That Dusty Post
The Cubs enter the All-Star break on a three-game winning streak, having won three of four at Milwaukee. Unfortunately, they're still 20 games under .500 and were hopelessly out of contention six weeks ago. And now it seems the question isn't whether Dusty will be retained it's when Dusty going to be fired.
I don't think anyone blames this season's outcome on Baker alone. In fact, he'd barely crack the top five if I were to rank the reasons for why the Cubs are in fifth place. No, this failure primarily belongs to Jim Hendry. However, just because Hendry 's to blame doesn't mean Dusty's doing a good job. Far from it.
Whether it's poor lineup construction, failure to teach fundamentals, daft double switches, reluctance to play rookies, throwing his own players under the bus, preaching a "no patience" batting philosophy, or simply deflecting all blame from himself; Dusty Baker has not done anything to prevent the Cubs from hanging themselves. And for that reason I endorse his dismissal. This team is bad, but it's not "20-games-under" bad. You can blame the injuries all you want, but there's simply no excuse for the Cubs to be this bad.
Personally, I would dump him at the All-Star break. A lot of people would prefer see Dusty finish the season rather than bring in a Jim Essian type to act as interim manager. I disagree. While the next Bruce Kimm won't likely make any sort of difference on the outcome of this season, they will "stop the bleeding." An interim manager wouldn't think batting Neifi Perez second every day is saving the integrity of the game by fielding his best lineup. An interim manager can be forced to keep his young pitchers on a strict pitch count. Firing Baker now would accomplish two other things as well. One, it would send a message to the fan base that this performance will not be tolerated. And two, it would allow the Cubs to start interviewing a permanent replacement ASAP.
I'm not really sure who I would want to take over the Cubs at this point. No veteran manager particularly stands out, to tell you the truth. Lou Piniella, Jack McKeon, Bobby Valentine, Davey Johnson...all have distinguishable pros and cons. Perhaps Tom Kelly would be interested in taking over? I think the best way to go, though, might be finding new blood. It's hard for a fan to determine what sort of new blood would make a good manager, but some interesting names have been kicked around and all would be a worthy interview. Rather than name names, I'd simply want to make sure Hendry hires a manager that follows these simple guidelines. The person must first-and-foremost be an effective communicator, and be able to teach and to lead. This person must not be allergic to new ideas (aka. rookies) and willing to consider to an analytical approach to the game. That's it, really.
With a new manager, a few more talented players, and a little luck, the Cubs might just get out of the cellar next year. Till next time...