Sosa21MVP

I have a dream. A dream of an evening when the Cubs score more runs than the other team. Too bad I'll probably get blacked out tonight, the game isn't on any of the normal channels that I can get on DirecTV.

I think Bynum should bat cleanup. :lol:

The way the Cubs have been playing, they should replace the team bus with a clown car. :(

I was fine with DLee, Walker, Cedeno, ARam, Murton and Barrett. The Pierre acquisition sounded good at the time but I've had discussions with some Florida fans and they indicate he was a bit over-rated at the time the Cubs pursued him. One huge mistake is bringing in Jacque Jones to be the everyday RF. His numbers had started to decline and he can't hit left-handed pitchers to save his life. Very little plate discipline. I'd have preferred Furcal over Pierre to be the leadoff hitter but hey, Furcal went to the Dodgers for less money so not much you can do about that. Get Felix Pie up on the bigs?? Regarding pitchers, I mean we needed to add somebody solid with Prior and Wood obviously not ready to go. Maddux, Zambrano and...Rusch? Huge mistake to assume Rusch could hold down a rotation spot. His best success has been as a spot starter/middle reliever. 2/3 of the outfield is struggling. 3/5 of the rotation has been rookies. I have to think there were better options out there. If I'm wrong, so be it. But the group of players that we fielded on opening day has too many holes to contend. So what is the plan, get by for this season then get back on track in 2007? It's my opinion Hendry hasn't done enough to make the Cubs playoff competitive this season. Maybe I'm wrong and the DLee injury is the main problem. I know it hurts the team pretty bad. But then why do we stick Todd Walker at first? Get a natural 1B who is comfortable with that position. Just my opinions, I don't expect everyone to agree. :wink:

Thanks for the response. I'm not saying Hendry is the village idiot, I just have seen him make some pretty questionable moves the past couple years. Then again, maybe those of you who say Dusty has some influence on that process are right. I mean we did hand Dusty a nice contract to come in and "save" the Cubs. Dusty does do crazy things, I recall similar criticisms when he was managing the Giants. I don't know to say anymore, somebody just needs to fix what is broken. It's amazing how quickly this team has spiraled down from 2003/04 to now. Wood is coming back on Thursday, hopefully he can last this time.

Okay, I'm not a Dusty Baker apologist so I just want to make that clear upfront. :lol: I've watched baseball for 20 years. No, that doesn't make me special and I don't claim to know anymore than the next guy/gal. But I want to throw out my personal observation. I think the general manager position is more important than the manager. I think if the GM does his job correctly, a team should generate some good results regardless of whomever manages the team. A team that has the proper talent to be great is likely going to be great regardless of what buttons the manager pushes. First, I think of the Atlanta Braves. 15 straight division titles. Now who gets credit for that incredible achievement? Bobby Cox? Or the GM whose name I can't spell right so I won't try. :wink: Scheurholz or however you spell it. I think in Atlanta, Cox is a good manager but the GM has done a fantastic job of consistently turning over that roster without putting Cox in a bad position. Billy Beane in Oakland. Yes, the A's have not had postseason success but they remain highly competitive in a small market despite losing a high number of free agents such as Giambi, Tejada, Hudson, Mulder, etc. Joe Torre struggled to win in St. Louis. Then he went to a Yankees organization that was operating under some semblance of sanity at the time and won 4 titles. Then King George went off the rocker again. Jim Leyland. He won 3 division titles in Pittsburgh with talented teams. The talent eroded, he didn't win. He went to a loaded Florida team, won a title. He went to a mediocre Colorado team, didn't win. Now he is in Detroit with some nice young talent and winning. Sparky Anderson. Did great things with great teams in Cincy and Detroit. Not so much great once the Tigers talent dropped off. I guess I'm just stating the obvious??? But for all the calls for Dusty Baker to be fired, I just hope we keep in mind that simply changing the manager isn't the full solution. We need a GM who will put together true championship caliber teams. Jim Hendry has lost my faith and I know I am not alone. Regardless of who manages the Cubs, we need a GM who will put that manager in the best position to achieve success. Maybe I'm preaching to the choir, I don't know. I just had to post it. Peace, Steve

I'm an optimist. :lol:

It's good to know my TV remote that got smashed into a million pieces a month ago died in the name of good health! :lol: Oh, I think it's healthy to vent some frustration for sure. As long as you aren't hurting anybody. :wink: To be honest, this Cubs team has not drove me to such anger. The way we've played baseball, I can't get angry. I just think we have a mediocre team. :oops:

If my rant duplicates another thread, feel free to act accordingly and merger or purge. I see people wanting Dusty run out of town on a rail. Look, a lot of times I share the feeling. But honestly, what the heck difference does the manager really make? I've made my case in a few other threads, I know. I hardly post here so I don't necessarily expect people to care all that much what I think. After all, I'm just another fan who pretends to have answers. But I like to think my answers ring true somewhat. How much control does a manager truly have in terms of wins and losses? Riddle me this, would any manager past or present turn the Pirates or Royals into contenders? Um, no. Now how about them Cubbies? Well we started the year with oh, two proven starters. Maddux and Zambrano. We tried plugging the holes with Jerome Williams, Glendon Rusch and Sean Marshall. Well we all know how that worked. Williams pitched himself into the minors. Rusch pitched himself into the bullpen. So now we have Rich Hill and Angel Guzman joining Sean Marshall in our 3/5 rookie starting rotation. As far as the everday lineup, we have one OF who has consistently hit the ball in Matt Murton. Pierre and Jones have struggled to high heaven. Our offensive MVP DLee is hurt. Our 2nd best hitter Aram has been in a slump. Todd Walker is forced to play out of position and has slumped. Cedeno has been a beacon of light in the darkness for the most part. Barrett can hit, we know that. So we have a depleted starting rotation and an everday lineup populated by a lot of struggling hitters. So.....should it be such a shock the Cubs stand at 15-19? I'm not even a Dusty apologist but what freaking manager would do much better with this wreck of a team???? I've never felt the manager made much difference. Either you have players or you don't. Hell, the Diamondbacks made a freaking broadcaster the manager and won it all. And even at that, Bob Brenly took plenty heat until his team won it all. And now he annouces for us. Did Joe Torre get a brain transplant between St Louis and New York? A manager generally is only as good as his personnel. Now, I know good and well you folks can come up with a multitude of issues with Dusty. Okay, but we still don't have the players. And people can always have issues with the manager. There are folks in St Louis who want LaRussa out. Torre is always on the hot seat despite however many titles he won in New York. To me, it gets down to one thing. If the Cubs are running the organization properly from top to bottom then the manager should not matter much at all. But human nature is to throw the manager/coach under the bus. It never fails. Grass is always greener on the other side and so forth. I'm telling you, we can fire Dusty Baker today and it isn't going to make a damn bit of difference in the long-term without other changes. All I suggest is take a step back and look at more than the manager. If you have followed the Cubs for any length of time, I think you realize changing captains is about as effective as re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic. And for the cynics, I have no love for Dusty clouding my judgment. I just see things for what they are. And the freaking manager isn't the problem here. Management perhaps. Thus ends my rant. Make of it what you will. They can fire Dusty tomorrow but that isn't solving anything if that is the only move. Sincerely, A Cubs fan who cares

Yes, firing the manager has always been the surefire cure in the past. :roll: I'm not even a big Dusty fan but what manager is going to make chicken salad out of this mass of chicken crap? Take a deep breath and count the number of managers this team has been through in the past 20 years. Then think to yourself, has the problem always been the manager? If you answer yes, then I think you are kidding yourself.

Okay but seriously, does anyone think simply changing the manager makes any difference in the long run? Look, I don't post here much so I don't expect people to pay much attention but I've followed this trainwreck for 20 years and I've seen what little effect changing the captain has made. I'm not opposed to a managerial change but there needs to be more change accompanied by that. You can fire Dusty Baker and hire Joe Torre and I don't think you will see all that much difference. Baseball teams are only as good as their players. I believe this to be a universal truth. If you don't have the players, you aren't going to win squat, period. This team at the moment doesn't have the players to be anywhere near the playoffs. No amount of coaching will change that. I've like some of Hendry's prior moves but right now the team is a mess. And it's not that this is an easy situation. You have guys like Wood, Prior and Lee injured. If these guys are healthy, they make a huge difference. But you can't predict their health. I mean Lee, I think we can count on him being back. He suffered a fluke injury. But guys like Prior and Wood, they seem to have systematic injuries. So at what point do you draw the line and move on? Hey, I like both of 'em, Prior moreso. But how long do you hold yourself hostage to the rehab of these guys? I think Prior can make it, Wood I doubt. But in any case, I think you have to approach future baseball decisions assuming you cannot count on them. It's just a mess out there. And I think plenty of blame can be spread around.

If being a Cubs fan means thinking changing the manager is going to matter, then yes it creates mental illness. Our problems run deeper than Dusty's foibles. Joe Torre or Lou Piniella would be hard-pressed to do much with this mess.

I agree...but it's the first place to start....one of many changes that need to be made in order for this team to contend. It is just change for the sake of change if other things are not addressed. A hollow gesture. If Baker gets fired, somehow I get the feeling he becomes THE fallguy and Hendry continues. In that scenario, the Cubs would be pretty much re-arranging deckchairs on the Titantic.

Perhaps but Juan almost lost it out of the glove and had that happened, it likely would have been over the wall for a Canseco-esque bounce of HR fortune.

I've lost count of how many managers I've seen come and go since 1986. Regardless of the annoying things Dusty says/does, a new manager won't make much of a difference with this current roster. Some player personnel changes need to be made. Our current rotation consists of 3/5 rookie pitchers. Our best hitter is hurt with no true 1B as a backup. We have 2/3 of the outfield that can't hit, etc. I almost feel like Baker has been set up to fail this year. Not intentionally or anything, but I don't know of any manager that would work any kind of magic with this team.

If Dusty is accurate in his assessments then I reckon the Cubs should at least win 2 of 3 in San Francisco correct? 8) I have not had the stomach to even attempt watching any of those games in San Diego. I'll make myself watch tonight though.

Dusty Baker is by no means the perfect manager but Jim Hendry is to blame for this current mess. If Baker goes, Hendry should go as well.

chicken wings? where? i love me some chicken wings. :D

82 pitches for Peavy already, sounds like some bullpen cooking to come. Do the Padres have a good pen?

That was clutch. :roll:

I was sitting at my computer drinking 7UP and whiskey. I turned the channel back to the Cubs game just in time to see that magnificent blast. A tear rolled down my cheek and I just knew all was right in the world. :)

BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!!!! CUBS SCORE!!!! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Geez, 14-13 isn't bad compared to how most Cubs seasons start.

\ Not yet. It's only been 20 years for me so far. ;) Plus I don't hate the White Sox at all. But I'm not from Chicago either, guess I don't truly get that whole thing.

Can't find the game on the dish, great. :(