WTNYOctober 16, 2003
Pain
By Bryan Smith

OK folks, I've been bad about posts in the last week. I went on vacation, and then had my eyes glued to a TV screen. The last week was the hardest I've ever had to endure as a baseball fan...as a Cubs fan.

It's hard for me to put everything on screen right now, which may sound cheesy. But I am a die hard fan of the Chicago Cubs, and no one knows this feeling but fellow fans. I wasn't alive in 1969, 1945, or 1908; hardly coherent for 1984 and 1989. 1997 was a joke; this was my year.

Billy Goat, Billy Buckner, Don Young...it doesn't matter. I don't care about Steve Bartman, whether he lives 45 minutes from me, or 45,000 miles. This loss was about Josh Beckett, Alex Gonzalez, Kerry Wood, Kyle Farnsworth, Dave Veres, and Dusty Baker.

Now don't get me wrong, I've been a Baker fan all year, he was a fantastic manager. And yes, I think Baker is a good manager. But there is something that holds him back from being a great manager, it holds him back from owning World Series rings. It's loyalty, it's the ability to manage in the playoffs. In three games, Jack McKeon had it, Dusty did not.

If you're managing for the Cubs: understand when to take out a pitcher, and never EVER let Dave Veres pitch. Good night, and Eamus Catuli.