From ESPN.COM
MESA, Ariz. -- Hoo, boy, is it ever tempting to look around here and figure that the Chicago Cubs are back on track, pointed in the right direction, ready to rumble. That new skipper, Dusty Baker, shall lead them, slugger Sammy Sosa shall carry them, outfielder Moises Alou shall remain healthy (the sound you hear is that of 24 other Cubs, plus the manager and coaching staff, knocking on wood, and we don't mean Kerry Wood) and that this rebuilt bullpen will be nails.
Ooooh yeah, the overwhelming temptation is to say that last summer's 65-97 record was rock bottom, and that things will be much, much better this season. Lord, lead us not into temptation ...
Mark Prior is one of the gems in a studly young rotation.(AP)
The devil, popping up over the left shoulder: Yes, yes, yes, come on, son, do it. Look at all this talent. Look at Sosa, Alou, Wood and Mark Prior. Things are happening here! Mike Remlinger, Mark Guthrie, Dave Veres and a healthy Kyle Farnsworth in the bullpen. And the kids, the kids! Hee Seop Choi at first base, Bobby Hill at second, and what about Corey Patterson in the outfield? This is the year!
An angel, popping up over the right shoulder: Whoa, keep your wits, son. Are you kidding? The Cubs on the right track? When has that ever happened? 1908? Resist temptation. They're the Cubs. What they need is prayer, not trumpets.
Me: What, have you guys been standing in the unemployment line since Animal House in 1978? Go on, scram, we're talking with Baker here.
All the funky accoutrements you've heard about, by the way, remain prevalent right here in Baker's office: The wall-mounted CD player behind his desk, the stack of cool discs from Howlin' Wolf to John Lee Hooker, the candle on the desk, the juicer that he uses daily to help maintain his health since undergoing prostate cancer surgery two offseasons ago.
Baker is calm, personable, stylish and street smart. His resume is impressive. But can he turn the Cubs into winners? It's one of the questions of the spring. He keeps reminding people that he's no Messiah. Don't expect any miracles overnight. Or quick fixes.
It's sage advice, particularly because, for the Cubs to win sooner rather than later, a handful of prospects are going to have to kick it into a much higher gear than they've ever known at this level. Center fielder Corey Patterson must arrive. Second baseman Bobby Hill must bloom.
Above all else, right now, this is Baker's biggest challenge. Because he arrives with a reputation for preferring veterans over kids, for choosing the known over the unknown whenever possible.
No question, the Pattersons, Hills and Chois need game experience. But Chicago fans have grown weary of waiting for Patterson to grow into his shoes, and Hill is having a very rough spring.
Hee Seop Choi has had Cubs fans salivating for his arrival for years.(AP)
"We don't need to be going to Chicago and have people riding these kids," said Baker, the first manager in 30 years -- and just the 12th in history -- to leave a club after guiding it to the World Series the previous year.
But where is the proper balance between nurturing the youngsters and harming them?
"I don't know," said Baker, who is still learning this team. "I'll figure it out. That's what I'm paid for -- and I've got four years to do it, not four months.
"I'm as impatient as anybody around, but I'm also more patient than most. I try not to get confused between development and achievement. There is a difference.
"If I'm going to have an impact on a young man's life, impact on an organization, impact on a city, then someone is going to have to let me develop some of these kids over the long haul, not the short haul.
"We've got some jewels here, but you can't put them in a ring just yet. Some, you've got to cut them. Some, you've got to polish them. Then, all of a sudden, you've got a diamond. And we've got some diamonds here.
"I'll be more patient than most and I'll give opportunities to 'em. I'm not going to let anybody beat 'em up. If anybody is going to beat 'em up, I'll beat them up.
"When the time comes to beat 'em up, I'll beat 'em up. When the time comes to build 'em up, I'll build 'em up."
They've been talking about Patterson -- the No. 3 pick in the 1998 draft -- for so long in Chicago that you can probably find some records of the conversations in the old Farmer's Almanac.
