Re: MLB 2011 Part 1
Ok, time for my annual MLB rant (Early Season Edition):
Instead of simply ragging on a team, I'm actually going to explain how I've come to accept the team I'm ragging on and why.
The team, of course, is the Chicago Cubs.
For years, I've ragged on the Cubs for saying what they don't mean...essentially lying to us about this being "the year" and inevitably falling flat on their faces about 2 weeks into the season. I've come to realize now that all of this animosity was based upon a lie disguised as faith in the Cubs.
The Cubs aren't about winning the World Series. They don't have to win to succeed. There was only a push to win it all in 2008 because it marked the centennial of the last time they won the World Series. 2008 has come and gone and, with it, the drive to win it all.
No, I'm not suggesting that the Cubs players are just going out there as a group and going through the motions. There are a few players like that, but not all.
I'm also very aware that the loser in this (besides the fans) is Mike Quade. He'll inevitably (or already depending upon who you've listened to) get blamed for the Cubs woes.
But I argue that the Cubs have no woes outside of the thoughts of their fanbase. Look. The Cubs biggest strength is their biggest weakness. Their fanbase is passionate, loyal, and will bleed Cubbie Blue win or lose. They will fill Wrigley whether they are in first place or dead last. They will buy merchandise because they are classy, perhaps stylish, and they depict their favorite team.
I'm not sure how much profit the Cubs are making at this time (no financial reports are out and there is some sort of skirmish regarding the Ricketts' financials regarding the Cubs) but... Whether the Cubs win or lose, the Cubs go on without much of any sort of accountability by the fanbase or heart/drive from the playerbase to succeed.
So, my animosity towards Jim Hendry is misplaced. He's not the GM to try to make a team that can win the World Series. Ed Lynch, McPhail, and the others that came before them weren't either. They are there to look good to the media, schmooze the media, etc. much like many groups have people whose job it is to schmooze potential investors or donors. Sure, he'll sign a big name or two every now and then, but it is just for show. He doesn't have to be competent. It's not part of the accountability standards Ricketts (or the Trib before him) has in place for the Cubs staff. All he has to do is to make a show of it, and keep the fanbase happy enough to keep coming to Wrigley. Not a hard job giving what I said about the Cubs fanbase.
So, the Cubs are simply doing what the market requires them to do: Put a product on the field that will put butts in the seats. The clientele doesn't seem to require any more of that from them, so they won't invest any more into the team such as that. They do spend money on the team, so the detractors can't say they play small budget in a big market. They're essentially covered. If the Cubs fanbase starts expecting wins and not just wins but playoff wins, and is willing to make tough decisions on their own to force Rickett's hand, then yeah. I think the Cubs could improve. But I don't see that happening.
So, I accept this as the "way it is" for the Cubs. Sure, it could change. Sure, I want it to change. But there is no need to change at this time. There are rumblings, sure. Rumors about Hendry's future preseason. It's all drivel because the Cubs are doing what they do best. So, the world turns and I'm at peace.
Yeah, I do have a proposed solution. However, I will say that my proposal's likelihood of implementation is infinitesimally small. It is a drastic plan, for sure. And it would require the fanbase to basically implode or at the very least go on temporary hiatus. Yup. In order for the Cubs to improve in the long run, people must stop coming to Wrigley on the short run. Told you it wouldn't happen.
So, what's my plan?
I say start over. No, I'm not saying "fire the manager and go youth." That's being tried and is failing. The youth movement on the Cubs, especially in the pitching ranks, shows just how bad the Cubs are as an organization. I say start COMPLETELY over.
As in: Get rid of everyone involved with player development, management, and acquisition. So, all of the scouts, GMs, Board of Directors associated with such activities, everyone involved with the scouting and signing of free agents, drafting players, player development through the minor leagues.... I can't find an organizational chart of the Cubs so I apologize for not having job titles to make this idea easier to follow.
In any case, the Cubs go back to square one: Basically the same level of beginning Florida, Arizona, etc. had when they first game into the Major Leagues. For all extensive purposes, the Cubs would be an expansion team in a traditional team's uniforms and locale.
The Cubs need to reinvent themselves completely: from philosophy to corporate culture to accountability at all levels to player strategies at the acquisition level (draft, free agency, development, etc.).
And they should do it by looking at the teams that are doing it right, such as the Phillies, Rays, Red Sox and perhaps the Braves, Rangers, and Angels. Yes, I'm mostly citing AL teams because, in my mind, that's why the Phillies have been so successful. They've modelled themselves after AL teams.
I believe in balance, solid development, and accountability. The Cubs have none of this. And until they do, they won't go anywhere.
My father is a diehard Cub fan. He's lived and breathed the Cubs since the 1950s. His one dream is to see the Cubs make the World Series. He doesn't even care if they win it all. He just wants to see the Cubs in the World Series. I feel bad for him. He'll never see it.