so dusty's not afraid to play young players, eh?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

every once in a while i like to throw some facts in there to back up my wild accusations...just for something different. :D

 

I'm waiting for you to toss in a capital letter or two "just for something different." :P

 

Woah, let's not get carried away.

[goonys evil twin]

Dusty said that the reason that the Braves are more successful with calling guys up is because they bring them up a year later when the players are more refined while the Cubs bring players up a year earlier.

 

Dusty has flat out lied on numerous occasions. He claims that performance matters, when it clearly does not. He claims that he'll never call out or cricitize a player in the media, although he has done exactly that with several young players, namely, Murton (wuss arm), Dubois, Patterson (both in the media and the middle of the field after a walkoff homer) and Cruz. He claimed to not knowing what is was like to not manage deep into October, even though 7 out of 10 years in SF he didn't make the playoffs and he had a losing record for 3 of his first 4 years, and didn't win a playoff game for 8 years, or a series until his 10th and final year.

 

But for some reason he just hasn't been called out on the carpet for his non-stop lies, and my only guess is that people either believe this garbage, or think "Dusty being Dusty" and therefore excuse it.

 

I can't imagine how much heat Willie or Torre would take in NY if either of them lied and made excuses as often as Dusty lies and makes excuses.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

If it makes you feel any better, they hosts were going at Dusty about that comment. And it is the score which isn't exactly a station that seems to believe that prospects are just prospects and such.

[frostwyrm]

What really hurts is that Dusty squandered an absolutely perfect opportunity to get a good look at Ronny Cedeno. Now we don't know if Cedeno is good enough to start next year and we have to throw more money at Nomar that could have been used for the outfield. I couldn't imagine Cox screwing his team by putting veteran trash like Neifi Perez on the field instead of the potential shortstop of the future.

[goonys evil twin]

What really hurts is that Dusty squandered an absolutely perfect opportunity to get a good look at Ronny Cedeno. Now we don't know if Cedeno is good enough to start next year and we have to throw more money at Nomar that could have been used for the outfield. I couldn't imagine Cox screwing his team by putting veteran trash like Neifi Perez on the field instead of the potential shortstop of the future.

 

I could see Cox putting Neifi out there to start. What I couldn't see is Cox sticking with Neifi after it became clear he sucked for 3 months, and there was a talented young player who looked ready to at least get some exposure at the spot.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Dusty is a liar, plain and simple. Performance does not matter to him in who gets to play. Matt Murton has outperformed every outfielder on the team, including the one whom we are activating to take his spot, in his short call-up, yet he gets sent down.

 

Dusty talks about teaching, but Murton has played with better fundamentals than any outfielder on the team.

 

Dusty has no credibility. He should be thanking his lucky stars that he had Barry Bonds on his teams in San Francisco or else he'd be just another re-tread manager in the same group as Kevin Kennedy, Jim Lefebvre, Jimy Williams, Hal Lanier, Davey Lopes, and their like.

[XZero771679666304]

Dusty is a liar, plain and simple. Performance does not matter to him in who gets to play. Matt Murton has outperformed every outfielder on the team, including the one whom we are activating to take his spot, in his short call-up, yet he gets sent down.

 

Dusty talks about teaching, but Murton has played with better fundamentals than any outfielder on the team.

 

Dusty has no credibility. He should be thanking his lucky stars that he had Barry Bonds on his teams in San Francisco or else he'd be just another re-tread manager in the same group as Kevin Kennedy, Jim Lefebvre, Jimy Williams, Hal Lanier, Davey Lopes, and their like.

:shock:

 

 

=D>

 

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[TXCubsFan]

Dusty is a liar, plain and simple. Performance does not matter to him in who gets to play. Matt Murton has outperformed every outfielder on the team, including the one whom we are activating to take his spot, in his short call-up, yet he gets sent down.

 

Dusty talks about teaching, but Murton has played with better fundamentals than any outfielder on the team.

 

Dusty has no credibility. He should be thanking his lucky stars that he had Barry Bonds on his teams in San Francisco or else he'd be just another re-tread manager in the same group as Kevin Kennedy, Jim Lefebvre, Jimy Williams, Hal Lanier, Davey Lopes, and their like.

