A Waste of Newsprint and Ink

Phil Rogers does his best to defend Dusty Baker today. Good thing Dusty isn't relying on Phil in a death penalty appeal or Dusty would have veins full of sodium thiopental, pancuronium and potassium chloride.

General manager Jim Hendry is safe, thanks to the contract extension he received only last month, but you've got to wonder about manager Dusty Baker and Andy MacPhail

So, Jim Hendry won't be fired, but a new team president could be hired. Wouldn't said president get to hire his own GM? Who does Phil think owns the Cubs? The McCaskeys?

if Baker doesn't want to discuss an extension until after the season, or wants accountants to work overtime massaging the numbers, then it's time to find another manager and coaching staff.

So, retaining Baker has nothing to do with his ability to coax wins out of a $94 million payroll, or develop talent like Murton and Cedeno, or keep his pitchers off the DL. No, it's how long he takes to negotiate a contract. Brilliant.

I'd tell him to try new batting and pitching coaches (he ought to consider immediately promoting Von Joshua from Triple A to be the hitting coach).

Shouldn't a coach have ultimate control over his staff? And, if it is determined by Hendry that Baker is incapable of hiring an effective staff, isn't that cause for dismissal?

But the more I consider this morass of a season, it seems to me that the Cubs probably still need Baker more than he needs them.

Why? How does keeping him help in 2006. Phil tries to answer:

Baker has a tremendous dignity, which he wears on his sleeve. He has credibility from his playing and managing days. He gets respect from umpires and opposing managers.

What a joke. Baker gets respect from the umpires because he doesn't show them up or point out mistakes they make. That hasn't translated into any tangible benefits. Look at all the third strikes Moises Alou got called balls. Look at all the close pitches Kerry Wood got the benefit of the doubt on. Oh, yeah. Never happened.

Baker doesn't intimidate umpires. That's translated into fewer calls going the Cubs' way.

If he wasn't running the Cubs, who would be?

Oh, lord. Who wouldn't? Phil mentions Lou Piniella. Ok, I guess. How about Whitey Herzog? Tom Kelly? Steve Stone (wouldn't that be entertaining!)? Davey Johnson? Dallas Green?

Think outside the recycled box. How about Ryne Sandberg. Jody Davis. Greg Maddux as a player manager. Andre Dawson.

Hell. How about JIM HENDRY. Make him manage what he's wrought. He did it at Creighton, why not here?

There is no shortage of candidates who would bring dignity, credibility from playing and/or managing days, and would get respect from umpires and opposing managers.

Phil's a dope. The whole column proves it. And he also continues to miss the point. Until Andy MacPhail goes, it's all just spitting in the wind.