06-28-2010, 03:47 PM
<!--quoteo(post=103437:date=Jun 28 2010, 12:17 PM:name=Scarey)-->QUOTE (Scarey @ Jun 28 2010, 12:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I just remembered the Hanley Ramirez fiascoe from a little while back. Also, BJ Upton got into it with Evan Longoria in the dugout over the weekend. Bradley is pulling his same act in Seattle along with Ken Griffey Jr falling asleep in the clubhouse. The Cardinals have had several very public off the field problems over the years. I even remember Pujols having some choice words about the Cards organization over this last off season. The Mets players have collectively given Oliver Perez a big fuck you.
I think this stuff happens more than we notice.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think it does too, but I think the Cubs have not presented a very consistent approach to handling the things that come up and that's worth noting. Z literally gets in a physical fight with Barrett that he later says was totally his own fault, and the end result is basically that Barrett is shipped out, Z is later given a massive contract. The immediate result was that <b>neither guy was suspended</b>, both just fined an undisclosed amount (think very low). This time Z throws a tantrum and pisses off Lee who yells back at him and the end result is that Z is suspended indefinitely and demoted back to the pen when/if he returns. You can argue that this was a "last straw" reaction, but I think it's more of a "Z isn't very good these days" overreaction.
Sammy leaving the last game of the season early, the players smashing the boombox and trashing him in the press, along with Cubs brass... Does that happen if Sosa wasn't treated massively differently than the other players for years when he was a HR beast, only to get treated way differently later when his skills diminished? You can't smash a boombox if it was banned from the clubhouse years back when it should have been.
The Cubs were apparently the only team offering Bradley a multi-year deal for obvious past attitude issues. Three games into spring training he's yelling at the (Cubs) fans at the games and pissing off every beat writer. But his attitude issues, which consistently fester and grow from there, don't seem to get addressed until the season is wrapping up and his numbers are in the toilet and he's suspended for talking trash about Cubs fans in the press. Cussing them out at exhibition games is good to go, saying something negative in the press is not?
The Cubs just seem to have an all or nothing approach to these issues, it's confusing and makes the team look like it's making things up as it goes along, rather than having a steady approach and philosophy regarding which players are brought in and how they are expected to act.
I think this stuff happens more than we notice.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think it does too, but I think the Cubs have not presented a very consistent approach to handling the things that come up and that's worth noting. Z literally gets in a physical fight with Barrett that he later says was totally his own fault, and the end result is basically that Barrett is shipped out, Z is later given a massive contract. The immediate result was that <b>neither guy was suspended</b>, both just fined an undisclosed amount (think very low). This time Z throws a tantrum and pisses off Lee who yells back at him and the end result is that Z is suspended indefinitely and demoted back to the pen when/if he returns. You can argue that this was a "last straw" reaction, but I think it's more of a "Z isn't very good these days" overreaction.
Sammy leaving the last game of the season early, the players smashing the boombox and trashing him in the press, along with Cubs brass... Does that happen if Sosa wasn't treated massively differently than the other players for years when he was a HR beast, only to get treated way differently later when his skills diminished? You can't smash a boombox if it was banned from the clubhouse years back when it should have been.
The Cubs were apparently the only team offering Bradley a multi-year deal for obvious past attitude issues. Three games into spring training he's yelling at the (Cubs) fans at the games and pissing off every beat writer. But his attitude issues, which consistently fester and grow from there, don't seem to get addressed until the season is wrapping up and his numbers are in the toilet and he's suspended for talking trash about Cubs fans in the press. Cussing them out at exhibition games is good to go, saying something negative in the press is not?
The Cubs just seem to have an all or nothing approach to these issues, it's confusing and makes the team look like it's making things up as it goes along, rather than having a steady approach and philosophy regarding which players are brought in and how they are expected to act.