What's the reason Trib continues to honor Rusty's contract?

[brfahey]

Sadly, the average baseball fan is a moron, and that is who the Trib caters too.

 

I'm glad labelling and grouping and name-calling isn't permitted.

 

I think you overestimate the average fan. The average fan doesn't take the time to register at an independent website like this one to talk about the Cubs all the time. They're more the type that takes until June to realize that Grudzielanek isn't playing 2nd anymore, and are currently wondering why Wood hasn't started in seemingly forever. Since the regulations of this community that you're referring to are for fellow posters(please correct me if I'm wrong mods/admins), I really doubt that IMB! was trying to group anyone here into that category. Also, I'm pretty sure the mods/admins prefer you contact them in private if you have issue with any problems you have of this nature.

 

Sorry, I didn't know that this board was for only above-average fans. Your point about the posters vs. non-posters is well taken. If a private message is the way to do it fine.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Sadly, the average baseball fan is a moron, and that is who the Trib caters too.

 

I'm glad labelling and grouping and name-calling isn't permitted.

 

I think you overestimate the average fan. The average fan doesn't take the time to register at an independent website like this one to talk about the Cubs all the time. They're more the type that takes until June to realize that Grudzielanek isn't playing 2nd anymore, and are currently wondering why Wood hasn't started in seemingly forever. Since the regulations of this community that you're referring to are for fellow posters(please correct me if I'm wrong mods/admins), I really doubt that IMB! was trying to group anyone here into that category. Also, I'm pretty sure the mods/admins prefer you contact them in private if you have issue with any problems you have of this nature.

 

Sorry, I didn't know that this board was for only above-average fans. Your point about the posters vs. non-posters is well taken. If a private message is the way to do it fine.

 

Again, maybe I(IMB! too?) have a different view of the "average fan". If you're taking the time to register at a website and regularly post about the team, that's much more than the majority of fans do, and you probably care about/are more knowledgable about the game as well.

[Exile on Waveland]

Sadly, the average baseball fan is a moron, and that is who the Trib caters too.

 

I'm glad labelling and grouping and name-calling isn't permitted.

 

I think you overestimate the average fan. The average fan doesn't take the time to register at an independent website like this one to talk about the Cubs all the time. They're more the type that takes until June to realize that Grudzielanek isn't playing 2nd anymore, and are currently wondering why Wood hasn't started in seemingly forever. Since the regulations of this community that you're referring to are for fellow posters(please correct me if I'm wrong mods/admins), I really doubt that IMB! was trying to group anyone here into that category. Also, I'm pretty sure the mods/admins prefer you contact them in private if you have issue with any problems you have of this nature.

 

Sorry, I didn't know that this board was for only above-average fans. Your point about the posters vs. non-posters is well taken. If a private message is the way to do it fine.

 

I can't imagine average fans make it to this site and post. Heck, I'd consider myself a well above-average fan (whatever that means) and I hardly have time to post here. Why would a mere fair-weather fan take the time to post here?

[BadKermit]

The only real winners right now are guys like LaRussa, Torre, Francona, and Scioscia.

 

Yo.

[adamb0719]

I can't imagine average fans make it to this site and post. Heck, I'd consider myself a well above-average fan (whatever that means) and I hardly have time to post here. Why would a mere fair-weather fan take the time to post here?

 

I also can't imagine an average fan sticking around for long if they do stumble upon this site. I too consider my self a above-average fan (obsessed if you ask my girlfriend) and I generally stay out of the Baseball Discussions because they get pretty in depth. There is a lot discussed that I know nothing about, mainly the rules for moving players around and a lot of salary considerations. I could talk Cubs all day, but when people start mentioning rules surrounding drafts and minor leaguers I get lost, and my posts would probably detract from the conversation (as this one may). For me this is more educational than anything. Can't say I learned a lot about the Cubs, but I have learned a lot about baseball in general. However someone who doesn't truely love the game and/or the Cubs will probably not stick around to long.

 

 

EDIT: This may have not really pertained to the conversation. Made more sense when I was writting it. Sorry if it was a pointless post.

[BigbadB]

I can't imagine average fans make it to this site and post. Heck, I'd consider myself a well above-average fan (whatever that means) and I hardly have time to post here. Why would a mere fair-weather fan take the time to post here?

