MESA, Ariz. – Nothing summed up the win-one-for-the-Tribune Tower frenzy – and the passion felt by generations of Cubs fans – quite like this story: Former general manager Jim Hendry finalizing Ted Lilly's four-year, $40 million deal while hooked up to an EKG machine in a Florida hospital room during the winter meetings.
That spending spree coming off a last-place finish in 2006 would lead to back-to-back division titles in 2007 and 2008, so much entertainment with larger-than-life personalities like Lou Piniella and Alfonso Soriano, two crushing playoff sweeps, years of ownership instability and ultimately a reckoning that would reshape the entire franchise.