Bruce Miles is awesome

[don_kessinger_was_good]

Thank goodness at least one Cubs beat writer isn't part of the Tribune Tower Cabal. Thanks Bruce, good stuff.

 

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/cubs.asp?id=189912

[Master Shake]

Can't find a flaw in the logic at all.

 

 

Good article.

[Derwood]

Instead of looking at the cold, hard numbers (the Cubs too often deride those in the game who base decisions on statistics), Hendry based his pickups of Pierre and Jones on the hope they’d either rebound or that a “change of scenery” would do those players good. The Cubs also cited “speed and defense.”

 

Much of that approach is not only unscientific thinking, it’s downright dangerous.

 

=D> =D> =D>

[Bruce Miles]

Thanks again, guys. I appreciate your support. I'll keep after 'em for you.

[wade]

It is really a superb article. Paul Sullivan has a similar article today where he examines the Cub management strategy and signings this past off-season, but misses the mark by criticizing the Cubs for not signing Furcal on one hand while pointing out his terrible hitting and fielding so far for the Dodgers on the other. In that article the author seemingly counters his own points by citing alternate options that aren't any good either.

 

The Miles article is just a nice summation of all the problems that lay in the organizational philosophy. I.E., bidding against themselves for Rusch and Perez, committing 3 years to a player who is apparently on a severe decline (Jones) and undervaluing OBP in general.

[soapy]

Baker was asked how the Cubs could better get on base: taking more pitches or swinging at better pitches or both.

 

“I think swinging at better pitches is probably one of them,” Baker said. “But also, you’ve got to find some holes, too. We’ve hit some balls hard during this period of time.

 

“Again, when things aren’t going well, when you take a pitch, it’s a strike. When you swing at it, it’s not a good pitch to hit.”

 

Why does Baker (and Hendry) insist on attributing everything to luck? It's not luck. It's called pitch recognition. Are the same guys at the top of the league every year in OBP and/or BA because of luck? No.

[E.J.]

Biggest problem for the whole organization:

 

Baker often laments that walks given up by his own pitchers haunt his club. He doesn’t seem to see the offensive benefit they can provide to his own club.

 

Before Tuesday’s game, Baker said it was tough to get on base.

 

“You act like getting on is the easiest thing to do,” he said. “That’s their (the opposition’s) job, to stop you from getting on.”

 

Baker was asked how the Cubs could better get on base: taking more pitches or swinging at better pitches or both.

 

“I think swinging at better pitches is probably one of them,” Baker said. “But also, you’ve got to find some holes, too. We’ve hit some balls hard during this period of time.

 

Until this team takes OBP seriously they're never going to be any good. I fear it's going to be sometime before we make it to the playoffs again.

[Tracer Bullet]

That's an incredibly biting article...and well deserved. Great work, Bruce!

[Larry Horse]

Hands down the best analysis of this train wreck.

 

Nice work, Bruce.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Wow. Excellent spot on analysis, Bruce. Great job all around.

[nolanwood]

Excellent article, Bruce!!! Perfect in every way!!

 

=D> =D>

[Banedon]

Fantastic article. I hope that someone reads it that matters. Thanks Bruce!

[Sammy Sofa]

Fantastic article, Bruce...this is what the Cicago sports press needs to be saying over and over again. It really is like Hendry and baker think baseball is decided by magic and good intentions.

[RynoRules]

Well done, Mr. Miles.

 

Those quotes by Baker make me nuts. More freakin' excuses - its just bad luck. Accountability I say!

[JC]

Well done, Mr. Miles.

 

Those quotes by Baker make me nuts. More freakin' excuses - its just bad luck. Accountability I say!

 

If Baker had any accountability, he never would have been in trouble with the IRS...

[goonys evil twin]

Baker was asked how the Cubs could better get on base: taking more pitches or swinging at better pitches or both.

 

“I think swinging at better pitches is probably one of them,” Baker said. “But also, you’ve got to find some holes, too. We’ve hit some balls hard during this period of time.

 

“Again, when things aren’t going well, when you take a pitch, it’s a strike. When you swing at it, it’s not a good pitch to hit.”

 

Why does Baker (and Hendry) insist on attributing everything to luck? It's not luck. It's called pitch recognition. Are the same guys at the top of the league every year in OBP and/or BA because of luck? No.

 

 

To support the notion that Hendry also thinks it's just bad luck, and not bad planning, read what Kent McDill wrote in the same edition:

 

Hendry report: Cubs GM Jim Hendry said he believes the Cubs are the victims of timing.

 

“We have a lot of good players who are going through bad stretches at the same time,’’ Hendry said Tuesday before the Cubs played the first in a three-game set with Washington. “Hopefully the day will come when the ship will be righted.”

 

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/story.asp?id=189911

 

Bad stretches at the same time, hoping the ship will be righted?

 

You don't build a team on hope. These guys have always been looking lightning in a bottle. Instead of actually going out and acquiring the players necessary to make this a better team, they go after lesser players hoping for them to have career years. It was evidenced by the completely asinine words Hendry used at the Jones signing. They're hoping Jacque will just magically pull out of his decline and be the player he was at his peak. Bruce addressed this problem in the section of his column called "Fatally flawed philosophy". And he was dead on.

 

This organization is trying to overcome years of ineptitude by relying on good luck, hope and breaks going their way in the form of career years and reversed trends. This is a reactive management group. They see what others did to win, then try and follow that path, but that path changes every year with each new champion. Couple that reactive (ie. late to the party) tendency with a philosophy of hope and you have a recipe for failure.

[RynoRules]

If your entire team is going through a "bad stretch" its probably b/c they stink, not b/c they have bad luck.

