Wish almost granted
We’ll never forgive Dusty Baker was completely mismanaging Game 6 of the 2002 World Series and then hightailing it out of town after the season. So we knew it was a matter of time before the Cubs figured out that Dusty is a horrible manager that had the benefit of coaching a team with Barry Bonds at the prime of his career.
On July 4th, Cubs GM Jim Hendry announced that he would use the All-Star break to determine whether the club needed a complete overhaul. Hmmm… at 30-53 and a $95M payroll, the inevitable answer is: Yes. It looks like Baker and coaches Gene Clines, Larry Rothschild, Gary Matthews, and Juan Lopez will be gone as early as next week. Dusty Baker’s contract will expire in 133 days (thanks to the folks at FireDustyBaker.com for that countdown clock.) but that’s not soon enough to get rid of him.
Here are some reactions from the Cubs blogosphere:
“I still maintain that it is absolutely pointless to put some interim guy — and it’s been suggested that if Baker and the coaching staff were dumped, Chris Speier might be the only one retained and he’d be that “interim” guy — in to finish out this morass of a year, and then conduct a search in the offseason, as they did in 2002. Is that what you all want? Three months of another Bruce Kimm? What’s the point?” — Bleed Cubbie Blue
“I am anxiously awaiting the firing of the Dusty Bunch, but I also want to see my Cubbies start playing well again. I am conflicted internally, because if the team does really well, I worry that Dusty will keep his job. On the other hand, I feel like a traitor for hoping that the Cubs do so miserably that Hendry can’t possibly justify holding onto Baker for another minute. The reality is that I truly can’t stand the lame politics that are keeping the Dusty Bunch in power. It is all about Hendry/Tribsters saving face, and nothing to do with what is best for the team, and that is that saddest part of this entire mess of a season.” — Chicago Cubs Online
“But it is not all Baker’s fault. Hendry is not innocent as well. He had to know that Wood and Prior was shaky at best. If he knew that. A good arm was need to be added. Instead he relied on young pitching and it showed. The Cubs really slowed down after Maddux hot start finally and predictably cooled off. Marshall,Williams and Rusch was not enough. And if Hendry thought otherwise, well he was just fooling himself.So he is as much at fault as Baker. Except on difference, Hendry has stated publicly that he was wrong for doing what he did with this team. But I’ve yet to hear Baker condemn himself for the bad play of this team in the last two and half months.” — Firing from the Bullpen
