Cubs Collapse Continues
The Cubs were defeated 5-4 today by the Braves. Their record is 88-72. Only two games left.
Today on The Show I asked Jerry Crasnick (MLB Insider) if he thought Sosa and Alou would be back next year. He said, "Ryan, I see Sosa back, and Alou not. His constant whining this year became a distraction, and they have to start getting younger and better defensively."
In the midst of the collapse, the feud between Steve Stone and certain players is reaching a boiling point. Below is a Chicago Tribune article about comments Stone made after the game on Thursday. Steve has been privately fuming about Dusty letting Kent Mercker berate him on the team charter and at the team hotel after the game on August 27th. During that game, Mercker called the press box to complain because he felt Stone was being to critical. Read it here first, I think it's time for Dusty to hit the road. Look at his record, he can't win the big games. If I had to choose between Stone on TV or Dusty in the dugout, I'd take Stone hands down. Here's my short list of who needs to be gone next year: Dusty, Alou, Mercker, Borowski, and Clement.
By Paul Sullivan
Tribune staff reporter
September 30, 2004, 11:05 PM CDT
Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone lambasted the Cubs in an interview with WGN-AM radio after Thursday's 12-inning loss, painting the club as chronic complainers.
Stone told interviewers David Kaplan and Tom Waddle that the Cubs reminded him of a Jack Nicholson line from the film, "A Few Good Men."
"You want the truth? You can't handle the truth," Stone said. "Let me tell you something, guys, the truth of this situation is [this is] an extremely talented bunch of guys who want to look at all directions except where they should really look, and kind of make excuses for what happened.
"At the end of the day, boys, you don't tell me how rough the water is, you bring in the ship. The best eight [teams] go on, the other teams go home. This team should have won the wild-card [playoff berth] by six, seven games. No doubt about it. They have the talent to do that. They're life-and-death right now."
Stone said the "defining moment" of the Cubs' collapse was their 15-7 loss to Houston on Aug. 27 at Wrigley Field when they could have extended their wild-card lead over the Astros to eight games. That game featured a confrontation between Michael Barrett and Roy Oswalt. It also included the press box phone call from Kent Mercker to complain about Stone and Chip Caray and Mercker's taunting of umpire C.B. Bucknor that netted him a suspension.
"The one game that defined this season, that allowed a team that was dead to get back in was one of the days that started a lot of problems for my partner and I, one of the best partners in the game," Stone said. "That is the Roy Oswalt game, when Kent Mercker hit him in the sixth inning. That illuminated the Houston Astros.
"They were left for dead. The Cubs beat them the first game in a three-game series, they knocked Kerry Wood out in the fifth inning, they hit four home runs [off Wood], Oswalt pitched eight innings on a day the heat factor being 95 degrees. They won 15-7, took the next two games against the Cubs.
"Instead of being buried, they got back in the race. And guess what? They're up by one game now. The Cubs had a chance to put their foot on their throat, and good teams do that. When you have a chance to eliminate a team, you don't take a personal vendetta out until that team is dead. Kill them, then you have plenty of time for personal vendettas. The Cubs didn't do that and it's coming back to haunt them."
Stone also predicted the Cubs would make some "blockbuster" moves this off-season, implying some trades would be directly tied to the team's ongoing battles with the broadcasters.
Copyright © 2004, The Chicago Tribune
Today on The Show I asked Jerry Crasnick (MLB Insider) if he thought Sosa and Alou would be back next year. He said, "Ryan, I see Sosa back, and Alou not. His constant whining this year became a distraction, and they have to start getting younger and better defensively."
In the midst of the collapse, the feud between Steve Stone and certain players is reaching a boiling point. Below is a Chicago Tribune article about comments Stone made after the game on Thursday. Steve has been privately fuming about Dusty letting Kent Mercker berate him on the team charter and at the team hotel after the game on August 27th. During that game, Mercker called the press box to complain because he felt Stone was being to critical. Read it here first, I think it's time for Dusty to hit the road. Look at his record, he can't win the big games. If I had to choose between Stone on TV or Dusty in the dugout, I'd take Stone hands down. Here's my short list of who needs to be gone next year: Dusty, Alou, Mercker, Borowski, and Clement.
