Here comes the new boss same as the old boss.

So The Cubs and Dusty Baker have parted ways as expected and the team has hired former Yankees, Reds, Mariners and Devil Rays manager, Lou Piniella. Piniella is known for giving 110% as a player, for expecting the same from the players he manages and for winning the 1990 World Series as skipper of the Reds. He's also given to bat-shit crazy on-field tirades for nearly assulting umpires and for picking up bases and chucking them around the baseball diamond.

Yay? Not so much. Same as it ever was.

In the first place, Dusty wasn't the problem, just one small part of it. The Cubs' bullshit starts with the Tribune Co. and trickles all the way down. It's an obvious truth that they have no clue what it takes to build a winning team. Putting executives in place who know (I won't say they don't care) as much about winning as they do about filling up beautiful Wrigley Field every day would be a nice start but don't count on it. When President Andy MacPhail resigned last week, they replaced him with their director of marketing, John McDonough. What? And do you think McDonough will fire General Manager Jim Hendry who assembled the steaming shitpile they offered as a team the last two years? Hell no.

But Hendry knows that after MacPhail bounced and Dusty told him to go pound sand that the wolf is at his door this year if he doesn't turn the team around. So he has no time to nuke this abominable mess and start over with young talent like the Marlins are doing using a manager who has proven that he can develop players - Joe Girardi. Of course not. He's going to bump the payroll up to $115 Mil with a manager who had a decent track record about 10 years ago (not to mention a household name).

Look for some big name free agents to sign stupid money deals with the Cubs. Look for Piniella and Hendry try to sell the public on the idea that this team is the next Detroit Tigers/Chicago White Sox/Boston Red Sox, just waiting to bust out and set the league on fire after years of futility.

Look for them actually to be the Chicago Cubs we've grown to know and love. Watch them finish about five games under .500 next year (granted a BIG improvement) and for Hendry and Piniella to try to take credit and say the team is going in the right direction. Never mind that $115 million should be good enough for more than 79 fucking wins. And look for them to suck rhinoceros chodes until the Trib finally sells them to somebody who has at least a clue. Fuck the Cubs with a rusty fungo bat lubricated with the piping hot diarrhea of an AIDS victim.

And Go Bears...