From MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat :
MLB.com: The 2006 season is the last year of Cubs manager Dusty Baker’s contract and he has said he doesn’t want to talk about an extension. What are your thoughts on that?
Hendry: He and I never talk about contracts, just like I don’t talk about my own situation with Andy [MacPhail]. It’s just something I don’t put a lot of stock in. When you sign a deal, that’s what the deal is. There was never any intent of Dusty to leave, there was never any intent on my part of wanting him to leave, there was never any thought of him not coming back next year. It’s really something that the two people involved in it — him and myself — we never talk about it. It’s not even an issue.
Replies Ben Schwartz,
That’s not too depressing, is it? Sounds like the same warm relations that Hendry & co. had with Stone, Sosa, Alou, just before they all left. I realize I’m supposed to look forward to a White Sox/Cardinals Mid-West classic this month, but the interview with Jim Hendry on the Cubs site today is ridiculous. It’s fitting that it’s Hednry’s mug up there when the word “disappointing” flashes past. As he plans his in-house Phoenix meetings with scouts in November, his argument that the Cub payroll has never been the problem kind of ducks the point that how you spend it is what counts, not how much. And it’s not going to get any better, as the IRS just slapped Tribune Media with a $1 billion tax bill, so Hendry’s Republican bosses join Tom DeLay and Bill Frist this week in the GOP $$$ scandals.
Maybe Ben should think again. Dusty’s picture should be up there with disappointing and also added “Clueless”. For 80+ games Dusty lead off with Neifi Perez or Corey Patterson–players with 2 of the lowest OBP in the league. There is more damning evidence for his poor, poor managing, but that alone is enough. Hendry has done an excellent job, with very few missteps. He gave Dusty a solid leadoff man in Hairston and he wouldn’t play him or lead him off.
That’s not too depressing at all Ben. That hopefully means he will go lame ducking into next season. And if they start out poorly he can go bye-bye. And before I finish, why should they have had warm relations with Sosa and Alou?
Cold, icy relations from the Trib Tower down usually means someone is about to get phased out, whether they deserve it or not. Hendry’s done an excellent job? Why lose Alou instead of sign the one-year deal he wanted? He hit .321 in 2005. Where’s our closer? Why cut Dusty loose from his coaches?
Dusty’s overconfidence in Patterson is like his overconfidence in the arms of his overworked pitchers — he just seems to move forward too optimistically, like it’s all gonna work out somehow. It’s his biggest flaw, imo.
I like Dusty because he actually wants to win, which is not what the Trib and large numbers of Cub fans who prefer Cub Tradition (curses, day games, Harry Caray) seem to like.
Ben
Ben– again you need to check it out. Alou got a 2 year deal from SF. Dempster is the closer. Another move that was good by Hendry, that Baker messed with by putting him into the rotation for a while and going with Hawkins.
“I like Dusty because he actually wants to win, which is not what the Trib and large numbers of Cub fans who prefer Cub Tradition.”
What manager doesn’t want to win? The Trib obvioulsy wants to win–they paid Sammy a lot of $$$ to go away. They paid Dusty didn’t they? DLee, Ramirez, Went out and got Garciaparra, brought back Maddux.
It’s not all Dusty’s fault. There were certainly too many injuries. But he’s just not as good as he was billed to be.
Yeah, NOW Dempster’s the closer. Why they stuck with Latroy so long was a major question for me, and from the way Dusty defended him when Latroy got booed at Wrigley (as a Giant), is one of my bigger questions about him.
As for managers who want to win — I like Dusty because he reminds me of the way Durocher used to dismiss Cub Tradition with a winning comes first attitude — rather than pay deference to bloated announcers, Wrigley’s love of day games, or fighting to control the clubhouse — which I’m gussing Dusty is trying to do by holding onto his coaches extensions (as reported earlier this year).
Too many Cub managers have accepted the Wrigleyville mystique. Then again, Dusty has let Corgan into the dugout to sing and look where we are.
Ben
Ben are you here in Chicago??