Business as usual for Cubs' baseball operations

As far as the Cubs' office of baseball operations is concerned, the status is still quo.

In other words, news of the "impending" sale of the ballclub from the Tribune Co. to the Ricketts family is having no impact on what moves general manager Jim Hendry can or cannot make right now.

"First of all, I'm not privy to any of that, nor should I be," Hendry said Monday of the news. "I've had the pleasure of being around Tom Ricketts some over the last six to nine months but not nearly as often as you would think, or the GM would like. All I heard today is that it isn't all the way done. It's getting closer.

"Tom and I, hopefully, will have a lot of years to get to know each other."

The subject is a hot one because the July 31 nonwaiver trading deadline is fast approaching, and the Cubs are in a four-way fight for first place in the National League Central, a division no one seems intent on winning.

Cubs baseball people say they are operating as if Sam Zell and his Tribune Co. still own the team, which they still do.

The agreement between Zell and Ricketts is not yet complete. Once that happens, the bankruptcy court must sign off because the Trib has filed for bankruptcy protection. Assuming the court gives its blessing, 75 percent of Major League Baseball owners must vote to approve.

The Cubs went up for sale on Opening Day 2007. Since the end of the 2006 season until last off-season, the Cubs spent money on players in unprecedented sums. In recent months, they've found themselves in a position where they've had to watch dollars when making player trades.

"Let's see when it does get completed," Hendry said. "I have no idea. We've been very fortunate here the last couple years, a franchise of this magnitude to be for sale this long to operate the way we have. Until recently, you never felt the weight of it before.

"Obviously, when you don't have an owner for this long, there's certain things that come into play, which happened the last four or five months that made it a little tougher than the last couple years.

"In the big scheme of things, we don't have a lot to complain about. It's a pretty good place to come to work every day."

Hendry and field manager Lou Piniella are operating under long-term contracts, Hendry through 2012 and Piniella through next season.

Hendry seemed to find distasteful any notion that he had to wine and dine any new prospective owner.

"I have never taken the time to try to call him or meet with him," Hendry said of Ricketts. "I watched a lot of other people the last couple years, when all the people were supposedly going to be the owners.

"I watched the line go to them, and people want to take people to lunch and get close to people. I just never found that to be my style."