The following post is the first of many from the Cubs Suck Club LONE Chicago Cubs fan… BuckeyeCub will be blogging here regularly and giving his outlook on the Cubs suckiness from a diehard Cubs fan perspective.  Comments are encouraged.

Jim Hendry is a stupid moron with an ugly face and a big butt and his butt smells and he likes to kiss his own butt. That’s right. Jim Hendry sucks. Cubs management believes in their GM because he has delivered 3 division titles under his reign, something no one else has done for the Cubs. So because Hendry is the tallest midget, he’s all of a sudden the greatest thing since sliced bread? I don’t think so. Sure Hendry has made some good moves like getting Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez for nothing, but the Marlins and Pirates were looking to unload their salaries. The only good moves I can think of that he has made that weren’t because a small market team was holding a fire sale are when he got Nomar for next to nothing, in what was supposed to be the final piece to a World Series winner in 2004, and when he performed his own version of Brock-for-Broglio, getting Eric Karros and Mark Grudzelanik in return for Todd Hundley. Hendry has made a lot more idiotic moves than good moves in his time on the North Side. A couple of moves the last couple of years stand out to me more than anything, and should be reason to fire him.

After the July 31 trade deadline, when teams place everyone on waivers to see what activity takes place, the Minnesota Twins claimed Rich Harden. Knowing that Harden would not be back in 2010, Hendry decided that since he didn’t get a trade offer to his liking, the equivalent of the draft picks he would have gotten back, that he would pull Harden from waivers. However, come winter, Hendry decided not to offer Harden arbitration for fear that Harden would accept it. So you pull him off waivers because you feel you can get more for him by letting him walk and taking the draft picks, but you feel that he will accept arbitration? Then why don’t you let him go to the Twins when they put in the claim? The team was not in a playoff race, you save about a million bucks, and let a prospect audition for 2010, and as an added bonus, you do the White Sox a disservice.

However, the worst move Hendry ever made was signing Milton Bradley and the events surrounding his arrival and departure. After the Cubs were swept by the Dodgers in the 2008 playoffs, Hendry felt the team needed to get more left-handed because they didn’t face a single left-handed pitcher from the Dodgers. This was an over-reaction. The 2008 Cubs team was one of the best in the majors. At the end of the day, they don’t look at whether a batter is right-handed or left-handed, they look at did he get on base, and score runs or drive runs in. And the 2008 Cubs did that with great efficiency in 2008.

Not only was this move an overreaction, but let’s just say that fine, Hendry is right, the team needs to get more left-handed. Why would you sign Milton Bradley, who is an injury and character risk? The most games Bradley had ever played in a season was 126, which he did in 2008, and most of them at DH. Memo to Jim Hendry: The NL doesn’t use the DH. Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn were available and would have cost the same as Bradley, or less, guys who are more dependable in every aspect than Bradley. The argument about Adam Dunn’s defense is laughable. He more than makes up for it with his bat. And I love everyone’s arguments that he is a strikeout machine. Adam Dunn is one of the most disciplined hitters in the game, his OBP is constantly better than that of a lot of .300 hitters. And if you don’t want Dunn, why not Bobby Abreu? He can hit and he has good defense, and would have been cheaper than Hasbro. Hendry completely fucked this up. And who wouldn’t want Dunn? He’s a freaking beast. In 2005, he hit 40 HRs with a broken hand, and he’s the only player to ever hit a home run that landed in another state. And you put Adam Dunn in the Cubs lineup between Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, and that is a very scary 3-4-5.

Although in the end Hendry came out ahead by getting rid of Bradley early in the off-season and not being held hostage like he was with Sosa in 2004-05 and cutting his bill, he should still lose his job over this. He has made too many fuck-ups, and this should have been the final nail in the coffin. I rest my case: Jim Hendry is a stupid moron with an ugly face and a big butt and his butt smells and he likes to kiss his own butt.

So apparently Chicago Cubs manager, Lou Piniella, loves Mark McGwire.  Recently he has been cited as saying all of the following:

“He worked on his swing endlessly,” Piniella said. “He swung and missed a lot early in his career. He learned how to make contact more and more. With his strength, the ball flew out of the ballpark.” …

Will McGwire have trouble gaining the respect of Cardinals players after acknowledging that he cheated?

“I don’t think so,” Piniella said. “I really don’t.

“He confessed. In this country, they forgive and forget. Who is out there that can’t confess to something? We in this baseball fraternity forgive him.”

Piniella said that since McGwire has been welcomed by Pujols, the Cardinals’ team leader, the rest of the players will accept him.

“Albert Pujols is on his side and that helps him immensely,” Piniella said. “He’s got to look at it as now he has a job to do. He’s got some good hitters to work with. Pujols is the best hitter in the game, so that’s a good start. Give them a little mental confidence and some fine tuning and you let them go. They’re all professionals.”

Although McGwire’s success could mean a few losses for Piniella’s team in its battle for the National League Central title, Piniella wishes the rookie coach well.

“I think he’ll do a nice job,” he said.