 

I also can't imagine an average fan sticking around for long if they do stumble upon this site. I too consider my self a above-average fan (obsessed if you ask my girlfriend) and I generally stay out of the Baseball Discussions because they get pretty in depth. There is a lot discussed that I know nothing about, mainly the rules for moving players around and a lot of salary considerations. I could talk Cubs all day, but when people start mentioning rules surrounding drafts and minor leaguers I get lost, and my posts would probably detract from the conversation (as this one may). For me this is more educational than anything. Can't say I learned a lot about the Cubs, but I have learned a lot about baseball in general. However someone who doesn't truely love the game and/or the Cubs will probably not stick around to long.

 

 

EDIT: This may have not really pertained to the conversation. Made more sense when I was writting it. Sorry if it was a pointless post.

 

Absolutely not pointless. It was well written and probably looks a lot like something I would have written prior to my first readings of Tim, MLPeel, Lowblow and a few others that would take the time to share their knowledge.

 

The more you learn here, the more you really understand the game. Even after you learn all that, you can still have differing opinions from everyone else here.

 

I'm glad you made that post and I hope you feel better having written it.

[hardcorecubfan]

 

 

 

I know this has been asked over and over again, but HOW CAN HENDRY JUSTIFY KEEPING THIS IDIOT??

 

Here's how:

 

1. Dusty F. Baker is owed $4 mil next year. If he's fired, he still gets paid, plus they'd have to pay another manager.

 

2. The fans show up no matter what.

 

3. The Trib doesn't care if the Cubs win or lose as long as people show up.

 

Maybe the Trib doesn't...unless they can get a manager cheaper. good news and bad news Trib loss million of dollars last year with other ventures, there stock has plumeted. first thing always done is to eliminate excessive contracts that don't produce. I say Dusty falls under that perameters

[sethuel1]

 

 

 

I know this has been asked over and over again, but HOW CAN HENDRY JUSTIFY KEEPING THIS IDIOT??

 

Here's how:

 

1. Dusty F. Baker is owed $4 mil next year. If he's fired, he still gets paid, plus they'd have to pay another manager.

 

2. The fans show up no matter what.

 

3. The Trib doesn't care if the Cubs win or lose as long as people show up.

 

Maybe the Trib doesn't...unless they can get a manager cheaper. good news and bad news Trib loss million of dollars last year with other ventures, there stock has plumeted. first thing always done is to eliminate excessive contracts that don't produce. I say Dusty falls under that perameters

 

But he gets paid no matter what. if you hire someone else, you end up spending more than if you kept Dusty for the next year. it's a guaranteed contract.

[AramisRamirez]

ultimate RUSTY off-season:

 

re-sign dusty for 4-years/$20M, big raise.

 

re-sign hollandsworth from Atlanta for 1-year/$3M, big raise raise.

 

re-sign macias for 1-year/$2M, big raise.

 

re-sign perez for 2-years/$5M, big raise.

 

re-sign burnitz for 1-year/$6M, big raise.

 

re-sign dempster for 2-years/$10M, big big raise.

 

2006 lineup

 

 

SS perez

2B walker

1B lee

3B ramirez

RF burnitz

C barrett

LF murton

CF patterson

 

sp1 prior*

sp2 zambrano

sp3 rusch

sp4 williams

sp5 maddux

 

* = why even act like kerry wood will stay healthy in 2006?

RP dempster

 

 

yes ladies and gentleman, i present to you the 2005 cubs in 2006!!!

 

expect the very same things you saw this year. including jose macias and neifi perez playing more than anybody ever should. and cedeno getting bench for this all-world studs.

[Bergy92]

So lets fire Dusty and replace him with Jim Tracy who has a terrible record in LA but (IMO) a better manager. Its hard to ask what the average fan would say because we are die hards, but in reality, Baker has proven to be a winner.

 

A winner? Really? How many World Series has he won?

 

The only real winners right now are guys like LaRussa, Torre, Francona, and Scioscia. I don't see a lot of parallels between them and Rusty.

 

We've got to expect more than "back to back" winning seasons. That's the same old trait I hate in many Cub fans: diminishing expectations.

