Cubs extend Jim Hendry's contract
NEWSWIRE
The Chicago Cubs and General Manager Jim Hendry agree to a four-year contract extension despite the fact that the major league team is for sale.
General Manager Jim Hendry and the Chicago Cubs agreed Monday to a four-year contract extension through the 2012 season, a deal that would expire well after new owners are expected to take over the club.
"The timing, let's face it, it's an odd situation. The team is for sale and has been for sale for some time," said Craig Kenney, the Cubs' chairman.
The move came after the Cubs' best regular season in decades. Kenney said Tribune owner Sam Zell, who has the Cubs up for sale, signed off on Hendry's new deal.
"We think it's a really good long-term decision to keep the baseball side of our organization together," Kenney said. "It was an easy discussion. I did walk Sam through it a few days ago and he saw it the same way. We think this is one of the strengths of our organization and not that different than an attractive option for a player."
Hendry said two of his priorities would be re-signing free-agent pitchers Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood.
Backup shortstop Angel Berroa had his $5.5-million option for 2009 declined by the Dodgers. The Kansas City Royals, who traded Berroa to the Dodgers in June, are on the hook for $500,000 to buy out the option.
Berroa hasn't accrued enough major league service time to become a free agent and remains under the Dodgers' control. But he'll probably be let go because the collective bargaining agreement forbids clubs from tendering contracts that cut players' salaries from the previous season by more than 20%.
Berroa earned $4.75 million in 2008, meaning the Dodgers would be forced to pay him at least $3.8 million if they tender him a contract.
-- Dylan Hernandez
Sunday's night telecast of the seventh game of the American League Championship Series on TBS had a 7.9 rating, the highest for any baseball game this season on any network.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox attracted 13.4 million viewers, not only the most for any baseball game this season, but also for any baseball game in cable history.
Tampa Bay was also on "Sunday Night Football" on NBC, its Buccaneers going head to head with the Rays. The NFL game, matching Tampa Bay against Seattle, had a 7.2 rating.
-- Steve Springer
