AP News, December 7th, 2006
Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry was too busy at the baseball winter meetings to worry about his health.
He didn't feel right from the moment he arrived on Sunday. But there were trades to make and free agents such as Ted Lilly to sign, so Hendry ignored several pleas from manager Lou Piniella and special assistant Gary Hughes to see a doctor.
"Piniella and myself, we were the first of many," Hughes said Thursday after revealing that Hendry had undergone an angioplasty. "It took him a while to get to the hospital because he thought it was more important to worry about the Rule 5 draft, Lilly, whatever. His priorities were skewed."
Team physician Stephen Adams sent the 51-year-old GM to an Orlando-area hospital for tests. Piniella drove him there, and doctors performed an angioplasty. But Hendry kept closing deals, finishing up a $40 million, four-year agreement with Lilly on Wednesday night from the hospital.
"Ted had no idea where (Hendry) was, or anything," Hughes said. "It was business as usual."
Hendry is expected to be released from the hospital Friday, a day after baseball's winter meetings conclude near Disney World.
"He's doing well," Piniella said Thursday afternoon.
"He's in good spirits," said Hughes. "Was he shook up about it? No. Should he have been? Yes. Will he learn a lesson? Hopefully. He's doing great. I spoke to him late last night. He's already working the phones."
Other GMs were not surprised to hear Hendry was making deals from the hospital: "That's Jimmy," said Brian Sabean of the San Francisco Giants.
Hendry has been one of baseball's busiest GMs this offseason, starting when he chose not to renew manager Dusty Baker's contract and brought in Piniella to replace him.
Hendry signed Aramis Ramirez to a $75 million, five-year contract that was the biggest deal in club history _ for about a week. Then the Cubs signed Alfonso Soriano to an eight-year, $136 million contract that is the fifth-richest in baseball history.
The Cubs also acquired lefty reliever Neal Cotts in a trade with the White Sox and added second baseman Mark DeRosa ($13 million over three years). Chicago re-signed pitchers Kerry Wood ($1.75 million) and Wade Miller ($1.5 million), and backup catcher Henry Blanco ($5.25 million over two years).
The Cubs finished 66-96 this year, the worst record in the National League.
"Obviously, we've stepped up and shown we're serious, and we're disgusted at the season we had," Hughes said. "We're going to move forward and get better any way we can. We're not through yet."
Hendry arrived at the winter meetings and went after Lilly, finally striking a deal with the former Toronto lefty. The Cubs also closed in on a $1.05 million, one-year contract with backup first baseman Daryle Ward.
"For a while, we were driving the bus for the whole industry," Hughes said. "Obviously, that's slowed down a little bit as other teams have started to make their moves."
In the winter meeting draft, the Cubs picked troubled Tampa Bay prospect Josh Hamilton and traded him to Cincinnati for cash. Hughes said he had six conversations with Hendry during the draft.
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AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley and AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.
