Can't believe I'm saying this...Firing Baker would be bad

[Caryatid]

But I think firing Baker would probably be bad. I can't stand the guy-I hate most of his decisions.

 

But here's the thing: its not like firing him will change the organizational philosophy. My guess is that Hendry will simply go out and get another crusty, veteran-loving/OBP hating dinosaur who may or may not be liked as much as Baker is by the players. There's nothing to say that Hendry would sign a manager who actually does value OBP, and if he somehow defies the odds and actually hires a person like that, that this manager will have any sway over which players come in.

 

And if the choice is between a manager who players want to come play for (not all that obvious)/sign for less money to stay with (Lee), and a guy who might alienate good players, I guess I have to say "the devil you know."

 

I hate this, because it actually makes the situation that much more hopeless, but I can't see a change in manager really doing much to change the fortunes of this team long-term.

 

I don't know. I hate having this position, so I'm more than willing to hear counterarguments. But, as a fan of this team, I don't know if there's an alternative.

[badger1679666666]

I don't think Hendry is inlove with veterans...

 

However he does love those toolsy guys.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I'm resigned to the fact that most if not all managers are going to make similar veteran favoring/sac bunting stupid decisions that Dusty will. On the other hand, I don't know how hard it would be to find someone who has a concept of starting pitcher fatigue.

[goonys evil twin]

I'm sticking with the two wrongs don't make a right philosophy.

 

You can't justify keeping Baker just because they were foolish enough to extend Hendry.

 

One thing Hendry has shown is a willingness to change approach (on some issues, not all of course). He was all about getting sluggers for a while, and then he went hard after speed, versatility and catchability after Dusty kept asking for that stuff. A new manager might actually ask for baseball players, and Hendry might feel obliged to get some.

 

Plus, if Baker is fired and Hendry is hired, there will be a whole lot of talk about what Hendry has done wrong so far, which could force him to actually hear about how awful his philosophy is.

 

Plus, if he gets to hire a new manager then that will be the end all be all last chance for Hendry. Now he has Baker insulating him from some complaints. Once Baker is gone, that security blanket is gone, and he's susceptible to the slings and arrows that took too long to reach Baker.

 

The media and general public adored Baker from the start and took a while to jump to the other side. The 2003 playoffs gave him a comfort zonoe. Hendry is still talked about like a savvy GM who makes great move after great move. His comfort zone was the Maddux signing and then the Nomar trade. Lee's emergence last year also led people to believe Hendry was a genius. Only now are the questions starting to come out.

 

The philosophy is going to stay the same, at least in the short-term. You might as well improve where you can and get rid of the manager (step 1). Then, maybe MacPhail will wake up and realize Hendry hasn't made the team any better. Or, the Trib will see that Andy & Co. have had over a decade to make things right, and they've failed miserably (from a baseball standpoint).

[EricG]

unfortunately Dusty would need a 90 loss season last place finish to get fired. If the fans stop buying tickets maybe they'll make a change. They really need a GM that understands OBP and patience at the plate. I think it's too late for this season. Someone should be fired.

[Pinktermite]

Has anyone started firedustybaker.com yet? It wouldn't day any good to fire Dusty, we'd still have Freddy Bynum and Neifi on the roster...when we could have Buck Coats, Pie, or some other combination striking out all the time. It's futile to to talk about it, but kinda cathartic to do so, at least I'll sleep knowing i got it off my chest...lol.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Has anyone started firedustybaker.com yet? It wouldn't day any good to fire Dusty, we'd still have Freddy Bynum and Neifi on the roster...when we could have Buck Coats, Pie, or some other combination striking out all the time. It's futile to to talk about it, but kinda cathartic to do so, at least I'll sleep knowing i got it off my chest...lol.

 

You could have checked. Link

[Pinktermite]

I love you guys!

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I love you guys!

 

Please, no hugs!

[oldstyle81]

Has anyone started firedustybaker.com yet? It wouldn't day any good to fire Dusty, we'd still have Freddy Bynum and Neifi on the roster...when we could have Buck Coats, Pie, or some other combination striking out all the time. It's futile to to talk about it, but kinda cathartic to do so, at least I'll sleep knowing i got it off my chest...lol.

 

You could have checked. Link

 

Have no fear...

