That argument was completely incoherent. It made absolutely no sense. He knew it, too, which is why he devolved into simply pandering to the fanbase, telling them how great they are and how they deserve a title more than anything. What a [expletive] joke. The problem is you know it worked for 85% of the fanbase. Well, that 85% probably was already on his side, this just reinforced their support. I'm not sure he knew the argument made no sense. The guy went right into baseball after high school. He's not all that educated and it seemed to me he believe what he was saying. He defended it, poorly, but he defended it nonetheless. He's just a dumb guy who buys into the rah-rah nature of the sport and probably has a lot of jealousy toward players who were much better than he ever was. You could be right. And that's even scarier. Because presumably, he had a chance to formulate his argument. It's not like this was just sprung on him. Yet this is what he came up with (paraphrased): •I wasn't basing my argument on whether ARam is a good clubhouse presence by time spent in the clubhouse. We here at this great network CSN cover half the ball games, and I'm usually here in studio. •I want to build a lasting franchise. That's what we want to see. ARam is not one of those cornerstone guys I want to build around. •Why not? Ramirez skipped the All-Star game. During this crappy season where nothing has gone right, Ramirez had a chance to be a bright spot but instead "told me and all the rest of Cub Nation he had other plans and it wasn't gonna work out." •If you don't think that's a poor reflection on the young guys on your team, you're kidding yourself. •You talk about changing the culture, changing how things are run, and building a winning franchise. Skipping the All-Star game is an act that can't be tolerated. •I get paid to give my opinion, and that's my opinion. I love this team, organization, and fanbase. They deserve a championship. I came from a winner because I wanted to win here. I had tons of other options. This is where I wanted to win it because this fanbase DESERVES it.