:shock:

 

 

=D>

 

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

=D>

[Hacking Out Machine]

Dusty is a liar, plain and simple. Performance does not matter to him in who gets to play. Matt Murton has outperformed every outfielder on the team, including the one whom we are activating to take his spot, in his short call-up, yet he gets sent down.

 

Dusty talks about teaching, but Murton has played with better fundamentals than any outfielder on the team.

 

Dusty has no credibility. He should be thanking his lucky stars that he had Barry Bonds on his teams in San Francisco or else he'd be just another re-tread manager in the same group as Kevin Kennedy, Jim Lefebvre, Jimy Williams, Hal Lanier, Davey Lopes, and their like.

:shock:

 

 

=D>

 

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

No doubt. =D>

 

The most frustrating thing for me is how petrified he and other managers are about young players making mistakes. Lord knows there are mistakes galore every day in baseball, especially with this team. Why is it for some reason worse when a young player makes a mistake as compared to a veteran? If Jason DuBois misses a cut off man, do they allow the runner 2 free extra bases because he's young? If Murton gets picked off, do they charge 2 outs instead of one compared to someone like Burnitz who has been picked off in 2 crucial situations this year?

 

He's just taking the safe and easy approach. He's so worried about being criticized that he avoids making any ballsy moves. If he goes with Murton and Cedeno and they crater, he'll have throngs of uninformed fans and media types ripping him for going young when they had a chance to win. So instead, he takes the low risk, but very low return option of using proven mediocre to bad veterans. If they crater, he can shrug his shoulders and blame it on untimely "slumps". Unfortunately, as has been mentioned, we'll never know what could have happened.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Hopefully, if we miss the playoffs because of Dusty's archaic ways and misinformed thinking, he will get shown the door.

 

I'm a big supporter of Hendry, but if he doesn't have the balls to fire Dusty, I will be in full support of a completely new regime.

[Hacking Out Machine]

Dusty is a liar, plain and simple. Performance does not matter to him in who gets to play. Matt Murton has outperformed every outfielder on the team, including the one whom we are activating to take his spot, in his short call-up, yet he gets sent down.

 

Dusty talks about teaching, but Murton has played with better fundamentals than any outfielder on the team.

 

Dusty has no credibility. He should be thanking his lucky stars that he had Barry Bonds on his teams in San Francisco or else he'd be just another re-tread manager in the same group as Kevin Kennedy, Jim Lefebvre, Jimy Williams, Hal Lanier, Davey Lopes, and their like.

:shock:

 

 

=D>

 

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

No doubt. =D>

 

The most frustrating thing for me is how petrified he and other managers are about young players making mistakes. Lord knows there are mistakes galore every day in baseball, especially with this team. Why is it for some reason worse when a young player makes a mistake as compared to a veteran? If Jason DuBois misses a cut off man, do they allow the runner 2 free extra bases because he's young? If Murton gets picked off, do they charge 2 outs instead of one compared to someone like Burnitz who has been picked off in 2 crucial situations this year?

 

He's just taking the safe and easy approach. He's so worried about being criticized that he avoids making any ballsy moves. If he goes with Murton and Cedeno and they crater, he'll have throngs of uninformed fans and media types ripping him for going young when they had a chance to win. So instead, he takes the low risk, but very low return option of using proven mediocre to bad veterans. If they crater, he can shrug his shoulders and blame it on untimely "slumps". Unfortunately, as has been mentioned, we'll never know what could have happened.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

Hopefully, if we miss the playoffs because of Dusty's archaic ways and misinformed thinking, he will get shown the door.

 

I'm a big supporter of Hendry, but if he doesn't have the balls to fire Dusty, I will be in full support of a completely new regime.

I completely agree. I really don't understand why Hendry would want a guy like Dusty managing his team. They really have two completely different philosophies. Hendry believes in building a team from the farm and we all know that Dusty doesn't believe in this. I just don't understand why he puts up with him.

