Brian34Cook

On June 27th I had the pleasure of getting questions for Bruce Miles from baseballforum.com.

First, I'd like to thank Chicago Cubs writer Bruce Miles for taking time out of his schedule to answer all of our questions. He writes for the Daily Herald covering the Cubs. If you want Cubs news, I'd recommend going to him for it. He's one of the best in the business that I know of, that's why I got ahold of him.. so thanks Bruce for answering our questions. Very much appreciated

Second, I'd like to thank our fellow members here that submitted questions. Be sure to submit some whenever I have the time to get a session with someone, wether it be Bruce Miles or Mike Maroth (I'll give you a few more days on that one if ppl want to submit some more for him!)

So take make this short and simple.. Thank you to Bruce Miles and the members of this forum that took part of this. I hope to continue to bring you some insightful stuff going on in the Major League Baseball world and I hope you enjoy..

The Questions & Answers:

BF.com: What do you think about the job Lou Piniella has done this year? Good, bad, mediocre?


Answer: Lou Piniella has done a good job with the Cubs. It's taken him awhile to evaluate what he has, but once he has made his evaluations, he has been not at all indecisive. He knows what he wants, and when he doesn't feel he can't get it, those players won't play or they'll be gone. Piniella has a very insightful baseball mind. He picks up on such things as where a pitcher is standing on the pitcher's rubber or what's going wrong with a batter's swing.

BF.com: Are the Cubs looking to upgrade their offense or pitching to try and make a run at the Brewers? Do you feel that they arent out of the division race yet?

Answer: The Cubs are by no means out of the race. They'll probably try to upgrade their bullpen and offense before the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline.

BF.com: Who do you have on your National League All-Star team this year?

Answer: I don't get too hung up on the All-Star Game. But for the starters, I'd have Russell Martin at catcher, Prince Fielder at first base, Chase Utley at second base, Jose Reyes at shortstop, Miguel Cabrera at third base. In the outfield, I'd have Matt Holliday, Ken Griffey and Eric Byrnes. I'd also find room on the team for Albert Pujols, Hanley Ramirez, David Wright, Edgar Renteria and others. Again, this is not a big deal with me.

BF.com: Do you think that the Cubs will try to keep roster spots for Pie, Fontenot, and Pagan, or will a combo of either be used to land a big name pitcher like say Mark Buehrle to make up for the injuries to the staff?

Answer: The Cubs will use these players on their roster. The Cubs' starting rotation is full, so I don't see them making a play for Buehrle.

BF.com: Who do you think the Cubs should try to negotiate for most come the trade deadline, or will they be sellers?


Answer: The Cubs will not be sellers. They may want to take a flyer on a reliever such as Eric Gagne.

BF.com: Do you think Zambrano will be a Cub next year?

Answer: I don't usually get into predictions like this because there are so many variables. It all depends on the two sides, plus the team's ownership situation.

BF.com: After half the season almost gone, do you think the signing of Soriano was worth it?

Answer: Yes.

BF.com: Where do you see as the most likely destination for Jacque Jones and what are the Cubs looking for in return?

Answer: The Cubs won't be able to get much for Jones, who has a burdensome contract. Clubs also know the the Cubs are desperate to get rid of Jones. I have no idea where he'll land.

BF.com: What's the story with Matt Murton? Would the Cubs be looking to bring him back up after trading Jones?

Answer: It's possible the Cubs will bring Murton up if and when they trade Jones. Murton got away from the approach that made him a promising hitter last year. He lost some patience and swung at bad pitches early in the count, too often falling behind 0-2.

BF.com: Do you think the Cubs will win a world series in the next 20 years?

Answer: Probably.

BF.com: Where do you think Cubs need more improvement if they are to meet the above target?

Answer: They need a front office that embraces sabermetrics. They need on-base hitters and sluggers in Wrigley Field. They also need pitchers who keep the ball down.

BF.com: What got you interested in becoming a sports writer?

Answer: I grew up following all sports and wanted to be a part of them. I also had an interesting in reading and journalism early on.

BF.com: Are there any current and former writers that you model yourself after?

Answer: I don't know if I "model" myself after anybody. You have to be yourself. I grew up admiring Bob Verdi of the Chicago Tribune. As I got into the business, writers such as Dave Van Dyck, Jerome Holtzman were good models and influences, each taking time to help me out. At the Daily Herald, former baseball writer Mark Ruda was a big help. My predecessor on the Cubs, Barry Rozner, also provided good advice.

BF.com: Are you a Cubs fan, or do you just write about them?

Answer: I grew up in Chicago following all the teams: Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Blackhawks and Bulls. I don't have any rooting interest as far as doing my job goes.

BF.com: Do you see the Cubs going after another starter before the trade deadline?

Answer: Not likely.