[Banedon]

I've given Hendry the benefit of the doubt through some bad signings because some of the good trades/signings he's made have been REAL good...(Nomar, Ramirez/Lofton, bye bye Hundley)...but I'm done with him.

[Shawon12]

It is really a superb article. Paul Sullivan has a similar article today where he examines the Cub management strategy and signings this past off-season, but misses the mark by criticizing the Cubs for not signing Furcal on one hand while pointing out his terrible hitting and fielding so far for the Dodgers on the other. In that article the author seemingly counters his own points by citing alternate options that aren't any good either.

 

The Miles article is just a nice summation of all the problems that lay in the organizational philosophy. I.E., bidding against themselves for Rusch and Perez, committing 3 years to a player who is apparently on a severe decline (Jones) and undervaluing OBP in general.

 

Today's articles by Sullivan and Miles provide a perfect example of who the superior writer is in terms of substance and style. Sullivan simply comments with hindsight, Miles actually examines the causes.

 

Great article Bruce.

[UMFan83]

Someone with better Photoshop skills then I want to chop a "WHEEL OF EXCUSES" for Dusty/Hendry. Make like 7-8 BIG portions with excuses like "Fans were too loud", "Dirt from field clouded eyes of hitters", and then in a little tiny portion with no peg for it to land in, have it say "My fault"

[Lefty]

Thanks again, guys. I appreciate your support. I'll keep after 'em for you.

 

Just try to stay in touch with us when you find yourself in exile.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I finally got around to reading it, and it made me cry. Truth hurts, I guess.

[soapy]

Baker was asked how the Cubs could better get on base: taking more pitches or swinging at better pitches or both.

 

“I think swinging at better pitches is probably one of them,” Baker said. “But also, you’ve got to find some holes, too. We’ve hit some balls hard during this period of time.

 

“Again, when things aren’t going well, when you take a pitch, it’s a strike. When you swing at it, it’s not a good pitch to hit.”

 

Why does Baker (and Hendry) insist on attributing everything to luck? It's not luck. It's called pitch recognition. Are the same guys at the top of the league every year in OBP and/or BA because of luck? No.

 

 

To support the notion that Hendry also thinks it's just bad luck, and not bad planning, read what Kent McDill wrote in the same edition:

 

Hendry report: Cubs GM Jim Hendry said he believes the Cubs are the victims of timing.

 

“We have a lot of good players who are going through bad stretches at the same time,’’ Hendry said Tuesday before the Cubs played the first in a three-game set with Washington. “Hopefully the day will come when the ship will be righted.”

 

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/story.asp?id=189911

 

Bad stretches at the same time, hoping the ship will be righted?

 

You don't build a team on hope. These guys have always been looking lightning in a bottle. Instead of actually going out and acquiring the players necessary to make this a better team, they go after lesser players hoping for them to have career years. It was evidenced by the completely asinine words Hendry used at the Jones signing. They're hoping Jacque will just magically pull out of his decline and be the player he was at his peak. Bruce addressed this problem in the section of his column called "Fatally flawed philosophy". And he was dead on.

 

This organization is trying to overcome years of ineptitude by relying on good luck, hope and breaks going their way in the form of career years and reversed trends. This is a reactive management group. They see what others did to win, then try and follow that path, but that path changes every year with each new champion. Couple that reactive (ie. late to the party) tendency with a philosophy of hope and you have a recipe for failure.

 

Yeah, I saw the McDill piece too and almost qouted it as well. I don't dispute that luck has some effect on things like batting average from time to time. But there are far more reasonable and sound ways to build your offense. This is clearly why OBP can shed so much light on a players performance. BA can sometimes be attributed to luck (infield singles, bloopers, etc.), same for RBIs. Drawing a walk is not luck. However, it's also not all about walks; it's recognizing what pitches one is likely to be able to drive and swinging at those pitches instead of swinging at everything and hoping you find a hole. That's completely absurd.

 

Bruce made a nice point (which has also been made by others on this board and elsewhere). Dusty continually laments about his pitchers giving up too many walks (because they so often come back to score) but absolutely refuses to acknowledge that his hitters take too few and that this adversely effects his team's ability to score runs. Not to mention the fact that it allows opposing pitchers to often go deep into ball games because their pitch count is so low. I don't have a problem with hitters swinging at pitches early in the count as long as it's a pitch they can drive (i.e. fastball right down the middle).

Edited May 17, 2006 by soapy

[TheDude]

It's a solid article. Accurately points out the poor spending regarding Jones, Rusch, and Perez (as well as rehashing old spending habits that have no contribution to this season - a bit of piling on, but relevant if you consider job security an issue).

 

It's a shame the decent moves Hendry made didn't get any recognition, but hey, times are bad, so only bad gets reported. Eyre and Howry have been very strong. Trusting and giving the young the players the nod all season without short hooks is another point worthy of praise.

 

As to the "luck" discussion, I think Baker is correct. Luck is a factor in baseball. And the Cubs have been snakebitten in a serious way the past two weeks. When a Cubs player hits a rocket, it's an out. When the opposing player hits a check swing mistake, it's a basehit.

 

But, where Baker is incorrect is that bad luck doesn't excuse poor play. And there has been plenty of that as well. It's well and good to point out that guys aren't finding holes, but there needs to be some actual accountability for the poor defense play, terrible baserunning, lack of throwing fundamentals, inability to sacrifice bunt or fly, etc.

 

I think it is a mistake for anyone to suggest there is no luck involved though.

[goonys evil twin]

It's a solid article. Accurately points out the poor spending regarding Jones, Rusch, and Perez (as well as rehashing old spending habits that have no contribution to this season - a bit of piling on, but relevant if you consider job security an issue).

 

Bad moves from the past absolutely have contribution to the this season. To pretend otherwise is absolutely inaccurate. It's not piling on to show how past mistakes can have lasting effects.