I don't know how many times I've said I don't care about the players in any other way than their performance. Over the years I have stressed this so many times I've lost count. One of the reasons why I wrote each year about how good Carlos Zambrano has been in his career was to point out that all that matters to me is their performance. I don't care about the sideshow.
That he alienated every teammate he had didn't bother me. It didn't affect my opinion of him because my opinion was always about what he could do on the field. The routine blow ups by Zambrano didn't bother me either. He's an emotional player, I said. I believed it and I still do. Even if he wasn't, I still wouldn't care. He threw teammates under the bus all the time. Didn't bother me. He fought with teammates. Didn't care. He quit on the Cubs. I'd have quit too if I played for the Cubs.
The performance of the player is the reason why we spent an entire day on Another Cubs Blog celebrating Sammy Sosa following the announcement of his retirement in 2009. It is at least why I thought it a good idea that perhaps the only Cubs blog still supporting Sosa do something anyway. I guess I can't speak for everyone else who helped out on what is probably my favorite day on that blog.
Sosa cheated in at least two different ways that we know of. He corked a bat and was caught. Who knows how many times he used it. He used steroids. He lied to people about the corked bat, steroids and lied through an interpreter to the US Congress. Like Zambrano, he pissed off every teammate he had, he quit on the team. I remember when Don Baylor was hired and Baylor was talking about how Sosa was going to be working harder than he had the last couple years. Clearly this was a problem, but one that didn't bother me.
I wanted the Cubs to sign Milton Bradley because he was a damn good ballplayer prior to joining the Cubs. I didn't care about the theatrics for him just as I didn't for Zambrano.
Let's say that Ryan Dempster flat out lied to Theo. He told them straight up he'd accept a trade to the Braves and then when it was completed called them up laughing his ass off because he was lying. I wouldn't care because it doesn't affect his ability to play.
I also wouldn't care because I've already decided it's OK to cheat in multiple ways, lie to the fans over and over, lie to the government, treat players like shit, quit on your team and be an inssuferable asshole that nobody in baseball wanted to be around.
Dempster? He was known as a great teammate. Nobody ever questioned his work ethic and nobody has ever suggested he consistently lied about anything, cheated or quit on the team. I haven't heard anything about him being an asshole either. So even if he had plotted all along to lie to Theo in a way that would fuck them he's a fucking saint compared Sosa, Zambrano and Bradley.
I can't defend the despicable Milton Bradley and the likes of Sosa and Zambrano and then pretend to give two shits about what happened with Dempster and the front office. Here's my only question and it is the only one that matters to me: did it affect Dempster's performance?
These players owe the Cubs nothing beyond what they're being paid for. No employee owes his employer anything beyond what they're being paid for. No employer owes any employee anything they aren't paying for.
I'm not saying this is for everyone. I'm just saying that I don't have the time, energy or patience to sift through the mountains of shit the sportswriters publish to figure out what's true and what isn't. I have no interest in this shit. I want the Cubs to be good. I don't want them to be the most honest, hard working, pleasant, team in baseball. If they are, great. It's just not the least bit important to me. I couldn't care less what any of these guys do off the field.
Comments
I’m surprised Ryno hasn’t come around since the Rangers added two Cubs. I’m pretty sure he was around here recently.
mb21Quote Reply
Add to this that I also don’t care what Theo did that wounded Dempster’s fragile ego. It’s Theo’s job to make the team better, not to salve the wounds of a ginger dugout acrobat.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Mish, I didn’t know you were Vietnamese: http://www.iheartchaos.com/post/28441640985/vietnamese-guy-builds-a-homemade-batpod-because
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Ah, you wouldn’t believe how much crap our blog gets for defending Sammy Sosa and Zambrano…kudos.
It’d be nice if the team were honest and hard-working and stuff, but I’d just rather they not suck (dying laughing)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
But think of the children, my god, the Children!
BubbaBiscuitQuote Reply
Not just a lengthy post mentioning how little you care about whatever is the subject of your lengthy post, but this is THE ENTIRE SUBJECT of the post. This has to be your piece de resistance. Bravo.
