What will it take to have Tom Ricketts “back up the truck” and clean house? I’d much rather watch the Triple-A team play than what’s going on now. Sloppy play, mental mistakes, poor preparation and a poor attitude makes for the worst team in baseball.
Bill McCarrell, Cropwell, Ala.
Technically, second-worst, but Houston is coming to town this weekend. Jim Hendry has already said the Cubs are not going to back up the truck or have a fire sale, or any other euphemism you can think of for a complete makeover. And highly paid veterans players like Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramirez and Ryan Dempster have said they don’t want to leave, as is their contractual right. This is the reality, so if management and the players are unwilling to budge, don’t expect major changes.
Why does the Cubs brass so heavily favor the older players when the most exciting player, Tony Campana, sits the bench? Why does the manager seem to have “little sense” when to pull a pitcher? How will the Cubs explain this season to the fans in January after they lose 100 games? Why, why, how? This is just too ugly to watch, especially after the Bulls made the winter go so fast. Tough to take. Pure misery!
Dwight Allen, Findlay, Ohio
That’s why God gave us remote controls.
I gave up on the Cubs winning three or more games in a row this season. But do you think it’s possible for them to play three games in a row without committing an error?
Lynn Tyler, Elgin, Ill.
Not sure. They lead the majors in errors, and currently are on a nine-game streak of committing at least one error, their longest such streak since 1987, when Gene Michael was managing a sixth-place team. By the way, here’s the lineup in Game 9 of that error-streak, which includes a few Gold Glovers/Hall of Famers: Ryne Sandberg, 2B, Jerry Mumphrey, LF, Andre Dawson, RF, Leon Durham, 1B, Jody Davis, C, Keith Moreland, 3B, Shawon Dunston, SS, Davey Martinez, CF, Rick Sutcliffe, P. And Bobby Dernier and Sarge Matthews pinch-hit that day. Good players, bad team.
Any chance we will see Tony Campana do his Doug Dascenzo imitation this year, throwing a shutout inning out of the bullpen in a Cubs double-digit loss in August or September?
John Wienke, Spirit Lake, Iowa
We can only hope Quade still retains his sense of humor by then. Believe it or not, I actually covered Dascenzo’s appearance on the mound in the ninth inning of a 14-6 loss to St. Louis at Wrigley Field on June 28, 1991. He became the Cubs’ first position player in the 20th century to make three career pitching appearances, and threw a scoreless ninth, receiving a standing ovation. He’d also pitched two innings against the Dodgers in a 13-5 loss a couple weeks earlier, on June 10.
“I hope I never have to pitch again,” Dascenzo said after the Cards game. Coincidentally, Dick Pole was fired as pitching coach afterward. .After manager Jim Essian ended his postgame media session in his office, general manager Jim Frey, who was sitting on the couch, reminded Essian to make the announcement that Pole was being replaced by minor-league instructor Billy Connors. Essian announced it, and then let Frey do all the talking.
With the season being already over and Mr. Ricketts being stuck with bad decisions made by Jim Hendry & Co., are we ever going to see the Cubs organization strive to win again? Does Mr. Ricketts have the knowledge to run a major league team? If not, I think you will see a serious drop in attendance the rest of the year. I am so glad that Ron Santo is not around to see this type of ball.
Gilbert Annis, Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
Ricketts is still an enigma, but I would imagine the Cubs will try to improve this offseason, as all major-market teams do in some form or other. Whether their strategy will be to get rid of veterans and get younger or splurge on a big name is the question only Ricketts and his advisers know. The Cubs actually did try to improve last season with the acquisition of Garza for top prospects, and signings of Pena and Wood. Garza may be their best pitcher the next two years, Pena is basically as advertised (homers, strikeouts, good glove) and Wood has been up-and-down. Ricketts also showed that eating money was not a deciding factor in the dumping of Carlos Silva. Whether Ricketts will blame Hendry/Quade or the injuries for the disastrous 2011 season is the key question.
Paul, the Cubs’ lone All-Star from a $140 million payroll is a 21-year-old minimum second-year player, and the other considered player was an arbitration-eligible left-handed set-up man. Regardless of the roster locks because of contracts, it is the judgment that is in question. How can a fan, ticket holder, sponsor or even reporter have confidence in their judgment with these kinds of results?
