Everyone of you is wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!

LoneStarCubFan · October 3, 2005

The reason Dempster didn't close right out of the gate was because of the injuries to Prior and Wood and we needed a 5th starter.

Though I agree with many of you it should have been Glendon Rusch(Baker mistake) it was also a mistake when Wood and Prior came back to put Dempster in the closer role right away(another mistake).

Rusch should have been the fifth starter, not Dempster. That's on Baker.

Why in the world was it a mistake to put Dempster in the closer's role right away? If that move wasn't made then this team would have finished fifth.

YearofDaCubs · October 3, 2005

all of you guys have valid points but you forget you assembled this team. It was Jim Hendry.

I also think that if the Cubs were healthy all year. Nomar, ARam, Wood, Prior, and Walker they would be playing in October.

The reason Dempster didn't close right out of the gate was because of the injuries to Prior and Wood and we needed a 5th starter.

Though I agree with many of you it should have been Glendon Rusch(Baker mistake) it was also a mistake when Wood and Prior came back to put Dempster in the closer role right away(another mistake).

I truly believe even when healthy we would have not made the playoffs.

thedaymen · October 3, 2005

Finding this place after posting on the ESPN board is a lot like finding water in the desert. That place was so bad, and ESPN ticks me off to begin with...

1) Dusty Baker is not as bad a manager as Jim Essian or Don Baylor. Just my view. However, his arrogance make him a lot harder to stomach.

2) I don't think a healthy version of this team makes the playoffs. If healthy, they'll probably have a chance to prove it next year.

3) The way the team is built needs a complete overhaul. I can't think of one player on this team that I would consider a lock to be a star in five years. Not one. When Dusty arrived before the 2003 season, I could name several. That has to be on both Dusty and Hendy.

CubfaninCA · October 3, 2005

A healthy ballclub gets into the playoffs. Some people have forgotten how good Prior and Wood were, and Nomar & Walker being healthy would have given the Cubs a formidable 2 through 5.

JC · October 3, 2005

Dusty is an enormous component of this team's failings. I have never, never, seen any manager/coach/boss/leader so flagrantly disregard common sense and reason. This inability to consistantly place this team in the best position to succeed is more telling than any accolade you can bestow upon him.

I have been among the harshest of Baker critics and stand by every word. While he may be a good person, I detest his excuse making and the atmosphere of no accountability he creates. There is also a growing record of Dusty stating things to the media which is later refuted by one of the parties involved. Such does not speak too highly of his character.

That being said, of course there are multiple reasons for this team's failings. It just so happens that the bulk of the criticism gets laid at Dusty's feet during the season because he is the one poorly managing the team. Hendry had a terrible year, IMO. But, the GM isn't at the forefront of conversations like Baker is.

Despite the injuries, I think this team would have been a helluva lot closer to the playoffs without mangerial ineptitude. There once was a Dusty Bad Managerial Moves thread that was a seering record of incompetence.

I have a difficult time blaming players that suck when they suck between the lines. When they fail, you must look at the way they were used. When a Lee or Aram or Nomar has a questionable approach or make a bad decision, they deserve blame. But, by virtue of their status and their resulting numbers, its hard to blame them.

Thus, while there is blame to be shared, I place most of it at the feet of a hapless Dusty Baker. He failed repeatedly strategically and motivationally, for both the short term and long term. While I place less blame (but still a significant amount) on Hendry, it is Jim Hendry that I am more worried about. Baker can be a quick fix for the organization and can't really harm it too much beyond a current year. Hendry has the long term health of the organization at his manic and impulsive fingertips.

vaball · October 3, 2005

While I place less blame (but still a significant amount) on Hendry, it is Jim Hendry that I am more worried about. Baker can be a quick fix for the organization and can't really harm it too much beyond a current year. Hendry has the long term health of the organization at his manic and impulsive fingertips.

This is exactly what I would be worried about if I were a Cubs fan. The fact that Hendry is even considering offering Baker an extension should tell anyone all they need to know.

NewUserName · October 3, 2005

Baker is also a main reason why some of the pitching gets hurt so much. He has a terrible track record of over using his better pitchers. This is something that he brought with him from the Giants.

