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CHICAGO -- Kerry Wood's final day in the major leagues had former Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry fondly remembering the past.

Hendry and Wood are forever linked from the day the latter was drafted to their eventual playoff success and finally one last go-around in a Cubs uniform beginning last season.

“We started together in ’95, I was the minor-league director and he was our first-round pick that year,” Hendry said Saturday on ESPN 1000’s Talkin’ Baseball show. “We got along and got the whole process started. Obviously through my general manager years he was an integral part in the beginning of us doing well."

Hendry considers Wood’s victory in Game 5 of the 2003 National League Division Series as one of the more important games in Cubs history and the injuries to Wood and Mark Prior the following season some of the darkest days.

Through it all, his link with Wood was a powerful one.

“I try to get past just the wins and losses and realize the human being he is, and our relationship and how much he meant to so many lives,” Hendry said.

After making his retirement official Saturday in front of family and teammates, Wood also recalled his special bond with Hendry.

“He’s just a great friend,” Wood said. “Obviously we had the business side of the relationship, but as the business side kind of wore off we became friends fairly quick. I’ve known him for a long time and the one thing I respect about him, in his position he always told guys the truth and never beat around the bush. He never tried to sugar coat anything. You’ve got to respect that. You may not like to hear it all the time. Jim Hendry was great to me and great to my family. He's a tremendous person.”

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At age 56, baseball life begins again for former Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry.

Seventeen years after taking his first position under then-Cubs general manager Ed Lynch, Hendry will be a top assistant to Brian Cashman, the New York Yankees announced Thursday.

Hendry was fired by Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts in July but stayed on to sign the team's June draft picks and work the trading deadline that sent outfielder Kosuke Fukudome to the Cleveland Indians for prospects.

"I had the good fortune of being a minor league director and scouting director for [former Cubs president] Andy MacPhail before he hired me as assistant general manager," Hendry said. "I'm very grateful to have had those opportunities for 17 years, and I feel very good about the success we had.

"My only regrets are that we couldn't finish it off. We had a chance three or four times with real good teams. The '03-'04, '07-'08 teams I thought any of those could have gone all the way. Realistically I thought we could win a championship here, and I thought we were capable, but that would be my biggest regret."

After enjoying four months of rest and relaxation, Hendry is ready to get back to work.

“I enjoyed the time away from the 15-hour days, spending time with my children and friends, but I am refreshed and ready to give the Yankees my very best," Hendry said.

Hendry will begin his new job in Tampa the week of Feb. 20. His new position includes major and minor league scouting as well as troubleshooting for Cashman and assistant general manager Billy Eppler. Cashman wants Hendry to stay with the major league team for at least a couple of weeks to form new relationships.

When spring games begin in early March, Hendry will evaluate players in the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues.

Many industry insiders believe Hendry will be back in a GM role by 2014. But Hendry is not looking ahead.

"This is a job I have and the job I wanted," Hendry said. "I'm not looking to go into this with any thought of staying for a year and then doing something else and getting out. I want to give my total commitment and concentration to the Yankees and Brian Cashman. No one really knows what the future really holds, and this game takes a lot of twists and turns. But there's a lot of variety to the job that Brian has given me, and my goal is to give him and the Yankees my all."

As he moves on, Hendry is appreciative of the opportunity he got with the Cubs.

"I was treated very well by all the people I worked for during my time with the Cubs," he said. "I'll always value the relationships I made with my co-workers, the fans and the media who were always very fair with me."

Cubs add Caridad: The Cubs added pitcher Esmailin Caridad as a non-roster invitee. The 28-year-old right-hander was 3-2 with an 8.27 ERA in 26 games with Triple-A Iowa last season.

Former Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry has been hired by the New York Yankees as a special assistant to GM Brian Cashman, according to a major league source.

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1. Theo Epstein hired: In a franchise-altering decision, Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts decided to create a new position, president of baseball operations, in order to interview and hire Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein. Epstein, who had one year left on his Boston contract, was allowed to interview because the job being offered was above a GM description. Epstein was given a five-year deal that pays him $3.5 million a year, believed to be the highest annual average salary paid to any top baseball official. Epstein immediately hired Jed Hoyer as GM, doubling his salary to $1.2 million, according to industry sources.

2. Santo inducted into Hall: Almost one year to the day after his death, Ron Santo was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame with 94 percent of the vote from the veterans committee. The former third baseman and broadcaster had been passed over by the Baseball Writers' Association of America for 15 years and the veteran's committee another 10. He became the 47th player to wear a Cubs uniform enshrined into Cooperstown. Santo hit .277 with 342 home runs and 1,333 RBIs in a 15-year career. He called Cubs games as the radio analyst for 21 seasons until his death in 2010.

