Now I'm not one to bash Dusty lightly...

[Balsa]

But this is just plain asinine.

 

I mean really Dusty. This is even below you.

 

The Chicago Cubs may have decided that LaTroy Hawkins wasn't cut out to be their full-time closer after the shaky start last year that cost him the job and eventually prompted a trade to the San Francisco Giants, but Cubs manager Dusty Baker won't discount the possibility that he could successfully fill that role if the Orioles need him in the ninth inning.

 

"He has the stuff," Baker said after Friday's workout at the Cubs' spring training facility. "Sometimes, it takes guys time to do that. Mike Jackson was a setup guy for a long time and had some success [as a closer] after not having much success in the beginning."

 

He blew nine saves that year and had a 5.96 ERA. The Cubs tried him in the closer's role and he saved 25 games in 2004, but he blew nine saves and was ineffective in the ninth inning for the Cubs and Giants in 2005.

 

"Sometimes, he has trouble finishing guys off," Baker said. "That last out can be hard to get."

 

:shock:

 

This is the guy managing our team?

[USSoccer]

What's wrong with that quote?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

There are probably a dozen things that Dusty has said that are worse than that. It's not particularly wrong, really.

[Balsa]

I thought it was pretty clear from last year and the year before that LaTroy is not a good closer.

[jyoung55]

Who cares what he says about players in the AL really? Would you rather him come out and bash LaTroy, ala Kenny Williams? What would be the point?

[USSoccer]

I thought it was pretty clear from last year and the year before that LaTroy is not a good closer.

 

I think what Dusty was saying is dead on-LaTroy does have the "stuff" to close, but sometimes it takes guys a long time to figure out that role, or sometimes not at all. It's not like Dusty is going to come out and torch Hawkins Kenny Williams style, either.

 

I don't think what he said was factually wrong, and I don't think anything is wrong with Dusty not wanting to rip Hawkins.

 

That's just me, though. Like Hobbes said, there's tons of worse Dustyisms out there to rip.

[Jehrico]

Look at his quotes on their own, without taking anything out of the author's context:

 

Quote: "He has the stuff," Baker said after Friday's workout at the Cubs' spring training facility. "Sometimes, it takes guys time to do that. Mike Jackson was a setup guy for a long time and had some success [as a closer] after not having much success in the beginning."

 

 

Quote: "Sometimes, he has trouble finishing guys off," Baker said. "That last out can be hard to get."

 

 

I can't stand Dusty either, but I don't see anything wrong with the quotes. As for the first quote, Hawkins DOES have the stuff, there's no denying that. He just doesn't have the head. As for the second quote, there's also no denying that he had trouble finishing guys off.

 

Dusty always has been a players manager that plays the networking game to great extremes. He's just throwing out some props to a former player of his.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'll rip Dusty with the best of them, but there's nothing to rip him here with those quotes.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I'll go with the majority. In fact, this is one of the smarter things to come out of his mouth.

[abuck1220]

i'm just glad we get to do some more hawkins bashing now that he's been gone for eight months. meet back here again in july or so?

[Drew Doughty]

I love Hawkins. He got us jerome, and I sure hope we keep him around.

 

Maybe aardsma can figure it out too.

[Andy]

I've gotta say, as much as I loved watching DLee last year, the SF series last year where Hawkins gave up game-tying runs in the late innings of 3 consecutive games at Wrigley to a chorus of "Hawkins sucks!" chants was not just one of my favorite moments of 2005, it was among my favorite moments of all time. I'm not usually a bitter man, but LaTroy straight-up choked the 2004 season away, so I felt I had an excuse.

[abuck1220]

I've gotta say, as much as I loved watching DLee last year, the SF series last year where Hawkins gave up game-tying runs in the late innings of 3 consecutive games at Wrigley to a chorus of "Hawkins sucks!" chants was not just one of my favorite moments of 2005, it was among my favorite moments of all time. I'm not usually a bitter man, but LaTroy straight-up choked the 2004 season away, so I felt I had an excuse.

 

that's really sad.

 

both that you enjoyed that so much and that you think hawkins blew the 2004 season.

[Careless]

When I read "I'm not one to bash Dusty lightly" I was expecting something like "so I always use a 10lb sledge"

[burnt out cubbie fan]

I've gotta say, as much as I loved watching DLee last year, the SF series last year where Hawkins gave up game-tying runs in the late innings of 3 consecutive games at Wrigley to a chorus of "Hawkins sucks!" chants was not just one of my favorite moments of 2005, it was among my favorite moments of all time. I'm not usually a bitter man, but LaTroy straight-up choked the 2004 season away, so I felt I had an excuse.

