Gotta Love Bruce

[ryno-mvp23]

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/cubs.asp?id=156082

[Vinestal]

I got a kick out of this part:

 

"Baker insists he has never had any young players to manage, but now he has them. Murton hit 7 homers in 51 games last season. He’s also a patient and selective hitter, but Baker never has shown tolerance for that kind of guy."

 

lol

[Mark Priors Calves]

I like the idea of the media put the managements' feet to the fire in regards to the handling of the Kerry Wood situation. I hope Wood is healthy and ready to go at the beginning of April, but if he's not, Hendry, Baker, Rothschild etc. should be asked the tough questions.

[Tracer Bullet]

My favorite line:

 

their baserunning didn’t get much better from the days when Moises Alou wandered around the infield aimlessly.

[BeerHere]

My favorite line:

 

their baserunning didn’t get much better from the days when Moises Alou wandered around the infield aimlessly.

 

I laughed at that too.

 

Excellent article in my opinion. Bruce, if you're reading this, you are by far the best sports writer in Chicago IMO. Not afraid to speak the truth and point out the faults of the individuals in charge. Nice work Bruce.

[Bruce Miles]

Thanks for the comments. It's beautiful here in Mesa. I'll continue holding people's feet to the fire.

[Mark_R]

Thanks for the comments. It's beautiful here in Mesa. I'll continue holding people's feet to the fire.

 

I'd prefer it if your comments caused people to get fired.

 

Unlikely certainly, but then you can be like Mike North (apologies for the comparison to that moron) claiming you got Dusty Baker fired. (as Pappy takes "credit" for Skiles re-upping with the Bull)

 

That'd be a huge coup.

[da bears]

Is anyone else just assuming that the worst is gonna happen in the WBC? I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that playing for the Cubs is automatically going to play into Zambrano, Lee, or Barrett getting hurt. I really hope nothing happens, but I expect the worst.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Thanks for the comments. It's beautiful here in Mesa. I'll continue holding people's feet to the fire.

 

Enjoy the Arizona weather, Bruce. I know I did in 2004.

 

Tell Todd he has lots of loyal fans that hope he remains a Cub.

[Abe Frohman]

Excellent work, Bruce. Those are the kinds of articles that I like to read.

[Mark Priors Calves]

Thanks for the comments. It's beautiful here in Mesa. I'll continue holding people's feet to the fire.

 

What does your work schedule look like during Spring Training? Are you with the travel from Feb. 15th through the end? How many articles a week will you be writing? Keep up the great work.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Bruce is crazy. Discussing Kerry Wood:

The Cubs’ prized right-hander

 

Only kidding, excellent piece.

[Chris]

Bruce, you are the man!

[KatJ]

Is anyone else just assuming that the worst is gonna happen in the WBC? I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that playing for the Cubs is automatically going to play into Zambrano, Lee, or Barrett getting hurt. I really hope nothing happens, but I expect the worst.

 

I'm not so much concerned for the short term as I am for the long term. Injuries are #3 on my Fears of the WBC list. Here are the other two, which are neck and neck (and frankly, muddied together) in terms of importance to me:

 

1) Our players will not be in proper condition for the regular season, or will learn bad habits such that they won't have enough "gas left in the tank" for September or any post-season play.

 

2) This feel-good PR, rake-in-the-dough, baloney tournament (yeah, I know, tell you how I really feel) flies directly in the face of what ST is supposed to be all about: honing your skills and developing rapport/cameraderie among your MLB teammates. Even with mid-season trades and expanding rosters, the guys you see in Feb and Mar are for the most part the guys you're going to see and be playing with in August, September, and (I hope in the Cubs' case) into the postseason.

[Bruce Miles]

Thanks for the comments. It's beautiful here in Mesa. I'll continue holding people's feet to the fire.

 

What does your work schedule look like during Spring Training? Are you with the travel from Feb. 15th through the end? How many articles a week will you be writing? Keep up the great work.

 

Busy day today. Three stories for Thursday's paper. I'm here from Feb. 13 until the end. My family visits in the middle of March, so that's nice.

I usually write a main story and a "notebook" every day down here. Sometimes it's three stories. It's good duty in very nice weather. So no complaints here.

[B]

Bruce has nothing on Carrie Muskat. :lol:

 

I'm kidding of course.

[Mark Priors Calves]

Thanks for the comments. It's beautiful here in Mesa. I'll continue holding people's feet to the fire.

 

What does your work schedule look like during Spring Training? Are you with the travel from Feb. 15th through the end? How many articles a week will you be writing? Keep up the great work.

 

Busy day today. Three stories for Thursday's paper. I'm here from Feb. 13 until the end. My family visits in the middle of March, so that's nice.