3. Cubs fire Hendry and Quade: After a second straight fifth-place finish, Hendry was fired on July 23 but was asked to stay on the job to complete the signing of the June draft choices and oversee trade deadline responsibilities. Hendry traded Kosuke Fukudome to the Cleveland Indians three days before the deadline. In nine seasons as Cubs GM, Hendry orchestrated three playoff teams and hired two celebrity managers in Dusty Baker and Lou Piniella, who both managed four seasons. In October 2010, Hendry removed the interim tag on Mike Quade and gave him a two-year contract. Epstein fired Quade in late October, and hired Dale Sveum. Under Hendry, the Cubs went to the playoffs in two straight seasons for the first time in 100 years only to go three and out in the 2007 and 2008 division series. Escalating salaries and abject failures in the signings of Fukudome and Milton Bradley eventually sealed Hendry's fate.

4. Castro's emergence: With 207 hits, Starlin Castro became the youngest player to not only lead the NL in hits but also the youngest player in Cubs history to make a NL All-Star team. Castro became only the fifth player in All-Star history to steal two bases in an All-Star Game. He led the league in at-bats (674) and also led NL shortstops in errors with 29, playing 158 out of 162 games. Castro also had five hitting streaks of 10 games or more. He came under fire for having his back turned to home plate as a pitch was thrown during a nationally-televised game in August. The mistake was noted by an ESPN producer and relayed to Bobby Valentine, becoming national news.

5. Zambrano quits the team: The always unpredictable pitcher walked out of the clubhouse and announced to team personnel that he was quitting baseball after an embarrassing performance in Atlanta on Aug. 12. Zambrano gave up a Cubs-record five home runs in 4 1/3 innings before being ejected for throwing inside on Chipper Jones twice in the same at-bat. After storming out of the clubhouse, Zambrano was put on the disqualified list and never pitched again for the Cubs in 2011. Epstein met with Zambrano and agent Barry Praver on Nov. 15 and told him if he worked hard in winter ball he would have a chance to re-build his career and his relationship with his teammates in 2012. Zambrano received 19 stitches after taking a line drive off his mouth in his third start in Venezuela in November.

DALLAS -- Former Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry is ready to go back to work in Major League Baseball.

"I've enjoyed some needed time off, spending time with my family, playing some golf and getting in better physical condition," Hendry told ESPNChicago.com. "Right now I am looking forward to getting back into the industry and being productive."

Hendry has talked to numerous teams about returning as a top lieutenant in a major league front office, according to major league sources.

Hendry has had a long an unique career in baseball beginning with a successful high school coaching job. He took Creighton to a College World Series Final Four before beginning a pro career as a scout, director of minor leagues, scouting director, assistant GM and GM.

Hendry, 55, was the Cubs GM from 2002 until July 23 when Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts relieved him of his duties only to ask him to stay on another six weeks to finish signing players in the draft and to take the team through the trade deadline on July 31. The Cubs hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations on Oct. 21, and he hired Hendry's replacement, Jed Hoyer, a week later.

Under Hendry's direction the Cubs won three division titles (2003, 2007, 2008). The 2003 team was five outs away from their first World Series since 1945 before an eighth-inning implosion in Game 6 against the Marlins in the NLCS.

Former Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry was an interested observer to the recent rage of "Theo-Mania" that has hit Wrigley Field since the Cubs hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations on Oct. 21.

Hendry, who was fired as general manager by chairman Tom Ricketts on July 22, remained on the job until mid-August to fulfill team obligations. He said Wednesday he was refreshed after two months of rest and relaxation.

"I feel wonderful," Hendry told ESPNChicago.com. "I've cleared my head and paid attention to my family and friends, as well as my health.

"I've been able to enjoy all the things I haven't had time for the last 17 years."

Hendry began his career with the Cubs as the director of player development in 1995 after working for the Florida Marlins for four years as a scout.

He eventually became the Cubs' scouting director and assistant GM, and then general manager in 2002.

Hendry and Epstein took GM positions at the same time and developed a strong working relationship and friendship.

"Tom Ricketts did the city of Chicago and the Cubs organization a great service by hiring Theo," Hendry said. "He's a great baseball man and a great person.

"Besides bringing in his good people, he's also inheriting terrific people who are working for the team. Tom and his family certainly hit a home run in their choice. If you had to choose someone to replace you, Theo would be at the top of the list."

