Thomas Domol

Fans often expect their favorite team's manager to get as visibly upset as they do at a blown call or unfortunate situation; the thing is, that doesn't help win baseball games. Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports People want what they can’t have at the moment. The Cubs don’t have what they want in the moment, namely a better record and a general sense of upward trajectory. At least in recent games, Cubs fans want more fire from well-compensated skipper Craig Counsell. Translation: We want him to get ejected more. If we’re being honest with ourselves, that desire is outrageous. Ejections don’t win ball games. An ejection wouldn’t have propelled Patrick Wisdom’s drive into left field last weekend against Saint Louis over the fence. Though the club’s wins have been sparse over the course of the past seven weeks, when they’ve come, they’ve come through a combination of timely hitting and good pitching. I’m not pitching you the idea that we as fans should not be able to voice our displeasure for how things are going; we can and should, but if this team is to get back on track, it will be through proper adjustments and resolve, which Counsell understands. Counsell was brought in to make the Cubs not only a playoff contender but also a championship contender, both within the NL Central and for the World Series. Yes, I understand how out-of-pocket that sounds, given the Cubs’ current position in the standings. However, not only do I believe Counsell will deliver on his potential, I expect it. From his first cuts with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to his introductory press conference with our beloved North Side ball club, announcing, “It’s time to be a Cub,” Counsell operates with ingenuity and resolve, not his temper. Just as good if not better than any manager in the game, Counsell understands that baseball is a game of opportunities, and with that in mind, challenging a borderline out call at second just because the fans are irate will not produce the desired results for the team long-term. He gets that if that challenge fails, you don’t get another one. In a year where the efficacy of human umpires has been called into question on numerous occasions, an even-keeled, steadfast approach is what the Cubs need to reach their ultimate goals as a team. We have to expect that what this will look like will be in a constant state of flux. It will sometimes mean bunting three times in a row just to manufacture a couple of runs. Sometimes, it will mean calling on a shaky bullpen arm to get you the final three outs of a game. The world can’t end with every missed opportunity. In the world of filmmaking, things often go wrong: directors leave the project abruptly, actors get caught up in contract disputes or negotiations, and all manner of calamities and setbacks have happened, yet the finished product can often be brilliant. The same is true in baseball; with a .758 slugging percentage, your prized utility guy may strain his oblique or break a few ribs, sidelining them for a critical series. These cases are inspired by true stories, not exactly how they played out, but you get the idea. A manager adept in navigating the game's quirks and unexpected developments will likely enjoy the most success. Face it: a manager can be unemotional and good simultaneously. Do I wish he’d challenged some plays he hasn’t? Absolutely. But I feel as though much of the frustration and discontent we feel as fans is due to a lack of patience and wanting results now, not necessarily because Craig Counsell is doing a bad job. I felt empathetic as I sat in the lower bowl of American Family Field for Craig Counsell’s first trip back to Milwaukee since his astonishing departure. Surrounded by droves of fans adorned head-to-toe in Brewers’ blue and gold, I heard my club’s manager greeted with the most thunderous, visceral jeers I’ve ever experienced in person. As I took this in, only one thought crossed my mind as my eyes met those of other Cubs fans in my section, “This is our guy now; he needs our support, and he handles himself with tremendous poise. We have to stick with him” at least for now. Until we are sure he’s made every possible adjustment and it’s not working out, until he proves sending a runner with less than two outs and Cody Bellinger due up next is a habit, not a mistake, stick with him. I’m just as guilty of this as anyone else, but we’re not a society particularly keen on waiting for the things we want. This resonates even more emphatically as Cubs fans, as we have waited for dreams to manifest into our realities. Counsell can still get this club where it wants to go; don’t expect a direct route to get there. View full article