I havent looked recently but we were 2nd from last in the league in pitches seen. We were also 2nd in the league in pitches thrown. This mindset has got to change both offensively and pitching. I think that Dusty contributes to both of these problems. He obviously prefers batters who are aggressive. He also seems to remove pitchers at some sort of inning than really look at their pitch counts. If he kept his starters at a 100 pitches tops they would probably start improving their control because they wouldnt be worth as much if they can only go 5 or 6 innings. Also they would probably be more stronger and less injury prone. I know the Cardinal staff doesnt have any KO pitchers but you hardly see one of their pitchers pitch much more than 100 pitches. Funny how they havent had any injuries this year.

I do agree that this team was probably set up to fail. I also think that a big part of the failure is Dusty Baker. What is worse is they are going to extend him in the spring. Why dont they at least see what he does next year first.

J.R. · October 3, 2005

There once was a Dusty Bad Managerial Moves thread that was a seering record of incompetence.

You called?

Brian · October 3, 2005

I think Hendry ican still be an asset to the team, but I'm not sure if he should be the one in complete charge. Hendry does some things very well and some things terrible.

He's helped make the farm system at least respectable.

He's pulled off some great trades every year in charge

2003 - Aram & Lofton

off-season - Derrek Lee, Michael Barrett.

2004 - Nomar & Murton (he may have lucked into that)

2005 - got two first rounders in Williams and Aardsma for an ineffective Hawkins.

BUT

He is responsible for Dusty, and he has left glaring holes that even we could see in the past 2 years.

BigbadB · October 4, 2005

Fun with numbers......

Neifi Perez drew 18 walks this year. Macias drew 6 BB's. 741 trips to the plate nets a total of 24 walks. Dubois and Murton came to the plate 278 times and drew 23 walks.

Corey Patterson, who never saw a pitch he didn't like had 5 more walks than Neifi Perez in quite a few less at bats.

Todd Walker's 3 year splits (2002-2004) reflect a .295/.369/.903 AVG/OBP/OPS as a lead off hitter in 234 at bats. Dusty let him bat lead off 228 times last year. His lead off stats for 2004 read: .294/.370/.905. He scored 45 runs in 258 plate appearances, or roughly close to 120 projected runs for a full season. As bad as the Cubs were in the lead off spot this year, Todd Walker logged a total of 2 at bats in the lead off spot this year. Yet, he logged 100 in the 6 hole.

The OBP in the 2 hole this year was .317.

If you think that was bad, the OBP from the lead off spot this year is .299

Our opponents had a .361 OBP from the lead off spot.

Neifi Perez had a .305/.341 AVG/OBP from the 7th spot in the order.

Murton finished the season with a .383 OBP. 2nd best on the team if you exclude the few at bats Bartosh, Fontenot, Greenberg and Grieve had. Matt got a whopping 10 at bats in the lead off spot. In those 10 at bats, he had a .300/.364/.964 line.

Cedeno hit #2 in the order 24 times, or the equivilent of 6 games. His line as a #2 was .292/.346/.679.

Derrek Lee came to the plate 354 times with no one one base. 236 times he came to the plate with runners on.

Just for fun, Carlos Lee came to the plate with no one on 318 times. He had runners on 296 times.

Pujols came to the plate with no one on 317 times. He had runners on 270 times.

Andruw Jones came to the plate with runners on 296 times.

Burrell came to the plate with runners on 290 times.

Miguel Cabrera came to the plate with runners on 330 times.

Carlos Delgado came to the plate with runners on 250 times.

Chase Utley came to the plate with runners on 265 times.

Jeff Kent came to the plate with runners on 259 times.

David Wright 257 times.

Jason Bay 282 times.

Bobby Abreu 282 times.

These guys all had 100 RBI's or more. Several had more RBI's than Lee. Just imagine what Lee could have done with a couple of decent table setters in front of his enormous offensive season. After you are done imagining just how good Lee could have been with a supporting cast, look at Jason Bay again and think about how horrible the Pirates offense is and see that Jason Bay came to the plate with runners on 50 more times than Lee did.

Did Corey Patterson write himself into the lead off spot day after day? Did Neifi Perez write himself into the lead off spot day after day? Did Jose Macias do it? Nope. Dusty Baker did it. He didn't just do it one day. He did it in 66 games. There were more games where one of the above mentioned players hit 2nd in the line up. Between the two, you get a full picture why Derrek Lee came to the plate with runners on way more fewer times than all the other top RBI producers this year.

Henry Blanco ended up with a better OBP than Jose Macias, if that helps put things into perspective. Would you put Henry Blanco in the lead off spot?

