8/20 On Hendry: “He worked hard”
First of all, what a great baseball man. I had the chance to spend almost two years with Jim and loved everything about him. There aren’t many guys like him in the game who are completely honest with their players, they love their players, they love their team. What impressed me the most is not him bringing three division titles here — ’03, ’07 and ’08 — or almost getting to the World Series, or everything he’s accomplished in this game, being here for 17 years. I have even more respect for him because of how he handled this situation. Knowing he was going to be out, handling the trades, doing what’s best for this organization, signing all the guys he signed from the Draft, working as hard as he did. He signed our first rounder 15 minutes before the deadline. He worked hard for the Cubs knowing he’s not going to be the GM — that’s something that is so impressive to me.
There are probably a lot of fans happy that he’s gone and are mad at Jim and mad at the Cubs but at the same time, it’s not his fault. You have to look at the moves he made over the years. You have to look at the hard decisions he had to make, like trading Sammy Sosa, and the good decisions he made, giving guys money who really deserved it, making trades to bring guys over here like Aramis Ramirez — you can’t forget about that. Working with no money like he did this year and going to get Matt Garza and Carlos Pena and bringing back Kerry Wood. He signed Mark DeRosa, and traded him because they wanted a left-handed bat, and brought in Milton Bradley. He thought he was the guy and it didn’t work out. At the time, it was the right move and everyone agreed it was. He put all that together.
He’s a good baseball man. Regardless of what anybody says about him, he did his job the right way. He worked harder than any GM I’ve ever known and I’ve been around a few. It’s a credit to him how he came into the game, 17 years with the Cubs, and how he ended up with this organization. I think Tom Ricketts and his family have a lot of respect for him. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when he takes over another organization and we’ll see what he does over there.
— Marlon
The Byrd's Nest 
You’re a class act, Marlon. Thanks for your positive attitude and all of your efforts. Hope to see you in a Cubs uniform next year,
A very classy blog about a very classy guy. It is very easy for fans to decide with the benefit of hindsight (and no responsibilities for, knowledge of, or experience with, the real business of putting together a major league baseball team) what cudda/wudda/shudda been. Sure, I agonized about some of the decisions Hendry made (when they didn’t work out well). But who would have done better? New, non-corporate, owners clearly want and need the team to win, and felt a change of GM will help. I’m holding my breath. Of course, we Cubs fans have been holding our collective breath since 1945 just to be in a World Series, and 1908 to win one. That’s a lot of hot air trapped in a lot of bodies.
Well, that’s lovely.
All season I have been supportive of the team. When a long list of fans were calling for Aramis’s head or Soriano’s, I defended all of you. My only complaint has been with the pitching. I thought the team was great and you have proved what you are capable of during August.
This what is so painful. If the Cubs had had a real manager and a real pitching coach I have no doubt the Cubs would have been giving the Brewers a run for their money right now.
Quade is in way, way over his head. If you take away even half the bone-headed moves he’s made, and straightened out Marmol and some of the other weak points in the pitching, this season would have been a lot different.
Whose fault is it that Quade is there? Hendry hired his little buddy rather than a good manager. And many of you rallied to get Quade hired. Why? Because Piniella was too tough on you guys? Because Sandberg would have been too tough on you guys? Hendry pounded the final nail in his coffin the day he hired his little buddy Q and spit in the face of someone who actually deserved it.
As I said, I like just about everyone on this team, but none of you are going to Cooperstown as I can see. Yet, everyone knew Sandberg was going from his rookie year on. And he was always the first out there working on his hitting, fielding while others on the team sat in the clubhouse playing cards. And he would have expected hard work from you guys, too. Not a good enough example? How about Michael Jordan. No one played harder than he did. He led by example. He cold-cocked one of his teammates – during practice – because Steve wasn’t trying hard enough. (No one thought to complain they would have if Zambrano did that.)
Besides Sandberg, who is now with a good organization and probably wouldn’t want to come back, there is the Zambrano brouhaha. Here is a guy who got upset, yes, I know, visibly so, when he thought his teammates weren’t trying hard enough. Who got frustrated with himself when he had a bad day. The rebel is always the guy who actually wants the system to work! So what happens, his teammates trash him, the media (and really the Trib and SunTimes sports reporters are an embarrassment anyway, they belong at the National Enquirer) trash him. Note the irony. His teammates criticize him for not being disciplined enough and those same teammates are the ones who wanted Quade because he wouldn’t make them work so hard.
