As regular readers of my stuff know, I am not a backer of Jim Hendry. In fact, I think he is one of the worst GMs in baseball.
Sure, his teams have enjoyed more success than some other Cubs general managers of recent vintage—but I think an increased payroll may have something to do with that.
Plus, it is not exactly a challenging baseline that has been established.
Look at this $140 million team full of bloated, untradeable contracts, and draw your own conclusions.
Plus, Hendry has had an unimpressive run as the club's farm director.
But what is even more of a concern is new owner Tom Rickett's continued insistence that Hendry is the man to help lead the Cubs going forward.
If accountability is truly his focus—as he has stated—why has he continually backed Hendry despite his lack of success?
Why not wait until we see what kind of team the Cubs have in 2010? Why give Hendry what amounts to a free pass if Ricketts is so interested in establishing accountability?
"We really do want a very high level of performance out of everyone in the organization, and we want to make them accountable," Ricketts said. "Nothing about this year is different from years past in terms of how important it is. It'll be really enlightening for us. We'll learn a lot about everybody this year. But so far, so good."
Oh really, Tom? So far, you sound like an uninformed, typical "glass-is-half-full" Cubs fan to me.
"I'm so excited for that day," he said. "The team's looking so good, and there's such a positive energy around everything in the clubhouse. As long as we stay healthy, I don't see why we're not going to bring back the playoffs. It'd be nice to get off to a good start and keep all this positive energy going."
Look, so far all Ricketts is interested in is the cash cow he knows he has in Wrigley Field. As long as the fans continue to pile into the park on a daily basis, he has no motivation to help the team win.
Everyone keeps talking about Ricketts as a lifelong Cubs fan. That is not true. He became a fan in college and is a businessman, first and foremost.
That he continues to back Hendry is a signal to knowledgeable Cubs fans that the blind continue to lead the blind.
Meanwhile, "Year One?" Sure, if the more that things change, the more they stay the same.
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