<<...NO extra games, please. I'd be very content to have the Giants win tonight and let tomorrow just be football season...>>
jpg: I hope the Giants come through for us tonight too!...You and your relatives could really celebrate.
<<...We've always stayed at the south shore of Tahoe, but we recently were up at the north shore and liked it quite a bit because it was quieter (fewer tourists). We're headed up again next weekend...>>
jpg: Lake Tahoe sure is a beautiful place...My west coast relatives tend to go to Squaw Valley and a friend from college used to have connections so we could stay right on the slopes up at NorthStar. Recently, my trips to the mountains have been out to Utah and Colorado...Anything's possible this winter though.
<<...I read more this morning about the Cubs being hot on Baker's trail after the Series. It sounds like their GM has a blank check to sign him. What a drag...>>
jpg: Dusty Baker is a fantastic coach...I just saw an interview with him on CNN -- Not only is he very talented BUT he has such a family-friendly policy and allows all his players to have their young sons at some of the practices and in The Dugout during the games (Conversely, The Angels require sons of players or staff to be at least 18 to be in or around the Dugout)...Bonds was interviewed and he really likes Dusty's policy. The CNN interviews had no comments on where Baker or Bonds would be playing next year...they are focussed on winning tonight. If Baker takes The Giants to the World Series and wins then he may be looking for the next challenge (as well as a nice increase in compensation <G>)...Its still a long shot for The Cubs to get Baker though -- they don't have a fancy stadium like Seattle or San Francisco...The Cubs have incredible talent (like Sammy Sosa) and the team just needs to be channeled and focussed appropriately...the Stadium is smaller and is filled with loyal fans all the time -- it is a classic one in the Wrigleyville Neighborhood north of downtown Chicago -- its very historic and has a lot of charm BUT it most likely will never be replaced during Dusty's career - the fans and the city are attached to it...here's a link to some good pics of Wrigley field -- it takes a little while to load and then page down...
teresco.org
Baker loves Jazz and Chicago is one of the best cities in North America for that type of music...we've also got good schools, world class restaurants and night life, Lake Michigan, and from O'Hare airport you can get almost anywhere in one flight. Seattle has A LOT to offer in all of these categories too...I used to live there and I love that city. When it comes to 'deep pockets' and a willingness to pay a talented manager like Dusty well, both Chicago and Seattle could be contenders...The Tribune Media Company is the very profitable owner of not only the Chicago Cubs but also a portfolio of radio stations, broadcast tv stations, famous newspapers, The WB Network, etc (they were even a very early venture investor in AOL and made over a billion dollars profit off that investment - in the boom period)...Tribune (TRB) is a public company though and it can't go overboard in what it offers to a Cub's manager or the players...On the other hand, The Mariners are privately owned and some of the investors are early Microsoft execs who have a truckload of money...
bizjournals.com
The decision about Dusty's future will be a personal one that he will have to make (last time I checked he was already being compensated pretty well). Yet, it may have to do with 'a new challenge' and the right chemistry with a city and a management team...who knows, he may even stay in San Francisco.
regards,
-Scott |
