The annual Owners’ Meetings are taking place in Rosemont, IL this week. And, to be honest, the owners are kind of being jerks. Not surprisingly, starting with the Jerk-in-Chief, Jeff Loria:
Jeffrey Loria hasn’t been very talkative at Wednesday’s Major League Baseball owners meetings in Rosemont. Neither have many of his colleagues, for that matter.
Loria is the main object of attention for reporters covering the quarterly meetings. He has declined to discuss the pending salary-dump trade that will send Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes and Josh Johnson from his Miami Marlins to the Toronto Blue Jays less than a year after the opening of the publicly funded Marlins Park.
“Not today, boys,’’ Loria told a group of reporters as he walked into a meeting. “If you haven’t figured it out yet. I’m not going to figure it out for you.”
Um.. okay. What we’ve figured out is that you tricked the public into financing a stadium for you and then sold off their entire team after one season in said stadium. Did you know that the Marlins don’t have a single dollar committed to payroll in 2014? Not a single, red. cent. Nada. Why even both fielding a team? Just charge people to come in to look at the fish and the home run . . display.
Not that Tom Ricketts has been much friendlier:
Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts declined to provide an update on the team’s efforts to secure funding to improve Wrigley Field.
“One day at a time,’’ Ricketts said. “We get closer but there’s nothing really to report.’’
If you’re getting closer, then there is SOMETHING to report, because last we heard Rahm wasn’t talking to any of you because Daddy Ricketts went banana pancakes during the campaign. So clearly, you know something we don’t. We’d like to know what that thing is.
In case you missed it, Deadspin wrote possibly the best article they’ve ever written on what Jeff Loria has done to the Marlins. Worth 90 seconds of your time. Truly hilarious.
“…look at the fish and the home run crime against humanity.”
/fixed
Interesting read…
http://nyti.ms/X7QH2l
You can already hear the whining of Angels fans about Trout in 3 states. Yesterday, the Dodger fans were all in a snit because Kershaw got passed up for RA Dickey, and now the “east coast bias” whine has already started. Trout is a good player, may be a great player in the years ahead but he is a rookie. Freddie Lynn himself said he hoped Trout would not win it all like he did, because of the burden it placed on him….
personally, I don’t care…
the MVP really has never been a sabr award and very few voters have ever put into significant consideration a player’s defense or baserunning.
That being said, they didn’t choose Mark McGwire over Sosa in 1998 even though McGwire set the home run record that year.
At the same time, the argument has been made for a very long time that the player’s team success is a significant factor in the MVP award…and considering the Tigers made it to the playoff and the Angels didn’t might add some persuasion to that case.
Personally, I’d have voted for Trout, but statistics aren’t the only thing taken into consideration with this award. If that was true, Dawson wouldn’t have won in 1987. In fact, I don’t think statistically, Dawson was even close to the best player in 1987…even if you just considered offense. Eric Davis was probably, statistically, a better player that year by a significant margin.
Look, the MVP is more of a popularity contest than a statistical contest. I’m not sure why that should change just because we have Sabermetrics now.
We’re never getting a new stadium.
Wrigley is going to be reduced to rubble and the players will have to dress and bath in the sewer off of Clark…
And people will still pay $70 a ticket to go to the garbage heap of a ballpark.
I knew I should have bought this team. I would have fired Jim Hendry (and Crane Kenney) immediately and I would have had the team in a brand new, state of the art stadium paid for by the city of Schaumburg.
And we would have already won 2 World Series titles.
I haven’t heard of any teams being interested in Carlos Zambrano.
Dodgers were interested in Z last year,but not a peep this year…
why would Miami get rid of him. He’s no burden salary-wise.
He would be if they re-signed him. He’s a free agent. His contract was only through the 2012 season.
7-10/ era-4.49/ 132.1 innings.
I don’t think he will be expensive. Had no emotional outbursts which is good but that has no financial leverage. Ain’t getting younger.
Besides, didn’t he say he was retiring after this contract a couple years ago?
Sounds like the Liriano 2yr offer rumor has legs and we may be getting close to an answer. Alot of talk about the Cubs trading for 3B Lonnie Chisenhall from the Indians.
That doesn’t sound like too bad of a acquisition…though I’m surprised if that Indians would want to part with him and I’m sure sure who the Cubs would be willing to give up for him.
