That's Very White of Him
One of the more disheartening things I've found over the course of this year is the level of vitriol directed towards Dusty Baker. I'm already on record as saying he should not manage the Cubs next year, so I'm not trying to defend his managerial abilities.
But there's fair criticism, and then there's being an ass. Unfortunately, a lot of Cub Fans (and others) have decided to be asses.
Normally sane people who could rationally discuss the shortcomings of Don Baylor, Davey Lopes, Lloyd McClendon, and Lee Mazzilli can't speak a sentence about Baker without including at least two obscenities and an insult or two before demanding that he be run out of town on a rail. They call into question Baker's sincerity, religious beliefs, and motivation. They bring up Baker's dealings with the IRS and alleged drug use as if they're relevant to what's happened to the team this year.
One guy I talked to even presented Baker's feud with Tommy Lasorda as an indictment against Baker's character (ironically, I always counted that as a positive for Dusty...).
I was hoping that the recent announcement that Baker would finish the season would put an end to the carping, and perhaps lead to a rational conversation during the off-season. Alas, I hadn't taken into account the media's ability to pull a story right out of its lower back region, as Sully shows here:
That must have been a tough call for Whitey. I mean, the guy is turning down a job that (a) isn't open and (b) hasn't been offered to him.
Herzog offered further opinions on the Cubs' Disabled Duo:
A few thoughts on Herzog's take:
1. Herzog implies that the Cubs would be a better team if Wood and Prior were healthy (unless he believes that fifth place teams really are "interesting"). Sully accepts this with no comment. When Baker suggested the same thing earlier this year, he was slammed for using injuries as an excuse.
2. There have been whispers going around the last two years that Wood and Prior aren't "tough" enough to pitch through their injuries. Herzog's crack about the pair getting "up off their [butts]" won't do anything to stop the speculation.
3. Despite being away from the game for a few years, Herzog still knows how the media works, as his last sentence sets up this off-season's script perfectly. If the Cubs let Wood leave as a free agent this year, there will be more than just some head-scratching from the experts at the Tribune. After all, these are the people who claimed that Sergio Mitre was a top prospect the minute he got traded to Florida...
But there's fair criticism, and then there's being an ass. Unfortunately, a lot of Cub Fans (and others) have decided to be asses.
Normally sane people who could rationally discuss the shortcomings of Don Baylor, Davey Lopes, Lloyd McClendon, and Lee Mazzilli can't speak a sentence about Baker without including at least two obscenities and an insult or two before demanding that he be run out of town on a rail. They call into question Baker's sincerity, religious beliefs, and motivation. They bring up Baker's dealings with the IRS and alleged drug use as if they're relevant to what's happened to the team this year.
One guy I talked to even presented Baker's feud with Tommy Lasorda as an indictment against Baker's character (ironically, I always counted that as a positive for Dusty...).
I was hoping that the recent announcement that Baker would finish the season would put an end to the carping, and perhaps lead to a rational conversation during the off-season. Alas, I hadn't taken into account the media's ability to pull a story right out of its lower back region, as Sully shows here:
Scratch White Herzog from the possible replacements if the Cubs don't bring back Dusty Baker as manager in 2007.
The former St. Louis manager told SI.com columnist Jon Heyman he would be interested in coming out of retirement to manage again but said the unpredictable arms of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood would create a problem.
That must have been a tough call for Whitey. I mean, the guy is turning down a job that (a) isn't open and (b) hasn't been offered to him.
Herzog offered further opinions on the Cubs' Disabled Duo:
The Cubs would be interesting if you knew those two pitchers would get up off their [butts] and pitch. I shouldn't put it like that, but...it has t be a tough decision for the Cubs. But if you take them away, you're starting to scratch your head.
A few thoughts on Herzog's take:
1. Herzog implies that the Cubs would be a better team if Wood and Prior were healthy (unless he believes that fifth place teams really are "interesting"). Sully accepts this with no comment. When Baker suggested the same thing earlier this year, he was slammed for using injuries as an excuse.
2. There have been whispers going around the last two years that Wood and Prior aren't "tough" enough to pitch through their injuries. Herzog's crack about the pair getting "up off their [butts]" won't do anything to stop the speculation.
3. Despite being away from the game for a few years, Herzog still knows how the media works, as his last sentence sets up this off-season's script perfectly. If the Cubs let Wood leave as a free agent this year, there will be more than just some head-scratching from the experts at the Tribune. After all, these are the people who claimed that Sergio Mitre was a top prospect the minute he got traded to Florida...
posted by Bob at
3:51 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home