Time to learn to be killers.

I want my favorite baseball team -- the Chicago Cubs -- to have a killer instinct. To never let up in a game. In other words, if the team has, let's say, a 7-0 lead in the 7th inning, to find ways to pour it on. To make the score 10-0, or 15-0. Never consider a lead too safe. Never just coast. Of course, this won't happen. The Cubs don't play with that sort of mentality. That's why they have a reputation as loveable losers. And maybe that's good. To be loveable. Rather than a hated winner. After all, baseball is only a game. Not a ruthless, take-no-prisoners war. But hey, there are many ways to play team baseball. And have fun. Winning. One can still play with swagger. Confidence. And that's what the Cubs have generally lacked. Oh, they had a bit of swagger last season. But when they reached the play-offs, they got swept, in three games. The hitters curled up in a fetus position. Anything but killers. And this season, despite being heavy favorites in their division, they remain the worst clutch-hitters in baseball. Scoring the second fewest runs among the 30 major league teams. And having the lowest team batting average with runners in scoring position. Very frustrating. Especially for Cubs fans. The Cubs can have the based loaded with nobody out, and it's likey they won't score. They've been known to go 30 and 40 times in a row without a base hit with a runner in scoring position. Eight times this season, the Cubs have been shut out. So many, many games the Cubs have lost because they can't score 3 or 4 runs. Or even one run. The pitching hasn't been all that bad. But the hitters are in a funk. Players that have been good hitters in the past can't buy a base hit in a clutch situation. They choke up. They've become patsies. Anything but killers. I've advocated hiring psychologists rather than hitting coaches. Because it isn't a matter of lack of physical skills. It's mental. It's time for the Cubs to learn to be killers. --Jim Broede