[Larry Horse]

I'm still waiting for the pro-Dusty fans to jump on board and try to defend this dumba**.

 

I would have liked to seen Hendry DFA "Holly" and keep Murton up. But I guess .300 hitting outfielders who seem to know how to hit are a dime a dozen on this team.........

 

Vance, you and I are in agreement. Hendry has tied his wagon to the wrong horse and he better consider shooting the horse.

 

And to think how pumped I was when they signed Dusty........

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'm still waiting for the pro-Dusty fans to jump on board and try to defend this dumba**.

 

I would have liked to seen Hendry DFA "Holly" and keep Murton up. But I guess .300 hitting outfielders who seem to know how to hit are a dime a dozen on this team.........

 

Vance, you and I are in agreement. Hendry has tied his wagon to the wrong horse and he better consider shooting the horse.

 

And to think how pumped I was when they signed Dusty........

 

I don't think I would have DFA'ed Hollandsworth. I would have sent Wellemeyer back to Iowa and used the extra position player. It would have only been for 11 days and then the rosters would expand. I know there was likely concerns about the bullpen being over used in Colorado, but I just think it's ridiculous to have a 12 man pitching staff. I said the same thing in May when I thought we needed the extra bat and I still feel the same now.

[Balsa]

Bright side: He'll get 10 or so days of real starting before being called back up to pinch hit for the pitcher again.

 

Seriously though, if he's back in 11 days, that's fine with me. I'd be reluctant about DFAing people when we can easily send down Murton 'cause we've never used an option on him, and then call him back up in 11 days.

 

Of course, that totally ignores the fact that these next 11 days might be entirely crucial.

[YearofDaCubs]

I'm sure this article has been discussed somewhere on this site, but I'll provide the link here:

Cubs Baker: No on-the-job training during playoff chase

 

Some choice bits from an article that is pretty revealing in regard to Dusty's thought process...

 

'They talk about me and kids and [stuff]. How many kids I got?'' Baker said. ''Damn near half my team is kids. Probably 80 percent of my pitchers. You look at [Cardinals manager] Tony La Russa, how many kids has he ever had? He has nothing but veterans on his team, and he always has.''

 

'The only thing about teaching at the big-league level is you can't teach them until they make a mistake,'' he said.

 

''You don't tell a guy about the cutoff man until he misses it. You assume they know that stuff when they get here.

 

''That's the only thing about teaching at the big-league level is that they make mistakes here. At the minor-league level, if they make mistakes, it's going to be in the Des Moines Gazette. It's not in USA Today or on ESPN, showing you getting picked off.''

 

The first quote is pretty silly. Technically, Dusty may be not too far off about the 80% figure. If we count players under age 27 as youngsters, you get Prior, Zambrano, Williams, Wuertz, Ohman, Wellemyer, and Novoa. 58% of the pitching staff can probably be labeled as young. But extending that definition to the position players leaves you with only Matt Murton and Corey Patterson. That is 9 out of 25.

 

Regardless, you get the sense that having young players on the roster is somehow beneath Dusty's dignity. After all, you don't see Tony LaRussa have to put up with that crap.

 

The second quote is more infuriating than anything else. It's like there is a sword of Dusticles hanging over the head of any rookie that dares make a mistake. Quite a double standard, too. If it is a rookie making a mistake, it is because of a lack of coaching. If it is a veteran (you know, like your veteran SS failing to touch second base for a crucial out in the ninth inning of a game against a division rival), well them's the breaks. If Dusty had a low threshold for sloppy play, that would be one thing; but it is clear he has two sets of standards.

 

Also there is the "The only thing about teaching at the big-league level is you can't teach them until they make a mistake," quote which displays a disturbing laissez-faire approach when it comes to developing younger players. I suspect that is probably one of the telling differences between an organization like the Braves and the Cubs. I suspect the Braves take a pro-active approach with their younger players, understanding fully that instruction doesn't end at the minor leagues. With the Cubs, well, you get the sense that they are waiting until somebody screws up.

BAHAHAHA Dusty is such a moron.

