Just North of Wrigley Field

posted by James - 1:22 PM

I'd like to thank Mike at the Cubs Pundit, who I'm currently trailing in his fantasy baseball league by quite a bit * grumble *, for pointing out this article in today's Chicago Tribune.

In the above article, the writer attacks the Cubs' poor baserunning in the last two series, armed with some unclear at best quotes from Cubs Manager Dusty Baker.

I say unclear because it's unclear who Baker gives credit to for the Cubs poor baserunning: Jim Edmonds, Sammy Sosa, Corey Patterson, Willie Mays, the failing state of today's public education...

I honestly can't tell, but I know that, if Baker actually thinks this way, we're going to continue to see these mistakes.

"I used to talk to Willie Mays, and he was telling me a good baserunner really doesn't need a third-base coach if he knows where the outfielders are playing [and] where the shortstop and second baseman are playing on a pitch-by-pitch basis," manager Dusty Baker said.

Yeah, Baker is proving himself to be quite the moron with each dumbass quote like this he gives.

What the hell is the player supposed to do? Look over his shoulder as he's running towards third. If he does that, he definitely won't be running fast enough to score on anybody, whether he's Randy Winn or Jim Edmonds.

If it's the baserunner's responsibility to make sure he can score... then Baker has to answer why the hell there's a third-base coach out there at all? To throw baseballs to the crowd at the every half inning? To collect a runner's batting gloves and battle armor?

But at least Baker's done one thing right by this... If they're not going to show third-base Coach Wendell Kim the door, I'd rather have even the Cubs' terrible baserunners making the call than him.

The funny part I took from the article is nowhere in the article does Baker defend Kim's ability to make the send-or-not-send decision.

I hope that's the message Baker is trying to send... stop paying attention to "Waving Wendell" so I don't have to fire my friend.