Hendry agreed with Epstein's statement on Oct. 25 that after 10 years in a baseball position things may start to deteriorate. Epstein was referring to his own situation with the Boston Red Sox.

"I agree with what Theo said," Hendry said. "[Former Cubs president] Andy MacPhail first told me the shelf life in this job is no longer than 10 years. I had almost every front office position in my 17 years with the Cubs. It was a long time with a lot of different roles, including three different owners.

"Looking at it now, I think [Ricketts' decision to fire him] was the right thing to do. We got close a few times to winning, but now a change of scenery looks good for everyone involved."

Hendry was a journalism major in college and has been approached for TV and radio jobs, but he's also heard from baseball GMs who want to know when he'll be able to take another baseball job. Commissioner Bud Selig and White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf had meetings with Hendry and talked to him about his baseball future.

"Both Bud and Jerry have always been good friends to me," Hendry said. "Andy MacPhail helped me to get to know them both, and we know how well respected Andy is. Their message to me was pretty similar; basically, take some time off, relax, and when you're ready to get back in, you'll get back in. Both said to me that I belonged in the game and that was very flattering."

What does Hendry foresee in the future?

"I don't have a blueprint for what I'd like to do," Hendry said. "I've had a lot of calls from friends in the game, who graciously said, 'When you're ready to work, let me know.'"

Epstein was one of the first to call Hendry when he was fired.

Jim Hendry and I didn't see things eye to eye when it came to the speed of my advancement in the Chicago Cubs' minor league system.

In a defining period during my career while Hendry was the Cubs' head of player development, I went to winter ball in Puerto Rico. I came back to the U.S. with winter league MVP trophy in hand, new confidence and new expectations from the Cubs.

Before this point, I had only shown flashes of what the Cubs expected when they drafted me 12th overall in the 1991 draft. At one point, then-Cubs GM Ed Lynch met me in the office after sending me back to Triple-A toward the end of spring training. He said to me "Nice job in Puerto Rico. Now do it again during a championship season ... here."

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CHICAGO -- New Cubs prospect Dillon Maples was taken back at first when he heard the news of Jim Hendry’s firing.

Maples said the former Cubs GM played a key role in getting him to sign with the organization rather than fulfill a football scholarship with North Carolina Tar Heels. But at the end of the day, Maples was confident a deal would have been worked out with or without Hendry.

“Because I’m new and I’m coming in, I had built kind of a relationship with him because my dad was talking a lot to him throughout the draft and all that,” Maples said during his visit to Wrigley Field on Sunday. “So him being let go, I mean, it made me feel a little less comfortable, I’d say, but you’ve got to move forward.”

The immediate future will have Maples in Arizona on Sept. 9 to prepare for the Instructional League. Maples recorded 117 strikeouts and a 0.95 ERA last season at Pinecrest (N.C.) High. He attributed a lot of those strikeouts to his curveball and described himself as a Zack Greinke-type of pitcher.

Maples said he attended summer school in Chapel Hill, where he also went to training camp before making a decision to sign with the Cubs. His commitment to the Tar Heels was a reason that many teams shied away from drafting him in the early rounds. The Cubs got him in the 14th round, but gave him a $2.5 million signing bonus.

“I can always go back and play football if this doesn’t work out,” he said, “but hopefully I won’t have to do that.”

Buster Olney talks about the next move for the Cubs after firing general manager Jim Hendry on Friday.

CHICAGO -- Although New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says he’s content with his job, speculation is that he could be a primary candidate for the Cubs’ vacancy when his contract expires Sept. 30.

“I’m not looking to go anywhere,” Cashman told The New York Post on Saturday.

The Cubs, of course, are looking for a new general manager after the team announced Jim Hendry's firing on Friday.

Cashman, a 44-year-old Rockville, N.Y., native, has been with the Yankees' organization since beginning as an intern in 1986. Industry sources told ESPNChicago.com that Cashman was making around $2.5 million this season.

Cashman was named senior VP and general manager of the Yankees in February 1998. New York won three consecutive World Series and four consecutive AL Pennants in Cashman’s first four years as GM.

Having successfully handled the most stressful front-office position in all of sports the past 14 seasons, Cashman’s background makes him a perfect candidate for the Cubs' job. During his time in New York, Cashman worked effectively with George Steinbrenner before the legendary owners’ health began failing him.

Since Steinbrenner turned over control of the team to his son, Hank, Cashman has been a good soldier and respected ownership’s positions. Cashman, however, also held his ground on important issues. For instance, he balked at the team’s signing reliever Rafael Soriano to a contract that allowed him the option void the deal after each season. He went against ownership on the structure of the deal, when speaking about it to reporters over the offseason.