[Larry Horse]

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/sportsstory.asp?id=85100

 

“I explained it to him,” Baker said. “I said, ‘Hey, man, you’ve done nothing wrong. You’ve done everything right that you could ask a young man to do in limited action.’ He’ll be back. Just take what he’s learned here and keep improving on his game.

 

Keep improving on a .339 average with a .415 OBP?

 

Dusty, you truly are a moron. Why not just say, "To bad you're not older"

Gotta keep "Holly" fresh and Lawton and Burnitz make too much money not to play. Aaahh, the pearls of wisdom from Dusty keep on coming.

 

BTW, what a great headline by Bruce. He is hands down the best.

[MembersOnlyJacket]

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/sportsstory.asp?id=85100

 

“I explained it to him,” Baker said. “I said, ‘Hey, man, you’ve done nothing wrong. You’ve done everything right that you could ask a young man to do in limited action.’ He’ll be back. Just take what he’s learned here and keep improving on his game.

 

Keep improving on a .339 average with a .415 OBP?

 

Dusty, you truly are a moron. Why not just say, "To bad you're not older"

Gotta keep "Holly" fresh and Lawton and Burnitz make too much money not to play. Aaahh, the pearls of wisdom from Dusty keep on coming.

 

BTW, what a great headline by Bruce. He is hands down the best.

 

The most pitiful thing about this situation is that when the rosters expand, Murton will return and not see any starts in September if the Cubs are within 5 of the Wild Card. Hairston will play when Lawton/Burnitz are on the bench because "he's been there before." It's been said time and again, if you don't remove the veteran crutches from Dusty he will continue to limp on with them.

 

It'll be a real test as to the direction of the organization this Winter. Hollandsworth, Hairston, Perez, and Macias are all free agents. Will the resign one or more of these guys or replenish the roster with young players from inside or outside the system ?

[MembersOnlyJacket]

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/sportsstory.asp?id=85100

 

BTW, what a great headline by Bruce. He is hands down the best.

 

It looks like the beat writers are on the same page these days. Paul Sullivan has virtually the same headline:

 

Despite .339 Average, Murton Heads to AAA

 

Brutal.

[Derwood]

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/sportsstory.asp?id=85100

 

“I explained it to him,” Baker said. “I said, ‘Hey, man, you’ve done nothing wrong. You’ve done everything right that you could ask a young man to do in limited action.’ He’ll be back. Just take what he’s learned here and keep improving on his game.

 

Keep improving on a .339 average with a .415 OBP?

 

Dusty, you truly are a moron. Why not just say, "To bad you're not older"

Gotta keep "Holly" fresh and Lawton and Burnitz make too much money not to play. Aaahh, the pearls of wisdom from Dusty keep on coming.

 

BTW, what a great headline by Bruce. He is hands down the best.

 

The most pitiful thing about this situation is that when the rosters expand, Murton will return and not see any starts in September if the Cubs are within 5 of the Wild Card. Hairston will play when Lawton/Burnitz are on the bench because "he's been there before." It's been said time and again, if you don't remove the veteran crutches from Dusty he will continue to limp on with them.

 

It'll be a real test as to the direction of the organization this Winter. Hollandsworth, Hairston, Perez, and Macias are all free agents. Will the resign one or more of these guys or replenish the roster with young players from inside or outside the system ?

 

As long as Dusty has any say, he'll want his "boys" back with him.

[CuseCubFan69]

Maybe SF had the right idea? Tax evasion....that's how they got rid of Capone too so maybe there is an accountant willing to take a chance and look into Bakers tax records? :D

[YearofDaCubs]

It just criminal. Dusty talks about teaching on the job when talking about the kids but his so-called vets are the ones slipping and missing the cutoffs and playing baseball with the lack of fundamentals. He's gotta go.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/sportsstory.asp?id=85100

 

BTW, what a great headline by Bruce. He is hands down the best.

 

It looks like the beat writers are on the same page these days. Paul Sullivan has virtually the same headline:

 

Despite .339 Average, Murton Heads to AAA

 

Brutal.

 

Well, the writers don't come up with the headlines, so the editors are apparently on the same page. :P