mmmmmbeeer Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writ...tone/index.html Not-so lovable losers Cubs management should've worried about collapse, not broadcaster Posted: Monday October 4, 2004 11:39AM; Updated: Monday October 4, 2004 11:39AM Phil Taylor It's hard to blame the Chicago Cubs for being a little testy last week, in light of how they were completing one of those distinctly Cubs-like late-season collapses that added yet another devastating chapter to their heart-breaking history. The Cubs managed to bungle away a potential spot in the National League playoffs by losing seven of their final nine games, several of them in the kind of gut-wrenching fashion that makes you wonder if the franchise might truly be cursed. But there are ways to lose without acting like losers, and it would be easier to feel sympathy for the poor Cubbies if they went down with dignity. Calling a broadcaster on the carpet for making critical comments on the air is no way to do that. That's what Cubs management did to Steve Stone, the team's longtime television analyst. Stone met with team president Andy McPhail, general manager Jim Hendry and manager Dusty Baker last Friday because the brass, especially Baker, was more than a little annoyed at what Stone had been saying about the team. One of the things he said was that the Cubs spend too much time putting blame elsewhere and not enough owning up to their own shortcomings. Stone ought to thank McPhail, Hendry and Baker for helping to prove his point. Baker and the Cubs execs should be embarrassed to admit that they even paid attention to what Stone was saying on the air last week. Given the way the team was playing, there were much more important matters that should have been occupying their time. Worrying about some broadcaster's opinions when the team was frittering away the wild-card lead is like agonizing over the color of the drapes when the house is burning down. Then there's the little matter of the Cubs being owned by the Tribune Co. a media conglomerate that owns the Chicago Tribune and dozens of other newspaper, television and radio outlets. Tribune-owned enterprises critique politicians, business executives, actors and athletes every day, often harshly. Don't McPhail and Hendry's bosses in the Tribune Co. executive suite see the hypocrisy in being thin-skinned when they get the same treatment that they're used to giving? Does it make sense that a Tribune-owned newspaper can rip the President's foreign policy without consequence if it chooses, but an ex-ballplayer with a microphone can't rip Baker for not putting on the hit-and-run? There is no question that some of Stone's criticisms were harsh -- "Dusty managed a bad game," he said during a radio show last week, "but he's never going to [admit] he did." -- and broadcasters can help shape public perception of a team. If Stone says Baker is a bad manager enough times, some of the fans start to accept it as truth, whether it is or not. As a Cubs broadcaster, Stone is also an employee of the Tribune Co., and the company isn't paying him to rip its product. But leaning on Stone for not trying to put a happy face on a dire situation is worse for the Cubs' image than anything he or any other broadcaster could say. It makes Baker look like a paranoid leader and it paints McPhail and Hendry as empty suits who jump blindly to their manager's defense every time he pouts. It's also bad business to make a martyr of Stone, who is one of the most popular personalities associated with the team. Cubs fans apparently want candor from their broadcasters, just like they want a World Series title in their lifetime. Since the franchise is having so much trouble fulfilling the second desire, the least they can do is take care of the first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 OMG, this is so funny and scary. People are expecting the Cubs to win something? This is the first time in my lifetime of really following and understanding baseball. I was a youngin in 1969 and couldn't watch many day games because I wasn't an unemployed bum, instead I was a full time student. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAVVY18 Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 I love it that they are being exposed now. A friend, who is a huge cub fan, is ready to ride sam-me out of town and is calling him all kinds of names. I pointed out that I have been telling him that for years. He is funny though, he said to not play him at all. It's a contract year, but you aren't going to play. Try getting a new contract without any at bats. If he has to play, bat him 9th. No B.P., ever. If he does, the pitcher is instructed to bean him every pitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxrd5 Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 I love it that they are being exposed now. A friend, who is a huge cub fan, is ready to ride sam-me out of town and is calling him all kinds of names. I pointed out that I have been telling him that for years. He is funny though, he said to not play him at all. It's a contract year, but you aren't going to play. Try getting a new contract without any at bats. If he has to play, bat him 9th. No B.P., ever. If he does, the pitcher is instructed to bean him every pitch. It's just beyond me that it took this long for Sammy to be exposed as the "me first", egotistical, juiced up good for nothing that he is! I've said it for a long time he is the figurehead in what I hate about the Cubs...Their fans attitude toward a loser like this and how much he doesnt care about the team. Its great to see he is finally being exposed and watching his fan base shrink by the day... But now what am I gonna dislike about the Cubbies??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
israel4ever Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 I have some cub-fan friends who are ready to jump off their bandwagon if they launch Steve Stone. "Cub-nation" is crumbling! :fthecubs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxrd5 Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 I have some cub-fan friends who are ready to jump off their bandwagon if they launch Steve Stone. "Cub-nation" is crumbling! :fthecubs I think the Tribune company has enough intelligence to know even some Cub fans will be disgusted if they let both Chip and Stone walk....Then Again..... I wonder if half of the crowds in cinci, arizona and atlanta will still be cub fans next year....or will the nationwide cubbie craze start winding down?? :puke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosMediasBlancas Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 I have some cub-fan friends who are ready to jump off their bandwagon if they launch Steve Stone. "Cub-nation" is crumbling! :fthecubs It sure it is, 2005 could be a big year for the Sox to jump in and steal the limelight BUT we won't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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