Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Maybe, Just Maybe, This Will Work

When he was named President of the Cubs, John McDonough said that he had been hired to build a winning team. He said that Cubs fans deserved a winner after all of the years of frustration they have lived through.

Many people dismissed McDonough’s comments as just hype. After all they said, McDonough was head of marketing before getting the job of president and he is skilled at telling people what they want to hear. The Cubs have a 100 year history of ineptitude, they reasoned, how was a marketing guy going to turn things around?

I have another take on all of this. Maybe the hiring of Lou Piniella is the first move designed to turn the Cubs into winners. Perhaps the increase in the payroll for 2007 is another move to help the Cubs secure the players they’ll need to win. As we move forward, maybe Jim Hendry will sign the free agents the team needs. Maybe he’ll make trades that will turn things around. Maybe these players will buy into the organization’s commitment to win. Maybe McDonough really is committed to doing what he said he was hired to do. Maybe Jim Hendry will do what he has been unable to do in the past. Maybe Lou Piniella is the right man to turn Hendry’s work into wins.

I don’t now if any of this is correct, but I’m willing to drink the Kool-Aid for now. Maybe I want the Cubs to win the World Series so bad that I’m willing to buy into this plan. Maybe all of the long years of frustration are blinding me to the reality of the situation. Or maybe this really is going to be the Cubs year. I guess only time will tell.

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