Joe a No-Go?
ESPN: Girardi to Get Offer from Yankees

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So it seems the Cubs are down to two choices: Ryne Sandberg and Mike Quade. But what about Joe Girardi? The Yankees will offer him a three-year deal after the playoffs, ESPN's Bruce Levine says, noting "there has not been any contact between Girardi and the [Cubs]." What the...? The Sun-Times' Rick Morrissey thinks Girardi must still be in the mix, or else the Cubs would have decided by now. And the Daily Herald's Barry Rozner thinks the Cubs are making this all far too complicated.

ESPN Chicago: Source: Chicago Cubs near hire
Chicago Sun-Times: Why would Cubs delay picking manager unless...
Kap's Corner: The Cubs managerial search
Daily Herald: Cubs making simple look complicated
CSN Chicago: Manager questions are multiple-choice; Wedge out

Tweet Emotion
One Tweet, and They're Off!
The earth-shaking tweet went out at 3:49pm on Oct. 14. Sportswriter Will Carroll wrote, "Hearing that Mike Quade will be named Cubs manager, with Ryne Sandberg as bench coach." The reactions came fast and furious: Bleed Cubbie Blue quoted Bruce Miles as saying "this scenario seems very unlikely," while The Score's Matt Spiegel called it "dumb" and said it would be one of the worst Cub moves ever. Then there's Another Cubs Blog, which describes the rumor with a word that begins with "Bull" and ends with... something else.

Bleed Cubbie Blue: Sources deny that Quade will be named Cubs manager
CBS Chicago: Spiegel: Perhaps the worst Cubs idea of all time
The Cub Reporter: Quade manager, Sandberg bench coach?
Another Cubs Blog: Bulls—t!

The Big Picture
Is Everything Cool in Cubs' Front Office?
To some, this whole managerial search has revealed a chasm in the Cubs' front office. Chicago Cubs Online says the endeavor has led to several questions, including: Does Jim Hendry prefer Mike Quade while Tom Ricketts likes Ryne Sandberg (or vice-versa)? Is Hendry second-guessing hiring Lou Piniella over Girardi years back? And this one: "Could a former first-round draft pick be switching positions?" The answer to the last one is yes — 2007 first-rounder Josh Vitters has seen some time at first base in Arizona.

Chicago Cubs Online: More Q's than answers for Cubs
Muskat Ramblings: 10/14 Josh Vitters update

The Price Is Right (?)
A Look at the Cubs' Complex Ticket Price System
So the Cubs have reworked their pricing system into distinct tiers. So what does this mean for the average fan? The Trib breaks down the "hieroglyphics," and here's what it comes down to: There are 13 "Marquee" games, including the Yankees, White Sox, and Cardinals. The cost for a bleachers ticket? $72. Ouch. Then there's "Platinum," which is $58 for bleachers, "Gold" is $42 for bleachers, "Silver" tickets are $32 for bleachers, and Bronze bleacher seats are $20. Think of all the Old Styles you can buy....

Chicago Breaking Sports: Deciphering the Cubs ticket pricing system

A Little This, a Little That
Random Musings on Another Eventful Season
We always enjoy random little lists, snippets, musings, what have you. The excellent blog And Counting comes through with a strong one, giving us thoughts such as, "Tom Ricketts is too nice," "Things might look bleak now, but in the next few years you're gonna like a lot of the new kids," and this solid thought: "Paying $60 to sit in the bleachers is like tipping the maitre d' to let you wait longer." Well done.

And Counting: 2010 random season wrap-up

Here's a list of all the former Cubs still alive in the 2010 MLB playoffs... The Dodgers have reportedly signed Ted Lilly to a new three-year deal... Want to see (and hear) the best Simpsons' quotes about baseball? Sure you do... The Cubs/Sox rivalry is starting even earlier these days... And through all the managerial moves, Bob Brenly still waits for his phone to ring.

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