A couple of weeks ago, Tom Ricketts, in response to a question about how the Cubs were doing, said something to the effect that the Cubs were okay, it was just some injuries.
No, it isn’t, and no, they aren’t. The Cubs have had some injuries, but they also have the 29th best record in major league baseball. (Thank heavens for Houston. [Who would have ever thought Cubs fans would say “thank heavens for Houston”?]) Marlon Byrd and Andrew Cashner are not going to move you from 29th to playoff territory, even if you throw in Darwin Barney, too.
The fact is, the Cubs aren’t any good. We have a third baseman whose fielding skills remind you of Roger Dorn – at the beginning of Major League, not the end. (Ole!) Our left fielder would be great at DH; the problem is that he plays in the National League. Our first baseman is hitting 25 points better than last year. The problem is that he hit .196 last year.
And then there was the game yesterday. We were playing the Royals and we had a chance to jump into 28th place, but it was not to be. Twice we had the pitcher and a fielder fail to communicate on how to handle a bunt/ground ball. It was almost pathetic. Why are Cubs’ teams such lousy fielders? Aren’t they supposed to work on this during spring training? Aren’t they supposed to learn this in the minors?
I understand that when you are batting, the pitcher on the other team is trying to get you out, so it’s not just up to you. The same is true for pitching. The batter on the other side is trying, too. You can throw a great pitch, but the batter can hit it anyway. But when it comes to fielding, it’s just you and the ball. The ball isn’t on the other team – though sometimes it looks that way when the Cubs are on the field.
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