Hire Joe to Manage the Cubs

We, the undersigned, as loyal fans of the Chicago Cubs baseball club, do respectfully request that upon the conclusion of the current baseball season, if not sooner, Jim Hendry and the Tribune Company actively pursue and obtain Joe Girardi, currently manager of the Florida Marlins, as the next manager of the Chicago Cubs.

As fans, season ticket holders, individual game ticket purchasers, team merchandise purchasers and devout followers of this team that we love so much, we hereby declare that it is our duty and right to voice our displeasure at the poor management exhibited throughout the tenure of the current manager, Dusty Baker, and that, as his contract is fulfilled upon the completion of the 2006 season, he not be retained as manager of this ball club.

Furthermore, we feel that Mr. Girardi is the ideal candidate to fill this position for several reasons. A lifelong Cubs fan, raised in Peoria, he was a 3-time Academic All-American and 2-time All-Big Ten selection while attending Northwestern University, where he earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering. He began his career with the Cubs and went on to play for the Rockies, Yankees, Cubs and Cardinals before retiring in 2004. As a player he was a model of excellence - he called David Cone's perfect game against Montreal in 1999 and Dwight Gooden's no-hitter against Seattle in 1996, he owns 3 WS rings earned during his stint with the NY Yankees, a career .991 fielding percentage (Johnny Bench .987, Yogi Berra .988, Carlton Fisk .987 & Gabby Hartnett .984 - to put it into perspective!) and was a member of the 2001 All-Star team. Most recently he has proven that even with a young inexperienced team he is able to continue to excel as a first time manager winning with what amounts to a AAA ball club at the major league level.

In conclusion, we are tired of being "lovable losers" -- there is nothing lovable about losing. Winning is, in baseball more than any other endeavor, an attitude - and we believe that Joseph Elliott Girardi is the man to bring that winning attitude to the North Side of Chicago, it's players, and above all, the fans that have earned the right to cheer for a winner.