 

In 2003, Baker's team was 5 outs away from the WS

In 2004, Baker's team collapsed in the last week of the season, losing crucial games to the fifth-place Reds.

In 2005, Baker's team will finish with a losing record.

 

Am I the only person that sees a regression here?

 

I never have understood why Joe Torre constantly gets listed as a great manager. He's been handed all star team after all star team since he became manager of the Yankees. Isn't an all star team supposed to win the whole thing? Better yet, we're getting ready to see the Yankees NOT win a World Series for 5 straight years now, and Steinbrenner has gone out and gotten him a better team each year Torre fails to win it all for him.

 

Torre pre-Yankee manager record:

 

894 wins

1003 losses

 

He managed St. Louis, New York Mets and Atlanta during that time in his career, and managed only 1 first place finish and 2 second place finishes in 14 years.

 

It's all about the rings. Period. That is the standard to judge managers.

 

Let's see, who has had more success during their period of ownership, Steinbrenner or the Trib? Oh, that's right, the Yankees don't do it the right way because they try and "buy" titles. The Cubs have too much integrity to try and win that way. I'll take the Yanks success anyday of the week.

 

I agree completely with you - it is all about rings. To illustrate...who would you rather be - the Marlins or the Braves? Would you rather have been in the playoffs for 14 straight years and only have 1 championship? Or would you rather have made it only 2 times in the same amount of time, yet won them both?

 

If you picked the Braves, then you miss the point. It is about winning it all. (That being said, I would love to have the Brave problem...)

[BigbadB]

So lets fire Dusty and replace him with Jim Tracy who has a terrible record in LA but (IMO) a better manager. Its hard to ask what the average fan would say because we are die hards, but in reality, Baker has proven to be a winner.

 

A winner? Really? How many World Series has he won?

 

The only real winners right now are guys like LaRussa, Torre, Francona, and Scioscia. I don't see a lot of parallels between them and Rusty.

 

We've got to expect more than "back to back" winning seasons. That's the same old trait I hate in many Cub fans: diminishing expectations.

 

In 2003, Baker's team was 5 outs away from the WS

In 2004, Baker's team collapsed in the last week of the season, losing crucial games to the fifth-place Reds.

In 2005, Baker's team will finish with a losing record.

 

Am I the only person that sees a regression here?

 

I never have understood why Joe Torre constantly gets listed as a great manager. He's been handed all star team after all star team since he became manager of the Yankees. Isn't an all star team supposed to win the whole thing? Better yet, we're getting ready to see the Yankees NOT win a World Series for 5 straight years now, and Steinbrenner has gone out and gotten him a better team each year Torre fails to win it all for him.

 

Torre pre-Yankee manager record:

 

894 wins

1003 losses

 

He managed St. Louis, New York Mets and Atlanta during that time in his career, and managed only 1 first place finish and 2 second place finishes in 14 years.

 

It's all about the rings. Period. That is the standard to judge managers.

 

Let's see, who has had more success during their period of ownership, Steinbrenner or the Trib? Oh, that's right, the Yankees don't do it the right way because they try and "buy" titles. The Cubs have too much integrity to try and win that way. I'll take the Yanks success anyday of the week.

 

I agree completely with you - it is all about rings. To illustrate...who would you rather be - the Marlins or the Braves? Would you rather have been in the playoffs for 14 straight years and only have 1 championship? Or would you rather have made it only 2 times in the same amount of time, yet won them both?

 

If you picked the Braves, then you miss the point. It is about winning it all. (That being said, I would love to have the Brave problem...)

 

My response has absolutely nothing to do with Steinbrenner or the Trib. It has nothing to do with who wants to buy titles and who doesn't. My response is regarding Joe Torre and his track record as a manager and this illusion that he should be regarded as one of the best in the business.

 

I think Dusty Baker could win a World Series if he managed the Yankees. Maybe several. I think Bruce Kimm could win a World Series or two for the Yankees. The Yankees success is not dependent on Joe Torre's skills as a manager. Joe Torre's success as a manager is dependent upon the Yankees talent.

 

Just as I don't want Dusty Baker anywhere near this Cubs team, I wouldn't want Joe Torre either. I'd be more inclined to trust his record with Atlanta, St. Louis and the Mets than I would with the all star team that he's had to work with since the day he stepped into a Yankees uniform.