Bob Nemanich, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Blind faith. Great band, and a good marketing slogan for 2012.
Playing in a ballpark where curses, heat-of-the-day start times and overall futility is not only discussed openly, but also celebrated at times as being an important part of the culture, would the Cubs be better served if they just acknowledged Wrigley Field has become too much of a psychological barrier to consistent winning and new digs would give everyone a chance to hit the reset button?
Geoff Thomas, Fort Wayne, Ind.
I asked noted Cubs psychologist, Dr. I.M. Kookie, who told me the players are suffering from a Cubs Claustrophobia Syndrome, a condition endemic to Wrigley Field due to the lack of proper ventilation or air conditioning in the cramped clubhouse. Her suggested a new ballpark would solve that condition, though he also warned that the Billy Goat Curse Syndrome would still be in play.
Aren’t you supposed to trade Marmol? He is going to get expensive, would bring back a solid return … you stink and don’t need a closer anyway. But even if you did, he isn’t even that effective at it. And you could work Andrew Cashner there until he is fully healthy.
David, New York, N.Y.
I’m not trading anyone, but if I was able to, Marmol wouldn’t be in the top 10 on my “Must Go” list. Also, at $20 million for three years, he already is expensive. Either way, Hendry has said he’s not trading guys who are part of the future, and Marmol’s slump doesn’t mean he’s not part of the future. Cashner could close down the road, but not this year, of course.
If I was managing the Cubs, I would tell Alfonso Soriano to sit on the bench until he starts using the same size and weight of the bat that Ernie Banks used.
Bill Compton, Fishers, Ind.
Thanks, Bill. I’ll mention it to Quade and see if he agrees.
What are the chances of the Cubs doing an overhaul of their scouting and minor league development departments? I love Castro and Barney but the so-called top prospects and development of players throughout Hendry’s tenure have been horrible. The current regime makes it hard for me to get excited with the new commitment/scouting to the Dominican Republic.
C. Martin, Sahuarita, Ariz.
The only way they’ll do an overhaul is if they fire Hendry, whose only chance of surviving is the strength of the farm system, which is better that it has been in years, though it still lags behind several other top organizations. The Rickettses feel the future of baseball is in the Dominican, so you can only hope the increased commitment there reaps dividends down the road, no matter who is running the system.
Been a Cubs fan my whole life. When in high school in Chicago I would attend 35-40 Cub games annually. Grandstand tickets were $1.25. I still live and die with the Cubbies. Drove 600 miles last month to see them beat the Giants with the Geovany Soto home run. How they do helps make or ruin my day! Had to turn off the TV when Marmol was pitching to Matt Stairs! My question: Why do I do this to myself?
Dick Miller, Davisburg, Mich.
Maybe you subconsciously enjoy being miserable? Just a theory. Why does anyone watch a bad baseball team that’s out of contention? Maybe they just like the game itself.
It seems Cubs pitchers come into games and get hit early. First innings are a nightmare. And it seems relievers take a couple of batters to settle in. Is that my imagination? Or does it reflect on poor warmup routines? Who decides if a reliever has his “stuff” or not?
Terry Dickow, Rochelle, Ill.
No, it’s not your imagination, though I don’t know if it’s warmups or lack of early focus or what. Anyway, here are the opposing batting averages and on-base percentages against the Cubs starters in first innings (read it and weep): Wells, .386/.481; Dempster, .333/.462; Zambrano, 260./.382; Garza, 232/.284; Davis, .390/.468; Lopez, .273/.333.
Paul, if Mike Quade gained 90 pounds, I think he’d look just like Don Zimmer. Couldn’t this help us? Just a thought. I miss Zim.
Dan Foote, Cranford, NJ.
Couldn’t hurt. I’ll ask Quade to change his diet, right after I tell him to bench Soriano if he doesn’t start using Ernie Banks’ bat size and weight. Look, we all miss Zim, who was probably the last Cubs manager to leave while he was still very popular with Cubs fans. And he also let the Cubs’ beat writers raid his mini-bar in his New York hotel room after being fired, which is why he’s still so popular with writers.
