Chicago -
By Marty Gangler
Okay, so the Cubs are 9-4 under Mike Quade. Which is good of course but I have a question. How are we supposed to tell if Mike Quade is any good at managing?
I mean, if it was all based on wins and losses then there should be this groundswell of support for a second coach Q in Chicago. But there isn’t. Which once again means I need to ask, how can we tell?
Posted on September 7, 2010
By Marty Gangler
The Cubs still stink, but they seem to stink a little less in the Mike Quade era.
It’s nice to have someone managing the team again.
And I must admit I was impressed during his pregame interview on Sunday with Ron Santo he called Jeff Baker “Bakes” and James Russell “Russ.”
I mean, Lou Pinella has been calling these guys, “that other second baseman we have that I don’t play much” and “that one kid in the bullpen.”
Here are some improvements we’ve noticed under Quade:
Posted on August 30, 2010
By Steve Rhodes
The Cub Factor has learned that – with all due respect to Lou Piniella’s ailing mother – the Cubs skipper called it a career early for a host of other reasons:
* Got a better offer from the Shady Oaks Retirement Home’s softball team in Tampa.
* He’s finally going into labor.
* He can’t believe Jim Hendry still has his job either.
* Coma patients who awaken often make rash decisions.
Posted on August 23, 2010
By Marty Gangler
Dear Jim Hendry,
So, you have this first baseman.
Yes, I agree that he used to be good. Heck, he won a batting title and knocked in a bunch of runs a bunch of times, but aren’t his best years behind him?
And doesn’t his contract, like, expire at the end of the season?
And didn’t you try to trade him and he decided that he didn’t want to help you get ready for next season and he vetoed the trade?
Plus he’s hurt now.
So why is he still getting at-bats?
Posted on August 17, 2010
By Marty Gangler
How in the world are you still watching?
You should have better things to do.
But if you insist, we here at the Cub Factor would like to give you a little something for the effort.
If you do watch these guys, we suggest drinking – heavily. And if you do drink, why not make a game out of it? If the Cubs aren’t going to make a game out of it, at least you should.
Here, then, are some suggestions for the 2010 Chicago Cubs Spiral Toward Last Place drinking game:
Posted on August 10, 2010
By Marty Gangler
Doesn’t it feel good to come clean?
To finally admit it?
To stop the charade?
The Cubs finally admitted it to themselves, to their fans and, well, to anyone else who is paying attention: They suck.
They aren’t lighting candles in church or rubbing their “lucky bat” to go on a big winning streak; they have finally told you “Look, we aren’t going to win this year. We tried to pretend for a long time but even we couldn’t keep up this level of pretending – and as you may know, that is saying something because we have been pretending to you for your entire life. We pretend to have a chance every season, we pretend that this next prospect is going to be the savior, we pretend to care about you, but most of all we pretend that we know what we are doing. We are done pretending this season, we f’d up and really have to look at ourselves in the mirror.”
Yep, they finally told you that they are out of it. And I couldn’t be happier.
Posted on August 2, 2010
By Marty Gangler
The big news this week, of course, was Lou Piniella announcing that he is going to retire at the end of the season. It kinda sucks because now you can’t fire him.
The next issue is trying to figure out what kind of manager you want next. A veteran who has been there before? Okay, but how could you get better than Uncle Lou or (un)Trusty Dusty?
Your star Triple-A manager? Hello, Bruce Kimm!
A college of coaches? Been there.
The Cubs have tried it all.
Posted on July 26, 2010
By Marty Gangler
Sources tell The Cub Factor:
Jim Hendry: Jim took some time to try and get his TIVO in working order. But he was trying to record too many shows in the same time slot and it just didn’t work out the way he wanted.
Carlos Zambrano: Carlos got to the part in his recovery where he has to apologize to everyone his “affliction” has effected. As of the posting of this column, he was on the Ds in the Chicago phone book.
Lou Piniella: Lou finally got the kegerator fired up down in his man cave. He’s thinking he might have some time on his hands in the next couple weeks.
Posted on July 19, 2010
By Marty Gangler
It’s been a good week in my book. It really has.
Sure, the Cubs did nothing more than tread a little water in the standings, but still, a pretty good week.
Why?
Because the Cubs proved they are bad enough to force a change in direction. If some of the swirling trade rumors are true, then management has finally realized what most Cub fans have been saying for two years now: This team sucks.
And they’ve finally sucked enough for something to be done about it.
Thank God for their suckiness.
Posted on July 12, 2010
By Marty Gangler
As the Cubs continue to suck, we here at The Cub Factor can only wonder why Uncle Lou hasn’t been canned yet. How many more embarrassing losses do fans have to suffer through before someone is shown the accountability door?
Sure, firing the manager isn’t going to solve anything, but it will make at least us feel better. And we are the customers. Making us feel better is worth something.
But no; the Ricketts’ are sitting on their hands. We theorize as to why:
Posted on July 6, 2010
