There are some facts about the Cubs that don't need to be said. I've rounded them up here so they can huddle together in their unspoken misery.
- Signing Milton Bradley was a mistake.
- Suspending him was not.
- The Cubs aren't going to the playoffs.
- Even the most jaded Cubs fans still harbored a tiny vigilante voice of hope deep in their hearts that was saying, "Let's just wait and see how we* do this weekend in St. Louis."
- That voice is now muttering obscenities.
- No matter the standings, it's always nice to beat the Cardinals, especially after watching them prematurely rush the field in jubilant, firework-lit celebration.
- Aaron Miles has had a bad year.
- The Chicago media don't like Milton Bradley. (Lesson to high-school jocks: Be nice to the nerds who don't make the team and have to settle for praising you in the school paper; they will one day have the power to torture you.)
- Jake Fox is a man's man.
- Only time will tell who overpaid more absurdly: Jim Hendry for Milton ($30 million) or the Ricketts family for this team ($845 million).
- This season has been a disaster.
- Someday we'll go all the way.
*Yes, the voice deep inside the heart of skeptical Cubs fans refers to the team as "we."
When the Cubs signed Milton, I said uh-oh. I knew his attitude wouldn't mix with the attitudes of Zambrano and Soriano. The Cubs look better than anyone on paper, but baseball is 75% talent, 15% luck, and 10% chemistry. They lack the remaining 25%.
ReplyDeleteI like Jake Fox, but he should be in the AL. I love Sam Fuld, love to see him get more playing time.
I don't think there was anyone among Cub fans who reacted to the Milton Bradley signing by saying, "Yes!!!!" What I heard at the time was varying levels of reserved skepticism and forced hope. I understand a GM not allowing the media/fan base to make his decisions, but he should have known the "meh" response would have been mutual from Bradley.
ReplyDeleteI can just picture Hendry conducting a job interview with Milton:
JH: Milton, what would you say is one of your biggest weaknesses.
MB: I'm not talking about that. Next question.
JH: . . . Okay . . . well, one of the skills any Chicago Cub needs to have is the ability to endure criticism from the fans and the media if you ever have a poor performance or an unfortunate development of some kind. How do you think you would handle negative response from . . .
MB: (interrupting) Who's talking? I'm just gonna give everything I got, play my game, and go home. If someone's saying I don't try or I'm no good, they can keep talking. They're idiots.
JM: Well, Milton, I like your spunk. How does $30 million sound?