November 16, 2002
Baker a Cub:
Here's the AP story via ESPN.com:
But Baker is well aware of what he faces. Asked about baseball's lovable losers, he's said the manager who got the Cubs to win would be ''the mighty man of Chicago.''
And if anyone can get the Cubs winning on a regular basis, it could be Baker. He went 840-715 in 10 seasons with the Giants and over the final six seasons his teams averaged 91 victories.
I don't know about that last statement. As evidenced in the World Series, Baker isn't that great a strategist. So his contribution has to be motivational, and if you can't be motivated playing with Sammy Sosa in front of a packed house every day, I 'm not sure what Baker can do.
What could make Baker win is signing Jim Thome. The same article reports:
''We're very thrilled to have him,'' MacPhail said. ''His record speaks for itself. He's an enormously popular manager with his players. As result, the field of players that would like to play for the Cubs has increased with tonight's announcement by a large amount.''
In fact, the Cubs might now actively pursue Jim Thome, who hit 52 home runs for Cleveland last season. They've already acquired catcher Damian Miller from Arizona in a trade.
If the Cubs can sign Thome, Baker would have a Chicago version of Bonds/Kent. And if Thome comes to Chicago due to the signing of Baker, that a major positive for Dusty. However, the Cubs were not weak at first base last year, so it will be interesting to see what other parts Andy MacPhail and Jim Hendry bring in.
Posted by David Pinto at
10:45 AM
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Baseball