Results prove Hendry's doing job

PITTSBURGH -- A colleague and I were talking the other day about former Tigers and Reds manager Sparky Anderson.

We recalled the folksy Anderson saying, "You don't know nuthin' about your team until Memorial Day. Nuthin'."

Well, Memorial Day is upon us, and we do know that the 28-19 Cubs are a first-place team with a legitimate chance of reaching the postseason and advancing.

Instead of breaking things down position by position, let's focus our attention on the man who put this club together: general manager Jim Hendry.

Along with starting quarterbacks and place-kickers, few people attract as much lightning as baseball GMs. Some Cubs fans in tune with statistical analysis have been critical of Hendry over the years for being slow to accept and acknowledge the importance of such stats as on-base percentage.

In baseball circles, Hendry is as respected as any GM in the game, and some even see him rising to the level of Oakland's Billy Beane and Boston's Theo Epstein, considered two of the best.

Things have changed greatly within the Cubs organization since Hendry took the GM job in July 2002. To wit:

• Andy MacPhail, whose main fault was never using all of the vast Tribune Co. resources available to him, is long gone.

• Hendry hired an assistant GM in Randy Bush, who spends time in the office and in the field and isn't afraid to disagree with the boss.

• The Cubs have a full-time statistical analyst in Chuck Wasserstrom.

• Scouting budgets and personnel are way up since the days of MacPhail.

• Scouting director Tim Wilken, a Hendry hire, has infused the farm system with fresh talent, and farm director Oneri Fleita gets credit for helping the Cubs gain a foothold in Latin America.

• After leaving the Far East several years ago, the Cubs are back, with scouting guru Gary Hughes, special assistant Paul Weaver, Bush and scout Steve Wilson contributing to the signing of Kosuke Fukudome.

Ultimately, the final results will reflect on Hendry. His hiring of Lou Piniella as manager and the subsequent signing of Fukudome showed the organization has gotten serious about understanding the correlation between getting on base and scoring runs. Piniella preaches good approaches at the plate, and Fukudome is a high-OBP player.

Heading into Thursday, the Cubs led the National League in runs, were third in batting average and second in on-base percentage, something that would have been unthinkable even a year ago.

Hendry protests vehemently the notion he and the Cubs have not paid enough attention to stats such as OBP. This little corner of the media has been one of the Cubs' most consistent critics in the area of statistical analysis, and Hendry and I have gone back and forth (in spirited but civil debate, I'm happy to say) over the years.

I tried to give him "credit" for adapting, and he'd have none of it.

"My views have never been any different," he said Wednesday in Houston. "They're not different now. They weren't different then. Sometimes you get players who don't do what you would hope they would do, or you get a mixture of players that doesn't click. All of a sudden you change, and Fukudome becomes such an integral part of our lineup and happens to be the kind or player we really needed.

"When you're not going good and you're not high up in those (categories), it's easy to be critical, like we blow it off. We're not doing anything different."

On Piniella, Hendry said he realized there would be pressure to hire a younger manager, such as Joe Girardi, but he liked and still likes what Piniella has brought.

"I knew he had the whole package," Hendry said. "He's a very good game manager, a smart man. I thought he would be firm and fair, which he is. I knew he would be someone I would be able to work with well. It's a very honest relationship we have."

Whether you like the move or think the money is exorbitant, Hendry wasn't afraid to make an all-out pursuit of Alfonso Soriano. If the Cubs ride one of Soriano's hot streaks to a World Series, they'll feel the $136 million was worth every penny.

Young position players, such as Geovany Soto and Ryan Theriot, finally are getting a chance to contribute every day, although many argue Felix Pie should be here instead of in Iowa.

The bullpen Hendry built has been solid overall, but Piniella will have to watch the workloads of Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood.

The starting rotation looks good 1 through 3, with Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly and Ryan Dempster. If there's one area the Cubs may need help before the season's over, it's the rotation, especially if Rich Hill can't come back from Iowa and regain his form of last year, and if Jason Marquis can't put together a solid four months.

The Cubs will have new ownership one of these days, we're told. Nearly a year-and-a-half ago at the Cubs convention, Hendry told fans: "We're going to get good, and we're going to stay good."

Last year's NL Central crown was a start. With a full deck finally at his disposal, Hendry deserves a chance to play out his hand this year and at least a couple more.

bmiles@dailyherald.com

Movin' and shakin'

Since taking over as GM of the Cubs in 2002, Jim Hendry has carved out an extensive track record. Cubs beat writer Bruce Miles takes a look at some of Hendry's good and not-so-good moves.

Moves that have worked

• Obtaining third baseman Aramis Ramirez and center fielder Kenny Lofton from the Pirates for pitcher Matt Bruback and infielders Jose Hernandez and Bobby Hill.

• Obtaining first baseman Derrek Lee from the Marlins for first baseman Hee Seop Choi.

• Obtaining shortstop Nomar Garciaparra from the Red Sox in a complicated four-team trade.

• Obtaining infielders Mark Grudzielanek and Eric Karros from the Dodgers for catcher Todd Hundley.

• Signing pitcher Ryan Dempster to a free-agent contract.

Moves that haven't worked

• Obtaining center fielder Juan Pierre from the Marlins for pitchers Ricky Nolasco, Renyel Pinto and Sergio Mitre.

• Signing outfielder Jacque Jones to a three-year contract.

• Obtaining pitcher Steve Trachsel from the Orioles for three young players.

• Signing reliever LaTroy Hawkins to a free-agent contract.

• Signing reliever Mike Remlinger to a free-agent contact.

Move pointing up

• Signing outfielder Kosuke Fukudome out of Japan.

Moving looking sideways

• Signing outfielder Alfonso Soriano to an eight-year, $136 million contract.

Move pointing down

• Signing pitcher Jason Marquis to a three-year, $21 million contract.

-- Bruce Miles