Mount Lou erupts

[fromthestretch]

and that message was.....?

 

You need to do better at something so I'm not letting you practice it anymore.

 

Maybe he is seeing a pattern of just "putting on a show" in BP instead of actually working on their games? Perhaps he is "taking away their fun" until they show they have come out of this slump in actualy game action?

 

It almost like Lou saying: " No X-BOX or PS3 kids until your homework is done".

 

Maybe he doesn't know what to do so he's trying something random. Not a real comforting thought, but that's what occurs to me.

 

Yeah, taking away batting practice when the offense is slumping doesn't exactly sound like the greatest idea. If you don't like the approach your players have during batting practice, address the issue. Don't just take it away. To me, that's like saying, "Zambrano didn't throw strikes today, so I'm not going to let him warm up before his next start."

 

Actually, I don't think it's anything like that. Not allowing a pitcher to warm-up is inviting injury. Not having batting practice is no big deal.

 

Perhaps I was stretching a bit on that one. However, I don't think taking away batting practice for couple games is a smart answer. It seems like a knee-jerk reaction. I'm not saying they need to take more BP, but if you're struggling with the bat, working on your hitting isn't exactly a bad thing to do.

[fromthestretch]

Yeah, it's nothing like not letting a pitcher warm up. But it does strike me as odd. Maybe it's not intended to be a punishment. Maybe he thinks guys are tired and all the extra swings in BP are hurting more than helping at this point.

 

If a player appears tired, rotate in some bench players for a spot start here and there (not all at once, but you get the idea). Eliminating batting practice for the purposes of rest doesn't seem like it would help all that much.

[jersey cubs fan]

Yeah, it's nothing like not letting a pitcher warm up. But it does strike me as odd. Maybe it's not intended to be a punishment. Maybe he thinks guys are tired and all the extra swings in BP are hurting more than helping at this point.

 

If a player appears tired, rotate in some bench players for a spot start here and there (not all at once, but you get the idea). Eliminating batting practice for the purposes of rest doesn't seem like it would help all that much.

 

These guys don't take BP 162 times a year. I don't think it's about rest, it's about mixing things up. It's not a serious effort to fix things, but there's not much you can seriously do to fix a slump. Players generally don't just work and practice their way out of slumps.

[chuckywang]

It's about time and absolutely needed.

 

"I'm tired of seeing balls flying all over batting practice and when the damn game starts we don't do a thing. There will be no BP tomorrow or Wednesday and we'll see if that helps".

 

=D>

 

So the cure to an anemic offense is to stop practicing offense?

[CubbieBum]

It's pretty obvious why Lou is taking away BP. He says in the quote guys are doing great in BP but get to the game and forget it all. So either the players are using everything up in BP or they do well in BP and then relax or they get used to BP pitching and don't adjest enough for the real thing. Which ever it is the best solution is to take away BP for a game or two so the players only focus on game hitting.

[fromthestretch]

Yeah, it's nothing like not letting a pitcher warm up. But it does strike me as odd. Maybe it's not intended to be a punishment. Maybe he thinks guys are tired and all the extra swings in BP are hurting more than helping at this point.

 

If a player appears tired, rotate in some bench players for a spot start here and there (not all at once, but you get the idea). Eliminating batting practice for the purposes of rest doesn't seem like it would help all that much.

 

These guys don't take BP 162 times a year. I don't think it's about rest, it's about mixing things up. It's not a serious effort to fix things, but there's not much you can seriously do to fix a slump. Players generally don't just work and practice their way out of slumps.

 

I understand that and agree with what you're saying. I just think it's an odd decision. Soriano is only a couple days away, so if you want to mix things up a bit, why not just wait until he's back? That gives you a good opportunity to move a few people around a bit. If you truly think BP is having a negative impact on a player or two, maybe have those players skip it for a day or two. However, I'm not sure having the entire team not take BP is going to really help anything. I'm not sure it will hurt anything either, but if you're looking for a fix, this seems like an odd choice.

[fromthestretch]

It's pretty obvious why Lou is taking away BP. He says in the quote guys are doing great in BP but get to the game and forget it all. So either the players are using everything up in BP or they do well in BP and then relax or they get used to BP pitching and don't adjest enough for the real thing. Which ever it is the best solution is to take away BP for a game or two so the players only focus on game hitting.

 

I don't think it's an issue with players "using everything up in BP." These are professional hitters. They aren't going to go out there and completely exhaust themselves on some BP swings. If that were an issue, I'm sure it would have been addressed long ago. And considering the number of games these guys have played and the number of rounds of BP they've taken in their lives, I find it very hard to believe that they are having trouble adjusting between BP pitching and game pitching.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I finally saw/heard the clip, eagerly anticipating an eruption. I think Lou probably yells more when ordering a sandwich

[Elwood]

Am I the only one who sees a correlation between Soriano's injury and the offense's decline? He's a very dangerous hitter whether he's on a hot streak or not, and opposing pitchers are certainly going to alter their game plans when he's in the lineup.