With Baez and Villanueva waiting in the minors, I’m not sure why they’d trade for a third baseman right now, though as they would probably have to give up prospects to get Chisenhall, even though Chisenhall is probably ready for the majors right now.
A placeholder (like another Ian Stewart type) would seem more likely than trading for a prospect in a position that we’ve already got prospects at.
The Cubs system has position players right now…their focus really needs to be on pitchers.
Oh…and where did you see that rumor? I haven’t heard that anywhere?
Bruce Levine mentioned it, Cubs Den is talking about it, as well as several sites. Not sure if its 1 person gossiping and the rumors growing legs or if its where theres smoke theres fire or just a case of nonsense hot stove talk.
Either way it kinda makes sense to a point. Here’s a site that has a list of Cubs talk/rumors etc. http://cubsrumorsandnews.blogspot.com/
I wouldn’t so much say these are rumors as much as they are scenarios. It doesn’t appear the Cubs and Indians are talking at all about this.
Probably right but they do in fact make some sorta sense.
The only sense that is makes is that the Cubs need a third baseman for this season. Outside of that, the Cubs probably aren’t willing to part with the prospects to make it happen. Unless the Indians want Soriano or DeJesus (or both) or this was part of a larger deal for Matt Garza (which I can’t imagine it would be as the Indians aren’t going to want to pay for Garza’s next contract), this really is a non-starter.
Banana Pancakes with alot of butter and hot syrup kinda sounds good…just saying.
Sad part about Loria and Co is, the SOB’s are getting even more filthy rich and already have 2 WS Rings in the last 15 years and could probably care less about them other than the money they bring in. What makes it even worse is the bastards will probably find a way to win another in the next 5-10 years.
I hate him and apparently so does most everyone else but I don’t see anything anyone can do about it. While were busy counting the ways he screws peeps and writing/talking about it he’s laughing and counting his $$$$$
I feel terrible for their (very few) fans. First that get stuck paying for the stadium, then he sells off the whole team.
I feel sorry for you Cub fans……oh shit wait a minute that includes me.
Honestly…I don’t feel sorry for all 6 of their fans. It’s Florida. They have plenty of other things to do there…and they have 14 other teams to go watch during spring training anyway so there is no reason they “have to” cheer for the Marlins. In fact, they probably cheered for some other franchise 16 years ago anyway.
Technically, Loria only has 1 World Series ring…Wayne Heizinga owned the team when they won in 97.
Loria is going to make a fortune over the next few years.
At the same time, what they are doing with their team isn’t all that much different from what the Cubs are doing right now…at the same time, the Cubs haven’t forced anyone to pay for a new stadium (yet) and haven’t promised that when they do get their new stadium, and the fans start coming out of the ballpark, that they would start spending (since the Cubs actually do spend money…just not wisely).
Holy crap…did I just justify Loria’s tactics?
*gun to my head*
I apologize…I was going to look up the correct spelling for Wayne Huizenga and pressed submit before I did it. My bad.
I was wondering who you were talking about…..
NOT!
please oh please oh please tell me this Marlins debacle is used as reason to object to public funding for ballparks, at least some good can come of it
I don’t care…I still think the Cubs deserve some form of public financing for a renovation of Wrigley. If the Cubs move, that’s a different story…but Wrigley is already an established landmark that brings in millions in revenue for the city. Renovating it should be in the city’s interest. Sorry…didn’t want to bring up an old debate again.
Renovation and Wrigley field need not be used in the same sentence!!!
Something needs to be done with the place. Status quo is not acceptable for both the players and the fans.
I guess my objection is more on what type of public financing, how much and how it is organized rather than against it in all forms, there are certainly lots of precedent for historic buildings, or sustainable design renovations
I should have been more specific
That’s ok. There are a number of people who believe no public spending should be used on Wrigley, and I personally think that is very unfair to the Ricketts family.
It would, in the end, be cheaper for them to move the team to Schaumburg and build a stadium there…but they’ve been good residents to Lakeview and have vowed not to abandon the community. I can’t say I would have done the same.
out of curiosity what estimates are you using for it being cheaper to move to Schaumburg than renovation?
The Cubs are looking to renovated Wrigley for $600 million. Considering the likely Schaumburg site for a Cubs park (off of Route 53), and the existing infrastructure, the Cubs should be able to build there for that amount…perhaps a bit less.