They were waiting for Patterson to take charge of center field in 2001, but he batted only .221 in 59 games. He was supposed to arrive last season, but he batted only .253 in 153 games -- with 142 strikeouts in 592 at-bats.
Right now, the Cubs don't appear to have a good choice as their leadoff hitter, and Baker mentioned Patterson, 23, and Hill, 23, among the leading candidates. Given Patterson's paltry .284 on-base percentage last summer, he doesn't exactly seem like the ideal candidate.
"I'd rather not use Corey if I don't have to because, theoretically, he's just learning how to hit," Baker said.
Indeed, Patterson had a grand total of 919 minor-league at-bats before debuting for the Cubs at the end of the 2000 season -- a summer in which he batted .261 for Double-A West Tenn.
"How many .260 Double-A hitters end up in the big leagues?" Baker said. "I don't understand people getting on this guy at all, because he shouldn't have even been here."
A year later, Patterson batted just .253 at Triple-A Iowa yet played in 59 games for the Cubs.
In a perfect world, Baker said, he'd slide Patterson into the six spot in the batting order this summer.
"The leadoff spot, he'd get 600 at-bats," Baker theorized. "Is that going to be good for him? Or is that going to be worse for him? That's what I've got to decide.
"Is it going to be good for us? Or is it going to be worse for us? I'd rather go with what's best for the kid because, in the long run, what's best for the kid is going to be best for us.
Bobby Hill is being counted on to anchor second base, but he's struggling this spring.(AP)
"I will not ruin some kid's career and have that on my conscience."
Hill, meanwhile, had 1,053 minor-league at-bats before debuting with the Cubs last season (he batted .253 with four homers and 29 RBI in 59 games; in 25 starts as a leadoff hitter, he batted .292 with a .348 on-base percentage).
"Close to 1,000 (minor-league) at-bats -- that ain't that many, either," Baker said.
Too, it's been a rough spring for Hill, who is just 5-for-37 at the plate. Veterans have track records, which usually render their spring training numbers insignificant because you already know what you're going to get. Hill, though, has only 190 major-league at-bats. So should his struggles this spring give the Cubs reason to worry? Probably.
Baker can always opt in favor of former Los Angeles Dodger Mark Grudzielanek to play second base, though Grudzielanek sprained an ankle and hasn't played in more than a week. Ramon Martinez is always a second base option, and there is some talk of moving Mark Bellhorn from third to second as well if the Cubs need to break the emergency glass.
As things are shaping up, the left-handed Choi remains the favorite to start at first base (with former Dodger Eric Karros, a right-hander, in line for several starts against lefties), though Hill might be playing himself out of the lineup.
But check back in a week. Patterson has encountered more stops and starts with the Cubs than a rush-hour commuter on Michigan Avenue. Hill, Choi ... we still don't know what they can do over an entire season. Same with Prior, who went 6-6 with a 3.32 ERA in just 19 starts as a rookie last summer.
The future looks tremendous. The future looks cloudy. The future looks scary. And all at once.
"You can win with kids," Baker said. "S--- yeah, you can win with kids. Look at my pitching -- they're all kids. The oldest starter is 28 (Matt Clement).
"What I'm saying is, for whatever reason before I got here, whether by necessity, hype or whatever, the expectations on some of these kids were mighty high.
"It's wrong, and it's part of the business now (to promote kids through the system), but because they're not ready, that's like skipping you to college when you should be a junior in high school. Everybody wants to skip a grade because of how much they've heard about it (at the higher levels). But you slow progress down.
"I ain't blaming nobody. I'm telling you what I see. Don't expect me to fall into this trap of getting on 'em like everybody else."
_______________________
Im fuckin excited for the cubs this year, ive been a hardcore cubs fan since i was 5, they've been my squad through thick N thin. And now, i hope and I Believe this could be the year for the cubs, and if not, there year is coming real soon. too much talent on this club, they will win a world series before the 100 year anniversery of there last championship, thats in 5 years. they got it all right now, they just need experience. GREAT PITCHING, GOOD OFFENSE, AND A GREAT MANAGER...I cant wait for the season to begin. just WATCH, Its gonna be a fun year for cubs fans
shadow
MESA, Ariz. -- Hoo, boy, is it ever tempting to look around here and figure that the Chicago Cubs are back on track, pointed in the right direction, ready to rumble. That new skipper, Dusty Baker, shall lead them, slugger Sammy Sosa shall carry them, outfielder Moises Alou shall remain healthy (the sound you hear is that of 24 other Cubs, plus the manager and coaching staff, knocking on wood, and we don't mean Kerry Wood) and that this rebuilt bullpen will be nails.