I don't blame Baker 100% for this teams failings, but I give him about 80% of the blame.

Remlinger didn't just jog out of the bullpen when Edmonds was stepping up to the plate. Baker called for him. Everyone in the stadium except Dusty knew not to call Remlinger to face Edmonds. It happened over and over the last 3 years and what did Dusty do? He'd continue to do it over and over as if the problem magically corrected itself. What did Edmonds do? Tore the cover off the ball.

Hawkins got pretty brutal as a closer in 2004. What did Dusty do? Handed him the job in 2005. Forget he's one of the top set up men in baseball, let's have him do something else. Dusty ruined him. You can put some blame on LaTroy, but is it all LaTroy's fault that he's really good at one thing and bad at another, and you try to force him to be good at what he isn't good at?

Blame can be handed down all over the place. But, Dusty wasn't just a bad manager this year. He was downright horrible. In the last game of the season, did he think that all of a sudden Corey Patterson was going to have a great day getting on base? We knew Neifi and Macias wouldn't. But, what was behind that decision? Why not give Murton another opportunity to lead off?

Above, I gave references on why Derrek Lee won't win the MVP. I could care less about an MVP, and I'm sure Derrek would rather have another World Series ring over an MVP. Of course, he'd probably get both in that instance, but my point isn't that Lee got cheated out of RBI's because of the lame line up cards, it's that the Cubs got cheated out of runs that could have made the difference in a win over a loss. And not just Lee. Aramis, Burnitz, Nomar and everyone else throughout the line up. Less outs at the top of the order create more baserunners, which in turn creates more runs, which creates more at bats to get on base more to score more runs. And, contrary to popular belief, I believe scoring runs and winning is contagious and breeds a desire to score more runs and win more games. But, that's just me.

Dusty needs to go. Period. If he doesn't go, this team must be Dusty proofed. There can't be a Macias or a Neifi sitting on the bench at his disposal.

RynoRules · October 4, 2005

Fun with numbers......

Neifi Perez drew 18 walks this year. Macias drew 6 BB's. 741 trips to the plate nets a total of 24 walks. Dubois and Murton came to the plate 278 times and drew 23 walks.

Corey Patterson, who never saw a pitch he didn't like had 5 more walks than Neifi Perez in quite a few less at bats.

Todd Walker's 3 year splits (2002-2004) reflect a .295/.369/.903 AVG/OBP/OPS as a lead off hitter in 234 at bats. Dusty let him bat lead off 228 times last year. His lead off stats for 2004 read: .294/.370/.905. He scored 45 runs in 258 plate appearances, or roughly close to 120 projected runs for a full season. As bad as the Cubs were in the lead off spot this year, Todd Walker logged a total of 2 at bats in the lead off spot this year. Yet, he logged 100 in the 6 hole.

The OBP in the 2 hole this year was .317.

If you think that was bad, the OBP from the lead off spot this year is .299

Our opponents had a .361 OBP from the lead off spot.

Neifi Perez had a .305/.341 AVG/OBP from the 7th spot in the order.

Murton finished the season with a .383 OBP. 2nd best on the team if you exclude the few at bats Bartosh, Fontenot, Greenberg and Grieve had. Matt got a whopping 10 at bats in the lead off spot. In those 10 at bats, he had a .300/.364/.964 line.

Cedeno hit #2 in the order 24 times, or the equivilent of 6 games. His line as a #2 was .292/.346/.679.

Derrek Lee came to the plate 354 times with no one one base. 236 times he came to the plate with runners on.

Just for fun, Carlos Lee came to the plate with no one on 318 times. He had runners on 296 times.

Pujols came to the plate with no one on 317 times. He had runners on 270 times.

Andruw Jones came to the plate with runners on 296 times.

Burrell came to the plate with runners on 290 times.

Miguel Cabrera came to the plate with runners on 330 times.

Carlos Delgado came to the plate with runners on 250 times.

Chase Utley came to the plate with runners on 265 times.

Jeff Kent came to the plate with runners on 259 times.

David Wright 257 times.

Jason Bay 282 times.

Bobby Abreu 282 times.

These guys all had 100 RBI's or more. Several had more RBI's than Lee. Just imagine what Lee could have done with a couple of decent table setters in front of his enormous offensive season. After you are done imagining just how good Lee could have been with a supporting cast, look at Jason Bay again and think about how horrible the Pirates offense is and see that Jason Bay came to the plate with runners on 50 more times than Lee did.

