We've all had them. That wonderful time at work where our employer now has to pony up with a raise for job well done. Of course in the world of MLB, we're sometimes left scratching our head, wondering he makes WHAT? For HOW many years?
In the everyday world of us mere mortals, most of our ceilings don't even rise above the basement, let alone reach the floor of the pay scale as professional ball players. Not to mention, they actually get to play a game for a living. Damn, if my father had only been 6'5" instead of 5'6", I'd have been of Hall Of Famer! lol
However, in the brave new world of Uncle Lou Piniella, it seems that many of the players in spring training will be faced with the ramifications of some ugly performance evaluations. This has all been made possible by changes in the Cubs front office that have resulted in a plethora of talent brought in to try and fix the 20+ years of neglect by the Cubs absentee owner, The Tribune Co.
So when March 20 rolls around, the Boss will call each player into his office. It is imperative that Piniella, regardless of a player's pedigree or contract, to not only swing the axe to cut the dead weight, but possibly more important, reward those that have shown they are deserving of a starting spot in the rotation or as an everyday player.
The youth on the ball club is starting to strut it's stuff. Piniella has to demonstrate his baseball pedigree, by damning the torpedo's and full steam ahead. He has no reason at age 63, to care about appearances or what anyone else thinks. All of the planets are properly aligned, as Piniella has zero history with his players and the front office's proclamation to "Just Win Baby", has given Piniella the opportunity send the message, "without exceptions, your playing time will be dictated by how you perform between the white lines."
It would be as refreshing a sign for all of us Cub fans, as the first sun kissed day of spring, to see our team actually have the best 25 men they could possibly have in the clubhouse come opening day. Who can say if the Cubs have enough talent to win it all, but to see the best players we have, used by a manager that actually understands how to manage a game, would be good enough for me.
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2 comments:
The farm system is ranked by most as being just average these days, but it appears to me that a good chunk of that talent is pretty much ML ready. I'd love to see the Riot supplant DeRosa, Pie make the team to move Fonzie over to right, and then trade both of them for more talent. Next year Patterson and Gallagher should be ready. Then you move Theriot over to SS and swap Great Caesar's Ghost for a ham sammy.
Love the Lollygag!
Glad you enjoy the site fossilhippe. I agree that it's getting time for youth to be served. I doubt if DeRosa and Soriano could be traded after just signing them, you know that collective bargaining agreement. I also doubt if Patterson is anywhere near ready to play, or in fact will ever be ready to play 2B. His defense is really shoddy and if a talent like Soriano can't hold the 2B position, I doubt Patterson ever will. Weak defensive players just don't cut it in the infield. But we have The Riot who can do just fine at 2B and I think he'll be there before long. DeRosa brings a lot to the table with his versatility and that's why he's been a good utility guy during his career. I think Piniella will realize this and switch the two.
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