 

I'd love to see what Joe Torre could do with the team Stump Merrill managed in 1991. Here's who got the bulk of at bats with that team:

 

Matt Nokes, Alvaro Espinoza, Steve Sax, Don Mattingly, Pat Kelly, Roberto Kelly, Bernie Williams and Kevin Maas.

 

The starting rotation had: Scott Sanderson, Wade Taylor, Jeff Johnson, Tim Leary, Pasqual Perez and Dave Eiland.

 

That Yankee team was horribe, and their record mirrored that.

 

Buck Showalter didn't have Derek Jeter or many of the other big name Yankees in his last year before Torre, either. He managed a 2nd place finish with these guys:

 

Tony Fernandez, Pat Kelly, Wade Boggs, Mike Stanley, Gerald Williams, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill and Ruben Sierra.

 

Those teams certainly didn't have the impact bats that Torre has been given year after year to work with. Torre does not belong on a list of great managers. Just about any manager in baseball could have done with the Yankees what Torre did with the Yankees. It would be interesting to know what a truly good manager could do with the Yankees, but I hope I never see that day come.

[imb]

im sad that i didnt come up with "Rusty".

[CubfaninCA]

Theo Epstein fired Grady Little, at the end of his first season, after they came within five outs of the WS. The next year they ended an 86-year world championship drought. The Red Sox clearly had talent, but Epstein recognized that Little couldn't win even with that talent.

 

Baker should have been fired at the end of last season. Yet here we sit on the precipice of another losing season, with a payroll that was the highest in the NL, and we're pretty much all of the mind that Baker will be allowed to return yet again.

 

I know this has been asked over and over again, but HOW CAN HENDRY JUSTIFY KEEPING THIS IDIOT??

 

Here's how:

 

1. Dusty F. Baker is owed $4 mil next year. If he's fired, he still gets paid, plus they'd have to pay another manager.

 

2. The fans show up no matter what.

 

3. The Trib doesn't care if the Cubs win or lose as long as people show up.

 

Correct answer.

[CubfaninCA]

Sadly, the average baseball fan is a moron, and that is who the Trib caters too.

 

I'm glad labelling and grouping and name-calling isn't permitted.

 

I think you overestimate the average fan. The average fan doesn't take the time to register at an independent website like this one to talk about the Cubs all the time. They're more the type that takes until June to realize that Grudzielanek isn't playing 2nd anymore, and are currently wondering why Wood hasn't started in seemingly forever. Since the regulations of this community that you're referring to are for fellow posters(please correct me if I'm wrong mods/admins), I really doubt that IMB! was trying to group anyone here into that category. Also, I'm pretty sure the mods/admins prefer you contact them in private if you have issue with any problems you have of this nature.

 

Sorry, I didn't know that this board was for only above-average fans. Your point about the posters vs. non-posters is well taken. If a private message is the way to do it fine.

 

Morons are those who obsess about insignificant things like baseball all day long. :D Average fans may have better stuff to do, and should be welcomed here even if they don't have a clue about obp and ops.

[KW34]

Here's a question, who was the last Cub manager with a better 3 year record then Dusty's?

 

Here's an even better question, who was the last Cub manager with the payroll to work with that Dusty has had?

 

Per the USA Today salary database, in 1993 Jim Lefebvre had the 6th highest payroll (as opposed to 9th this season).

[BigbadB]

Here's a question, who was the last Cub manager with a better 3 year record then Dusty's?

 

Here's an even better question, who was the last Cub manager with the payroll to work with that Dusty has had?

 

Per the USA Today salary database, in 1993 Jim Lefebvre had the 6th highest payroll (as opposed to 9th this season).

 

9th sounds like they are not including Sosa's money.

 

Anyway, Lefebvre had the only winning season in a string of 8 season's that year.

[KW34]

9th sounds like they are not including Sosa's money.

 

Anyway, Lefebvre had the only winning season in a string of 8 season's that year.

 

No they are not. I would argue that since Sosa is not here he shouldn't count, at least when considering what Dusty has to work with. And they fired Lefebvre, replacing him with Tom Trebelhorn. Trebelhorn did worse and lasted one year.

