Tribune executives got more bad news today as a Federal judge has ruled that Trib shareholders cannot sue Trib Media itself — they have to target the executives. The Judge, perhaps a Cub fan, is insisting the Trib corporation itself sue its own directors, too. In other words, this time its personal.
Re-aligning the Chicago-based company with the stockholders and against the directors — some of whom also live in Illinois – – meant the case could not be heard in federal court. The stockholders are not barred from re-filing in state court.
Second-quarter profit at Tribune fell 62 percent, increasing pressure on FitzSimons and the others to break up the company, which owns the flagship Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, New York-based Newsday, several TV stations and the Chicago Cubs baseball team.
Meanwhile, a œslimmer and trimmer Kerry Wood (read: his low carb, no-steroid diet is working?) refused to meet with Cub beat reporters face to face. I’m guessing his arm is too weak to point and say, “Yes, you in the back, you have a question?” So, he appeared on Tribune-owned WGN radio to say he felt an “obligation” to return to Wrigley in 2007. In what capacity I cannot imagine, since even Trib paperboys have to be able to toss the paper from their bikes to the front porch.
Wood (above) declined a request to talk with Cubs beat reporters, but told WGN-AM 720 on Wednesday he has an “obligation” to return in ’07 and feels “there is something to prove.”
The Cubs are not planning to exercise Wood’s $13.5 million option, and will buy it out for $3 million. But general manager Jim Hendry already has said he would like to have Wood back as a reliever, so all that remains to be decided is what kind of an incentive-laden deal can get it done.
“It’s obvious Jim and myself have to sit down and discuss that,” Wood said. “I know I haven’t given this organization or the fans or this team what they paid for two, three years ago. As a player, you feel”you don’t want to say ‘guilty’”but you [don’t] feel like you’ve done your job and earned your money and gone out and done what you’re supposed to do.
“There’s an obligation there, absolutely. This organization has given me everything I have and gave me a chance to play baseball and they drafted me. There’s definitely loyalty here. I love Chicago, I love the fans, I love the stadium, I love Wrigley Field. I love everything about the situation I’m in.
Wood loves the situation he™s in? I think the only guy whose ever gotten a better ride out of baseball is George Bush.
“In other news, CSTB will be on hiatus for the next 4 days. It seems that the site’s founder has hired Jerry Falwell, a Voodoo witch doctor, the entire Wizznutz staff, and that guy selling the colon stuff that makes you pull chunks of poo out of your butt on TV at 2am to fix Pedro Martinez’s “calf,” the Mets psyche, and to try to recover the funds placed on the Mets winning the World series that were wagered on BetOnSports.com.”
I find it odd that you would take out after Wood for these comments; amid a sea of loudmouth narcissist athletes, at least he says the right words about not having earned his keep. I am aware that he might just be mouthing those words to create an aw-shucks appearance, but potentially insincere humility is still better than the defiant selfishness we’ve come to expect from pro athletes.
“non-steroid…”
Names, dates, evidence, facts?
JD,
Wood took his 13.5 mil, but he can’t take a joke? If we had a loudmouth, 20 game winner on the team, I’d love him. I did phrase my steroid accusation as a question, tho, and it’s too bad Wood won’t face the local beat reporters on his situation. Everyone from ESPN’s Jon Miller to Phil Rogers refers to his (and Prior’s) situation as “mysterious,” since the Cubs have not been forthright in talking about what ails these boys. The reporters are hinting at it, with those comments and his being “slimmer and trimmer” etc., but I don’t think anyone’s going to ask outright until the off season. I think he’s been a major money drain and let down for the club. Imo, he’s hustling to keep a job pitching, any job, since he’s damaged goods everywhere else in baseball.
Ben
Sorry if I misunderstood your steroid comment. I still don’t think it’s reasonable to base suspicion about Wood on coy hints dropped by Tribune scribes, though. Not only is that unfair, but Tribune writers have advocated such great ideas this season as trading Zambrano for Tejada (Phil Rogers) and moving Ryan Dempster back to the rotation (Paul Sullivan), so taking their word as gospel seems unwise unless they’re willing to come out with some hard facts. Besides, I don’t think there’s any great mystery to why Wood’s shoulder is a pile of goo: he threw that nasty, destructive slurve for years, and no fewer than 3 different managerial regimes regularly let him rack up insane pitch counts.
Prior is a different story though. The Cubs really have been duplicitous where his injuries are concerned, and both his physique and his performance this year could lead to reasonable speculation about how Mr. Perfect Mechanics turned into Mr. 28 Walks in 43.2 Innings.