The Cubs introduced right-handed setup man Bobby Howry at a news conference yesterday. Here's what the free agent had to say about signing with the Cubs:

It's good to be back in Chicago again. I appreciate the chance to come over here and try and bring a championship over to this side of town now. It'll be a little different - it will be nice to see how the other side lives after being on the South Side for awhile. I was always a little jealous of the attention the Cubs got with more on this side of town so I'll enjoy that for a little bit. I'm happy to be in Chicago and look forward to a good season with the Cubs.

Why the Cubs?

I looked around and probably had a handful of teams where I was interested in playing. I looked at the guys that were on this team, the chances of winning, and the make-up of the guys, and part of it is the city of Chicago itself. I spent four years here and my family enjoyed it here, so not it's not only coming back to a city I'm comfortable with, but a team that looks like it has a great chance to win.

Do you feel a certain amount of pressure coming to a bullpen which struggled last year and is revamped now?

Not really. The pressure of it is only what you put on yourself. For me, I am just going to a new city to do the same job I was doing. My role stays the same, my job stays the same, it's just a different location. As far as the pressure being put on it, no, not really.

Jim Hendry recruited Scott Eyre, he's done the same with Rafael Furcal, do you feel like he was recruiting you like a college coach?

I don't know if I felt I was recruited as much it was the things we knew from talking with them that they were interested. He pretty much told me to look around and see what's out there and when you're ready to discuss it, let me know and that's what I did. I looked around and I saw what I was likely to receive from the other teams and when it came down to it, this was the best spot for me and my family.

Bob, did Cleveland make a legitimate attempt at all to keep you, considering they are a team that's supposed to be on the rise?

Let's just say we had no formal offers.

How surprised were you with that?

A little. More so at the end of the season, I think I expected it more. I understand the market that they're in and their cost restraints. It was a great place to be and I enjoyed my time there. I knew they wouldn't be able to afford what the bigger markets could.

The last couple of years you've been back to where you were with the White Sox, throwing 93 with good movement. What transpired between the time you left the White Sox and the last two years when you've been back to yourself?

Getting healthy. Right after I left Chicago and got to Boston, I was hurt by September of the year I left in 2002. I tried to come back in 2003 and it didn't work. I had surgery in 2003 and ever since then, it seems to have taken care of the problem and things have gotten back to normal.

You can be used in so many roles in the bullpen, but you've become very successful at setting up. Can you talk about getting comfortable in that role?

You know it's not something where I had to get comfortable with it; it's the role they gave me. When I switched over to do that in Chicago in 2000, they said you're not closing, you're setting up. OK, so go do it. It wasn't a matter of having to get comfortable. If anything, there's less pressure that the fans and the media put on the setup guy than the others, so I think it's easier to get comfortable with that as opposed to switching from one to the other. I don't really think there's a whole lot to get comfortable with. It's just pitching in a different inning.

Can you talk about playing in front of 40,000 fans now and how it used to feel coming in here with the White Sox?

That's one of the things I took into consideration. It's so much fun to play in front of a packed house. To see the way this team is supported, not only in Chicago, but everywhere you go, you can see Cubs fans and Cubs hat, something. The Cubs are one of the most well-liked teams across the country. To play for a team that has that support, it will definitely be the team I play for that's got the most support.

On behalf of all of us at WGN-TV, I want to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. We're certainly happy to be providing coverage for Chicago baseball fans - the best fans in the world. Now THAT'S something to be thankful for.

Thank you for writing, for reading, and for your passion. Have a great holiday - I know Jim Hendry and company are leaving no stone unturned to find some more presents to put under the Cub tree.

bob v

New Cubs reliever Scott Eyre met the media today. Here's a few of the comments from the jovial left-hander:

"As many teams as called, it really surprised me a little bit. I had a lot of headaches the last few weeks talking on the phone so much, but my agent Tommy did an unbelievable job getting me prepared. I guess with all that said let's go Cubs! I haven't researched the team a whole lot. I know a few guys on the team. I can promise you one thing - I'll give you everything I've got every time I pitch, which hopefully like Jim (Hendry) said is about 80 times a year, because I do enjoy pitching. I don't like sitting on the bench."

Can you talk about your last few years?
"I was in Toronto in 2002, pitched in a game and had a tough day, went on the field the next day and they designated me for assignment. It surprised myself and most of my teammates quite a bit. I went to Michigan where my wife's dad lives and got claimed on waivers by the Giants three and a half years ago. Between Bake and Felipe, I think I pitched 260-some times in three and a half years, so they gave me an opportunity to make myself better."

Can you talk more about that opportunity?
"It was just an opportunity to pitch on a regular basis. Felipe in San Francisco showed a lot of faith in me. I'd have a bad game or come in and give up an inherited run or something, and it didn't matter what I did on Monday, I was pitching Tuesday regardless and I was the go-to guy. That installed confidence in myself. I hope I can do the same thing here in Chicago."

