Well the Cubs are finally cracking down huh? “We don’t take no stuff” should be the new team motto, although I’m pretty sure the Jimmy Hendry Experience don’t really say the word “stuff”, they say “guff” cause they are rebels like that.
With the suspension of Milton Bradley, the organization has proved that the soft nature that this team has been known by is just a myth. Lou Piniella has lost his mean streak? That was just a myth. Lou and the Boys are cracking down by suspending the oft troubled outfielder after he made comments regarding the championship drought that has kinda become a hallmark of the franchise. So in theory by suspending Bradley, the Cubs are showing that if players act out, they will be dealt with.
Oh yeah and they forgot to mention that they will only crack down on you when your double digit games out of first place by the time U2 is tearing up the grass at Solider Field. What we have here is a hollow attempt by an organization that has been all to weak to crack down on bad play both on and off the field.
The Bradley suspension is just a two sentence footnote in a season that has reached War and Peace in terms of length. This is Hendry and more Piniella trying their best to show they are not tissue soft as they have been perceived all year. While Hendry pulled the tirgger, this has Lou’s hands all over this deal.
Piniella all year long has seemed much more subdued toward both his players and the umpires. Several times when a call has gone against the Chicago Nine, the crowd at Wrigley have looked to the top step at Wrigley, hoping to see bases and hats fly, only to see the same blank stare out of Sweet Lou. For some strange reason, Piniella toned down the same act that won him two straight divisions in the same number of years in Chicago, but as we all know, since the Cubs were swept last year, everything the team did last year was horrible, including but not limited to, having Mark Derosa on the roster, Lou showing passion, and of course, the teams ability to hit right handed pitching.
Questions have also been asked all year long about how accountable Piniella holds his players. Whether it was and early season slump by Lee, an all season slump by Soriano, or the actions by Zambrano that even made yours truly, a staunch Zambrano defender, shake my head in disgust like I was watching the Cubs take on an NL West team in the playoffs.
(BTW, sidenote, just kinda realized now, but the Cubs are 0-9 in playoff games on the west coast, I guess it wasn’t a secret, but I’m surprised in this time of statapalooza everywhere, ESPN and FOX haven’t dissected this number countless times when the Cubs appear on those networks.
Wither way, when Soriano didn’t hustle, played bad defense, and just plain stuck it up, Lou sat back and did nothing, even with a hot Jake Fox reserved mainly to the bench when Ramirez came back. When Derek Lee was off to a slow start and Houffpauir was tearing it up, he sat back and did nothing. Those who scream that D-Lee could possibly be the second half NL MVP if they ever invented that award, that does not excuse Lou from not giving Houffpair anything earl on. In April and May, Lee clearly couldn’t get it, and Piniella should have been man enough to give the kid some time.
Zambrano is a whole nother situation. His passion and anger could be argued (by me at least) as part of his package and essential to the success he has had, but when the man misses flights and risks injury because of taking hard cuts during batting practice, someone outside of Mike North or Rick Telander has to tell him to stop. When Zambrano says that he doesn’t like to drink water even when he gets cramps, we may chuckle a bit, but when it happens multiple times, somebody, like say, his manager who has a reputation for getting on players, has to show El Toro what is what.
So when players act up, don’t try, or just plain cant stick it, but the Cubs are only a few games out, then its OK, even if it hurts the team in the long run. But when the team is done and Chicago turns its attention to Jay Cutler’s arm, Brian Urlacher’s arm and Lovie Smith’s job, then its time for the team to act hard and tough.
Lets suspend a guy who we all knew was crazy when we signed him, even if he has been one of the brighter spots during a bad year, that is if you are into guys who put up decent stats, play solid defense, and are only on the books for one more year if you want to cut them.
Nothing more than a weak attempt to try and show a city and a fan base that is now subjected to rooting for the red men from six hours south that this Cubbie organization is turning hard. By the time spring rolls around in a few months, Lou and Hendry will still be soft, whether or not the likes of Bradley and Zambrano and Lee and Ramirez are on the squad.
Popularity: 67% [?]