Did Corey Patterson write himself into the lead off spot day after day? Did Neifi Perez write himself into the lead off spot day after day? Did Jose Macias do it? Nope. Dusty Baker did it. He didn't just do it one day. He did it in 66 games. There were more games where one of the above mentioned players hit 2nd in the line up. Between the two, you get a full picture why Derrek Lee came to the plate with runners on way more fewer times than all the other top RBI producers this year.

Henry Blanco ended up with a better OBP than Jose Macias, if that helps put things into perspective. Would you put Henry Blanco in the lead off spot?

I don't blame Baker 100% for this teams failings, but I give him about 80% of the blame.

Remlinger didn't just jog out of the bullpen when Edmonds was stepping up to the plate. Baker called for him. Everyone in the stadium except Dusty knew not to call Remlinger to face Edmonds. It happened over and over the last 3 years and what did Dusty do? He'd continue to do it over and over as if the problem magically corrected itself. What did Edmonds do? Tore the cover off the ball.

Hawkins got pretty brutal as a closer in 2004. What did Dusty do? Handed him the job in 2005. Forget he's one of the top set up men in baseball, let's have him do something else. Dusty ruined him. You can put some blame on LaTroy, but is it all LaTroy's fault that he's really good at one thing and bad at another, and you try to force him to be good at what he isn't good at?

Blame can be handed down all over the place. But, Dusty wasn't just a bad manager this year. He was downright horrible. In the last game of the season, did he think that all of a sudden Corey Patterson was going to have a great day getting on base? We knew Neifi and Macias wouldn't. But, what was behind that decision? Why not give Murton another opportunity to lead off?

Above, I gave references on why Derrek Lee won't win the MVP. I could care less about an MVP, and I'm sure Derrek would rather have another World Series ring over an MVP. Of course, he'd probably get both in that instance, but my point isn't that Lee got cheated out of RBI's because of the lame line up cards, it's that the Cubs got cheated out of runs that could have made the difference in a win over a loss. And not just Lee. Aramis, Burnitz, Nomar and everyone else throughout the line up. Less outs at the top of the order create more baserunners, which in turn creates more runs, which creates more at bats to get on base more to score more runs. And, contrary to popular belief, I believe scoring runs and winning is contagious and breeds a desire to score more runs and win more games. But, that's just me.

Dusty needs to go. Period. If he doesn't go, this team must be Dusty proofed. There can't be a Macias or a Neifi sitting on the bench at his disposal.

assuming the accuracy of your stats, that's the best and most lucid argument re Dusty's incompetence that I have read...ever. You just sold me big-time.

Well done. =D>

BigbadB · October 4, 2005

I'm trusting ESPN for the accuracy of the stats. For example, I pulled up Jason Bay, clicked on splits, clicked on 2005 splits, scrolled down the page to at bats with runners on to get my info. Granted, not all RBI's come with runners on as a guy can hit himself in with nobody on via the home run. But, each time they come to the plate with runners on, they increase the chances of driving in more than just themselves.

Worse yet, Lee did have 107 RBI's, but 31 of those RBI's came from solo shot home runs. Almost 1/3 of his RBI's are his own.

Tim · October 4, 2005

Actually, Corey did have a great day getting on base the last day of the season... :P

BigbadB · October 4, 2005

But, that didn't make it the right decision.... :P

October 4, 2005

I can not argue with anything you said and I agree with the person who said this was a great post because it was but.....

Dusty is also not the one who picked Neifi off waivers and traded, I will say that again, TRADED!! for Macias! Why in the world would anyone trade for a player like Macias.

Fun with numbers......

Neifi Perez drew 18 walks this year. Macias drew 6 BB's. 741 trips to the plate nets a total of 24 walks. Dubois and Murton came to the plate 278 times and drew 23 walks.

Corey Patterson, who never saw a pitch he didn't like had 5 more walks than Neifi Perez in quite a few less at bats.

Todd Walker's 3 year splits (2002-2004) reflect a .295/.369/.903 AVG/OBP/OPS as a lead off hitter in 234 at bats. Dusty let him bat lead off 228 times last year. His lead off stats for 2004 read: .294/.370/.905. He scored 45 runs in 258 plate appearances, or roughly close to 120 projected runs for a full season. As bad as the Cubs were in the lead off spot this year, Todd Walker logged a total of 2 at bats in the lead off spot this year. Yet, he logged 100 in the 6 hole.