You led the league in appearances - how do you keep your arm in shape to throw that often?
"There's a saying Noah Lowery has for me 'no gut no gas.'....I don't run a lot. I ride the bike, do the Precor, and I guess my arm just seems to bounce back after pitching every day. I'll let Larry (Rothschild) know the day I'm tired, but if he asks me to pitch, I'll still pitch. People call that heart or whatever you want to call it, I just call it wanting to play the game I love."

When were you diagnosed with ADD?"
I started taking the medication in May 2002 after simple talks with my trainer, then with a doctor. It made my life a lot easier, trust me. You can tell I didn't take one today, because it takes me a minute to reprocess the questions, especially if I look around the room. That's how it goes. I take Concerta for ADHD. It's just simple, I take one a day. Everywhere I go, it gets to be a joke. I talk a lot and I ramble a lot so you'll have to excuse. Most of my teammates just told me to shut up all the time (laughs). It's not uncommon for me to be told to shut up, so feel free (laughs again).

What attracted you to the Cubs?
I played on the other side of town as a young pitcher. I live in Florida and plain and simple, I love my wife and kids very much and this is closer to home. The fact that they have a good team and Mr. Hendry made it almost impossible to say no. The negotiations lasted about 45 minutes I think and it was done."

Hey Everybody, just digging through my closet for my winter clothing and thinking about pitchers and catchers reporting in 3 months.

I knew Derrek Lee didn't have a prayer at winning the NL MVP, but I would have voted for him. And while I'm certainly biased (I won't pretend I'm not), in this case, his NUMBERS were better than Pujols' were. Derrek Lee was the best player in Major League Baseball in 2005. My definition of MVP is "the best player." And the Cubs' first baseman was that guy, in spite of his team's record. Now, having said that, I don't want to make it sound like it's a "crime" that Derrek didn't win it. Albert Pujols had a great year as well, one in the same ballpark as Lee. And while Lee's overall numbers were slightly better than Pujols, the fact that Pujols played on a division winner gives him the edge in the voters' minds. Again, for me personally, I don't think the "team" part of it matters that much because baseball is a sport in which we can pull out an individual's performance fairly easily from the rest of his team through rate stats and determine just how good that player is statistically.

I know, I know, you're thinking, "But Len, there are intangibles too!" Well, maybe true, BUT if it comes down to, for instance, how well liked a guy is in his clubhouse or how much of a "leader" he is, how is it that Barry Bonds has won more MVPs than anyone? It doesn't seem to be a secret that Bonds has never been the most popular guy in his own clubhouse, that he does his own thing, etc. Yet, the writers have determined many times that he has been the MVP because of his sick offensive stats. Along those lines, can anyone PROVE that Albert Pujols brought more intangibles to the table than Derrek Lee did? I doubt it.

So, if the "intangibles" wash out, the numbers have to carry a lot of the weight, no? The other thing, again, that affects the voting is where your team finishes in the standings. But I have a problem with that because what you're then asking is this--if you put Albert Pujols on the Cubs and Derrek Lee on the Cardinals, what would have happened? The Cardinals would have won the division and the Cubs would have finished about where they did. Would anyone argue with that? So, the bottom line is, one guy benefits from having BETTER TEAMMATES than the other guy. Does that logically make sense? Apparently to most voters, it does because Derrek Lee received just 1 first-place vote.

OK, I'll get off my soapbox. In the end, I won't lose sleep over the final voting because it played out pretty much how everybody thought it would--Pujols and Andruw Jones in a tight vote and Lee a distant third. Oh, and on Andruw Jones? Excellent year for him but if he had won it, it would have been an injustice to BOTH Pujols and Lee. He led in HR and RBIs, but nothing else. And we all know RBIs are a function, by and large, of opportunity. Derrek Lee should have easily led the league in RBIs, but we know why he didn't, right?

If I had voted, I would have gone Lee, Pujols, Jones.

How would you have voted?

Len

It's been a few weeks, so we sent the blog camera over to Wrigley Field to get a look at the bleacher expansion.

OK, you're Jim Hendry. There are five everyday positions to fill, plus bullpen help, plus the idea of adding another starting pitcher.

Where do you start? Who is the one person/position that you make sure you get, then work out the rest of the equation from there?

It can be a free agent or trade (please no Corey for A-Rod deals, be realistic), but we want to know who you feel is the cornerstone for this season's makeover.

bob v

Weekend passes for the 21st Cubs Convention go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. CT. As always, the convention will be at the Hilton Chicago Hotel, 720 S. Michigan Ave, from Jan. 13-15, 2006, .

Weekend passes are $50, and can be purchased by phone at 773-404-CUBS (773-404-2827) beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Monday. Tickets usually sell out pretty quickly. Good luck - we are trying to work on a special TV seminar that Saturday featuring Len & Bob.