Micheal Jordan never walked out on his teammmates. He punched Steve because Steve wouldn’t back down like Scottie Pippen would’ve. Jim Hendry covered Big Z’s butt everytime Z got into something, but when you start throwing at a future hall of famer like Chipper Jones and you leave the ballpark before the game is over because you had a bad game?, sorry not even Jim Hendry can stand up for you. Why didn’t the Washington Nationals go after Sandberg when their manager up and quit. the Cubs aren’t the only team in MLB. Mike Quade paid his dues in the minors for years and the Cubs gave him a shot. Someone will give Sandburg a shot too.
It’s really sad that what you blog about means absolutely nothing to many people who used to be big fans of yours. Your last blog on 7/31 about the Castro-Holliday incident was not well received with many of us and I find it even more bothersome that you could have posted a response but chose to just ignore all the fans that commented on it. A simple response would have shown that you at least had a bit of concern for what your fans thought of your opinion but it seems that your true colors are showing through more and more as time goes on.
Why would Marlon Byrd have to respond, he said what he had to say in his 7/31 blog. What’s he going to say new that he hasn’t already said. He knew that many fans were going to throw him under the bus when he wrote it. He sees things as MLB player on the field .then shares it with the fans.
Dumb A..!
Hi Marlon!
Well I have to admit that I did quite a bit of rejoicing when I found out that Jim Hendry was finally fired. I know you guys love him, but understand that you love him in part because he gave you more money than you’re worth. He overpaid to have most of you come to Chicago…that’s his thing. He took an enormous budget, made withdrawals from the bank of upcoming talent and ended up with an organization that has to fill in with Casey Coleman when something happens to a starting pitcher. It’s unacceptable. Did he work hard? Very. Did he work well? Not in a long, long time. Let me tell you about how you build a team from the ground up:
It was a long climb, Marlon. It all began a few years ago when my brother-in-law Andy was asked to fill in for someone for a few games of church league softball. The following season he became a pastor and made a team of his own (I know what, you’re thinking, Marlon, but you’re wrong…he didn’t become a pastor just to make a team, he did it to become rich…building up his reward in heaven, Marlon). Well, that first league had a lot of poor sportsmanship so the following year he found a Lutheran league for us. Now the Lutheran league was better on the sportsmanship side, not perfect, but better. We weren’t great, we weren’t terrible. We were what you might call “Cub around the edges”. We put together a strong team for the tournament and made a good run in the Silver bracket, losing when we had to forfeit after nicest-guy-in-the-world-even-though-he’s-a-Yankee-fan Bret’s face ended up in my sister-in-law Tasia’s knee.
Last year we had an even stronger team. I was disappointed with some of the sportsmanship that year too, but you know what Marlon? I’m not a guy who walks away from confrontations so I’m as much to blame as anyone. We had a great run on Day 1 last year and then really laid a giant turd in our one game on Sunday. I literally fell on my butt cheeks going after a fly ball. You can’t win ‘em all, Marlon.
Well I suppose that brings us to this year. We rolled through our first opponent like a Pete Weber crotch chop. We had a tough opponent in game 2 but we prevailed, in part because track-champion Dave was there to fill some holes. Game 3 was against a team we had battled in the past but we were able to prevail like setting sail with a seasonal ale in a pail and in inability to fail.
That set us up for a run at the trophy on Sunday from the #1 seed in the Gold bracket. Game 1: We actually deferred our home team status and batted first. The other team made a very respectable run at us in the last inning but came up short. This set us up for a showdown with none other than The Mustache! The Mustache? you ask…how can this be? He was kicked out of the league, right? Well, he was but the guys in charge have no spine and let him back in 2 weeks after he physically threatened another player with a bat. Why? I just told you why. While we’re on the subject, do you know anyone who has a spine they could donate for a guy I know who needs a transplant?