Ooooh yeah, the overwhelming temptation is to say that last summer's 65-97 record was rock bottom, and that things will be much, much better this season. Lord, lead us not into temptation ...
Mark Prior is one of the gems in a studly young rotation.(AP)
The devil, popping up over the left shoulder: Yes, yes, yes, come on, son, do it. Look at all this talent. Look at Sosa, Alou, Wood and Mark Prior. Things are happening here! Mike Remlinger, Mark Guthrie, Dave Veres and a healthy Kyle Farnsworth in the bullpen. And the kids, the kids! Hee Seop Choi at first base, Bobby Hill at second, and what about Corey Patterson in the outfield? This is the year!
An angel, popping up over the right shoulder: Whoa, keep your wits, son. Are you kidding? The Cubs on the right track? When has that ever happened? 1908? Resist temptation. They're the Cubs. What they need is prayer, not trumpets.
Me: What, have you guys been standing in the unemployment line since Animal House in 1978? Go on, scram, we're talking with Baker here.
All the funky accoutrements you've heard about, by the way, remain prevalent right here in Baker's office: The wall-mounted CD player behind his desk, the stack of cool discs from Howlin' Wolf to John Lee Hooker, the candle on the desk, the juicer that he uses daily to help maintain his health since undergoing prostate cancer surgery two offseasons ago.
Baker is calm, personable, stylish and street smart. His resume is impressive. But can he turn the Cubs into winners? It's one of the questions of the spring. He keeps reminding people that he's no Messiah. Don't expect any miracles overnight. Or quick fixes.
It's sage advice, particularly because, for the Cubs to win sooner rather than later, a handful of prospects are going to have to kick it into a much higher gear than they've ever known at this level. Center fielder Corey Patterson must arrive. Second baseman Bobby Hill must bloom.
Above all else, right now, this is Baker's biggest challenge. Because he arrives with a reputation for preferring veterans over kids, for choosing the known over the unknown whenever possible.
No question, the Pattersons, Hills and Chois need game experience. But Chicago fans have grown weary of waiting for Patterson to grow into his shoes, and Hill is having a very rough spring.
Hee Seop Choi has had Cubs fans salivating for his arrival for years.(AP)
"We don't need to be going to Chicago and have people riding these kids," said Baker, the first manager in 30 years -- and just the 12th in history -- to leave a club after guiding it to the World Series the previous year.
But where is the proper balance between nurturing the youngsters and harming them?
"I don't know," said Baker, who is still learning this team. "I'll figure it out. That's what I'm paid for -- and I've got four years to do it, not four months.
"I'm as impatient as anybody around, but I'm also more patient than most. I try not to get confused between development and achievement. There is a difference.
"If I'm going to have an impact on a young man's life, impact on an organization, impact on a city, then someone is going to have to let me develop some of these kids over the long haul, not the short haul.
"We've got some jewels here, but you can't put them in a ring just yet. Some, you've got to cut them. Some, you've got to polish them. Then, all of a sudden, you've got a diamond. And we've got some diamonds here.
"I'll be more patient than most and I'll give opportunities to 'em. I'm not going to let anybody beat 'em up. If anybody is going to beat 'em up, I'll beat them up.
"When the time comes to beat 'em up, I'll beat 'em up. When the time comes to build 'em up, I'll build 'em up."
They've been talking about Patterson -- the No. 3 pick in the 1998 draft -- for so long in Chicago that you can probably find some records of the conversations in the old Farmer's Almanac.
They were waiting for Patterson to take charge of center field in 2001, but he batted only .221 in 59 games. He was supposed to arrive last season, but he batted only .253 in 153 games -- with 142 strikeouts in 592 at-bats.