...Ryan Theriot is here

 

"He'll be the offensive savior, just as Michael Restovich was to have been. Theriot will get some AB's at second because Neifi Perez can't hit and Jerry Hairston can't think. Which one of those guys was the team trying to dump this off-season? Oh, wait they wanted those two, that's righT"

[badgercub]

I don't buy the fact guys want to play for Dusty. Guys go where the money is, and there are a lot of guys that would love to play in a packed stadium day and day out and be part of bringing a championship to Chicago. In Dusty We Busty

[MPrior]

I agree that firing Dusty won't solve all our problems, but that still doesn't mean that he's not a bad manager who should have been fired long ago. At the same time, I think firing him is a bad idea unless you feel pretty certain you can get a suitable long-term replacement who is a significant improvement. If they can get ahold of such a person, by all means, fire him. But if not, it'd probably be better just to wait for his contract to expire and spend the offseason searching for his replacement. That way, you'd create less bad blood with the players who really like him (and there are plenty who have at least publicly said that they do, and that his presence was a reason for signing; that may just be crap they spoon-feed to the media, but there might also be some truth to it). It's highly unlikely that firing him at this point is going to make that much of a difference for this season anyway - there are too many problems with this team that have nothing to do with Dusty.

[NCCubFan]

Somebody should start releasefreddybynum.com. :D

[NorthsideAvenger]

The only enjoyment that I have had over the past 10 days, is knowing the fact that the Cubs have considered giving Baker a extension, but watching this 8 game losing streak, have forced the front-office to hold off on the extension, knowing giving Baker an extension now, would cause a horrendous firestorm.

[wade]

Just my opinion, but I don't think anything bad can come from firing Baker. For one thing, how much freakin' worse can it get?

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Just my opinion, but I don't think anything bad can come from firing Baker. For one thing, how much freakin' worse can it get?

 

I won't name names, but his initials are Don Baylor.

[thedaymen]

Just my opinion, but I don't think anything bad can come from firing Baker. For one thing, how much freakin' worse can it get?

 

11 runs in the next 10 games?

[hardcorecubfan]

I don't think Hendry is inlove with veterans...

 

However he does love those toolsy guys.

 

so do I, the difference is that i like toolsy guys that have tools to bring to the table and can use them. Or for the Jim...get people with Talent please

[Soul]

Firing Baker might not yield immediate results, true. However, Hendry only gets so many hires before folks above him give up and fire him.

 

We can't get to the next Hendry hire (which I think will be his last, but whatever) until Baker is unloaded.

 

And who knows? Maybe Hendry will get lucky and hit the jackpot. If the next manager will use our pitchers in such a way that he doesn't blow their arms to hell, then I'd say it's an improvement.

[Coach C]

I disagree with most of Dusty's game managing tatics. I do not like the idea of him running the pitchers into the ground, playing inferior players over superior players, and the list goes on.

 

Dusty's quotes are somewhat annoying as well. After the Cubs couldn't manage a run aganist the Pirates' lefty Zach Duke, Baker complained about the team's lack of left-handed batting pitchers.

 

In the pantheon of lame excuses, where does this one rank?

[cheapseats]

Did someone say something about "fire?"

 

Because that's what this team needs. FIRE!!!

 

We need a manager who will plant his foot in Barrett's nether regions when he costs us eleven games in the standings with his passed balls and poor rundown abilities.

 

We need a manager who will slap the taste out of Pierre's mouth when he misses the cutoff man.

 

We need a manager who will shout profanities in the clubhouse and motivate this team to win. The team OBP clearly shows that they don't want to win, and until we get someone with some FIRE they won't win.

[LoneStarCubFan]

Did someone say something about "fire?"

 

Because that's what this team needs. FIRE!!!

 

We need a manager who will plant his foot in Barrett's nether regions when he costs us eleven games in the standings with his passed balls and poor rundown abilities.

 

We need a manager who will slap the taste out of Pierre's mouth when he misses the cutoff man.

 

We need a manager who will shout profanities in the clubhouse and motivate this team to win. The team OBP clearly shows that they don't want to win, and until we get someone with some FIRE they won't win.

 

"You guys... you lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. Do you know what that makes you? Larry?"

 

"Lollygaggers!"

 

"Lollygaggers."

[wade]

Did someone say something about "fire?"

 

Because that's what this team needs. FIRE!!!

 

We need a manager who will plant his foot in Barrett's nether regions when he costs us eleven games in the standings with his passed balls and poor rundown abilities.

 

We need a manager who will slap the taste out of Pierre's mouth when he misses the cutoff man.

 

We need a manager who will shout profanities in the clubhouse and motivate this team to win. The team OBP clearly shows that they don't want to win, and until we get someone with some FIRE they won't win.

 

"You guys... you lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. Do you know what that makes you? Larry?"

 

"Lollygaggers!"

 

"Lollygaggers."

 

How did we ever win 14? ......