The OBP in the 2 hole this year was .317.

If you think that was bad, the OBP from the lead off spot this year is .299

Our opponents had a .361 OBP from the lead off spot.

Neifi Perez had a .305/.341 AVG/OBP from the 7th spot in the order.

Murton finished the season with a .383 OBP. 2nd best on the team if you exclude the few at bats Bartosh, Fontenot, Greenberg and Grieve had. Matt got a whopping 10 at bats in the lead off spot. In those 10 at bats, he had a .300/.364/.964 line.

Cedeno hit #2 in the order 24 times, or the equivilent of 6 games. His line as a #2 was .292/.346/.679.

Derrek Lee came to the plate 354 times with no one one base. 236 times he came to the plate with runners on.

Just for fun, Carlos Lee came to the plate with no one on 318 times. He had runners on 296 times.

Pujols came to the plate with no one on 317 times. He had runners on 270 times.

Andruw Jones came to the plate with runners on 296 times.

Burrell came to the plate with runners on 290 times.

Miguel Cabrera came to the plate with runners on 330 times.

Carlos Delgado came to the plate with runners on 250 times.

Chase Utley came to the plate with runners on 265 times.

Jeff Kent came to the plate with runners on 259 times.

David Wright 257 times.

Jason Bay 282 times.

Bobby Abreu 282 times.

These guys all had 100 RBI's or more. Several had more RBI's than Lee. Just imagine what Lee could have done with a couple of decent table setters in front of his enormous offensive season. After you are done imagining just how good Lee could have been with a supporting cast, look at Jason Bay again and think about how horrible the Pirates offense is and see that Jason Bay came to the plate with runners on 50 more times than Lee did.

Did Corey Patterson write himself into the lead off spot day after day? Did Neifi Perez write himself into the lead off spot day after day? Did Jose Macias do it? Nope. Dusty Baker did it. He didn't just do it one day. He did it in 66 games. There were more games where one of the above mentioned players hit 2nd in the line up. Between the two, you get a full picture why Derrek Lee came to the plate with runners on way more fewer times than all the other top RBI producers this year.

Henry Blanco ended up with a better OBP than Jose Macias, if that helps put things into perspective. Would you put Henry Blanco in the lead off spot?

I don't blame Baker 100% for this teams failings, but I give him about 80% of the blame.

Remlinger didn't just jog out of the bullpen when Edmonds was stepping up to the plate. Baker called for him. Everyone in the stadium except Dusty knew not to call Remlinger to face Edmonds. It happened over and over the last 3 years and what did Dusty do? He'd continue to do it over and over as if the problem magically corrected itself. What did Edmonds do? Tore the cover off the ball.

Hawkins got pretty brutal as a closer in 2004. What did Dusty do? Handed him the job in 2005. Forget he's one of the top set up men in baseball, let's have him do something else. Dusty ruined him. You can put some blame on LaTroy, but is it all LaTroy's fault that he's really good at one thing and bad at another, and you try to force him to be good at what he isn't good at?

Blame can be handed down all over the place. But, Dusty wasn't just a bad manager this year. He was downright horrible. In the last game of the season, did he think that all of a sudden Corey Patterson was going to have a great day getting on base? We knew Neifi and Macias wouldn't. But, what was behind that decision? Why not give Murton another opportunity to lead off?

Above, I gave references on why Derrek Lee won't win the MVP. I could care less about an MVP, and I'm sure Derrek would rather have another World Series ring over an MVP. Of course, he'd probably get both in that instance, but my point isn't that Lee got cheated out of RBI's because of the lame line up cards, it's that the Cubs got cheated out of runs that could have made the difference in a win over a loss. And not just Lee. Aramis, Burnitz, Nomar and everyone else throughout the line up. Less outs at the top of the order create more baserunners, which in turn creates more runs, which creates more at bats to get on base more to score more runs. And, contrary to popular belief, I believe scoring runs and winning is contagious and breeds a desire to score more runs and win more games. But, that's just me.

Dusty needs to go. Period. If he doesn't go, this team must be Dusty proofed. There can't be a Macias or a Neifi sitting on the bench at his disposal.