 

For whatever it is worth, Dusty followed up his rookie managerial season .636 winning percentage with seasons of .478, .465, and .420, respectively. He then ripped off 6 consecutive seasons finishing in either first or second place. Is it possible that "Dusty-ball" takes awhile to take hold and patience is in order? Is it possible that stability would be better than making a change? Although Dusty does upset me at times he is not the anti-christ some make him out to be (at least I don't think so ). :wink:

[CubfaninCA]

9th sounds like they are not including Sosa's money.

 

Anyway, Lefebvre had the only winning season in a string of 8 season's that year.

 

No they are not. I would argue that since Sosa is not here he shouldn't count, at least when considering what Dusty has to work with. And they fired Lefebvre, replacing him with Tom Trebelhorn. Trebelhorn did worse and lasted one year.

 

For whatever it is worth, Dusty followed up his rookie managerial season .636 winning percentage with seasons of .478, .465, and .420, respectively. He then ripped off 6 consecutive seasons finishing in either first or second place. Is it possible that "Dusty-ball" takes awhile to take hold and patience is in order? Is it possible that stability would be better than making a change? Although Dusty does upset me at times he is not the anti-christ some make him out to be (at least I don't think so ). :wink:

 

Better duck. :o

 

2003 they exceded expectations. 2004 they fell a little short, but considering Prior, Borowski and Wood missed quite a few games, it could have been worse. This year, Baker did a pretty poor job. Of course, injuries took their toll again.

 

Altogether, Baker shouldn't be demonized, it seems the players, for the most part, like playing ball for him and he has a good winning percentage. However, he's a beneficiary of big budgets. Sabaen gave him some stacked teams in San Fran.

[BigbadB]

9th sounds like they are not including Sosa's money.

 

Anyway, Lefebvre had the only winning season in a string of 8 season's that year.

 

No they are not. I would argue that since Sosa is not here he shouldn't count, at least when considering what Dusty has to work with. And they fired Lefebvre, replacing him with Tom Trebelhorn. Trebelhorn did worse and lasted one year.

 

For whatever it is worth, Dusty followed up his rookie managerial season .636 winning percentage with seasons of .478, .465, and .420, respectively. He then ripped off 6 consecutive seasons finishing in either first or second place. Is it possible that "Dusty-ball" takes awhile to take hold and patience is in order? Is it possible that stability would be better than making a change? Although Dusty does upset me at times he is not the anti-christ some make him out to be (at least I don't think so ). :wink:

 

How can you not include Sosa's money into the budget? If he were still here, it would count. Correct? The fact Cub management paid Sosa to play for some other team is Chicago's problem. If they could have gotten Baltimore to take on all of Sosa's contract, then you could subtract that from the total budget. Since they didn't and Baltimore didn't, the amount spent on payroll, whether they played for Chicago, Baltimore or someone else should all be counted.

 

I would also venture to guess that the Cubs did not spend as much on free agents that they might have spent had Sosa's money not been on the books. If they didn't have Sosa's money on the books, would they have made a big charge for Beltran or Drew? Would they have spent money on a closer as well? Maybe, maybe not. I'm thinking quite possibly.

 

I think no matter how you slice it, the Cubs are paying Sosa's 2005 salary, not Baltimore, therefore it has to be counted against payroll.

 

That said, I am one of those people who now believes Dusty is the antichrist. I have some questions for you.....

 

How did you like Macias and Neifi batting 1st and 2nd all those times this year?

 

How did you like Patterson leading off all that time this year?

 

How did you like seeing LaTroy Hawkins closing games this year?

 

How did you like seeing Dusty bring in Remlinger to face Edmonds?

 

If you think I can be patient waiting for these master plans to fall into place, don't hold your breath.

 

I can forgive some things. I can ignore some things. What I cannot forgive is using guys who hit just barely better than a pitcher as your #1 and #2 hitters in a line up in front of your most productive hitters. Inexcusable. Laughable. Horrible. Especially when you have better options on your roster, on the bench and hitting at the bottom of the line up.

 

If it weren't for Walker and Hairston in their part time play this year, I'm not so sure Lee would have 80 RBI's at this point.