I’m going to make a long story short, Marlon. Not to toot my own horn, but who else is gonna do it? I made the best throw of my life to get a girl out at 3rd base in the first inning. It was a one-hopper that our 3rd baseman caught on the ground, on the base and the runner actually stepped on his glove as the ball arrived to tag herself out. You’re probably wondering what I yelled from left-center after that, right? Well, since you asked I yelled “I meant to do that. That was completely intentionaly!” That was a reference to their yapping at me last week about an errant throw that nearly hit a girl in the head and how that throw must have been intentional. Well, rest assured the word “errant” means “unintentional” but after I nailed (not literally) that girl at 3rd I knew we were well on our way. You’re probably wondering how it ended. Well, I’m getting to that…just hold on.
A few innings later my brother-in-law Andy was playing second base and a girl was going to 3rd. He made a throw that was slightly off-line. She turned around and saw the ball flying at her face (don’t be gross, Marlon) and instead of ducking, for whatever reason she threw her hands up in self-defense! Well, the ball hit her hands and my brother-in-law Andy started apologizing all over himself right away. That didn’t make her feel much better. She gave it to him pretty good right there for a bit. I don’t think anyone heard me yelling “nobody’s out to get you…quit being paranoid.” Well, now they did because I guarantee they’re going to read this. I have three points to make here: a) We don’t try to hurt people, we try to get people out. If you’re too timid to play a game with a hard ball flying around then don’t play but don’t get mad at someone because you are afraid. 2) The only reason they think we’re out to get them is that The Mustache is a cancer that has made their team feel at odds with everyone else. He is a walking conflict so now any time something happens they assume it’s retribution for how he has been treating everyone else. iii) If you’re going to accuse my brother-in-law Andy of something malicious then you’re just throwing your credibility clear out the window. Question Keithman all day and you’ll have some support, but brother-in-law Andy? You might as well pick a fight with nicest-guy-in-the-world-even-though-he’s-a-Yankee-fan Bret.
So my father-in-law John was pitcing to none other than The Mustache himself! Last inning, two outs, two strikes. The pitch comes in, just whistling at 8 mph on the radar gun. No swing. The ball lands with a “poof”. My sister-in-law Tara looks down at the circle in the dust where the ball had bounced. My father-in-law John says from the mound (it’s not a mound per se in softball, but just to keep it simple we’ll call it that) “That’s it. It’s over.” The umpire says “That IS is. It IS over. Strike 3.” The Mustache is LIVID and as calmly as he can growls “I’m biting my tongue pretty hard right about now.” We all let out a yip as though this was the championship. I talked about how this ending was pure poetry. My brother-in-law Andy said it was divine retribution. In any case, it was storybook and I hope you publish your blog comments someday so I can buy my words and give them to everyone I know. Marlon, it would be like Starlin Castro throwing Matt Holliday out at the plate for the last out of the NL Championship Series…I know you don’t see it that way because you thought that blatantly dirty play was clean, but I’m telling you that’s what it was like.
Did we win the championship? Do woodchucks chuck wood? Well, no they don’t, but yes we did. I wish I could show you the picture of my brother-in-law Andy dumping the chest full of ice on my sister-in-law Tara. Listen, we’re all Cubs fans so this is the only championship we really have a shot at, you know?
I know I usually invite you to play fall ball with us, but after that I don’t think we really need your help anymore. And since you never respond anyway I figure we should just continue to rely on the good people we play with week in and week out. It’s been a journey and it’s been wonderful. There’s an amazing view from the top of the mountain, Marlon. I hope you get to see it someday.
Check out the epic poem I penned about the experience here: http://dirtwank.blogspot.com
Keithman
please go back to the hospital stat. it is dinner time.
Hi Ty!
Perhaps you’re remembering the beating my hand took playing 3rd base in the men’s league. Not to worry! My contusions have healed and I’m back at full strength! Thanks for the concern! I’m getting all 4 nutritious (and sometimes just downright unhealthy) meals each day!
http://dirtwank.blogspot.com
Keithman
It’s a long way from the church leagues to the major leagues. my friend. . Go cubs # 24.
Hi Alexander!