YearofDaCubs · October 4, 2005

Dusty had no problem benching the kids, but he used Macias every chance he had. Baker is at fault. If he really didnt want Macias he could have got rid of him during spring training when his contract was NOT guaranteed. We even had better options of the bench we could have used during ST.

BigbadB · October 4, 2005

I can not argue with anything you said and I agree with the person who said this was a great post because it was but.....

Dusty is also not the one who picked Neifi off waivers and traded, I will say that again, TRADED!! for Macias! Why in the world would anyone trade for a player like Macias.

I don't know the circumstances with that. I'm sure Hendry and Baker worked together on a few of those deals. I will admit that I haven't been overly critical of Hendry. This offseason is when I will make my decision on my feelings on Hendry.

Not that my decision means anything. :P

I can live with another year of Dusty if I have to. However, the discussion of an extension is ludicrous at this point.

JC · October 4, 2005

I find it increasingly difficult to contemplate Dusty Baker's impact on the Cub organization. I find it equally hard to believe that such well respected baseball men like Andy MacPhail and Jim Hendry seem to have such undue confidence in the man. Finally, its likewise amazing that the beancounters and suits in Trib Tower don't have one person in a position of power that has watched a game and said, "Jose Macias again? Huh?"

Baseball decisions need to be made by baseball men generally. However, when such decisions are so plainly wrong, I expect people to sit up and take notice. BBB's post above is simply terrific. The beauty of it is that it isn't complicated information to process. I would wager that most of us likely had a good idea about those numbers without dealing with the specificity. Seeing it laid out like a Christmas goose just made it easier to grasp. Nice job, once again, BBB.

I am somewhat bracing myself for something I don't want to address. Why should I give any money to this organization by way of a ticket? I know that a JC boycott won't bring the Cubs to their knees, I just have a difficult time forking over money when I know its being spent unwisely and not necessarily in a manner that will improve the team.

I'll always be a Cub fan. But, the leadership at present has made me a fan in the name of loyalty only. I am no fan of this front office or its managerial staff.

waffle · October 4, 2005

Atlanta had as many injuries as we did, but didn't make excuses and wasn't afraid to rely on rooks.

Houston has NO OFFENSE whatsoever and still made it to the post season. You have to take the strengths of a team and RIDE IT. Baker never gave this team an identity, other than "it's not our fault"

Of course it is not all Bakers fault, but that doesn't mean he is immune from blame in general. he was attrocious this year, and smug about it too boot.

Please god, don't give Baker an extension! Show some mercy!

Nobody youd want to know · October 4, 2005

Fun with numbers......

Neifi Perez drew 18 walks this year. Macias drew 6 BB's. 741 trips to the plate nets a total of 24 walks. Dubois and Murton came to the plate 278 times and drew 23 walks.

Corey Patterson, who never saw a pitch he didn't like had 5 more walks than Neifi Perez in quite a few less at bats.

Todd Walker's 3 year splits (2002-2004) reflect a .295/.369/.903 AVG/OBP/OPS as a lead off hitter in 234 at bats. Dusty let him bat lead off 228 times last year. His lead off stats for 2004 read: .294/.370/.905. He scored 45 runs in 258 plate appearances, or roughly close to 120 projected runs for a full season. As bad as the Cubs were in the lead off spot this year, Todd Walker logged a total of 2 at bats in the lead off spot this year. Yet, he logged 100 in the 6 hole.

The OBP in the 2 hole this year was .317.

etc. etc. etc

Outstanding post. The only thing I would add is that Perez's, Macias' and Patterson's OBP numbers weren't one-year outliers; there is ample evidence in their career lines that those numbers were to be expected.

I would argue that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results not only defines insanity, it defines ineptitude as well.

BigbadB · October 4, 2005

Fun with numbers......

Neifi Perez drew 18 walks this year. Macias drew 6 BB's. 741 trips to the plate nets a total of 24 walks. Dubois and Murton came to the plate 278 times and drew 23 walks.

Corey Patterson, who never saw a pitch he didn't like had 5 more walks than Neifi Perez in quite a few less at bats.

Todd Walker's 3 year splits (2002-2004) reflect a .295/.369/.903 AVG/OBP/OPS as a lead off hitter in 234 at bats. Dusty let him bat lead off 228 times last year. His lead off stats for 2004 read: .294/.370/.905. He scored 45 runs in 258 plate appearances, or roughly close to 120 projected runs for a full season. As bad as the Cubs were in the lead off spot this year, Todd Walker logged a total of 2 at bats in the lead off spot this year. Yet, he logged 100 in the 6 hole.