 

Silly me. I still think this was a 90 win team this year even with the injuries. That's what frustrates me more than anything. They had no heart. Everyday was just another day. No one got fired up, outside of Lee, to do the little things that need to be done to turn a loss into a win, especially Baker. This team had an 87m payroll, and had three different guys with OBP's under .300 trying out for the lead off spot. And somewhere along the way, a couple of them won the job. Astonishing that you can fail miserably in such an important part of the offense and you are rewarded by getting put back in there again the next day in the same spot. I'm new school with OBP. However, I'm old school with other things. Last year, Moises Alou was too lazy to reach down and pick up a ball and throw it in. Instead, he kicked it into the ivy and tried to hide the ball for a ground rule double. If I'm managing the team, he's out of the game. He can be lazy sitting on the bench. Baker didn't necessarily reward that style of play. He was apothetic about it. He just didn't care. The whole world see's this on Sportscenter and they are laughing. It makes your ballclub appear to be one big joke. It's as if this is an acceptable practice. It's okay to try and cheat and slack off at your job because you only get paid 9m dollars.

 

Why is it the players love playing for Dusty? Because they can be lazy and not lose their job? Because you can be a veteran back up infielder and get 450 some at bats a year?

 

I'm dying to see what inspiration Dusty ignites in these guys. Only Derrek Lee put up inspirational production this year.

 

No focus, no direction, lack of execution, and no attitude. These are all attributes that are a direct reflection of Dusty Baker. I have not seen the things that Dusty supposedly does to bring out the best in the players.

 

I need to be convinced he isn't really the antichrist. To me, he's a retired ballplayer that was better at playing ball than telling others how to play ball. He hasn't a clue how to assemble a line up card, how to use a bullpen or how to use a bench. His success at this point is due in large part because of the quality talent he's been given to work with. I think any manager could have created as much success as he has given that same talent. A good manager could have gotten much, much more. Like 90 wins.

 

I won't even go into all the lame excuses Dusty has come up with for why this team stinks.

[KW34]

How can you not include Sosa's money into the budget? If he were still here, it would count. Correct? The fact Cub management paid Sosa to play for some other team is Chicago's problem. If they could have gotten Baltimore to take on all of Sosa's contract, then you could subtract that from the total budget. Since they didn't and Baltimore didn't, the amount spent on payroll, whether they played for Chicago, Baltimore or someone else should all be counted.

 

I would also venture to guess that the Cubs did not spend as much on free agents that they might have spent had Sosa's money not been on the books. If they didn't have Sosa's money on the books, would they have made a big charge for Beltran or Drew? Would they have spent money on a closer as well? Maybe, maybe not. I'm thinking quite possibly.

 

I think no matter how you slice it, the Cubs are paying Sosa's 2005 salary, not Baltimore, therefore it has to be counted against payroll.

 

While I agree the Sosa money absolutely counts towards the overall payroll, I don't feel it is fair to judge Dusty with this money included. Sosa did not play for the Cubs this year and that money was never available for Dusty on the field. It makes more sense to me to judge Dusty based on the 9th highest payroll (which still should be plenty to make the playoffs).

 

That said, I am one of those people who now believes Dusty is the antichrist. I have some questions for you.....

 

How did you like Macias and Neifi batting 1st and 2nd all those times this year?

 

Wasn't a huge fan of this. I agree this was bad.

 

How did you like Patterson leading off all that time this year?

 

Corey was absolutely awful this year. I realize he is not suited to leadoff, but he did have one month of success doing it last year. I think Dusty was trying to get Corey going and I can't fault him for that. It didn't work and Patterson was demoted.

 

How did you like seeing LaTroy Hawkins closing games this year?

 

Didn't like this one, either.

 

How did you like seeing Dusty bring in Remlinger to face Edmonds?

 

Remlinger was bad this year, also. Every time I thought Dusty was finally getting it with regard to Remlinger's splits he would do something stupid like this.

 

If you think I can be patient waiting for these master plans to fall into place, don't hold your breath.

 

I can forgive some things. I can ignore some things. What I cannot forgive is using guys who hit just barely better than a pitcher as your #1 and #2 hitters in a line up in front of your most productive hitters. Inexcusable. Laughable. Horrible. Especially when you have better options on your roster, on the bench and hitting at the bottom of the line up.

