Last night, I made my way to Cesar in Berkeley, CA’s “Gourmet Ghetto.” After surveying the critically acclaimed menu known for its Spanish tapas, I decided on a bocadillo of “Manchego and greens” to which I fortuitously  added Jamon Serrano. Now, I’m the kind of guy that loves Manchego and Jamon Serrano as much as Hernan Cortes enjoys pillaging an indigenous population, so you could imagine my excitement when the server complimented my request. Accompanied by a Grey Goose Martini, I waited in anticipation for the entree as my mouth began to salivate. Several minutes passed and the waiter returned with my sandwich. Once placed before me, I noticed something horribly odd about the bocadillo. The so-called “greens” were, in fact, a Popeye sized lump of sauteed spinach. I took one bite and promptly placed the stringy pound-and-a-half of vegetation on the sidelines. After all, I anticipated a sandwich full of Spanish goodness. What I got instead was a mound of Done Here, Buddy.

With flavors as delicate as Manchego and Jamon Serrano, one might expect a simple salad of mixed greens gently tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette ... Not a pile of poopy Done Here.

I REALLY wanted to reserve this post until the 2009 Chicago Cubs were officially eliminated from playoff contention, but this weekend’s events have left me with no choice but to do otherwise. For those of you that don’t know, Cubs’ General Manager suspended RF and fan favorite Milton Bradley (.257, 12, 40) for the remainder of the 2009 season. Acquired in the offseason on a 3 year $30 million contract, Hendry touted Bradley as the left-handed  bat that would provide balance and stability to the Cubs’  predominately right-handed lineup, which had been swept out of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. The move certainly turned heads as many Cubs’ fans wondered why Hendry declined to go after a number of available left-handed sluggers such as Raul Ibanez (.277, 31, 87), Adam Dunn (.278, 37, 101) and Bobby Abreu (.295, 13, 96).

Milton Bradley (right) has the look of a man now $30 dollars richer. Chicago Cubs' General Manager, Jim Hendry, has the look of a man who is absolutely Done Here.

While there are myriad reasons (inability to play small ball, no speed, lack of execution with runners in scoring position etc.) and players / coaches (Milton Bradley, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, Lou Piniella and Trainer Mark O’Neal) that are responsible for the total suckage of this year’s Chicago Cubs , these factors speak to the greater ineptitude of Jim Hendry to put together a winner.  It should come as no surprise to Cubs’ fans that  an AGING Soriano is hurt or cannot hit the  curveball. This just in, he’s always been an undisciplined first-pitch fastball hitter.

Alfonso Soriano, like Pedro Cerrano, has a hard time hitting the curveball.

In addition, I could definitely spend an entire week speaking about Bradley’s inability to stay focused during a game or simply hit the ball where the opposing team is not. His performance on the field, however, has provided little margin for his behavioral error and “me first” attitude. But … how is this unlike anything we haven’t seen before? Um, like, hello: this toolbox has been on seven teams in his 10 year career for a reason.

It has been said numerous times  that a select group of PLAYERS  need to take a long hard look in the mirror. The same HAS to be said about Jim Hendry  who has invested  a total of $136 million in Alfonso Soriano, $91.5 million in Carlos Zambrano, $30 million in Milton Bradley and $48 million in Kosuke Fukudome. It is clear that defense has never been a priority for Jim Hendry, especially in the case of Milton Bradley and Alfonso Soriano, but Hendry should have had the foresight to see these problems manifest themselves down the road.  If, as I have stated, defense was never a priority for Hendry, why not choose a player who AT THE VERY LEAST has a proven track record of being a team player with equal offensive credentials? The answer, my friends, is quite simple. Jim Hendry is totally done here.  I’m not quite sure what new Cubs’ owner Tom Ricketts has in store for Mr. Hendry, but it’s pretty clear that I’d rather have the GM from Lou Malnati’s running my baseball team. This guy has set the Cubs up for more problems down the road and, as is the reality, has nobody to blame but himself.