Is it a GM's place to be loved?

James Wisniewski signed a one-year deal with Anaheim this week worth $2.75 million.

He admitted a long-term contract would have made him more comfortable and much happier.

"Sometimes," he said, "it's rough going off a bunch of one-year deals, but I can see where the Ducks are coming from."

He didn't profess his love for GM Bob Murray. He didn't say his teammates love Murray. He didn't say the fans love Murray. He didn't say he enjoys seeing Murray in the locker room after victories, probably because Murray's never there to celebrate with the players. Most GMs aren't.

See where we're going here?

You can't blame Martin Havlat one bit for expressing his love for Dale Tallon because Tallon is the one who gave him $18 million for three years.

"The players loved Dale and they are with him," says Havlat. "Every single player on that team is with Dale."

They should be. Tallon overpaid a lot of them, and probably no GM in the NHL was more popular among his players. But perhaps a GM that beloved is a bit too much a friend and not enough a skilled negotiator who has an eye on the salary-cap ramifications.

The list is too long to name all the guys he overcompensated, but Tallon often raised eyebrows around the league with the money and years he gave young skaters who had proven so little, setting a bar other GMs were forced to reach.

He didn't do it to curry favor with the players, or to make friends. He was just taking care of his guys, but the end result was he certainly had a lot of pals in the dressing room.

He handed out three-year contracts like he was in a rush to get rid of all that cash, and if Wisniewski had stayed he also would have received a cushy package from Tallon.

So, yeah, it makes sense that Havlat hates John McDonough and loves Dale Tallon.

Makes all the dollars and sense in the world.

Moving van

Rick Dudley's guy on the staff was assistant coach John Torchetti, and you have to wonder how that's going to work moving forward.

Similarly, amateur scouting director Mark Kelley is a Tallon loyalist, and there doesn't figure to be an abundance of those guys remaining when it's all said and done.

Q & A

By taking the high road and refusing to criticize Tallon, the Hawks have left a lot of fans confused and a lot of their questions unanswered.

If that policy continues at this weekend's convention, it will make for some interesting discussions.

The bottom line

John McDonough could have taken the easy route, which was to leave things as they were and watch at least one, or maybe two, of the big three RFAs leave next summer, and then make a change at GM.

Or, he could make a controversial and very unpopular change now and hope the new guy can fix the mess, allowing the Hawks to keep Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith.

Time will tell McDonough if it was worth the trouble he wrought.

Stocking stuffer

There has been so much made about the return of Carlos Quentin, but he hasn't proven he can stay on the field, so how much can the White Sox can really count on him?

Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye have been remarkable, and keeping those two out of the training room in the second half may have more to say about the Sox' chances than will Quentin.

Shouldering the load

Similarly, the Cubs need a lot from Aramis Ramirez the rest of the way, but you could tell Sunday night he still was in tremendous pain.

It's one of the most agonizing injuries in sports, and that shoulder isn't going to heal until he has surgery in the off-season.

Even then, it's going to take eight months to a year before he's back to where he was before the dislocation.

So someone else is going to have to earn their pay, among those who have yet to do so this year.

Thinking out loud

From e-mailer Sanjay H., my favorite GM not working in baseball today: "From the Bad Contract For Bad Contract Dept., the Cubs should explore trading Alfonso Soriano to the Giants for Barry Zito. Both players could use a change of scenery and both players are due to make about $18 million per season for the next five seasons. S.F. needs a hitter, and the Cubs could use another lefty, who can also backfill for free agent-to-be Rich Harden."

BMW special

Golf fans can get a price break on tickets for the BMW Championship at Cog Hill (Sept. 10-13).

With its "Monday after the Majors" promotion, the WGA will reduce the regular ticket price ($45) by a dollar for each stroke the winner is under par at the end of the British Open on Sunday.

The offer is valid only on Monday for September's BMW at a renovated Dubsdread featuring longer holes, more elevated greens and dozens of extremely painful and deep greenside bunkers.

For more info, visit bmwchampionshipusa.com.

Best headline

Sportspickle.com: "MLB all-star dunk competition a complete disaster."

Title town

Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: "North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams has an autobiography out in November called 'Hard Work: My Life On and Off the Court.' I just hope the book is half as exciting as the title!"

And finally -

From e-mailer Mr. Buttermaker: "If only they could reassign Brian Campbell to senior adviser of hockey operations."

brozner@dailyherald.com