By Paul Sullivan
Tribune staff reporter
September 30, 2004, 11:05 PM CDT
Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone lambasted the Cubs in an interview with WGN-AM radio after Thursday's 12-inning loss, painting the club as chronic complainers.
Stone told interviewers David Kaplan and Tom Waddle that the Cubs reminded him of a Jack Nicholson line from the film, "A Few Good Men."
"You want the truth? You can't handle the truth," Stone said. "Let me tell you something, guys, the truth of this situation is [this is] an extremely talented bunch of guys who want to look at all directions except where they should really look, and kind of make excuses for what happened.
"At the end of the day, boys, you don't tell me how rough the water is, you bring in the ship. The best eight [teams] go on, the other teams go home. This team should have won the wild-card [playoff berth] by six, seven games. No doubt about it. They have the talent to do that. They're life-and-death right now."
Stone said the "defining moment" of the Cubs' collapse was their 15-7 loss to Houston on Aug. 27 at Wrigley Field when they could have extended their wild-card lead over the Astros to eight games. That game featured a confrontation between Michael Barrett and Roy Oswalt. It also included the press box phone call from Kent Mercker to complain about Stone and Chip Caray and Mercker's taunting of umpire C.B. Bucknor that netted him a suspension.
"The one game that defined this season, that allowed a team that was dead to get back in was one of the days that started a lot of problems for my partner and I, one of the best partners in the game," Stone said. "That is the Roy Oswalt game, when Kent Mercker hit him in the sixth inning. That illuminated the Houston Astros.
"They were left for dead. The Cubs beat them the first game in a three-game series, they knocked Kerry Wood out in the fifth inning, they hit four home runs [off Wood], Oswalt pitched eight innings on a day the heat factor being 95 degrees. They won 15-7, took the next two games against the Cubs.
"Instead of being buried, they got back in the race. And guess what? They're up by one game now. The Cubs had a chance to put their foot on their throat, and good teams do that. When you have a chance to eliminate a team, you don't take a personal vendetta out until that team is dead. Kill them, then you have plenty of time for personal vendettas. The Cubs didn't do that and it's coming back to haunt them."
Stone also predicted the Cubs would make some "blockbuster" moves this off-season, implying some trades would be directly tied to the team's ongoing battles with the broadcasters.
Copyright © 2004, The Chicago Tribune
posted by Ryan at 11:14 PM
2 Comments:
You're already saying Dusty Baker must go? What happened to "In Dusty we trusty"??? Last year Dusty was a genius, but this year he's not?
The minute the Cubs 2003 playoff collapse was complete, I predicted that *moment* that they woudn't even make the playoffs this year, much less be the favorite to win the World Series (as they were in the pre-season). The Cubs are actually lucky to finish above 500. This is the first time they've had back-to-back winning seasons since the early 70s.
Dusty Baker will be there next year, but I predict the Cubs will return to their losing ways next year. At some point during the 2006 season, Dusty will get fired. It's a familiar cycle. Remember Don Baylor? I do.
The Cubs will not have a losing record next year, they have too much pitching to finish under .500. Dusty has lost control of the players, who have lost control of their emotions. Mercker is whining about the broadcasters, Alou and Hawkins have ongoing feuds with the umpires. I know Dusty is seen as a player's manager, but you can't let your players constantly complain about the umps. The team was just not focused the last two months of the season. How many times did Alou get doubled off base on routine fly balls? I'll admit it, I loved Dusty last year. I have a Dusty bobblehead, but I think the Cubs season last year had more to do with the fact that they had better players than they had ever had. Bottom line is a manager can't let his team constantly whine and complain about the broadcasters and umpires. He needed to take a tougher stance before things got out of control and the season was ruined.
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