Working along with former GM Gene Michael, Cashman gets much credit for holding on to minor league players such as Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada and countless other important Yankees over the years. (Steinbrenner was serving a suspension from baseball in the early 1990s.) Prior to that era, the Yankees frequently traded top prospects for more established veterans under Steinbrenner. That formula resulted in disaster as the once-proud franchise failed to make a the playoffs from 1982-94.

Overall, Cashman’s record shows four World Series championships and six pennants. Most importantly for the Cubs, Cashman fills the bill as a GM with a sense for player development as well as statistical analysis. As Tom Ricketts highlighted Friday, the team is searching for a candidate with a winning background. Cashman certainly fits in to that classification.

During his last four years as the Chicago Cubs' general manager, Jim Hendry, who was fired on Friday, worked under three different ownership groups.

Hendry acknowledged in an interview with ESPN 1000's 'Talkin' Baseball' on Saturday that the turnover was disruptive to carrying out his plans, but refused to us it as an excuse for his failure to win a championship.

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CHICAGO -- Twenty-four hours after his friend and boss, Jim Hendry, was dismissed as general manager, Chicago Cubs manager Mike Quade said he has not taken time to think about his own future with the club, nor would he speculate.

“How can you wonder what’s going to happen when you don’t know who’s going to be the new guy in town?” Quade asked before Saturday’s game against the Cardinals. “It’s the age-old thing -- it’s such a cliché -- but why worry about things you have no control over? What I can do is try to get this club to continue to play well. That’s all I can do.”

The Cubs are 18-15 since the All-Star break, including a 9-4 record in one-run games and a 12-5 mark this month. Quade is in the first year of a two-year contract he signed last October after the Cubs closed the season with a 24-13 record.

Quade said he spoke to team chairman Tom Ricketts yesterday, as he has done on “numerous occasions.” Asked whether Hendry gave Quade any parting advice, the Cubs’ skipper said it was more the other way around.

“I just think and hope he’ll step back and take a week… to take a deep breath and spend that time he talked about at home,” Quade said. “My concerns go immediately to him. Not his future -- he’ll be fine -- but he takes some time and walks away. When you’re all-consumed, like he is, that’s his nature, it’s the toughest thing. But it was great to hear him talk about spending time with his kids and everyone else. I think it’ll be good for him.”

Tuesday, meanwhile, will be the one-year anniversary for Quade as Cubs manager. Given all that’s transpired over that year -- the injuries, the losing, the Carlos Zambrano situation and now Hendry’s firing -- Quade said it’s felt a bit longer than a year since he was promoted. He used the word ‘interesting’ several times in describing his first year on the job.

“Nobody said it was going to be a rose garden; Nobody said everything was going to go according to (plan),” he said. “It never does. It doesn’t for us. It doesn’t for the other team in that dugout, teams around the league. But it was a real good comeback yesterday. It made for a better night for me thinking about all that other stuff.”

Among the other topics Quade touched on during Saturday’s pre-game availability:

Quade said he has not spoken to Zambrano since he cleaned out his locker in Atlanta and told team officials he was retiring eight days ago.

The players’ union has since filed a grievance on behalf of Zambrano.


“I can’t speak for the guys down there,” Quade said of his players. “I just know I haven’t. There’s people involved where it doesn’t need to be me involved now. But I’m sure I’ll talk to him at some point. There’s so many things that are behind all that, as far as the legalities and unions and stuff. I’m just trying to figure out how to beat Mr. (Edwin) Jackson today and keep it simple here.”

Quade said he was surprised to hear that Friday’s announced crowd of 42,343 was the largest since the 1978 home opener.

“I always get a kick out of who is going to be the larger cheering section,” he said. “(Cardinals fans) travel well, as do we when we’re at their place.”

Chicago Cubs interim general manager Randy Bush will spend the rest of the season working to build the team's future, even though he already knows he's not going to be a part of it.

"I feel as energized this morning and committed as I ever have," Bush said on ESPN 1000's 'Talkin' Baseball' radio show on Saturday. "I just feel a strong sense of responsibility to the Ricketts family, to all of our scouts and player development people and to our fans to try to make this transition as efficient as possible and have the new GM walk into the best possible situation."

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Fired GM Jim Hendry discusses his time with the Cubs on 'Talkin Baseball'.

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, who grew up in Chicago and began his baseball career as a publicist and later a baseball-operations assistant with the Chicago Cubs, declined to directly address rumors he could be a candidate to replace Jim Hendry, who was fired on Friday as the Cubs GM.

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