It’s not as far as you think! I just Google Mapped the distance from Wesley Lynn Park (I know, you probably thought I’d use Meldrum Bar Park, but we only play there for the tournament!) to Safeco Field in Seattle (the closest MLB stadium) and it’s only 190 miles!
http://dirtwank.blogspot.com
Keithman
Great post, Marlon, and I agree completely. Some of Hendry’s moves may not have panned out the way he (or anyone else for that matter) had hoped, but that happens everywhere. Jim Hendry gave this job his all, and did the best job he could to put the Cubs in a position to win every year. And that’s all you can really ask of the guy. In the end, a lot more has to go right to bring home the big prize. Players have to execute, managers have to make the right calls, the team has to stay relatively healthy for a majority of the season, and the big plays have to happen at the right time. Hendry is a classy guy and I wish him all the best. I say the same for you too, Marlon, and I hope you’ll be sticking around in a Cub uniform for a while. You play the game the right way, and we need more guys like you not just on this team, but all over baseball.
“He signed,,,Milton Bradley…. At the time, it was the right move and everyone agreed it was.”
No. At the time, it was a delusional move, and many people predicted it would end
badly.
Many people said the same thing when the White Sox signed Ozzie Guillen. Jim Hendry was willing to take a chance on players that others wouldn’t. I liked Milton Bradley it just didn’t work out. Jim Edmonds was on the scrap pile when Jim Hendry took a chance on him, Edmonds played good but the Cubs didn’t bring him back. If the Cubs would ‘ve won the world series that year no one would have cared. who Jim Hendry signed.
Ugh… sorry about the typos… I mean to say “Not “many people” predicted it would end baldy; EVERYONE predicted it would end badly.”
Not many people didn’t predicted it would end badly, EVERYONE predicted it would end badly. In fact, the only person who thought it was a good idea was Hendry, who admits he was sold a false bill of goods. I can only assume Bradley talked a good game and Hendry’s humanitarian side felt it was worth the risk.
What are you talking about?
it takes courage to stand up for a guy when he is down but marlon speaks for hundreds of people who really do know what a genuine man jim hendry has always been–there are a lot of snake oil salesman in and around mlb but jim was not and thanks marlon for the comments
Marlon, The biggest mistake the owners and Hendry made was not giving Ryne Sandberg the coaching position. He worked his ASS off for the Cubs ever since he was a rookie in 84 and has been crapped on by former owners and general managers since (read his book sometime). He always has been a leader by example and would never take shit from high paid players who are not playing what they are getting paid and bench their ass! I think Hendry and players were afraid of him.
I also feel that the owners who are true Cub fans are starting to make the changes needed.
Marlon I also see that you have great leadership qualities like Ryno and I hope the Cubs never trade you.
Marlon Man your my Favorite Player for the cubs team but you mentioned he broght Rami in and Trade Sosa (Which is still to the day an imbarrassment to the cubs for the cork!) But Jim just doesnt know when to cut his loses with a player to much of an emotional connection with the players His Job was to Bring home a World Series Well He didnt do it and he had 16 seasons to do it So in a stand point yes he brought us 3 divisions And A NLCS Series but still no Trophy. But i respect you more for standing for what you believe in and that probably why your my favorite player is cause you are a ball player giving 110 every play and running out everything and you still put up the numbers! I PRAY WE KEEP BYRD IN THE NEST IN WRIGLEY!!
-Jason Finley-
hendry did a good job for the cubs but maybe it is time for a new voice.but carefull what you wish for. many complained about rothschild over the years and when he left the pitching staff went right into the crapper.one thing for sure the old boy’s club is over.hendry was loyal to his players sometimes too loyal.the new gm might not appreciate guys like wood,reed,or pena let’s hope not.and marlon always great to see you smiling.if only big z had your attitude and calmness.
almost forgot.jim hendry you did a fine job and i wish you well.thanks for all the hard work.
I have been a Cubs fan since 1968. I remember Fergie Jenkins asking for $100,000 after winning 20 games six yrs in a row:) Baseball has become big business with huge salaries..The bottom line is deliver the goods or go. Hendry didn’t deliver a World Series and that’s what it’s about…bottom line. I want to see the Cubs compete. Lose Big Z., Head Case, .Marmaol, can’t count on,, and Soriano , looks lazy, maybe he isn’t…but it sure looks it to those of us watching him. I do appreciate your hustle. I was at Boston the night you were hit..ouch..hope it’s coming along..Go Cubs!!!