Right now, the Cubs don't appear to have a good choice as their leadoff hitter, and Baker mentioned Patterson, 23, and Hill, 23, among the leading candidates. Given Patterson's paltry .284 on-base percentage last summer, he doesn't exactly seem like the ideal candidate.
"I'd rather not use Corey if I don't have to because, theoretically, he's just learning how to hit," Baker said.
Indeed, Patterson had a grand total of 919 minor-league at-bats before debuting for the Cubs at the end of the 2000 season -- a summer in which he batted .261 for Double-A West Tenn.
"How many .260 Double-A hitters end up in the big leagues?" Baker said. "I don't understand people getting on this guy at all, because he shouldn't have even been here."
A year later, Patterson batted just .253 at Triple-A Iowa yet played in 59 games for the Cubs.
In a perfect world, Baker said, he'd slide Patterson into the six spot in the batting order this summer.
"The leadoff spot, he'd get 600 at-bats," Baker theorized. "Is that going to be good for him? Or is that going to be worse for him? That's what I've got to decide.
"Is it going to be good for us? Or is it going to be worse for us? I'd rather go with what's best for the kid because, in the long run, what's best for the kid is going to be best for us.
Bobby Hill is being counted on to anchor second base, but he's struggling this spring.(AP)
"I will not ruin some kid's career and have that on my conscience."
Hill, meanwhile, had 1,053 minor-league at-bats before debuting with the Cubs last season (he batted .253 with four homers and 29 RBI in 59 games; in 25 starts as a leadoff hitter, he batted .292 with a .348 on-base percentage).
"Close to 1,000 (minor-league) at-bats -- that ain't that many, either," Baker said.
Too, it's been a rough spring for Hill, who is just 5-for-37 at the plate. Veterans have track records, which usually render their spring training numbers insignificant because you already know what you're going to get. Hill, though, has only 190 major-league at-bats. So should his struggles this spring give the Cubs reason to worry? Probably.
Baker can always opt in favor of former Los Angeles Dodger Mark Grudzielanek to play second base, though Grudzielanek sprained an ankle and hasn't played in more than a week. Ramon Martinez is always a second base option, and there is some talk of moving Mark Bellhorn from third to second as well if the Cubs need to break the emergency glass.
As things are shaping up, the left-handed Choi remains the favorite to start at first base (with former Dodger Eric Karros, a right-hander, in line for several starts against lefties), though Hill might be playing himself out of the lineup.
But check back in a week. Patterson has encountered more stops and starts with the Cubs than a rush-hour commuter on Michigan Avenue. Hill, Choi ... we still don't know what they can do over an entire season. Same with Prior, who went 6-6 with a 3.32 ERA in just 19 starts as a rookie last summer.
The future looks tremendous. The future looks cloudy. The future looks scary. And all at once.
"You can win with kids," Baker said. "S--- yeah, you can win with kids. Look at my pitching -- they're all kids. The oldest starter is 28 (Matt Clement).
"What I'm saying is, for whatever reason before I got here, whether by necessity, hype or whatever, the expectations on some of these kids were mighty high.
"It's wrong, and it's part of the business now (to promote kids through the system), but because they're not ready, that's like skipping you to college when you should be a junior in high school. Everybody wants to skip a grade because of how much they've heard about it (at the higher levels). But you slow progress down.
"I ain't blaming nobody. I'm telling you what I see. Don't expect me to fall into this trap of getting on 'em like everybody else."
_______________________
Im fuckin excited for the cubs this year, ive been a hardcore cubs fan since i was 5, they've been my squad through thick N thin. And now, i hope and I Believe this could be the year for the cubs, and if not, there year is coming real soon. too much talent on this club, they will win a world series before the 100 year anniversery of there last championship, thats in 5 years. they got it all right now, they just need experience. GREAT PITCHING, GOOD OFFENSE, AND A GREAT MANAGER...I cant wait for the season to begin. just WATCH, Its gonna be a fun year for cubs fans
shadow