So What Have We Learned?

The 2010 Baseball and Fantasy season is about to end and it would make sense to reflect. OK, so what have we learned?

We’ve learned that you can make seven trades sending out 21 players and run to a title. You can also make one trade, trading one single player and vie for the title before ending up fighting for second place.

We’ve learned that you can manage a baseball team in a major market making statements like “Look, what more can I do? I’ve tried everything.” And keep your job.

We have always known that every team wins 60 and loses 60. We’ve learned that the Cubs have worked hard to go 12-25 with the other 37 (five games left to play).

We’ve learned that if you want to win the CFCL Championship, the trend is it’s best to live out of state (Ruffins ’06, Kenndoza ’07, Kenndoza ’09, Ruffins ’10).

We’ve learned that relocation is not the only thing keeping Dem Rebels from taking home the Copperfield Trophy.

We’ve learned that Alfonso Soriano is capable of being productive outside of the leadoff spot. A lesson learned waaaay too late.

We’ve learned that small payrolls (Minnesota, Cincinnati, San Diego) can win if there is a team concept in place.

We’ve learned that brothers who cheer for different Chicago teams can work together to thoroughly trounce their cousin.

We’ve learned we still don’t know what to expect from Zambrano. He’s still one stupid fielding error away from another meltdown.

We’ve learned that a Non-Big Name, Career Minor League Manager can breathe new life into a sleepwalking franchise.

We’ve learned that the Revenge, by acquiring Mat Latos (.02), Fernando Martinez (.05), Tommy Hanson (.02), Dexter Fowler (.02), Andrew McCutchen (.05), Matt Cain (.10) and Freddie Freeman (.05) have a plan for 2011.

We’ve learned that the Monroe Doctrine has some awesome, loyal readers. Thanks to the Ruffins, Revenge, Fezboy and DoorMatts for consistently tuning in.

We’ve learned that we still have to wait ‘til next year.

Who Will Bring the Scorecard to Homeplate?

This off-season the Cubs (and by that I mean Jim Hendry and Tom Ricketts) have a big decision to make on whom to put in the thirdbase dugout at Wrigley next year so that Ron Santo can introduce him as "the fine manager of the Chicago Cubs" during the prelude to the Pat & Ron Show. There are plenty of candidates to replace the retired Lou Pinella.

Among the interviewees we have heard are: Eric Wedge, Tony LaRussa, Freddie Gonzalez, Joe Girardi, Bob Melvin, Ryne Sandberg, Mike Quade, Bob Brenly.

Before the interview process really even got out of the blocks, Freddie Gonzalez declined an opportunity to be interviewed, deciding instead to focus his attention on replacing Bobby Cox.

Eric Wedge has already been met with and follow ups with him are expected. When I first heard that Wedge was on the list, I thought “Oh god, why him?” Well, here’s why. In 2005 won 93 games and finished second. In 2007 won 96 games, finished first in the division and won AL Manager of the Year. He brings some cred with him, if the Cubs go in that direction. Not my top choice, but a strong candidate to be considered.

Bob Brenly – Don’t know if I like this option. Won a World Series in his first year with Arizona. Certainly a wonderful accomplishment (something no one on the North Side has been able to do since Frank Chance led the Cubs to a title in 1908, but he had Schilling, Johnson and Luis Gonzalez (all suspects in the great Steroid Era). I have to say that I think Brenly is amazing in the broadcast booth, but in the dugout I’m not so sure. I don’t hear anyone saying that Steve Stone should go down to manage a team because he’s an awesome analyst. Yeah, Brenly had two first place finishes in his first two years with the Diamondbacks, but he’s pretty low on my list.

Ryne Sandberg – The fan favorite and the favorite when using your heart not your head. Here’s my dilemma. I would love Sandberg to manage the Cubs. He’s moved from A to AAA in the minors having success at each level. He’s ready. Is he ready for the Cubs? Don’t know. But with as many as 17 openings, someone’s going to grab him. It would bug me as a Cubs fan to have him manage some other team (I don’t like Mike Singletary coaching the 49ers). But what I really don’t want is for Sandberg to be named, have him struggle for a year or two and then get canned. If he’s here I want it to be a long time, whether we win the division every year or not. Whether we win the World Series or not. I want consistent long-term success from him and for him. But I also don’t want special consideration to be made for him because he’s a Cub Legend and Hall of Famer. He’s near the top of the list.

Tony LaRussa – Great manager. Tons of success, but I don’t think he should be here. He’s 66 at the end of the year. While that’s certainly not old for baseball managers (see Torre, Pinella, Leyland) he’s got fewer managerial years ahead of him than behind him.

Joe Girardi – Here’s an interesting situation. Manager of the Year in 2006 with Florida. World Series title and two Division Titles with the Yankees. Plenty of years ahead of him. Chicago born and bred, played for the Cubs. Good baseball mind. But why would he leave the Yankees? Well, in the past few days there have been reports he’s thinking about it, possibly due to all the stress managing the Yankees brings. The Cubs aren’t a cakewalk in stress free management, but I’ve got to believe it’s not the same pressure cooker New York is. Wouldn’t mind seeing him in Cub pinstripes.

And here’s my darkhorse favorite.

Mike Quade – Sixteen years minor league managing experience. He’s had success in the minors. He’s worked with a lot of the Cubs young players currently in the majors (Soto, Cashner, Colvin). Even with sixteen years in the minors under his belt, he’s still young. He started managing when he was 26. He’s got an energy about him that hopefully would translate to the team. Here’s the problem. The team is currently 17-7 under him. That’s incredible considering what Lou did with the team this year. BUT, the Cubs are mathematically out of any playoff appearance. It really doesn’t matter if they pass the Brewers and Astros. Finishing 3rd or 5th, 25 games out of first is basically the same. So it’s not hard for the team to place loose and for the atmosphere to be positive. What happens in April 2011? What happens if the Cubs are half a game out of first in July facing the Cardinals in an important weekend series and Zambrano and Ramirez are thinking about themselves and not the team? Will Quade’s positive vibe and energy work then?

