R.I.P. Felix Pie's Career (2001-April 20, 2008)

[Tracer Bullet]

It was reported on the ESPN telecast tonight that Dave Keller (minor league hitting coordinator) was called in to work with Pie as well. That's another sign they want him to be successful. Whether they're going about things the right way is debatable, but them wanting him to succeed is not debatable.

 

Which is why no one is debating that.

[Brian]

IT'S ALIVE

[CUBZ99]

The reactions by the coaches when he hit that home run definitely signal that they want him to succeed probably more than anyone on this board. That was a fun moment.

 

I'd have been really worried if Lou started screaming obscenities when Pie hit a 3-run bomb in the 8th.

 

Come on. You could tell they handled this differently than other Cubs homers. Everyone in the dugout, including the coaches, looked really excited about it. It was cool to watch.

 

Sure it was different. He's a young player that hasn't had much success at this level. Much more exciting than a DLee HR at this point (unless it's a walk off or something).

 

But WilcoFan's post is a little weird. Their reactions signal that they want him to succeed? Did anyone here really think Lou wanted him to fail? I think the coaches want him to succeed. I (and many others) just don't agree with the way they've been going about it. If this HR earns him more regular ABs, I think that's a pretty stupid reason to get more ABs, but I'll be happy that he's actually seeing the field rather than riding pine.

 

For those that didn't see the game on ESPN, there were some very interesting comments by the ESPN announcers regarding Felix. According to them (not direct quotes), Lou loves Felix and thinks he has a chance to be a special player, so much so that Lou has personally taken it upon himself to work with Pie on his hitting in BP and is dedicated to seeing him succeed. I think that is why Wilco's comments are significant. After the HR and after hearing the announcers talk about Pie, it seemed like everyone was proud for Felix.

 

Maybe Bruce can chime in and comment on whether the ESPN announcers were accurate or not, but, if they were accurate I think we are all misreading Lou's treatment towards Pie.

[Tracer Bullet]

I agree with the bench Fontenot, put DeRo back at 2B, Reed and Pie in the OF plan.

I would also like Cedeno at second, DeRo in left and Pie in center

 

Cedeno at SS, DeRosa at 2B, and Murton in LF (Pie in CF).

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I agree with the bench Fontenot, put DeRo back at 2B, Reed and Pie in the OF plan.

I would also like Cedeno at second, DeRo in left and Pie in center

 

Cedeno at SS, DeRosa at 2B, and Murton in LF (Pie in CF).

 

Cedeno at SS, Theriot at 2b, Johnson in LF, Pie in CF. And Fontenot at 3rd.

 

Defense wins championships, baby! :)

[Tracer Bullet]

The reactions by the coaches when he hit that home run definitely signal that they want him to succeed probably more than anyone on this board. That was a fun moment.

 

I'd have been really worried if Lou started screaming obscenities when Pie hit a 3-run bomb in the 8th.

 

Come on. You could tell they handled this differently than other Cubs homers. Everyone in the dugout, including the coaches, looked really excited about it. It was cool to watch.

 

Sure it was different. He's a young player that hasn't had much success at this level. Much more exciting than a DLee HR at this point (unless it's a walk off or something).

 

But WilcoFan's post is a little weird. Their reactions signal that they want him to succeed? Did anyone here really think Lou wanted him to fail? I think the coaches want him to succeed. I (and many others) just don't agree with the way they've been going about it. If this HR earns him more regular ABs, I think that's a pretty stupid reason to get more ABs, but I'll be happy that he's actually seeing the field rather than riding pine.

 

For those that didn't see the game on ESPN, there were some very interesting comments by the ESPN announcers regarding Felix. According to them (not direct quotes), Lou loves Felix and thinks he has a chance to be a special player, so much so that Lou has personally taken it upon himself to work with Pie on his hitting in BP and is dedicated to seeing him succeed. I think that is why Wilco's comments are significant. After the HR and after hearing the announcers talk about Pie, it seemed like everyone was proud for Felix.

 

Maybe Bruce can chime in and comment on whether the ESPN announcers were accurate or not, but, if they were accurate I think we are all misreading Lou's treatment towards Pie.

 

It's already been reported here (not sure what thread) that Lou is working with Pie - trying to shorten his swing or quicken it or something.