I will agree that Jim Hendry needed to be terminated, only because the Cubs had to move on from the Tribune-era Cubs. Honestly, I believe that Jim Hendry has become a scapegoat for many Cubs fans, and does not deserve as much of the anger projected on him than has been expressed over the past year or so. In fact, he had been put in a no-win position since 2006, first by the incredibly-greedy Tribune Co., and then by the inexperienced and semi-delusional Ricketts family. To start after the 2006, the Tribune Company’s SOLE goal was to try to sell off a last-place Cubs team, with a 66-96 record, for as much money as possibly could. Crane Kenney and the rest of the Tribune brass were worried that that the fans would leave in droves and wouldn’t be able to sell the team for the amount they wanted if they didn’t have a “sexy” major league roster on a yearly basis. That being the case, Kenney and the Tribune put SO much pressure on Hendry to try to make the team as “sexy” as possible, that Jim felt he had to throw money at players like Soriano, Zambrano, Bradley, and Fukudome only to make the team more salable, and in order for Hendry to keep his job. Obviously these bloated contracts eventually handcuffed the organization; the Ricketts family trying to figure out how to get out of the mess; and the Tribune executives and stockholders rolling around in the millions of dollars that they made after the sale was completed; BUT ask yourself this question: How many of you were excited as can be when the Cubs originally signed these players, and thought that the Cubs had a legitimate chance of winning the World Series at the time? After the sale of the team was finalized and the economy went in the crapper, Hendry was once put again in a sh*tty position by the Ricketts family by trying to make a winning team with an aging, injury-prone veterans, and unstable head-cases, AND with a VERY limited increase of payroll. In my opinion, the persons who are most responsible for the current state of the Chicago Cubs are the Tribune Company, as well as CURRENT Cubs President, Crane Kenney, who should also be relieved of his job IMMEDIATELY. As an additional side note to all of those who blame Hendry for hiring Quade as manager in the first place, ask yourself: With all of the events that occurred in the 2011 season (injuries, Zambrano, etc.) Do you REALLY believe that the 2011 Cubs would any better with Ryno as manager? Ryno is my all-time favorite Cub player, and with him managing a team like this, with as many problems as this team has had, would only be a detriment to his legacy as a Chicago Cub.
WOW!!!,
I mean everyone with half a monkey brain may
really need time to think about this one! Shocking, dillusional, account of the facts.Go back to watching UFO’s in your backyard. Hendry was given an open checkbook to stack his team with quality players. Instead, he REACHED and over paid for players who were B-star All-Stars. I gaurantee you the yankees and expos/nationals didnt want Sori b/c they saw the problem with this guy. I.E. “I want to play second base and bat lead-off” The YANKEES gave this cancer his walking papers. They didnt care that he put up huge stats.They saw the problem and got rid of it. As it turns out the Yanks were pretty smart. They never looked back. I guess if the Yanks give up on someone that should be a sign saying “BEWARE”. Now Big Jim strolls in with his big brother behind him and opens up the checkbook and pays a guy 17 million a year till he is 38. I wonder if this thing will end badly??
C’mon fellow Cub fans wake up!!! I feel like splashing a bucket of ice cold water on your faces to get you out of your hypnotized state. This has gone on way too long!!
How about signing some quality starting pitching and Prince Fielder? Now thats a start in the right direction. Pena is a great guy but we could use his 10 million to help sign Fielder.
Lastly, Crane Kenney had nothing to do with signing those players. He just gave Hendry the go ahead to cripple this organization. Is Dallas Green still alive?
That is why you are my favorite player Marlon. Classy, you hussle and have a true passion for the game and people involved. Its easy for outsiders to point fingers and place blame. You can’t blame one person for a team’s struggles, there is a lot more going on. I get tired of Cubs “fans” hating on mangers, especially players! Its like they forget all the good things and only remember the rough patches! Its a complex game with a lot of pieces necessary to go right to win ball games. CUBS FOR LIFE! I’ll see you at Wrigley tonight! Sweep the CARDINALS 😀
As a Cub fan of over 40 years…I remember all the good things..69 Cubs..then the Collapse..Banks 500th homer..84 Cubs..then the Collapse, 89 Cubs..probably saved some San Francisco Fans..2003..So close I could taste it..not Cubs fault, not Bartman or Gonzalez..my wife..ex-wife asked me the score in the 8th with one out and a 3-0 lead..tried to wave her off..wouldn’t have it so I told her “3 to nothing” exact words no more…but it was to late!! The jinx was complete!!!
