Nice Work

I don't think I've ever read one Pete becker before, but after reading this good stuff, I may become a follower of his.

In a story about What to Watch in 2007, he focuses a section on the Cubs. Now, the smart fans have been doing so since early May. It's nice to have Pete catch up with the rest of the world. Kidding aside, he's very sharp with his criticism:

...allow me to state that the fortunes of the Cubs, fantasy and reality, hinge on ridding themselves of the Dusty influence. Having already pitched Kerry Wood's career into an early grave and sent Mark Prior to the disabled list three times in the last two seasons, Baker seems hell-bent on reuniting Carlos Zambrano with his wounded brethren. To nobody's surprise, Zambrano is tops in the National League in the pitches thrown, trailing only Barry Zito for the major league lead. What's worst, Zambrano is actually less efficient than he's been in four years, closing in on 17 pitches per inning, up three-quarters of a pitch from his three-year average. Apparently, though, nobody's worried in Cubs land because, despite their being out of the playoff picture and not having an excuse to squeeze their lone remaining ace for all he's worth, that's exactly what they're doing.

Nobody's immune. Carlos Marmol has topped 110 pitches in two of his last three outings. Know how often Francisco Liriano has topped 110 pitches this season? Once. By one pitch. He usually gets pulled around 100, no matter how many innings or how well he's doing, because the Twins have a well-established organizational policy of protecting their young arms. (127-pitch appearance by Matt Garza notwithstanding. That was an aberration and not indicative of how the Twins have protected their arms). But not the Cubs. No, the Cubs, enablers that they are, have given Dusty Baker a vote of confidence through the rest of the season, though they haven't gone so far as to re-sign him for next year. But why? Why leave the butcher in another two months so he can audition for his next job by showing just how much he can squeeze out of a depleted lineup? And squeeze he will. For all Carlos Zambrano's worth.

If there is a reason to wish Dusty Baker and his enabler Jim Hendry both get to keep their jobs, I'm afraid no logical person can find it.