The OBP in the 2 hole this year was .317.

etc. etc. etc

Outstanding post. The only thing I would add is that Perez's, Macias' and Patterson's OBP numbers weren't one-year outliers; there is ample evidence in their career lines that those numbers were to be expected.

I would argue that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results not only defines insanity, it defines ineptitude as well.

Very well put. I could have continued, but was afraid the length of the post would scare everyone off.

YearofDaCubs · October 4, 2005

I find it increasingly difficult to contemplate Dusty Baker's impact on the Cub organization. I find it equally hard to believe that such well respected baseball men like Andy MacPhail and Jim Hendry seem to have such undue confidence in the man. Finally, its likewise amazing that the beancounters and suits in Trib Tower don't have one person in a position of power that has watched a game and said, "Jose Macias again? Huh?"

Baseball decisions need to be made by baseball men generally. However, when such decisions are so plainly wrong, I expect people to sit up and take notice. BBB's post above is simply terrific. The beauty of it is that it isn't complicated information to process. I would wager that most of us likely had a good idea about those numbers without dealing with the specificity. Seeing it laid out like a Christmas goose just made it easier to grasp. Nice job, once again, BBB.

I am somewhat bracing myself for something I don't want to address. Why should I give any money to this organization by way of a ticket? I know that a JC boycott won't bring the Cubs to their knees, I just have a difficult time forking over money when I know its being spent unwisely and not necessarily in a manner that will improve the team.

I'll always be a Cub fan. But, the leadership at present has made me a fan in the name of loyalty only. I am no fan of this front office or its managerial staff.

Nicely put. I'm with you 100%.

wastra · October 4, 2005

I find it increasingly difficult to contemplate Dusty Baker's impact on the Cub organization. I find it equally hard to believe that such well respected baseball men like Andy MacPhail and Jim Hendry seem to have such undue confidence in the man. Finally, its likewise amazing that the beancounters and suits in Trib Tower don't have one person in a position of power that has watched a game and said, "Jose Macias again? Huh?"

Baseball decisions need to be made by baseball men generally. However, when such decisions are so plainly wrong, I expect people to sit up and take notice. BBB's post above is simply terrific. The beauty of it is that it isn't complicated information to process. I would wager that most of us likely had a good idea about those numbers without dealing with the specificity. Seeing it laid out like a Christmas goose just made it easier to grasp. Nice job, once again, BBB.

I am somewhat bracing myself for something I don't want to address. Why should I give any money to this organization by way of a ticket? I know that a JC boycott won't bring the Cubs to their knees, I just have a difficult time forking over money when I know its being spent unwisely and not necessarily in a manner that will improve the team.

I'll always be a Cub fan. But, the leadership at present has made me a fan in the name of loyalty only. I am no fan of this front office or its managerial staff.

It's not just your money. I vowed in Spetember of 2004 that I would not pay for another Cubs-branded item until baker was fired. Now, granted, I don't live in chicago, so my usualy 5-6 games per year is not the same as a corporate advertising contract or even someone who regularlly attends 20+ games, but it's my little part. I even emailed the cubs about it with a long list of reasons.

Despite 7 trips to Chicago this year (6 times when the cubs were in town), I painfully kept to my vow and have still not purchased a single Cubs-branded item or ticket. (Yes, they get money from me for the MLB Extra Innings package, so i pay them a little indirectly).

Connor McConnor · October 4, 2005

This is a great thread by all involved. Combine this with Sullivans piece here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-051003cubsrowcorner,1,525766.story?coll=chi-sportsnew-hed

and the result is devastating for those making out lineup cards over at Wrigley. Im not sure how the powers that be over there look at these numbers and continue on the same course. Something is definitely wrong.

Do teams watch these stats as the season progresses? Or are these things just tabulated at the end of the year? Im guessing they probably do...which begs the question......wtf?

OOps....Edited to change author to Sullivan.

Edited October 4, 2005 by LemmeHearYa

BigbadB · October 4, 2005

Wow, it almost looks like someone ripped off my material. But at least Rogers plays to a bigger audience. Rogers also touched on things I didn't bother with. The OBP issue alone should be enough to consider making some changes around here.

Everyone of you is wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!

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