I remember the good things, my father has been a Cub fan since 1938…The bad things are a lot more glaring..103 years is patient enough…Put together a team that will at least play in the series..if they win so much the better but to just be in it……..Heaven! Go Cubs..
Of course we are blaming Hendry, he is the one that put this team, and the losers from the last couple of seasons together. It is his job to put a good enough team on the field to win. He has always been obsessed with going after people coming off of career years, which typically does not pan out. And about Bradley, that was a horrible decision at the time, and it played out like most people probably would have guessed. The man is a head case, and the bigger market did nothing but make him crazier. I’m tired of hearing people say it is the players fault, yes they are the ones that play the games, but Hendry is the one that put the team on the field.
Been a cub fan since before ’45. Hope springs eternal. R.
Marlon,
very well put hendry did his job and did work hard but in the end his best efforts were sub-par. The guy had way more flops than anything look at todays team. Why in the world arent these guys held accountable for poor play. Soriano doesnt hustle, Marmol blows games, and Big-Z hasnt lead the team in wins in way too long for an “Ace,” and hendry just stood behind them all. I for one am glad Ryno didnt get the managing job just for the sake of his reputation. Ryno is one of the most beloved cubbies of all times and by all means earned the right to be the manager, but watching this season unfold and seeing the lack of effort or urgency from most of the fat bloated salaries on the team would have been more of a headache for Sandberg than anything. I wouldnt want Ryno to be looked down upon because of the poor work Hendry has done in assembling one of the most expensive salaries in baseball to be horrible. I am a life long Cub fan and still support the team everyday but its getting harder and harder to sit back and watch on t.v. let alone go to a game because its just disgusting to me how horrible some of these guys play. Byrd,Johnson,Garza,Barney,Pena,and Castro are the only players worth keeping. It’s time the team takes the garbage out and gets back to baseball. The team as a whole lacks fundamentals and theres a reason they are called such.
As a 15 year old, I attended my first Cub game against the Cardinals in August of 1945 and was thrilled to be there, I was able to watch Marty Marion, Stan Musial Red Schoendinst, Whitey Kurowski, Phil Caveretta, Stan Hack, Don Johnson Andy Pafko, Clyde McCollough Bill( swish) Nicholson, Claude Paseau, Hank Wise and Hank Borowy (bought from the Yankees for 100,00dollars) and more, I have been a Cub fan since my grandfather(Indiana Jack told me that he pitched on the same staff of Terre Haute,Indiana of the III league, and on the same staff was Three Fingers Mordicai Brown (who true Cub fans know is in the Hall of Fame as a Cub) I have suffered as much as any of you youngsters about the lack of a World Series title, but the last thing I will do is forget Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, RON SANTO, Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson. Come on you Cub fans, quitcher bit’chen!
And like you, dad, I won’t forget Beckert and Kessinger (no better double play combo in Cubs history….except one. But then I never saw Ticker…nor Evers….OR Chance play. But, I remember my first Cubs game too dad. It was “Bat Day” and being an ignorant 12 year old I just said “I hope they don’t pitch too fast for me to hit” And with a sly grin you explained to me that we were going to receive souvenir bats to bring home. Thanks for not making a big deal of my “youngness”. That was when I got my first major league autograph. Wouldn’t you know it was from Randy Hundley, a catchers catcher. Fitting don’t you think? No matter who they bring in as the new GM they had better have one thing going for them and that is they better bleed Cub blue. Not to mention it would be nice if they are pro Ryne Sandberg.
One last thing dad, thanks for the memories. Also, thanks for letting my brother and I ride the trains (Skokie Swift) to Wrigley without parents to see ball games. Too bad you can’t do those kinds of things nowadays. Just walking out into the stands and seeing the field of play makes my heart swell every time. Knowing that Grandpa Keith took you, you took me, and then my son got to see Sammy play one evening. He’s a Cub fan for life now too. For a while I never knew what it meant when Ernie Banks would say “Let’s play two!” But, now I know. He was saying it more to the guys he played with than to us fans. He was trying to remind them “Guys, it’s a game!” the money will take care of itself. And once the game becomes “a job” then it’s time to move on. So, “Let’s watch two!”
We love you, Keithman!!
Hi Nietzschean!