 

I haven't seen anyone argue that Lou wants Pie to fail. Some people think benching him this much isn't the best way for him to succeed. That's not the same thing as accusing the coaching staff of wanting him to fail. So you don't have to prove that the Cubs want him to succeed. No one is arguing against that.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I agree with the bench Fontenot, put DeRo back at 2B, Reed and Pie in the OF plan.

I would also like Cedeno at second, DeRo in left and Pie in center

 

Cedeno at SS, DeRosa at 2B, and Murton in LF (Pie in CF).

 

Cedeno at SS, Theriot at 2b, Johnson in LF, Pie in CF. And Fontenot at 3rd.

 

Defense wins championships, baby! :)

then why would you play Fontenot at all?

[rawaction]

There's a fine line between having a long swing and having a long follow through. On that HR, Felix's bat was quick and short thru the zone before the long follow thru. No huge drop in his hands just his natural uppercut. I'd like to see Lou reward him with a start tomorrow.

[Mizzou]

The reactions by the coaches when he hit that home run definitely signal that they want him to succeed probably more than anyone on this board. That was a fun moment.

 

I'd have been really worried if Lou started screaming obscenities when Pie hit a 3-run bomb in the 8th.

 

Come on. You could tell they handled this differently than other Cubs homers. Everyone in the dugout, including the coaches, looked really excited about it. It was cool to watch.

 

Sure it was different. He's a young player that hasn't had much success at this level. Much more exciting than a DLee HR at this point (unless it's a walk off or something).

 

But WilcoFan's post is a little weird. Their reactions signal that they want him to succeed? Did anyone here really think Lou wanted him to fail? I think the coaches want him to succeed. I (and many others) just don't agree with the way they've been going about it. If this HR earns him more regular ABs, I think that's a pretty stupid reason to get more ABs, but I'll be happy that he's actually seeing the field rather than riding pine.

Finally having a nice at bat and getting rewarded for it by getting more at bats is stupid?

 

If you, as a manager, make decisions on who should start based on 1 AB, yes, that is stupid. Do you really want your manager picking the next day's starters based on the last AB of each player from today's game?

Well of course not. But in Pie's case, his playing time depends heavily on how he looks at the plate. He's not going to get more at bats by striking out.

[Tracer Bullet]

 

If you, as a manager, make decisions on who should start based on 1 AB, yes, that is stupid. Do you really want your manager picking the next day's starters based on the last AB of each player from today's game?

Well of course not. But in Pie's case, his playing time depends heavily on how he looks at the plate. He's not going to get more at bats by striking out.

 

Sure. And my point is - making decision based on 1 AB (whether a K or a HR) is stupid. If you give him 1 pr 2 ABs every 3/4 games and he looks bad sometimes, you shouldn't be shocked.

[Coach C]

If Pie can continue to do what he did in tonight's game, he'll be getting more playing time.

[David]

There's a fine line between having a long swing and having a long follow through. On that HR, Felix's bat was quick and short thru the zone before the long follow thru. No huge drop in his hands just his natural uppercut. I'd like to see Lou reward him with a start tomorrow.

 

I'm pretty sure I had heard that he was slated to start tomorrow, anyway. It'll be nice to see a few PAs (ha, Pies) from him tomorrow.

[Tracer Bullet]

If Pie can continue to do what he did in tonight's game, he'll be getting more playing time.

 

There you go, Felix. Just hit a 3-run HR in every AB, and you'll get more ABs.

[Guest]

The reactions by the coaches when he hit that home run definitely signal that they want him to succeed probably more than anyone on this board. That was a fun moment.

 

I'd have been really worried if Lou started screaming obscenities when Pie hit a 3-run bomb in the 8th.

 

Only Dusty does that (though it would have been a game-winning HR in extras during a playoff push).

[CubColtPacer]

There's a fine line between having a long swing and having a long follow through. On that HR, Felix's bat was quick and short thru the zone before the long follow thru. No huge drop in his hands just his natural uppercut. I'd like to see Lou reward him with a start tomorrow.

 

We finally got a better report from Lou on what they're working on in a story filed before today's game:

 

We're not getting too drastic with the changes. We're trying to stay as elementary as possible. We're trying to get his weight shift a little more and get off his backside so he can have a better pass at the ball, stay in the strike zone longer and get to more pitches."

