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Theo said himself "Every opportunity to win is sacred," Epstein said. "It's sacred to us inside the organization and it should be sacred to the fans as well. They deserve our best efforts to do what we can to improve the club, and put the club in position to succeed in any given season."
Hell, I don't even wanna succeed this season (being realistic), I wanna be entertained and see a watchable product on the field. I don't see a chance of that right now. That's what frustrates me.
Hell, I don't even wanna succeed this season (being realistic), I wanna be entertained and see a watchable product on the field. I don't see a chance of that right now. That's what frustrates me.
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My favorite teams
Its pretty sad that the two teams from Chicago actually have to rebuild.
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I don't see how a guy like Dusty Baker is a better option as manager than let's say Bill James, or a guy that has absolutely no baseball playing experience. I think I see what you're getting at, with that he understands the player mind set, which I agree is important, but I don't think that playing experience has any positive effect on making a line-up or dealing with a bullpen because they become victims of Theriot syndrome(player hustles, he must be good). I just don't see what makes them so special.
What makes you think they learn? And see above.
I see what you are trying to say and I think you want it to be true, but I just don't think it is true. I don't think being a manager takes knowledge at all, to be honest.
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This is my exact point. You're right, Captain Obvious. I may not be smarter than Theo. And yeah, maybe I should have a little more faith and his ability to put a winning team on the field. But take a look at teams that've been "rebuilding" for a while -- Oakland, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, etc. Out of those teams, which of them would you say has a shot at winning 85 games? Maybe the Royals? Fans get tired of mediocrity, they get tired of hearing day in and day out, "We're getting closer, this move makes us just a little closer."
That's fine, I can be patient. But I'll once again go back to this point -- Right now, in December 2011, outside of Starlin Castro and Brett Jackson's upside, what do we, as Cubs fans, have to look forward to?
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The other "rebuilding" teams don't have a choice because while they can amass draft picks and cultivate decent prospects, they cannot afford to keep those prospects and have to rely on a shit-ton of luck in order to contend. The Cubs theoretically don't have that problem because they have more money. But having money doesn't mean you have to spend it haphazardly either.
You're not supposed to be excited that the Cubs are going to suck at the MLB level for a year or so. But you should look forward to a sustainable pipeline of talent and never having to rebuild again if they do this right.
As for baseball "intelligence"...all GMs and managers do dumb shit, but they also, for the most part, forgot more about the game of baseball than most of us peasants will ever know unless we're simply obsessive about it.
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imho....this is the right move to rebuild
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I am being selfish I just want to be able to watch the Cubs this season without expecting a loss every day.
The Cubs are a big market team and those teams do not have to go into full rebuild modes.
The Cubs are a big market team and those teams do not have to go into full rebuild modes.
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This "big market team" does because they're so messed up.
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Yeah we just started to do the right thing building-wise last season.. The Last fucking year we could over-spend on the draft.
That's how stupid the Hendry administration was.
We have to completely build.
That's how stupid the Hendry administration was.
We have to completely build.
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ya there are managers with no playing experience who may be better than managers WITH playing experience....but i dont think that means either of them dont have knowledge of the game
i think playing experience absolutely helps a manager when you understand the player's perspective and you have experience on the other side...being a manager is not simply about the lineups and the bullpen...there's a little more to it
you act like these guys are expendable....i dont think you quite understand the work and pressure that goes into being an MLB manager(especially with front offices that have itchy trigger fingers if you get what i'm saying)
to differentiate the arguments here..this has to do with players as simply players..nothing to do with managers
when you constantly are practicing and consulting with the best hitting coaches,managers,etc....how are you not constantly learning as a player? every player in the MLB has room to improve...sure you improve through physical work..but being able to understand the game(especially the opposition i.e. pitchers) is instrumental in the majors(or even baseball in general)...baseball is honestly a little more cerebral than other sports
do you just shove the information up your ass...and its gone?
right...so any idiot can walk up and be manager? is this serious?
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If that's the case, CO still couldn't be manager.
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I have come to grips with rebuilding, sucking and nto getting Fielder.
But please get me some young power bats to cheer for and to watch develop.
I do not care for LaHair!
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I think our definitions of knowledge of the game are different. I'm coming from more of an analytic POV, where as you're talking about how to hit a ball, how to field a grounder, etc. If what I just said is correct, then I can agree with what you're saying, but my feeling is that you have coaches that are there for that. But I see what you're saying, I just disagree with that thought process.
right...so any idiot can walk up and be manager? is this serious?
That's not what I'm saying at all. You can't just get a random bum from under the bridge. But I don't think a manager needs to be a former player or have any skill set at all. I think that's more for your coaches.
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I think once I start seeing the fruits of our rebuilding labor, I can get a bit more excited. This is my team and I'll always have love and admiration for them, regardless of how lousy or uncompetitive they are. It's just hard to convince yourself that there's essentially zero hope for them to make the playoffs this year. For the last five years or so, you could at least convince yourself that on paper, we had a shot.
And this also totally reinforces my point to BRING UP JACKSON! I want to see what this kid can do.
And this also totally reinforces my point to BRING UP JACKSON! I want to see what this kid can do.
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lol ok
i was exaggerating to show a flaw in your logic....mostly because your statement was pretty blanked
a lot of managers have experience coaching wise because thats how alot of them start out..i mean our new manager dale sveum was the hitting coach for the brewers
i disagree with the idea that the manager simple manages the lineup and the pitching rotation....they are basically the head coach...though they do not assume the same coaching role that other head coaches do in other sports..but they manage players on a personal level...
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What?!!? do you drop acid?
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You do not necessarily need your front office/statistics guys to have ever played baseball, but they probably watched a lot of games while poring over spreadsheets and crap. However, you actually want your on-field staff to have some experience in playing the game, even if they were just career minor leaguers or benchwarmers. That garners respect from the players, and the years of playing also allow them to teach mechanics, strategies, and other things that a couch potato could not.
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I agree with this, but again we have seen countless examples of the best teachers of the game are the ones that weren't able to execute at the big league level themselves. So I wouldn't say it is a requirement, but it is a benefit because these are human beings we are talking about.