“Grace must go for good of Cubs–and himself” (Sports, Sept. 29) was a sad but true reality that all Cubs fans must face. Over his 13 years with the Cubs, Grace has been the consummate professional and the ultimate baseball player. He was an old-fashioned, everyday player whose love and knowledge of the game surpassed all of those around him, especially the ones who hired him.
Grace has also been the ambassador of Chicago baseball, and it’s sad that he probably won’t be back for another season with the Cubs. The real problems with the team are Sammy Sosa’s selfish, me-first attitude and management’s misjudgment of talent.
They held onto aging role players (Mickey Morandini, Gary Gaetti and George Bell, to name a few) too long and always seemed to make the worst possible trade (Jon Garland for Matt Karchner?).
The Cubs should have built around Grace and a young Sammy Sosa three years ago. Instead of two straight seasons of at least 95 losses, the Cubs could have been serious contenders for not only the National League Central title but also the World Series. Thanks to the Tribune’s spectacular personnel moves, the Cubs meddled through yet another awful year, and it’s too late for all the “could, should and would haves.”
Grace has been good for Chicago, but Chicago hasn’t necessarily been good for him. I agree with Bayless’ assessment that Grace “has been a Cub too long.” To me, Mark Grace is and has been synonymous with the Chicago Cubs.
I grew up wanting to be Mark Grace, and now that I am grown, my hero is fading into the sunset.
It may very well be that Grace has been a Cub too long, but I don’t see that as such a bad thing. He deserves to finish out his career with the team he broke into the big leagues with just as much as he deserves to get his World Series ring.
The similarities between Grace and Kevin Costner’s Bull Durham are shocking; it’s a wonder that Costner’s character wasn’t loosely based on Mr. Chicago Baseball himself.
The best way to reward a guy who embodies the spirit of this city is to give him a contract so he can finish out his career with the Cubs. But if that isn’t economical, give Grace a job in the front office. Grace could land the kind of talent that the front office only dreams about.
Thanks for a fabulous 13 years, Gracie. You deserve better than this.
