5. Can the Cubs compete next year without signing Aramis Ramirez?

5. Can the Cubs compete next year without signing Aramis Ramirez? The Cub Reporter.

Yes, but they have to sign or trade for somebody to make up for his bat. I think they have to find another bat somewhere with Aramis coming back anyway. I think Aramis should be the number one priority for the Cubs in terms of their own players next year, before Kerry Wood or Juan Pierre.

4. There were far too many things that went wrong with the club to address in this space, was there anything that went right?

Question #4: There were far too many things that went wrong with the club to address in this space, was there anything that went right?

I will list them: Michael Barrett having another good off-season, Ryan Theriot, Aramis's second half, Jacques Jones playing about as good as he could have, Matt Murton, Angel Pagan as a backup outfielder, Carlos's good pitching performance, Rich Hill's second half, Bob Howry and Scott Eyre.

3. At what point did you give up your playoff aspirations for the 2006 Cubs?

3. At what point did you give up your playoff aspirations for the 2006 Cubs? The Cub Reporter.

I did not give up initially after the Lee injury. I think they went into St. Louis and won one out of three, not too bad and then won two out of three from Florida. However, after that they got smoked in back to back days by Milwaukee, I think by a combined score of 25-2 and then didn't win a game in Arizona or San Diego when they didn't have any offense. I think I gave up right around then.

Assuming Dusty joins the unemployment line, what do you want out of the next Cubs manger in terms of personality and qualities. Is there an individual

Question #2

The Cub Reporter. Assuming Dusty joins the unemployment line, what do you want out of the next Cubs manger in terms of personality and qualities. Is there an individual you have in mind?

I would like a manager that can manager both the team and the players. I think that a good manager can be an excellent motivator but at the same time sacrfice his players for the team. I want a manager that makes good lineup decisions (no Bynum or Perez batting second or first). I want a manger who "tells it like it is." Blames himself before anybody else, but is not afraid to let the team know that they are not playing up to their expectations. I do not expect the manager to call out a player publicly, but privately, I hope they do.

I think Joe Girardi is the best person for this position. Macdonough is right, the Cubs need someone that's been with the organization before.

Dusty, Dusty, Dusty, sum up his tenure in 2 sentences or less

Again, like last year, I'll follow The Cub Reporter and their end of the season questions.

It was great, it was fun, and it's over.

I think I saw that quote in of those Brady Bunch movies that my little sister loved growing up. 2003 was great, all of Dusty's quotes were fun, and I'm glad it's finally over.

Bye Bye Andy

Thankfully, the 2006 Cubs season ended this afternoon with a win over the Rockies. I can't say I watched a lot of this season, because I started work and other excuses. The Cubs did something extraordinary after the game, when they let team president Andy Macphail go. It's obvious that changes needed to be made and Macphail was exactly right when he said two playoffs in his 12 years was unacceptable.

I know what many people may disagree with me, but I really like the choice of John McDonough as choice for new team president. I saw McDonough's press conference and his two main points were: 1. the World Series championship is the only goal for this team, and anything else should be working towards that. 2. He emphasized the fans as being a focal point and they deserved much more than the Cubs have given him. McDonough was a marketing genius for this team and it showed in the attendance numbers for this sucky team, including this year. I don't know how much control he will have over personnel decisions or salaries, but I think he has the right attitude to allow the Cubs to progress towards that elusive championship.