On top of that, they would escape the amusement tax, meaning they would be able to keep more of their ticket revenues. Upkeep of the new ballpark would be dramatically less than even a renovated Wrigley (just ask the Yankees how a little a renovated Yankees stadium reduced upkeep).
The Cubs would also be able to have more night games, which would likely have fewer no shows so more concession revenue. The capacity of a new stadium would be larger instead of smaller, which a renovated Wrigley would likely have.
Even if the Cubs build a stadium in the city (there are a few sites in the Goose Island area that would actually work out quite nicely), it would probably still be a better deal financially for them in the long run. Short term, though, it would be more expensive since acquiring the land would be much more costly, and infrastructure would be much more difficult to get set up.
Interesting. I would love to see those estimate breakdowns. And not for any “I don’t believe them” reasons, just because they would be interesting
yes, I am a nerd
I would to, actually. I’m indeed making some assumptions here, but most of what I’ve heard, and the logic I’ve put into my thoughts seems pretty sound.
I should add that the luxury tax thing I’m not 100% sure about. I’ve been told it only applies to venues/events in the city of Chicago, but I’ve also heard from a relative who has some knowledge of these things that she believes it might actually applie to all of Cook County. I don’t ever remember seeing it applied to any events I’ve gone to outside the city, but I could be wrong.
The Cubs would also get the parking revenue the do not get now.
Damn…forgot that one. That’s true.
Has anyone heard the rumor about the Cubs & Marlins talking about a trade for Giancarlo Stanton? I was chatting with a friend today in Orlando & he had heard rumblings about a possible deal in the making. Have any of you heard anything about this or is just a bunch of hot air?
Common sense should tell you the answer to that!! Stanton hasn’t even reached arbitration yet and is an elite stud. So even if somehow someway the Marlins were gonna trade him nearly every team in baseball would be lined up with packages of prospects that we in now way could come a planet near touching.
That’s about right.
The Marlins want to acquire prospects.
The Cubs want to acquire prospects.
In order for a trade to work between the Cubs and Marlins here, one of them would have to break from their current strategies.
That doesn’t mean the two teams can’t talk about a trade, but the likelihood that they can agree on something isn’t very high.
If I’m the Marlins and I was somehow convinced that my relationship with Giancarlo Stanton was fixing to get ugly beyond repair my asking price would “Start with” a Matt Moore caliber pitcher then go from there. Probably 2 Elite elite elite Pitching Prospects, an elite postion prospect plus 1 or 2. I wholeheartedly believe they could get it easily.
So even if the Cubs wanted him, I don’t think theres anywway in hell even a package consisting of Almora, Baez, Mcnutt, Soler, etc could even begin to touch the asking price.
McNutt ain’t anything…
If the Cubs would probably be able to land Stanton for Almora, Baez and Soler…
But then they’ve completely gutted their farm system and Stanton isn’t even close to putting this team over the top (similar to the Matt Garza trade). As a result, you basically set the progress of the team back another 2, maybe 3 years.
If you trade for Stanton, you are setting yourself up to trade him away again for prospects in 2 years, just like the Cubs are doing with Garza right now.
I doubted if the rumor had any legs but I had heard a few years ago that the Cubs were in talks with the Padres for Adrian Gonzalez. The Cubs denied it & I could not find anything pointing to it. After his trade to the Red Soxs, the Cubs came out & said they had been in private talks with the Padres for him. Julie might remember me bugging her to find out if the trade rumor was true. She couldn’t find anything either, so I figured I should ask again just in case this rumor might have a ring of truth to it. Especially since you all keep up with all the scuttlebutt.
http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/texas-rangers/post/_/id/4893689/hot-stove-trade-for-giancarlo-stanton
I’m sure the Cubs would love to make a run at him, but we don’t have the pieces to get it done.
I’m not even sure that the Cubs have a single piece to even start the conversation. Stanton still has at least 4 years (maybe 5…I’m not sure) of team control.
I do so love a good fire sale!
Actually…it is kinda fun to see a team completely dismantle its roster.
Woohoo! The Cubs have signed a new weak hitting catcher…
Dioner Navarro.
The only thing I know about Navarro, is when he was a Dodger, he wore his pants too long,MLB kept fining him. He didn’t do much there…