Abbatacola: Right Move, Wrong Time

August 19, 2011 4:03 PM

Tom Ricketts (Photo Credit: Getty Images, By: David Banks)

Reporting Matt Abbatacola

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By Matt Abbatacola-

CHICAGO (WSCR) — Tom Ricketts confuses me. I want to believe that he is a smart business man and will grow into a great owner in baseball, but sometimes he makes decisions that raise more questions than provide answers.

On July 22, Ricketts met with Jim Hendry and told him that he was being fired. Hendry stayed in the position and carried on the duties of a general manager until August 19.

The reason? To make sure the kids in the organization drafted were signed. Really? The Cubs’ draft class of 2011 better be full of Hall of Famers.

Hey Tom, I need help understanding this move.

You allowed your fired GM to control your baseball team at the trade deadline when by the way, no moves were made. Now, granted, there were no deals to be made that would have totally impacted the Cubs for years to come, but why not make a move with Pena, Grabow, Wood, Marshall, or Marmol for some prospects and see what might develop. No deals were made except for Fukudome because Jim Hendry, the FIRED GM, didn’t believe that any moves could help the Cubs in the future or that the players named might be part of the Cubs core for the future – a future that he would not be part of.

I’m so confused.

Hendry’s last act as GM was to place Carlos Zambrano on the disqualified list. No one disagrees with that move.

It’s clear that since the July 22 meeting when Hendry was fired that he has still had full control of the daily baseball operations.

So why did Ricketts feel the need to tell Hendry on July 22 that he was fired and then allow him to continue to work? Why couldn’t Ricketts just wait until today to fire Hendry? I think it was the right move, but Ricketts should have done it when he took over the team. Jim Hendry had no chance to win with this team the last season and a half.

All Ricketts did was waste time. Mine, yours, and mostly his own.

Matt Abbatacola covers the Cubs for 670 The Score. For more Cubs updates, follow him on Twitter (@MattAbbatacola).

SPAULDING!

ding ding ding ding ding.
How did the banks that gave him THAT much money let him go in without replacing the president?
It seems like a punitive move rather than a commanding decision.
Murphs Upper-Lip

I think Chris Farley may have had a better chance running this team than good old “Tommy Boy.”

Hope I’m wrong. (Or at the very least he’s got a Richard to point him in the right direction.)
Murphfan1138

I’d like to congratulate Ricketts for finally growing a pair by making such a bold move. Now let’s see a few more like this!

I said this earlier on Schuster’s facebook page, and I’ll say it again: If Hendry was fired on July 22, why wait until today to announce his firing? Why wasn’t it announced the day on July 23, the way any other business would do it? Had the interim GM been in place then, maybe a few of the above mentioned players would have been traded, but virtually nothing was done then.

I’m glad Ricketts focused on something other than trying to get the taxpayers to pay for another Wrigley Field rehab project and fixing up the restrooms to make an actual decision concerning the team on the field for once. Now he needs to convince me he’ll make more such moves and worry about “the Wrigley Field experience” later.

On a side note, I’m happy he’s looking outside the organization for GM candidates rather than staying in-house for this one.
Mike Battista

THEY say no internal people will be considered. But I already don’t believe Ricky. My guess is Bush will be retained and so will Quade. I am a Cubs fan but this conservative lack of urgency is wearing on me. They would hate me as manager or GM. I would come in and wake these people up. Enough of the country club mentality which starts at the very top of the organization. The players only play on how the manager acts. You don’t have to be the tazmanian devil but again there needs to be a level of holding these underachievers accountable.
SPAULDING!

The Cubs are closing the gap against the White Sox. This has been a biblical failure of Chicago baseball this season. Cue the Hittites pouring over the walls.
Meanwhile, it sounds like Colonel Martz has taken over the camp near the Kankakee River. I sure hope the Bears don’t repeat the first five weeks of last season. Unless you have lightning fast guys that fight for the ball, you need a run game to keep the defense honest.
Again, when does hockey season start?