While I don’t believe in the Ubermensch and God is certainly not dead, I’m so excited that you enjoy hearing about the same things Marlon does! I hope you also enjoy my thoughts at my blog: http://dirtwank.blogspot.com. I hope you realize that as long as there is The Byrd’s Nest there too will be Keithman! Even though Marlon never acknowledges me I know, deep down, I raise his batting average 15 points and account for 1.2 HRs per season.
Keithman
I’ll acknowledge you Chief Keithman even if Marlon won’t.You are my hero and a misunderstood genius!! Just remember to take The blue pill in the a.m, the yellow at noon, and the white one at night. If you skip a day do not double dose just resume your med schedule as prescribed…
Have you forgotten some unfinished business here Byrd? Because this is pathetic. Your politically correct line of BS here is about as strong as your clutch hitting game and it is a feeble attempt to ignore what you NEED to be addressing. You know beyond any reasonable doubt that you owe Cub fans an explanation for your last wretched article (7/31) about your love for Matt Holliday and your willingness to turn your back on your teammates and coaches/manager. Holliday is clearly the dirtiest player in baseball and when he used his disgusting tactics on Castro as blind Ump Cousins ignored the play infraction – rule 7.09 (f), your pitiable a** kissed right up to Holliday as you stabbed your own team in the back. You are a coward Byrd. You are a coward for not addressing the many responses you received for your weak-kneed position on the play. And you are a coward for the position you took, throwing your own teammates and coaching staff under the bus. You have lost the respect of many Cub fans Byrd. You still have time to make this right but that time is quickly running out. Ignoring this story will not make it go away. You need to either man up and at the very least clarify your position on the dirty Holliday play, or remain a cowardly, yellow-tailed Benedict Arnold. If you choose the latter, then you might as well fly the coop and get out of Chicago because we don’t have room in this city for turn-coat cowards like you. You are either with us or against us – and you need to decide soon which side you come down on. Man up Byrd or fly away. And when your playing days are over, I’m sure Matt Holliday and Tony LaRussa could use you to help manage their Facebook accounts.
Its good to see Chief KEITHMAN, Randle McMurphy, Martini and the other nuts at the Cuckoo’s nest break out of the asylum to shed their infinite wisdom on the Cubs problems. Being a Cub fan you have to be a little crazy. Let me join your ranks! I’ll be the one who studders the “Cuubbbss sssuuucckk or Sori SoriannoNONO!! after another one of their brutal loses. The condition will be blamed on watching the Cubs all these years. The cure would be not watching them but I never do whats good for me anyways. Chief is a legend and hilarious at the same time. I read your last entry like the Old Testament. Slower and slower to find the hidden meaning. You are like a breath of fresh air at a mexican garbage dump. I loved that story. I wish it never ended. It will be read in scrolls for future generations to be riveted or confused. It is good Chief Keithman has a platform to make his rants. He needs to work out the arrested development the Cubs have put us all through.
However, Chief Keithman suffers from paranoia and hallucinations. He has received multiple electroshock treatments, and has been in the hospital for ten years longer than any other patient in the ward. Chief sees the Chicago Cubs as a huge, oppressive conglomeration that he calls the “Cubbine” and the hospital as a place meant to fix people who do not conform. Chief chronicles the story of the mental ward while developing his perceptual abilities and regaining a sense of himself as an individual while drafting a riveting true story account of the 40 and over Co-ed Jewish softball league in Rogers Park and its menace “The Mustache. That S.O.B! He reminds me of the warden in Shawshank Redemption. What Villians!! They both got their come-uppings.
Anyways, if we had ten Marlon Byrds we would lead the league in runs and hustle. The problem is terrible chemistry and no starting pitching. Also, if Marlon feels bad that he didnt back a teammate I’m sure he addressed it w/ Starling. Furthermore, If you got smashed at a wedding and embarrassed your wife would you e-mail all the guests and apologize for being a fool or would you say sorry to your wife in person? Just saying, are you asking Marlon to write a letter to Cub fans? Here’s how it would go. I’m sorry for hustling and wanting to Win. I made one mistake by not backing a rookie teammate. I said I was sorry to him. I regret saying that but I will not be pushed by fans into action. I put my heart into this team. You see me play everyday. I’m not perfect but I give it my all. TELL ME ONE OTHER GUY ON THE CUBS WHO THINKS THIS WAY?? Oh yeah, Gary Mathews 1984 THE SARGE…Marlons a pro. Why subject yourself to Cub-dumb. I mean Cubdom yeah!!