 

If it weren't for Walker and Hairston in their part time play this year, I'm not so sure Lee would have 80 RBI's at this point.

 

Silly me. I still think this was a 90 win team this year even with the injuries. That's what frustrates me more than anything. They had no heart. Everyday was just another day. No one got fired up, outside of Lee, to do the little things that need to be done to turn a loss into a win, especially Baker. This team had an 87m payroll, and had three different guys with OBP's under .300 trying out for the lead off spot. And somewhere along the way, a couple of them won the job. Astonishing that you can fail miserably in such an important part of the offense and you are rewarded by getting put back in there again the next day in the same spot. I'm new school with OBP. However, I'm old school with other things. Last year, Moises Alou was too lazy to reach down and pick up a ball and throw it in. Instead, he kicked it into the ivy and tried to hide the ball for a ground rule double. If I'm managing the team, he's out of the game. He can be lazy sitting on the bench. Baker didn't necessarily reward that style of play. He was apothetic about it. He just didn't care. The whole world see's this on Sportscenter and they are laughing. It makes your ballclub appear to be one big joke. It's as if this is an acceptable practice. It's okay to try and cheat and slack off at your job because you only get paid 9m dollars.

 

Why is it the players love playing for Dusty? Because they can be lazy and not lose their job? Because you can be a veteran back up infielder and get 450 some at bats a year?

 

I'm dying to see what inspiration Dusty ignites in these guys. Only Derrek Lee put up inspirational production this year.

 

No focus, no direction, lack of execution, and no attitude. These are all attributes that are a direct reflection of Dusty Baker. I have not seen the things that Dusty supposedly does to bring out the best in the players.

 

I need to be convinced he isn't really the antichrist. To me, he's a retired ballplayer that was better at playing ball than telling others how to play ball. He hasn't a clue how to assemble a line up card, how to use a bullpen or how to use a bench. His success at this point is due in large part because of the quality talent he's been given to work with. I think any manager could have created as much success as he has given that same talent. A good manager could have gotten much, much more. Like 90 wins.

 

I won't even go into all the lame excuses Dusty has come up with for why this team stinks.

 

I understand your frustrations and don't disagree with you entirely. It has definitely been a tough year. Allow me to throw out a few possibilities:

 

Dusty takes his players to task in private. He is always publicly protective of his players. While one might want him to tell the press the truth (that he's ticked off at so-and-so for this-or-that), I don't think that's the best way to maintain a good relationship with a player (or anyone for that matter). With that said, I truly think Dusty makes some statements he doesn't believe to keep the spotlight off the players and on him.

 

There is more to managing than pressing the right buttons on the field. Baseball is a game of failure, and even if you make the correct statistical call you are still going to be wrong quite a bit. It is a long season. Players get nicked, players lives get complicated, outside forces impact one's psyche. These things are rarely reported but have a tremendous impact on a players ability to succeed on any given day. A manager has to deal with things like this also. Yes, Dusty can't make a lineup to save his life but he must be doing something right to have had the success he's had.

 

I disagree with your assessment that the Cubs should have been a 90 win team with the injuries. I think when we look back on this season objectively we will realize that this team had serious flaws.

 

There's more I want to address but I've got to go now. I'll try to come back later.

[frostwyrm]

Dusty takes his players to task in private. He is always publicly protective of his players. While one might want him to tell the press the truth (that he's ticked off at so-and-so for this-or-that), I don't think that's the best way to maintain a good relationship with a player (or anyone for that matter).

 

Didn't Corey Patterson recently learn Baker wanted him to see a psychologist by having a reporter ask about it in an interview?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Dusty takes his players to task in private. He is always publicly protective of his players. While one might want him to tell the press the truth (that he's ticked off at so-and-so for this-or-that), I don't think that's the best way to maintain a good relationship with a player (or anyone for that matter).

 

Didn't Corey Patterson recently learn Baker wanted him to see a psychologist by having a reporter ask about it in an interview?

 

Or that Dubois isn't a good defender, or that Murton can't hit for power, or that Cedeno's throws tail up the line...

[BigbadB]

I considered this team a 90 win team, even with the injuries. Without the injuries, closer to 100 wins.