade through lengthy questions that often take minutes to unfold. Interviews with management are usually cloaked in generalizations, clich??s and unrequited hope. This saturday's show featured an interview with Cubs Vice President of Player Personnel, Oneri Fleita, as well a

The weekly radio baseball gabfest known as "Talking Baseball" (ESPN AM 1000, Chicago) hosted by Bruce Levine (and frequently Chet Coppock in the role of sidekick) is a nice source of Cub information. Of course you have to wade through lengthy questions that often take minutes to unfold. Interviews with management are usually cloaked in generalizations, cliches and unrequited hope. This saturday's show featured an interview with Cubs Vice President of Player Personnel, Oneri Fleita, as well as

A little tidbit from Mr. Gammons:During the GM meetings at Dana Point, Calif., last November, Cubs GM Jim Hendry drove to L.A. and dined with Milton Bradley. Since then, Bradley has been an inevitability for the Cubs, who need his left-handed bat in their righty-heavy lineup, and his fire, passion and productivity (Bradley led the AL in OPS in 2008). Hendry still wants another starting pitcher and hasn't given up on Jake Peavy, but that may be an ownership issue.Though of course the Padres may no

Well, Jason Marquis-to-Colorado appears to be all but a done deal. Many fans expect Sean Marshall to step in as the new 5th dude in the rotation for 2009. In the Shout Box, Chief has wondered aloud what would happen to the bullpen if this were to actually happen.Fortunately for the Cubs, there are too many names to list in the Shout Box to complete this discussion. Of course, only one of those names refers to a lefty. If Sean Marshall were to move into the rotation, Neal Cotts would be the Cubs'

Dempster would welcome BradleyFrom the Trib:When general manager Jim Hendry called Ryan Dempster, Derrek Lee and Ted Lilly last month to pass on the news about Tribune Co.'s filing for bankruptcy, he presumably told them about the possibility of signing free agent outfielder Milton Bradley. If the Cubs' leaders weren't worried about the addition of the controversial slugger, Hendry would have no reason to be concerned about clubhouse chemistry being affected. Dempster, for one, said the Cubs will

Welcome to the darkest bar.......in the UNIVERSE!!!! Rolled over here after a Cubs game and watched the street traffic cut down. Ordered myself a beer with a few friends and we were sweating like…

The Trib reports that Milton Bradley should be a Cub within two weeks (before the Cubs Convention), a signing supported by another free agent signing:"Good player, man, and everything I hear from guys he played with is good," (Ryan Dempster) said. "I know he has that reputation of being a hothead, but you hear from guys who played with him, and they all say he's a great teammate. Obviously, he'll bring a pretty powerful dynamic to our lineup."He also says Bradley's DHing in Texas helped his knee

For those of you displeased by the Mark DeRosa-Aaron Miles business, you should be pleased to know Tony La Russa isn't exactly thrilled about it, either:And La Russa was upset over the free-agent defection of infielder Aaron Miles, who signed a two-year deal with the rival Cubs."We took a big hit with Miles," La Russa said. "I never had a teammate any better than Aaron Miles, in all of the years I've managed. This guy deserves every bit of credit, recognition, respect for his three years with us

Sorry I’m late. As you know, this week the Cubs signed Aaron Miles and shipped Mark DeRosa to Cleveland. Presumably, Mike Fontenot and Miles will get the lion’s share of the playing time at second base. Which brings us to our Friday Night Fukudome. VS. Mike Fontenot Aaron Miles

It's been an interesting day in the Shout Box.  We've got a running debate on whether or not Cub fans should feel "safe" with Mike Fontenot replacing Mark DeRosa - assuming that Aaron Miles isn't the defacto starter.The argument against Fontenot can be summarized as this:1. He's only ever been a pinch hitter/occasional starter, and his good numbers come from one good streak2. If he was actually any good, he would have been a highly-toted prospect and he would have started last year3. He's neither

I for some reason just can't seem to understand this immediate need to throw $30M+ at a right fielder.I don't see Milton Bradley as the answer to any of the lineup's problems, as Bradley has only been able to play in about 60% his teams' games since he came into the big leagues and he spent one full season (last season) as a DH.  If everyone is so unhappy with Fukudome, his performance and his contract, I don't see how adding another player with just as many unknowns to a similar contract is a go