Dick McCheesedoodleQuote Reply
@ Dick McCheesedoodle:
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
I think we only factually know that sammy sosa cheated once (the corked bat)
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
It’s an odd double standard here, MO. You like Z and Sosa and have no problem defending them no matter what and you’ve never liked Dempster. It’s not surprising the side you take here. What is surprising is the rationale for it. It wasn’t Hendry’s job to treat Sosa, Zambrano or Bradley with respect either, but you’ve complained endlessly about it. As have I. It’s not the fans job to treat these guys with respect either, but both of us have complained about it. But it’s suddenly important when it comes to Dempster?
mb21Quote Reply
mb, wouldn’t you say that a player’s antics affect his relationship with his teammates and/or his own mental health and/or some other factors, any of which would adversely affect his on-field performance? i definitely agree with your thesis in that i don’t give a shit if a player is a complete jerkoff but if it affects his performance than i absolutely care. i don’t think this is true for most players but in some instances i think the team definitely does worse if one dude is a raging dick.
then there are the cases where some asshole does something illegal and gets suspended/jailed/whatever and thus the whole team suffers form that player’s loss of production. how pissed would you have been at castro if those rape charges had stuck? i don’t think he owes the team jack shit but if they signed him to a big salary, he’s got an obligation to be there playing, not sitting in the clink.
again, i mainly agree with you but there comes a point when you hold players to certain standards of behavior.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
@ mb21:
I don’t like Dempster’s mouth. I hate the phony fan favorite game he plays. I hate the he’s the first one to spill clubhouse shit when a guy leaves. I only care that he lied insofar as it belies the bullshit he sells the writers and the fans here, to the detriment of his teammates who aren’t media whores. I love watching Dempster’s fan favorite façade come crashing down, because I’ve known for a while that it’s a bunch of self-serving BS.
However, I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said above, and I fully acknowledge Dempster was completely within his rights to do what he did, whatever he actually did. Just as Theo was fully in his rights to do what he did. And I actually think Demp unwittingly did the Cubs a favor. I think they got a better deal in the long run.
There are no winners or good guys here. Just greedy, egomanical men measuring their dicks.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
OK, but isn’t it then more than acceptable and not at all silly for someone to hate Sosa or Zambrano? Nothing you’re saying here is the least bit relevant to baseball yet the reasons people hate the other two actually do have to do with baseball. I’m just trying to understand why you’d feel as you do about Dempster, but also about the people who trash Sosa and Zambrano. I’m with you when it comes to the latter two, but I’d argue the very reason I don’t like it for them is the same that’s happening with Dempster.
As much enjoyment as you’re getting out this, keep in mind you’re looking at a small minority of Cubs fans. Dempster is and will always be loved by the fans. The same people that love the ridiculous shit Santo did are the same ones that love Dempster.
mb21Quote Reply
EnricoPallazzo wrote:
Yeah, that’s when it becomes a problem and has an affect. I had no problem with people calling Zambrano an idiot for getting ejected, which hurt the Cubs. That’s fair. It was an idiotic thing to do. So what the shit that got him suspended. With Zambrano I can appreciate that argument. Sosa didn’t have the behavioral issues that Zambrano did so I don’t buy it when it comes to him, but the guy was hated by teammates and someone might argue it had an impact. I’d disagree, but I don’t know if it did or not.
mb21Quote Reply
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
Agreed and that goes for the front office too.
mb21Quote Reply
@ mb21:
The people that really hate Sosa and Zambrano hate them for reasons that have nothing at all to do with baseball.
I don’t have to defend everyone on this team because I’ve defended two or three of them.
And the truth about my feelings on Z and Sosa is that towards the end of their careers, they brought a lot of the hate on themselves. Just as Dempster brought this on himself. The further truth is that I defended Z and Bradley far beyond what I probably should have, even as I feel that much of what happened to them was completely unfair. I don’t think Dempster is being treated unfairly here. He said he’d work with the team to do what was best for them, and the he didn’t do that. His right. But when you say something like that, you have to expect backlash. Especially from this fanbase. And instead of manning up and admitting it was a line of BS and he was doing what any sane person would do in the same situation, Dempster tries to play the victim with all this “blindsided” business. Just like Z trying to soft-peddle throwing Marmol under the bus.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
@ mb21:
I meant that to include them.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
The Greg of Rohan has been promoted to AAA?
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
I guess I just don’t understand how it’s so personal to you and why we suddenly think these guys are going to speak the truth to the media. Haven’t we always known that these guys say whatever they want without actually being honest?
By the way, I think Dempster did get what he deserved. Most Cubs fans couldn’t give a fuck about this.
mb21Quote Reply
@ mb21:
I don’t think they speak the truth. I think Dempster is being disingenuous. But i knew that shit was BS when he said it. No player thinks that way.
It’s only personal for me because I think Dempster is massive phony. I could care less about him vetoing the trade. I think it’s entirely disingenuous of him to say what he said and now try to curry favor by acting “surprised.” But that’s who he is, and I’m glad at least some Cub fans are seeing it.
And BTW, Z got more shit for adopting a kid and playing softball with his kids than Dempster has gotten over this.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
I feel like this dialog is the next comic. Beer dude is obviously MO.
joshQuote Reply
@ josh:
I was blindsided by this comment. I refuse to go comment on any other blogs now.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
New shits up
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply