Why I Don't Attend the Cubs' Convention

Paul Sullivan
Tribune staff reporterJanuary 14, 2006

With a few notable exceptions, Cubs fans were all bark and little bite at their annual summit meeting with general manager Jim Hendry and manager Dusty Baker.The criticism was rather muted when Hendry and Baker faced the music Saturday at the Cubs Convention, although the fans who did have a major beef with Cubs brass were usually backed up with a round of applause from the otherwise silent majority.

The majority of questioners rambled on and on about their Cubs-related heartbreak before offering an actual question, many plugging their Cubs-related blog.The first awkward occasion occurred when one particularly long-winded blogger groused that White Sox GM Ken Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen were "smoking cigars with their feet up and laughing at us, laughing at you guys, laughing at the North Side."

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Baker's awkward moment came minutes later, when a perturbed fan drew applause for criticizing the manager's game strategy."I swear to God, I don't understand why you've never heard of a squeeze bunt in your life," the fan said. "A manager has a chance to have a direct impact on 10-15 games a season, and I don't think we won one of them last year."Cubs fans make a commitment to you guys every year. It's time you guys make a commitment to us." "Thank you," Baker replied.