Fall From Grace

I think this is the first article I have seen saying Baker should be held accountable in 2005. Dayn Perry also channels alot of the ideas I express.

As for Baker, he was derelict in his duties by not speaking to Sosa since Oct. 4 of last year. By no means is Sosa blameless in this flap, but it's Baker's job to extinguish mini-controversies of this nature, not allow them to fester.

The only thing supposedly good about Baker was that he was this great players manager. I haven't seen it since he has been hired.

Burnitz's signing also means that prospect Jason Dubois, who's put up excellent power numbers in the minors, likely won't get his merited shot to win a regular job in the majors. Never mind that he could likely out-hit Burnitz while being paid the league minimum.

Anytime you bring in a .250 career hitter, a minor leaguer has just as much chance to match that or better it.

You've probably heard it parroted in some circles that the Cubs had to, or needed to, get rid of Sosa to be able to position themselves for contention in 2005. Nonsense. What they needed was a manager who would do what he's paid to do — put out fires and maintain some semblance of esprit de corps. Baker has failed miserably on both counts. If the Cubs' efforts in 2005 come to grief, and they probably will, it's Baker who should be the first casualty.

Hit it right on the button. The honeymoon is over with Baker. Read the whole article, it is something I would like to write if I could actually write.