Unfinished business? Are you completely nuts Rickey Ferguson? So you think Marlon should respond/apologize to you cause your feelings were hurt? The man has nothing to say! He said it! Re-read it if you want to know how he feels. Right or wrong, it’s how he feels and that’s what this blog is about. He’s a coward if he bows down to you and begs for your forgiveness. He said what he has to say and that’s it. It’s not up for debate buddy. People come to this blog to get the perspective of a major league ball player’s perspective, not to be PC or say whatever Rickey Ferguson wants him to say. If you don’t want to know how he views different issues, I have a solution for you…STAY AWAY!
I really love the Cubs, but I swear some fans are complete idiots!!!
Mark,
I’m so glad that you wrote that post. All of us Cub fans are big push-overs sometimes. Its great to see Marlons viewpoint C’mon, he should not have his hands over the Cub-flame. Everyone can have their say on this blog but to demand apologies and want an explanation is silly at this point. I’m sure Marlon took care of it w/ Starling. Now Rickey F. please go back to the card show and harrass Doc Ellis for throwing a no-hitter blasted on heroin. My favorite Doc Ellis line “I was higher than a Georgia pine that day” And todays starting pitcher…YOU SUCKAA!!
Have a Happy Birthday Marlon.
Why so many MARLON fans? He can’t hit with men on base because he hits the ball back up the middle that results in a DP or the final out. Marlon’s a 245 pound marshmallow.
If you can only hit 6 homeruns you better be able to steal a lot of bases.
I’d like to know who has left more men on base than Byrd?
Keithman, At first I was concerned that I was laughing at the expense of a mentally unstable person, but your writing indicates otherwise. I want to admit to you that I’ve started using your material in my college composition courses. Well, not in the same way as, say, Robinson Jeffers or Frederick Douglass, but still. My students love your work all the same! I think they are beginning to understand Chicago humor a little better, too, in a way that undermines the “union thug” stereotype that has recently gained currency here in the dirty “minimum wage is better than solidarity with a black person” south. They love the late Herbert Kornfeld of The Onion, too. Anyway, the moderators can’t erase history because I have all of your posts saved. I’m currently working on an example for a new assignment I’m doing, and I’m converting one of your narratives into an illustrated slideshow to demonstrate the task. I’ll send the link to your blog once I post it! Jen
Hi nietzschean!
I’m really looking forward to seeing how my comments to Marlon are shaping the students of this great country! I think it’s fantastic that you have recognized the hole in the standard curriculum and have chosen to fill it with the camaraderie I have with Marlon! I’m particularly excited to see the illustrations and I’m very much hoping that there is one with a stick taped to Marlon’s helmet. I can only hope that your recognition of my abilities does not taint the correspondence I have with the best starting center fielder currently on the Cubs Major League roster. I don’t know what I would do without this one-sided conversation. Fortunately he only writes one every 3 weeks or so which gives me time to breathe between posts.
It’s disappointing that Fall League Softball didn’t work out this year, but at least my brother-in-law Andy was able to find a Men’s league to play in on Friday nights. While he’s diving into second base I’m diving into a bag of Doritos. Some things get better with age…some things just get fat.
Keithman
Keithman to
Nietzschean:
You’re my Ditka. No, you’re my Ditka! Ditka, sauwsaaage, Cubbbs. Go on your man-date and hug it out….
Hendry has had one of the highest payrolls in the league to work with while getting some absolutely horrible results. 2006 and 2010 were just laughable given how much money the Cubs were spending. Hendry repeatedly failed on multiple signings and decisions, including the signing of Milton Bradley, trading of Mark DeRosa, trading of Maddux for Izturis, signing of Soriano to age 39 at $18 million a year after a career year, trading of Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot, letting go of Casey McGehee, etc. Hendry repeatedly showed his greatest strengths are taking a wealth of farm system talent and trading it away for peanuts, coming across quality ballplayers who play their hearts out and moving them to other teams as soon as possible, and refusing to address major holes in the oh-so-crucial Starting Rotation. This team is better with Jim Hendry gone, Marlon. I respect your passion for the team but your analysis on this is dead wrong, sorry.