Getting His Shots in While He Can
It’s the last weekend that the Chicago media will have Dusty Baker to kick around. With time running short, Dr. Phil pulls off a triple play: he dusts off a favorite Baker-bashing script, engages in idle speculation, and manages to pass it off as a solid piece of journalism:
Ha ha ha ha ha! Those wristband jokes never, ever get old. And the way Baker goes on about all the stuff he learned while playing with Hank Aaron – it’s like listening to Grandpa Simpson!
I would lament the fact that the level of discourse has sunk so low, but the level of discourse started out more or less at this level. There are plenty of reasons why Baker is less than optimal as a Major League manager. Some reasons I’ve discussed on this blog include his inability to manage a pitching staff and his bizarre lineup choices.
But such cursory examinations seem beyond the grasp of the scribes in Chicago. What little analysis there is takes the form of “They lost again – what can’t Baker teach them to hit/pitch/run the bases/field/do the ‘little things’ better?” Easier instead to focus on the trivial: the wristbands, the toothpick, the annoying use of the term “dude,” the folksy reminiscing of his playing days. Make a joke, submit the story, and leave plenty of time to hit the press box buffet.
Will Trey Hillman have great success as manager of the Chicago Cubs? How the hell do I know? Dr. Phil’s fever dream is the first I’ve ever heard his name brought up.
Hillman has a reputation for being one of those tough, no-nonsense, detail-oriented guys that many people see as a cure for what ails the Cubs. So does Girardi, for that matter. But a word of caution for those who believe that Baker’s laid-back style is the root cause of this year’s floundering:
Don Baylor breezed into Cubs camp as the tough, no-nonsense, detail-oriented guy who would fix all the flaws inflicted on the time by mellow Jim Riggleman. Unfortunately, Baylor shared many of the same managerial shortcomings of his successor, including a complete inability to manage a pitching staff and a penchant for questionable lineup constructions.
Perhaps the team would be better served if Jim Hendry focused not on what kind of guy the new hire is, but on what kind of manager he is.
Trey Hillman, a 43-year-old product of the baseball factory at the University of Texas-Arlington, is in his fourth season as manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in the Japanese Pacific League. He has helped them to the league’s best record as the regular season winds down and seems interested in using his overseas success as a springboard to the big leagues. He has been mentioned as a possibility to replace Girardi in Florida and could surface as a serious alternative for the Cubs.
Hillman played in 2,039 fewer big-league games than Baker – 2,039-0. He cannot swap stories about Henry Aaron and Barry Bonds and most likely would not require wristbands during games.
Ha ha ha ha ha! Those wristband jokes never, ever get old. And the way Baker goes on about all the stuff he learned while playing with Hank Aaron – it’s like listening to Grandpa Simpson!
I would lament the fact that the level of discourse has sunk so low, but the level of discourse started out more or less at this level. There are plenty of reasons why Baker is less than optimal as a Major League manager. Some reasons I’ve discussed on this blog include his inability to manage a pitching staff and his bizarre lineup choices.
But such cursory examinations seem beyond the grasp of the scribes in Chicago. What little analysis there is takes the form of “They lost again – what can’t Baker teach them to hit/pitch/run the bases/field/do the ‘little things’ better?” Easier instead to focus on the trivial: the wristbands, the toothpick, the annoying use of the term “dude,” the folksy reminiscing of his playing days. Make a joke, submit the story, and leave plenty of time to hit the press box buffet.
Will Trey Hillman have great success as manager of the Chicago Cubs? How the hell do I know? Dr. Phil’s fever dream is the first I’ve ever heard his name brought up.
Hillman has a reputation for being one of those tough, no-nonsense, detail-oriented guys that many people see as a cure for what ails the Cubs. So does Girardi, for that matter. But a word of caution for those who believe that Baker’s laid-back style is the root cause of this year’s floundering:
Don Baylor breezed into Cubs camp as the tough, no-nonsense, detail-oriented guy who would fix all the flaws inflicted on the time by mellow Jim Riggleman. Unfortunately, Baylor shared many of the same managerial shortcomings of his successor, including a complete inability to manage a pitching staff and a penchant for questionable lineup constructions.
Perhaps the team would be better served if Jim Hendry focused not on what kind of guy the new hire is, but on what kind of manager he is.
posted by Bob at
9:33 PM
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