None of us know. In fact none of us know which manager on the list would be the best fit because it’s a guarantee that each would have some success and each will ultimately have failure. There are no Connie Mack or John McGraw tenures any longer now that Bobby Cox is retiring. Certainly no tenures like that in big city markets like Chicago. We can only hope Hendry/Ricketts select someone that will be given the time to find success.

Did Thomas Edison Have Anything To Do With This?

There are arguments about what the greatest invention has been. The airplane. The telephone. The seedless watermelon. Ziplock sandwich bags. If I were to cast a vote I would have to say it’s baseball-reference.com. This is by far the most addictive, most amazing thing in the world. Recently I logged in and was stunned at the journey I took.

Always start on the Cubs Franchise page. Click on top player, 1991, Jody Davis (Davis’ stat page opens). Interesting . . . middle name is Richard and he was originally drafted by the Mets. Yep, batted .389 in ’84 NLCS. Click on hyperlink to 1984 NLCS.

Cubs had a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the seventh in Game 5. Ugh. Ooh! Tim Lollar – he was a Rebel! Click on Lollar’s hyperlink.

Hmm, not much here. Five games under .500 for his career, why in the hell did I draft him? Must move on. He pitched for Boston in 1986. Click on Boston’s ’86 hyperlink.

Baylor at 37 was the DH with 31 homers and 94 RBI. Buckner had 102 RBI. Click on his hyperlink.

Twenty-two seasons. Three straight years (’80-’82) he finished in the top 15 in MVP voting. He actually had 31 and 28 steals in seasons early in his career and finished with 183. Wait, go back. 1982 finished 10th in MVP voting. Who finished ahead of him? Click on MVP hyperlink.

Dale Murphy was MVP followed by Lonnie Smith (?), Pedro Guerrero, Oliver, Sutter, Schmidt, Jack Clark, Greg Minton, Carlton and Buckner. Schmidt, huh? Click on hyperlink.

Michael Jack. Hall of Famer. Cub Killer. Best thirdbaseman ever. Wore number 22 as well as 20 for the Phillies. Elected to HOF in 1995 with 96.5% of the vote. 15th in career homeruns (548), thirty-third in RBI (1595) and seventh in strikeouts (1883). Who had more? Click hyperlink.

Reggie Jackson, Jim Thome, Sammy Sosa, Andres Galarraga, Jose Canseco and Willie Stargell. I swear Babe Ruth was near the top of the list. Nope he’s 95th. Hank Aaron? He’s 78th. The two top homerun hitters (I don’t acknowledge Bonds) were also amazing contact hitters. Craig Biggio had more strikeouts than Aaron and Ruth. Mike Cameron is 10th for crying out loud.

And so it goes. Every trip to baseball-reference.com is a different journey. And no matter what I went there for, if there were two things I wanted to look up (say Dawson’s career stats and Lou Gehrig’s numbers) I’ll never get to Gehrig because something on Dawson’s page will take me somewhere else and three hours later I have to face real life and haven’t seen a stitch of Gehrig.

Amazing, amazing collection of baseball numbers.

Why It's The Greatest Game

First of all I will offer this disclaimer, I have not researched or given detailed thought to the parallels of baseball’s beauty with that of football, basketball or the now relevant (thanks to the Hawks) hockey. This is a discourse on why baseball is awesome as a sport and as a thread in the fabric of our life.

On paper it would seem that a team with superstars (i.e. the Cardinals with Pujols, Carpenter and Wainright, not to mention LaRussa in the dugout) should be the run away winners for the Central if not the National League. Yet the best team in the National League is the San Diego Padres with basically one recognizable name – Adrian Gonzalez. Baseball has always demanded excellence as a team.

You can have a conversation with your children or parents about baseball even if you can’t communicate about anything else. Talking about today’s game allows the parent to comment on the game when they were a child. Baseball is one of the few sports that transcends the generations. Someone who saw Ted Williams play can talk to someone who sees Albert Pujols play about essentially the same game. A clutch homerun or a perfect game is meaningful whether it happened in 1940 or 2010.

It reminds you of simpler times. Going to Wrigley and paying $1.50 to get in the bleachers and sit where you want, like in leftfield, fourth row near the catwalk.

You can take a summer or a lifetime to visit every major league ballpark in the country with your kids.

It’s the immediate icebreaker. You can share with complete strangers details of memorable games from your past and they with you.

It provides for an even deeper rivalry if, say, you like the Cubs and your sibling likes the White Sox.

There is always a chance for a team to win no matter how far behind they may be. There’s no clock that can get run out, if you win it means you put down the other team 27 times. During the game the pace allows you to observe and appreciate the game; the positioning of the fielders; the batter standing in the box.

Once the ball is in play you can choose to watch the ball or you can watch the fielders as they position themselves for a relay throw or you can watch the baserunners as they cut the bases perfectly to get ninety feet further.

There is nothing like and no feeling like Opening Day. No other sport is even close. Turning the page from winter to spring with the rebirth of the greatest game in the world.

During the harsh, cold, boring winter, baseball provides a plethora of incredible books to ingest while we wait for pitchers and catchers to report.

And if you’re really lucky, maybe just maybe you can meet a girl while watching the Cubs; then go to a handful of games at Wrigley Field; get engaged while flying over Wrigley during a doubleheader; have children named after Cubs legends and baseball shrines and then wait ever so patiently to share the joy with your family when the Cubs finally get to the World Series.