I usually write a main story and a "notebook" every day down here. Sometimes it's three stories. It's good duty in very nice weather. So no complaints here.

Thanks for the response, even though my question didn't make any sense. :?

 

We're all looking forward to your updates.

[nuttycubfan]

Bruce, I gotta tell you. You are one of the reasons I keep my Herald subscription. Your articles are usually right on. I also think it is so cool that you take time to drop in here every once in awhile. You never see Paul Sullivan do that. Not that we'd want him too anyways. His pieces are garbage. Thanks Bruce.

[Mark Priors Calves]

Here's the latest article from Mr. Miles.

[Tim]

Bruce,

 

How long until you get a HOF vote?

[Bruce Miles]

Bruce,

 

How long until you get a HOF vote?

 

I've had a Hall of Fame vote for four years. I sense a Sammy question coming.

[Tim]

Bruce,

 

How long until you get a HOF vote?

 

I've had a Hall of Fame vote for four years. I sense a Sammy question coming.

No other question coming. I'm just glad there's at least one rational voice in the process. :thumleft:

[craig]

Bruce, this is a curious question, but I've wondered for a while.

 

During spring training, you and Mike Kiley often have stories about the same player, sometimes including some of the same quotes. Paul Sullivan will often have a story about somebody different.

 

I've always assumed that you and Mike were experiencing the same source session, whether that be a scheduled media session by the Cubs

in which the star of the game or the struggler of the game or the hot new rookie or whomever was the guy presented before the media. And you also often have common stuff that Hendry or Baker say, so I assume that they often participate in the same media sessions.

 

Am I correct in that understanding of how it works? If so, how does it get decided which player will appear for the media? Do you guys ask? Do the Cubs just decide who's willing and who seems a guy of interest? Or is there no such "media-room" thing?

 

It seems Paul Sullivan only occassionally writes from the same interview. Do you know why that is? Is he personna non-grata in the media room, after his flames with Dusty and Prior? Is his deadline schedule different so that it doesn't work as nicely for him? Or is he just stubborn/independent in *not* wanting to use the same source/interview that you guys and the TV guys might be sharing, or where he can't control all the questions, or maybe can't think of good questions to ask, or maybe doesn't get called on because Dusty and Prior can't stand him, or whatever?

 

Or am I way off, and is there an open locker room for a designated period where you and Mike just happen to find it efficient and more cooperative with the players to just share an interview with a common player?

 

Just curious about how it works for you guys to get the sources.

[Bruce Miles]

Bruce, this is a curious question, but I've wondered for a while.

 

During spring training, you and Mike Kiley often have stories about the same player, sometimes including some of the same quotes. Paul Sullivan will often have a story about somebody different.

 

I've always assumed that you and Mike were experiencing the same source session, whether that be a scheduled media session by the Cubs

in which the star of the game or the struggler of the game or the hot new rookie or whomever was the guy presented before the media. And you also often have common stuff that Hendry or Baker say, so I assume that they often participate in the same media sessions.

 

Am I correct in that understanding of how it works? If so, how does it get decided which player will appear for the media? Do you guys ask? Do the Cubs just decide who's willing and who seems a guy of interest? Or is there no such "media-room" thing?

 

It seems Paul Sullivan only occassionally writes from the same interview. Do you know why that is? Is he personna non-grata in the media room, after his flames with Dusty and Prior? Is his deadline schedule different so that it doesn't work as nicely for him? Or is he just stubborn/independent in *not* wanting to use the same source/interview that you guys and the TV guys might be sharing, or where he can't control all the questions, or maybe can't think of good questions to ask, or maybe doesn't get called on because Dusty and Prior can't stand him, or whatever?

 

Or am I way off, and is there an open locker room for a designated period where you and Mike just happen to find it efficient and more cooperative with the players to just share an interview with a common player?

 

Just curious about how it works for you guys to get the sources.

 

Everybody's got the same access to the same guys. Sully sometimes goes off on his own program. I think his interests and what piques his interest might be a little different. A lot of times, there is a "story of the day," such as when a key player gets hurt or holds a formal press conference, so everybody writes it. As the spring and the season go along, I think you'll see things diverge a little bit among everybody. Last spring, I did some "enterprise" pieces on stats vs. scouts and on non-roster players. Then I wrote a behind-the-scenes piece on how Jim Hendry got Nomar on July 31, 2004. I'm more into the sabermetrics stuff than the other guys. Kiley seems to like controversy a little more. And Sully seems to like some quirky stuff, historical stuff and ballpark stuff. But no, nobody's frozen out Sully from the Cubs because of stuff he's written.

[Mark Priors Calves]

Is there some commaraderie amongst the beat reporters? Do you guys joke around with each other, etc. How many reporters are usually with you on a daily basis?