Thursday, May 21, 2009
I'd go Fox hunting.
I’d love to run a baseball team. Namely, the Chicago Cubs. To make decisions about players. About ways to make the team better. The Cubs aren’t hitting right now. In a slump. In large part because their best hitter, Aramis Ramiriz, is out with an injury. Maybe for another month yet. That makes a difference. But the Cubs are reluctant to call up their best hitter in the minor leagues. Jake Fox. He was originally a catcher. Now plays first base for Des Moines. But he also can play in the outfield. And maybe at third base, Ramiriz’s position. Of course, it would be risky putting Fox at third. He might be a defensive liability. But maybe not. I’d take a chance. Because we need another big bat in the line-up. It’s worth a gamble. Otherwise, I’m afraid that the Cubs will go into a prolonged hitting slump. They’ve lost their last two games by 3-0 and 2-1. Just can’t manufacture runs. They have good pitching. But it goes for naught. Maybe we’re on the verge of a devastating losing streak. The Cubs need a lift. If I’m running the show, I’d stay up day and night. Until I found a solution. I’d probably go Fox hunting. –Jim Broede
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Cubs lost their 4th straight tonight, 3-1. Our pitchers pitch good games. But not quite good enough because there's virtually no run support. Baseball is a crazy game. This losing streak started after a 5-game winning streak. Strange. How teams sometimes run hot and cold. It's a long season. Nothing that a 10-game winning streak won't cure. --Jim
If I'm the boss of the Chicago Cubs, I'd nip the current hitting slump in the bud. With concerted action. Because we've got to end our 4-game losing streak before things get totally out of hand. But knowing the Cubs, they'll wait. Until the streak becomes disastrous. And the Cubs may have too much ground to make up. Here's my solution. Move left fielder Alfonso Soriano to second base. Replacing Mike Fontenot, who at last count was in a 2-for-39 hitting slump. That's gawd awful. Put part-time outfielder-first baseman Micah Hoffpauir in leftfield. Fulltime. He's a darn good young hitter. Promote minor leaguer Jake Fox and have him play third base until Aramis Ramiriz gets off the disabled list in a month or so. Yes, Fox hasn't played much third base in his career. But take the gamble that he'll do all right defensively. Because he's the Cubs best hitter in the minor leagues. With lots of power. And he's also a confident hitter. I think these moves will also stimulate other hitters, and make the Cubs one of the better hitting teams in the National League. My fear is that Cubs management will sit on their hands instead of taking decisive action. If I'm in charge, I'd try to instll the killer instinct in the team and the organization. Now, I think too many players and managers take things too matter-of-factly. Let's go, Cubs. Let's get off our duffs and find ways to win. With some hits. Some runs. We've got decent pitching. Evidenced by the fact that we've lost our last three games by scores of 3-0, 2-1 and 3-1. And worse yet. To the despised St. Louis Cardinals. --Jim Broede
The Cubs continue to lose. Continue in their funk. Six straight losses now. Mostly because they can't score runs. They lost tonight in San Diego,3-1. Last night, they lost 4-0. For a week now, they have been unable to score more than 1 run in a game. Baseball is a strange game. An entire team goes into a funk. Into a hitting slump. All at the same time. I'd bring in a psychologist. To deal with it. Because baseball is a mental game. A game of confidence. One has to be in a good frame of mind. One has to believe. And the Cubs have lost confidence. As a team. --Jim Broede
Good baseball teams have swagger. I like that word. It's confidence. Mixed with a dose of arrogance. Good baseball teams take to the field expecting to win. But the Cubs expect to lose. It's an attitude. The most talented team doesn't always meet with success. In large part because of the lack of swagger. I think I have natural swagger. With only a very small dose of arrogance. But I like to fake having more arrogance than I really have. Because I think put-on arrogance is funny. --Jim Broede
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