 

And this is the result that Lou wants:

 

We're trying to smooth his approach at home plate. If we can get that done, I think you'll see more discipline, more swinging at strikes and a better approach."

 

So I'm definitely less worried about them trying to shorten his swing majorly (and possibly taking away power) with those comments. And Lou said Pie would likely start tomorrow before the game, so I doubt the homerun hurt much in that department. :D

[Derwood]

the big difference between Pie and Patterson can be seen with that HR tonight; Felix was pumped when he hit it, knowing he has been pressing and being thrilled with seeing some results. Patterson never seemed to care at all about anything

[Banghart]

the big difference between Pie and Patterson can be seen with that HR tonight; Felix was pumped when he hit it, knowing he has been pressing and being thrilled with seeing some results. Patterson never seemed to care at all about anything

If that is the big difference between Pie and Patterson, I hope the Cubs can talk Fukudome to moving into CF.

[Guest]

the big difference between Pie and Patterson can be seen with that HR tonight; Felix was pumped when he hit it, knowing he has been pressing and being thrilled with seeing some results. Patterson never seemed to care at all about anything

 

Yup, Corey never cared.

[SouthSideRyan]

the big difference between Pie and Patterson can be seen with that HR tonight; Felix was pumped when he hit it, knowing he has been pressing and being thrilled with seeing some results. Patterson never seemed to care at all about anything

 

Yup, Corey never cared.

 

He actually wanted to fail.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

the big difference between Pie and Patterson can be seen with that HR tonight; Felix was pumped when he hit it, knowing he has been pressing and being thrilled with seeing some results. Patterson never seemed to care at all about anything

 

Yup, Corey never cared.

 

He actually wanted to fail.

 

He kept intricate statistical diaries to make sure that he didn't fail so much that he got yanked from the lineup. He wanted to fail the maximum amount over the maximum timeframe.

[SABR Gamer]

I agree with the bench Fontenot, put DeRo back at 2B, Reed and Pie in the OF plan.

I would also like Cedeno at second, DeRo in left and Pie in center

 

Cedeno at SS, DeRosa at 2B, and Murton in LF (Pie in CF).

 

Cedeno at SS, Theriot at 2b, Johnson in LF, Pie in CF. And Fontenot at 3rd.

 

Defense wins championships, baby! :)

 

Ramirez plays better defense than Fontenot.

[tfarks]

I agree with the bench Fontenot, put DeRo back at 2B, Reed and Pie in the OF plan.

I would also like Cedeno at second, DeRo in left and Pie in center

 

Cedeno at SS, DeRosa at 2B, and Murton in LF (Pie in CF).

 

Dero is definitely staying in the LF for the time being, or given rest for a Rooster start while Cedeno and Theriot are hitting like they are now.

 

Once Soriano comes back and DeRosa gets the starting 2b job again is where we might finally see Cedeno getting some starts at SS. If Cedeno keeps hitting like this then we have a good 'problem' on our hands here.

[SABR Gamer]

There's a fine line between having a long swing and having a long follow through. On that HR, Felix's bat was quick and short thru the zone before the long follow thru. No huge drop in his hands just his natural uppercut. I'd like to see Lou reward him with a start tomorrow.

 

 

Very true, Pie was extremely quick and short through the zone, you could already see a difference in his swing, and there's nothing wrong with a long follow through. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come and Pie makes that his permanent swing. He could become a special player.

[RynoRules]

 

I haven't seen anyone argue that Lou wants Pie to fail. Some people think benching him this much isn't the best way for him to succeed. That's not the same thing as accusing the coaching staff of wanting him to fail. So you don't have to prove that the Cubs want him to succeed. No one is arguing against that.

 

Not that I would expect you to recall this, but at least one person has argued that Lou is determined to ruin Pie's career. This thread implies that the Cubs have ended his career. Patently ridiculous notions, all.

 

The kid is 23 and is learning. Let's give him and the coaching staff some time.

[RynoRules]

The reactions by the coaches when he hit that home run definitely signal that they want him to succeed probably more than anyone on this board. That was a fun moment.

I bet they are. If Pie can be who people think he can be this team will be extremely tough to beat.

 

this is so true.

 

dare to dream that Pie, Soto, and Cedeno all live up to potential this year....

 

Stop it. You're making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.