Piniella said he does not feel McGwire’s presence on the road will make it difficult for the Cardinals to concentrate on playing baseball.

“I don’t think it will be a distraction,” he said. “It would have been a distraction if he did not have his press conference. That would have been the topic all year long. Now that it’s old news, maybe when he shows up for spring training, the first week or so that topic will be revisited. But hopefully, they’ll leave him alone and let him do his job.”

Another test for McGwire will be how he is treated by boisterous Cubs fans when he visits Wrigley Field.

“I think Cub fans will treat him fine,” Piniella said. “We have a great rivalry. He’ll be accepted well. I think they feel he confessed and it’s over with.” NYTimes.com.

Thanks to some Chicago Cubs blog for pointing all of these out to me.  But honestly, does this sound like a manager of the Chicago Cubs?  He’s talking so positively about the Cardinals.  Worry about your own team buddy  :)  If I didn’t know better I’d think he was the Cardinals GM or something.  If your manager likes the opponent better than your own team Cub fans, you are going to be in big BIG trouble for 2010.

As So Taguchi heads back to Japan, we remember his short, yet great legacy with the Cardinals.

Game 2, top of the ninth, tie game. Every Cardinals fan remembers it – October 12th, 2006 – the day So Taguchi put a 98 mile-per-hour fastball into the seats. It was his second home run of the postseason – his fourth of the year. Throughout the year, Taguchi had been an unnoticed utility player who would pinch hit here and there. Over his six year span with the Cardinals, So became a fan favorite, but somehow we lost him. This victory tied the Cardinals with the Mets who would eventually be knocked out. So what is So’s story? How did he come to be the primary part of one of the most important plays in Cardinals history?

So Taguchi began his professional career at age 22 in Japan, playing with the Orix Buffaloes. Taguchi played ten seasons there, hitting just under .300 most years, yet hitting more powerfully with as many as ten home runs in some years. In 2002, the Cardinals offered So, a free agent at the time, an MLB contract which he accepted. Although he was 32 at the time, he began to progress, no matter how you look at it. So’s batting average began to rise, as well as his home run count, RBI’s, and stolen bases. His hardworking, humble attitude quickly garnered more playing time. Now, as So moves back to Japan with his old team that gave him his first chance, we remember how loved he was.

In years when So Taguchi had between 300 and 400 at-bats, he had a batting average of .305. In years he didn’t (not including the Cubs), he averaged below .280. Instead of giving Taguchi the amount of at-bats So needed to be So, they gave him just eleven at-bats the entire year, as if to tell Taguchi: “We don’t want you anymore.” The Cubs quickly killed the MLB career that just seemed to to be getting better with age. As So Taguchi leaves for his hometown, it is bittersweet for any Cardinals fan– we enjoyed having him – but we know it’s time to say goodbye. His legacy was short and sweet – to Cardinals fans, another great hero, who will always have a place in our hearts, and to Cubs fans, another lame excuse, who will always have a place on their excuse list.

The Chicago Cubs are one of the smartest franchises in Major League Baseball history from the signing of big time talent like Alfonso Soriano to the acquisitions of such great players as Nomar Garciaparra and Rich Harden. These players are among just the few superstars that have propelled the Chicago Cubs to the greatness they are today. The Cubs just keep on improving their championship team with their absolute genius offseason moves by acquiring Xavier Nady.

The Cubs have found the missing link to their playoffs woes with Xavier Nady. Nady is looking like a key addition in right field for this team from Chicago since they did not take back the sure fire hall of famer in Milton Bradley. The other teams in the MLB passed on Nady, probably from fear that his two Tommy John surgeries will fail, but not the Cubs.

“(Xavier) Nady is a rare player,” Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry exclaims “Tommy John surgery is just a minor blip in a amazing career, like I always say, if it doesn’t kill you it only makes you stronger.”

That is a good motto; I believe they first practiced it with former Cubs legend Mark Prior. The Cubs know what they are doing with the Xavier Nady signing and will show us in the World Series or when hell freezes over, whichever comes first.

Well…another Spring Training is just a few weeks away. And while the Cubs try to figure out where exactly they will hold Spring Training, the Redbirds are making positive moves. By offering a minor league contract and Spring Training invite to former Cub Rich Hill.

Now the last year he pitched for the Cubbies in 07 he went 11-8 with a 3.92 ERA and stuck out 183. While chewing up innings, 195 to be exact, in 32 starts.

Now with the skills this big lefty brings to the table and the ability to work with Duncan and get this kid figured out, we may really have something here. Lets just for fun say this guy goes and gets us 11 or 12 or maybe 13 wins. You add that to what Carp, Waino, Lohse, Penny will do. We have a very nice rotation.

So here is my take, Spring Training with Duncan… Rich Hill makes the club and heads north with the team. Has a great year, helps the Cards win the Central in runaway fashion. And the Cubs sit home in October and try to figure out, how they let another kid slip out of the “Completely Useless By September” brand of baseball. And find his way to Cardinals.

And as always…….Keep on Sucking little Cubbies….it’s what you do!!!