The Chicago Cubs are a team without an identity. Perhaps shuffling the batting order could help give them one. Image courtesy of © Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports Sure, it would be easy to say, well, yes, they do; Craig Counsell’s ball club is an underachieving disappointment. While that’s true, and I’m writing this in the wake of yet another series loss to the hated St. Louis Cardinals, one that came on a decisive one-run game on Father’s Day, there’s quite a bit more to that. As the Cubs sit at 34-38, eight and a half games behind the rival Brewers, the losing is the result, not the team’s identity. Look around the clubhouse and see a team desperately wanting to deliver for its fans and the city. From a vibes standpoint, it’s miraculous; the elite pitching and equally entertaining antics from breakout star Shota (Mike) Imanaga are appointment television for the sports world. Another player you can throw into that category of Cub that provides even a modicum of enjoyment to watch is rotating third baseman Christopher Morel. Morel is a spark plug with his play and through his “never say die” attitude. We all know that “If You Can’t find it at Binny’s, It’s Probably Not Worth Drinking,” but Morel is one of (maybe) five guys on the team worthy of the “Binny’s Toast of the Game” on any given night. If this thoroughly enjoyable paragraph, comprised with such conviction, isn’t already evidence enough as to why Morel should be a fixture in the lead-off spot, let’s digest some stats: According to Baseball-Reference, Morel is slashing .198/.306/.381, a modest starting point but it gets better the deeper you dig. One of the Cubs’ major problems in this perplexing start to the 2024 season has been getting down and out quickly in counts. You’ve got batters like Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki who swing away early in counts. Belli is, of course, fabulous as a two-strike hitter and puts the ball in play better than just about anyone in the majors, but he’s doing it in a plethora of situations with the bases empty. Counsell and his consortium of staggeringly brilliant baseball minds must devise a plan to cash in runs early, but you can’t do that without putting traffic on the base pads. I offer that Morel is striking out nearly 10% less than he was in 2023 and is walking more: from 31.0% to 22.3% and 8.4% to 11.7%, respectively. Perhaps beyond working with the hitting coaches in 2024, Morel better understands that his role with the team is to set the table for the middle of the order to do some serious damage. Scoring runs and scoring them early eludes the Cubs on a seemingly nightly basis for the past six weeks or so during this stretch of misery. The Cubs not only rank near the bottom of scoring in the majors per a nine-inning game, but they don’t often put up runs in the first three innings, including the putrid finale versus the Cardinals. It’s a multi-pronged problem, but it’s a top-of-the-line-up problem: I love Mr. Palatine himself, Mike Tauchman, but his highlights are becoming few and far between, and he lacks the serious wheels of a guy like Pete Crow-Armstrong. I’d argue that putting Morel at leadoff and Tauchman second creates a much bigger problem for opposing clubs. Imagine you’re opposing pitcher, Jared Jones of the Pirates; Morel laces a sharp single down the first base line, cruising into first, fist-pumping, and letting out an emphatic “let’s go!”. No outs and a lead-off man aboard. Then, here comes Mike Tauchman, who has plate discipline and chews up a ten-pitch at-bat, eventually drawing a walk. Do you see where I am going with this? Morel is now in scoring position, a threat to run, and, more importantly, gives us a chance to jump out in front early and in style. We’ve seen so much positive energy from Christopher Morel, in his commitment to improving his defensive role at third and in his relentless approach to each at bat. Of course, he threatens to launch the ball with blistering exit velocity, but he also makes sure the opposition knows about it. Last season, watching him race around the bases after crushing a walk-off homer versus the White Sox, shedding his blue pinstriped jersey, I witnessed in him the attitude that should be the prototype of a team looking to not only get back to the postseason but make a run in it. Christopher Morel has an identity; he’s a winner, and if Counsell installs him in the lead-off role, the Cubs will be, too. Writing for and being a fan of the Chicago Cubs has been arduous since late April, but here the NL Central stands with Milwaukee holding a six-and-a-half game lead over St. Louis, the current second-place team. With over three full months of baseball to play, I think I speak for all of Cubs nation when I say I’ll be damned if I’m going to give up now. View full article