[Derwood]

if the players are just jacking off in batting practice, isn't that an indictment on the coaching staff? Don't take BP away, just make everyone hit to the opposite field or whatever instead of launching homers all afternoon

[sneakypower]

well thats a curious choice of words

[Derwood]

well thats a curious choice of words

 

if launching 500 foot HR's during BP isn't baseball masturbation, I don't know what is

[jersey cubs fan]

well thats a curious choice of words

 

if launching 500 foot HR's during BP isn't baseball masturbation, I don't know what is

 

ask david cone

[B]

It's about time and absolutely needed.

 

"I'm tired of seeing balls flying all over batting practice and when the damn game starts we don't do a thing. There will be no BP tomorrow or Wednesday and we'll see if that helps".

 

=D>

 

So the cure to an anemic offense is to stop practicing offense?

I'm sure he'll allow players to take some swings in the cage if they want to. There is noboby to show off for there.

[CubbieBum]

It's pretty obvious why Lou is taking away BP. He says in the quote guys are doing great in BP but get to the game and forget it all. So either the players are using everything up in BP or they do well in BP and then relax or they get used to BP pitching and don't adjest enough for the real thing. Which ever it is the best solution is to take away BP for a game or two so the players only focus on game hitting.

 

I don't think it's an issue with players "using everything up in BP." These are professional hitters. They aren't going to go out there and completely exhaust themselves on some BP swings. If that were an issue, I'm sure it would have been addressed long ago. And considering the number of games these guys have played and the number of rounds of BP they've taken in their lives, I find it very hard to believe that they are having trouble adjusting between BP pitching and game pitching.

 

I find it hard to believe too but it's still a possibility.

 

I was going more for using up all there good swings and by the time they get to the game their swing is a bit off.

[salukifudd]

I finally saw/heard the clip, eagerly anticipating an eruption. I think Lou probably yells more when ordering a sandwich

 

Where did you see/hear it? I can't find it.

[jersey cubs fan]

One time my softball team got to the field a little early and the umpire wasn't there so we took batting practice for a long time and people were taking like 15-20 swings each and really wacking the ball then we lost the game and decided we shouldn't have taken so many swings in batting practice because we were all worn out. Plus we were drunk.

[CubbieBum]

One time my softball team got to the field a little early and the umpire wasn't there so we took batting practice for a long time and people were taking like 15-20 swings each and really wacking the ball then we lost the game and decided we shouldn't have taken so many swings in batting practice because we were all worn out. Plus we were drunk.

 

That's a great comparison thanks for sharing. BTW where you drunk when you posted it?

[CoolHandLuke]

this thread almost made me gouge my eyeballs out.

[CubbieBum]

this thread almost made me gouge my eyeballs out.

 

you got to have a cool steady hand to do that

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I finally saw/heard the clip, eagerly anticipating an eruption. I think Lou probably yells more when ordering a sandwich

 

Where did you see/hear it? I can't find it.

they played it on CSN earlier

[salukifudd]

I finally saw/heard the clip, eagerly anticipating an eruption. I think Lou probably yells more when ordering a sandwich

 

Where did you see/hear it? I can't find it.

they played it on CSN earlier

 

Thanks for nutin'.

[badnews]

So if we can't hit mediocrepitchers, and that's why we're going to struggle in the playoffs cause just wait til they face real pitchers, I mean am I going crazy or are we 17 games over 500? Where did all those wins come from if we can't beat mediocre or playoff caliber pitchers? Have we just faced Phil Dumatrait 55 times this season? And does Roy Halladay suck.

 

It's been a crappy start to the 2nd half. It was a crappy start to the 2nd half. Yeah, we've been ~500 over the past 5 weeks. We were also playing the toughest stretch of our schedule, and doing it without Soriano.

 

You're trying to use data from months ago to justify that the team isn't doing blah now. The Cubs have been a .500 team since the beginning of June, and they've been below average offensively since June. How long do you want to give the team a pass because of May before you get worried?

 

Does nobody think this could be like 2004, where the Cubs finish with a respectable win total and nothing to show for it?

[Amazing_Grace]

I think 2 BPs will make no difference in the players' ability to hit. Taking it away may well cause them to think about a team problem and how to correct it. Lou's using this as a motivational tool. It's kind of like how Baylor would randomly call a guy out in the media. I like Lou's tactics better because he isn't singling anybody out, but it's the same concept. Call attention to a problem publicly and guys will hopefully work harder. If you have a team that has some pride and is contending, it can be a good tactic.

 

I don't understand the criticism. At worst, we miss 2 BP out of 162. Wow, there goes the season. Maybe the move accomplishes nothing, but then we're really not any worse off are we?

 

On the other hand, if we've got players showboating for the fans in BP ala 1998 Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa, then kudos to Lou for sending the message that he won't have any of it.

[fromthestretch]

I don't understand the criticism. At worst, we miss 2 BP out of 162. Wow, there goes the season. Maybe the move accomplishes nothing, but then we're really not any worse off are we?

 

No one even came close to saying that.

 

On the other hand, if we've got players showboating for the fans in BP ala 1998 Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa, then kudos to Lou for sending the message that he won't have any of it.

 

And again, that can easily be addressed without taking BP away.

 

I doubt taking BP away is going to make the situation any worse. I just don't see how it's really going to help.