TROUBLE - AS USUAL - IN THE WINDY CITY: TIME TO BLOW UP THE CUBBIES.Byline: MATT MCHALE BASEBALL Dusty has got to go, as does Kerry Wood Kerry Lee Wood (born June 16, 1977 in Irving, Texas) is an American baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he plays professional baseball for the Chicago Cubs. Wood became a high school phenom while attending Irving Mac Arthur High School in Irving, Texas, for his first , general manager Jim Hendry Jim Hendry (born July 27, 1955, Dunedin, Florida) is the Vice President/General Manager of the Chicago Cubs. Hendry was promoted to GM on July 5, 2002 by former Cubs President/CEO Andy MacPhail. He has worked for the Cubs since 1995. , Juan Pierre Juan D'Vaughn Pierre (born August 14, 1977 in Mobile, Alabama), is a professional baseball center fielder who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He bats and throws left-handed. In his seven years through 2006, Pierre has batted . , the Billy Goat and the ghost of Harry Carey
The Chicago Cubs have to be dismantled now, not to save this season, but to make sure this horrible, horrible summer never happens again. It's not that they are 21 games under .500, even after beating the Mets on Saturday. Not that they seem farther than ever from their first World Series title in 98 years. The Cubs are 8-21 in day games at Wrigley Field For the former ballpark in Los Angeles, see . • • [ , one of baseball's most beloved experiences. That's just wrong. Throw in Derrek Lee's two months on the disabled list, Wood's endless shoulder problems, Mark Prior's seventh trip to the DL in five years and Greg Maddux's 2-10 record since starting 5-0 and needing to blow up this team is an understatement. What is completely absurd about the situation is that the team sells out every home game and remains far more popular than the cross-town White Sox, who are coming off a World Series championship. Change usually comes slowly when the bottom line still looks rosy, but that has to end. Manager Dusty Baker tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. . This is not all his fault, but when a team loses focus to this extreme, there needs to be a change. This collection of missed cutoff men seemed to hit bottom June 30, when a 4-3 ninth-inning lead turned into a 6-4 loss to Milwaukee on a botched botch tr.v. botched, botch·ing, botch·es 1. To ruin through clumsiness. 2. To make or perform clumsily; bungle. 3. To repair or mend clumsily. n. 1. play by reliever Scott Eyre Scott Alan Eyre (born May 30 1972) is a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. On November 18, 2005 Eyre signed a 3-year contract with the Chicago Cubs. Eyre, who was born in Inglewood, California, graduated from Southern Idaho Junior College and was drafted by the Texas . It was so bad, Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly Robert Earl Brenly (born February 25, 1954 in Coshocton, Ohio) is a former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball and a current broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs alongside Len Kasper. Brenly is the Cubs' color commentator. said, ``They couldn't have played worse if they tried.'' Two years earlier, the club fired broadcaster Steve Stone There are several famous people named Steve Stone:
They were enraged en·rage tr.v. en·raged, en·rag·ing, en·rag·es To put into a rage; infuriate. [Middle English *enragen, from Old French enrager : en-, causative pref. again, but Brenly isn't going anywhere. The paper trail on these guys is never ending. And Brenly, who won a title in Arizona, could wind up the manager. Friday, just hours after learning Prior was headed back to the DL, which happens about once every 14 starts, the Cubs blew a potential inning-ending double play when shortstop Ronny Cedeno's throwing error gave the Mets two runs in a 6-3 loss. ``We make one mistake and it's killing us every day,'' second baseman Todd Walker told reporters. ``That's been the epitome of the year. This has been the toughest year of my life, because if you make one mistake it beats you. Other teams make mistakes, but they're able to hide them.'' But what to do? Hendry, who recently received an extension, shouldn't just be fired, he should have his office cleaned out by Dallas Green, the former no-nonsense Cubs GM who developed Maddux, Mark Grace, Rafael Palmeiro and Shawon Dunston when he was farm director after winning a World Series as manager of the Phillies. Hendry, like Baker, is not completely to blame. He didn't trade Dontrelle Willis. But he didn't react when Lee missed two months with a wrist injury. That's not second-guessing. That's looking at the potent NL Central and seeing that a move had to be made. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez is a 30-100 player, but he can't carry a team. The Cubs should have known that before this year. Pierre was a solid leadoff man in Colorado and Florida, but this year his on-base percentage is the lowest of his career (.318). He is a respectable .404 in July, but the pressure has been off for three months. Pierre was brought in to replace disappointing Corey Patterson, who, of course, is flourishing in Baltimore and a huge Baker blunder. Now, the Cubs have to decide whether to bring back free-agent Pierre or try Felix Pie, one of their top prospects. The bad news on Pie is a .258 average at Triple-A, with a timid .322 on-base percentage, and he has been caught stealing nine times in 17 attempts. Wood has a $3 million buyout for next season and the Cubs need to cut all ties. Once one of baseball's most electrifying e·lec·tri·fy tr.v. e·lec·tri·fied, e·lec·tri·fy·ing, e·lec·tri·fies 1. To produce electric charge on or in (a conductor). 2. a. pitchers, he received a huge contract after re-establishing his early greatness several years later. But they can't wait again. It's like when the Clippers waited around for Bill Walton to get better. He never did and neither did the team. The Cubs also need to ditch Maddux. It won't be easy, since he looks awful and has a no-trade clause in his contract. But his agent, Scott Boras, has worked magic before. The most important thing the Cubs need to do is tie right-hander Victor Zambrano to a long-term deal. Once the club worried about his maturity, but now he has won six straight in the middle of all this. He won Saturday after getting hit on the elbow at the All-Star Game by a fungo fun·go n. pl. fun·goes Baseball A fly ball hit for fielding practice by a player who tosses the ball up and hits it on its way down with a long, thin, light bat. [Origin unknown.] from White Sox coach Joey Cora. Instead of melting down, Zambrano took responsibility and didn't miss a start. The Cubs need more of that. Some of it is not their fault, but it is their responsibility. matt.mchale@dailynews.com (818) 713-3622 CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 7 boxes Photo: (1) Manager Dusty Baker has presided over a horrible summer for the Cubs, and his job has been rumored to be in jeopardy for weeks. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images (2) Chris Denorfia Box: (1) DAILY NEWS/CBS 2/KCAL 9 SPORTS CENTRAL POWER RANKINGS - Matt McHale (2) THEY SAID IT (3) WHO'S HOT (4) WHO'S COLD (5) ROOKIE WATCH (6) NOTES (7) SERIES OF THE WEEK |
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