What a Perfect Ending

Congratulations are in order for the 2004 Chicago Cubs. You have now officially gone down as the most hated team in the history of the franchise! Lets have a round of applause for this collection of whiners, malcontents, and idiots!

Yesterday Steve Stone resigned and will not be back next year.

Stone, 57, didn't disclose his reasons in an open letter he wrote to Cubs fans, saying "I do not want to be forced into sharing my side of the story."

But according to Cubs and broadcast sources, Stone thought the climate had become too tense for him to operate comfortably within the organization. Stone's pointed remarks about the team during the last week of the season angered Cubs President Andy MacPhail, general manager Jim Hendry and manager Dusty Baker. They thought the comments were personal in nature.

Awww poor babies. Your team stunk it up in the second half, 95% healthy I might add, what did they expect? For Stone and Chip to laugh it off, shrug, and go "Gosh golly gee we almost had them! What a great season! Maybe Next Year..........AGAIN!"

And all of this can be traced back to one single person. Dusty Baker. Congratulations Dusty you have now worn out your welcome in Chicago. Rick Morissey has an excellent article about the
Cubs credibility.

Stone later talked with manager Dusty Baker and general manager Jim Hendry, and although he wasn't happy about what he felt had been a lack of support from the organization throughout the season, he believed they had reached an understanding. He was ready to start fresh next season.

Both Hendry and Baker said they wanted it known that, although they had no problem with Stone's on-air analysis, they were upset with what they perceived as his personal agenda against Baker.

I don't know maybe Steve Stone was getting tired of a piss poor manager run the Cubs into the ground. I certainly am. But what pisses me off was that the issue was apparently resolved, then Hendry and Baker sniped back that it was a personal grudge.

It was that conference call with reporters and another one the same day with Baker that angered Stone and made him realize he could no longer work with the Cubs, a source said Thursday night. The toxic working conditions that made him miserable in 2004 likely were going to be there in 2005.

Again Baker involved in the decision of Stone resigning.

I know were talking about a manager versus a broadcaster. And most time I will take the manager over some stupid man in the booth. But a lot of us have grown up watching Steve Stone, we know he is an intelligent person who loves the Cubs. Harey Carey was the face of the Cubs for long time, but Steve Stone ranks up there just as high. That is why this is a sad day when a manager who knows nothing about our franchise disrespects it's history and it's fans by forcing a guy like Stone away from his job.

I don't care that we finished .500 two straight years. It means nothing to me. In my opinion a 12 year old could manage this team just as well as Dusty Baker. Dusty is just in the right place at the right time in Cubs history, nothing more. If you want a real lesson in managing take a look at the 1998 Cubs under Jim Riggleman. I still haven't figured out how that team managed to win 90 games. But I know one thing they did a hell a lot more with a hell of a lot less than Baker. But you know what? Riggleman was in the right place at the right time as well. A year later he was fired. I can only wish for the same thing to take place.

You can say the winner of the battle between the Cubs' baseball side and the Cubs' business side was the one holding the bat in the end. But nobody won here. Not Hendry and MacPhail, who didn't do enough to stop a bad situation from getting worse. Not Baker and the players, who bear the most responsibility for Stone's departure.

In the end the fans lost out and in the process exposed who was really in charge of the future of the franchise. Dusty Baker.

NOTE: Yes I have hated Dusty since the day he was hired, and this incident makes me loath him more than ever. In Dusty We Trust? That is like trusting an airline pilot who just drank a half a bottle of vodka to land your plane on an aircraft carrier.