ESPN Chicago: Crasnick: Still plenty of fight left in Cubs GM

From Sabedong to Sabermetrics…Hendry knows all!

“We did our work,’’ Hendry said. “We were worried about the health and the off-the-field [stuff]. But in all the discussions and months of work we did on Milton, nobody ever factored in that he wouldn’t hit. And that’s what happened.

“In hindsight, it was my mistake. But we’re chasing the ring. If we win 97 games and get swept for the second year in a row and we’re lacking some presence from the left side, I think I’m remiss if I don’t try to go out and get the best guy we can.’‘

Hendry remains the slightly rumpled former Christopher Columbus High School and Creighton University baseball coach at heart, but he’s not allergic to statistical analysis. Several years ago, the Cubs shifted the capable Chuck Wasserstrom from the media relations department to baseball operations, and he churns out a steady stream of numbers to help Hendry, assistant GM Randy Bush and the front office in player evaluation.

That said, Hendry is still most comfortable picking up the phone and calling somebody who knows somebody who played Little League ball with Mike Fontenot. He might be the best-connected executive in baseball.

“Jim’s not a tech guy,’’ said MacPhail, who left his position as Cubs president to run Baltimore’s baseball operation in 2006. “He’s more of a human networker.’‘

• On criticism in the Internet age: “Nobody is harder on me than I am. I don’t get hung up on a Web site or somebody yelling at me driving by at the 7-Eleven. There are a lot of people who are better than me at what they do in life who catch a lot more flak than I do.’‘