Honestly, I was never more embarressed to be a Cubs fan than that moment.

[Balsa]

I've gotta say, as much as I loved watching DLee last year, the SF series last year where Hawkins gave up game-tying runs in the late innings of 3 consecutive games at Wrigley to a chorus of "Hawkins sucks!" chants was not just one of my favorite moments of 2005, it was among my favorite moments of all time. I'm not usually a bitter man, but LaTroy straight-up choked the 2004 season away, so I felt I had an excuse.

Honestly, I was never more embarressed to be a Cubs fan than that moment.

 

Ditto.

[Andy]

I've gotta say, as much as I loved watching DLee last year, the SF series last year where Hawkins gave up game-tying runs in the late innings of 3 consecutive games at Wrigley to a chorus of "Hawkins sucks!" chants was not just one of my favorite moments of 2005, it was among my favorite moments of all time. I'm not usually a bitter man, but LaTroy straight-up choked the 2004 season away, so I felt I had an excuse.

Honestly, I was never more embarressed to be a Cubs fan than that moment.

 

Ditto.

I'm not sure what to say in response to people who honestly think that booing Sammy freaking Sosa was less embarrassing than booing LaTroy Hawkins who caused us so much misery in just over one season.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

I've gotta say, as much as I loved watching DLee last year, the SF series last year where Hawkins gave up game-tying runs in the late innings of 3 consecutive games at Wrigley to a chorus of "Hawkins sucks!" chants was not just one of my favorite moments of 2005, it was among my favorite moments of all time. I'm not usually a bitter man, but LaTroy straight-up choked the 2004 season away, so I felt I had an excuse.

Honestly, I was never more embarressed to be a Cubs fan than that moment.

 

Ditto.

I'm not sure what to say in response to people who honestly think that booing Sammy freaking Sosa was less embarrassing than booing LaTroy Hawkins who caused us so much misery in just over one season.

Booing is different from the whole stadium chanting "Hawkins sucks!" Maybe they should have been chanting Dusty sucks since he is the one that kept putting LaTroy in a situation where he had failed multiple times in the past.

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

Hawkins's treatment was classless. I'd expect that bs from sox fans, but not us. He did choke away '04, along with help from the rest of the team, but no one deserves that level of treatment for blowing a few ballgames.

 

I'm glad Hawkins was traded, if only for his own mental well-being. I can't believe he had nice things to say about Chicago to Jones after the abuse he took day in and day out from the Wrigley "faithfull."

[Andy]

I've gotta say, as much as I loved watching DLee last year, the SF series last year where Hawkins gave up game-tying runs in the late innings of 3 consecutive games at Wrigley to a chorus of "Hawkins sucks!" chants was not just one of my favorite moments of 2005, it was among my favorite moments of all time. I'm not usually a bitter man, but LaTroy straight-up choked the 2004 season away, so I felt I had an excuse.

Honestly, I was never more embarressed to be a Cubs fan than that moment.

 

Ditto.

I'm not sure what to say in response to people who honestly think that booing Sammy freaking Sosa was less embarrassing than booing LaTroy Hawkins who caused us so much misery in just over one season.

Booing is different from the whole stadium chanting "Hawkins sucks!" Maybe they should have been chanting Dusty sucks since he is the one that kept putting LaTroy in a situation where he had failed multiple times in the past.

Understood...although you can't expect all Cubs fans to realize that anymore than you could expect any other fanbase to generally know that much. All most Cubs fans saw was a closer who was bad, they didn't see that Dusty should've gone a different route.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

I've gotta say, as much as I loved watching DLee last year, the SF series last year where Hawkins gave up game-tying runs in the late innings of 3 consecutive games at Wrigley to a chorus of "Hawkins sucks!" chants was not just one of my favorite moments of 2005, it was among my favorite moments of all time. I'm not usually a bitter man, but LaTroy straight-up choked the 2004 season away, so I felt I had an excuse.

Honestly, I was never more embarressed to be a Cubs fan than that moment.

 

Ditto.

I'm not sure what to say in response to people who honestly think that booing Sammy freaking Sosa was less embarrassing than booing LaTroy Hawkins who caused us so much misery in just over one season.

Booing is different from the whole stadium chanting "Hawkins sucks!" Maybe they should have been chanting Dusty sucks since he is the one that kept putting LaTroy in a situation where he had failed multiple times in the past.

Understood...although you can't expect all Cubs fans to realize that anymore than you could expect any other fanbase to generally know that much. All most Cubs fans saw was a closer who was bad, they didn't see that Dusty should've gone a different route.

Oh please, I am sure a large percentage of the fans that were booing him knew his history of being a closer. I'm sure you knew that when you were applauding their actions.