MLB News & Notes (other than Cubs or Sox)

[jstraw]

I don't love Stone no more but I still think he never crossed the line with his criticism of the play on the field and the fact that the clubhouse was allowed to muzzle him was bullshit.

[MickKelleherWasMyHero]

Hawk kind of looks like a gay Freddie Krueger (pre-burn) in that photo.

[rok]

Judging from all the old photos I've seen, including that one, Hawk was the Ryan Braun (sans talent) of his day. He would be rocking Affliction and Ed Hardy shirts like nobody's business.

[BT]

I don't love Stone no more but I still think he never crossed the line with his criticism of the play on the field and the fact that the clubhouse was allowed to muzzle him was bullshit.

 

Did the clubhouse muzzle him? Was he told to stop being negative? Or did he just start bitching that Dusty didn't have his back? I don't remember, but those are not the same thing.

[jstraw]

Didn't Stone get told to knock it off that stemmed from someone picking up a phone in the clubhouse and whining to management?

[BT]

Didn't Stone get told to knock it off that stemmed from someone picking up a phone in the clubhouse and whining to management?

 

everything I see is that he was pissed at Baker for not having his back. I can't find anything where Cubs management told him to stop critiquing players (although I did see references to management pointing out to Stone that some of his critiques were personal rather than professional, and given his actions since leaving, I find that entirely plausible).

[jstraw]

Leaving the Cubs booth
Stone refused a contract extension as the Cubs color-man after the 2004 season amid a controversy involving Cubs players who felt he was being overly critical of their performance. Even so, he was a fan favorite. This was apparent at the Cubs' last home game of 2004, when, after the game had ended and all the players had left the field, nearly everyone left in the stadium looked up to the broadcast booth and chanted "Stoney! Stoney!" for several minutes. One reason he was so well-liked was his ability to accurately predict what might happen in various game situations, explaining to the audience why the strategy or pitch would be successful prior to the play. A famous example of this was him expressing "I wouldn't pitch to this guy" in a 2004 game, seconds before the batter (Adam Dunn) hit a home run off Cubs pitcher Mike Remlinger to give the Reds the lead.

Stone expressed frustration with Cubs manager Dusty Baker for not controlling his players. At one point during the 2004 season, Kent Mercker called the broadcast booth from the bullpen during a game to complain about comments made, also confronting Stone in a hotel lobby.^[15] Among the comments that reportedly irked Mercker were Chip Caray's praise of Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt. It was also reported that Mercker and left fielder Moisés Alou shouted at Stone on a team charter plane to a road game in 2004, and that Alou tried to have Stone and Caray banned from the team charter flights.^[16]

On September 30, 2004, in the wake of a 12-inning loss to the Cincinnati Reds that all but eliminated the Cubs, Stone strongly criticized the team. "The truth of this situation is [this is] an extremely talented bunch of guys who want to look at all directions except where they should really look, and kind of make excuses for what happened...This team should have won the wild-card [playoff berth] by six, seven games. No doubt about it."^[17] The comments stunned manager Baker, and were a factor in Stone's resignation as a Cub broadcaster the following month.^[18]

[chshdsck]

The truth hurts...I'll have to agree with Stoney

[Coldneck]

I agreed with Stoney then I agree with him now. I remember thinking Alou was acting like a bitch during the whole thing. That said, I wasn't around Stoney all the time on charter flights, during travel or team meals. I'm sure he's a real know-it-all prick that just grates on the nerves. I may have done the same thing as Alou after I'd had a few years of his bullshit. 

[BT]

Again, no one muzzled him. The truth of his comments are completely and utterly beside the point.

 

Put another way, Stone criticized the players, the players got upset. The players criticized Stone, Stone quit. The players moved on. Stone has spent 9 years backstabbing, undercutting, and slighting the Cubs, Hendry and Baker. You want to call Mercker and Alou bitches? Fine, I won't argue. How is Stone exempt?

[CubbieBlues]

Well, to be fair, Baker is an ass hat.

[Coldneck]

Again, no one muzzled him. The truth of his comments are completely and utterly beside the point.

 

Put another way, Stone criticized the players, the players got upset. The players criticized Stone, Stone quit. The players moved on. Stone has spent 9 years backstabbing, undercutting, and slighting the Cubs, Hendry and Baker. You want to call Mercker and Alou bitches? Fine, I won't argue. How is Stone exempt?

I'm not sure if you're directing this at me or not. I pretty clearly called Stone a know-it-all prick. To answer your question, Stone is not exempt. In fact, the 9 years since have only proved to most Cub fans that Stone is an unlikable dickhead. 

[BT]

 

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="BT" data-cid="206103" data-time="1372432239">
<div>
Again, no one muzzled him. The truth of his comments are completely and utterly beside the point.

 

Put another way, Stone criticized the players, the players got upset. The players criticized Stone, Stone quit. The players moved on. Stone has spent 9 years backstabbing, undercutting, and slighting the Cubs, Hendry and Baker. You want to call Mercker and Alou bitches? Fine, I won't argue. How is Stone exempt?

I'm not sure if you're directing this at me or not. I pretty clearly called Stone a know-it-all prick. To answer your question, Stone is not exempt. In fact, the 9 years since have only proved to most Cub fans that Stone is an unlikable dickhead. 

 

</div>
</blockquote>
 

No one in in particular. I'm just saying this reinforces my original point that the Stone/dusty/mercker flap should have been the writing on the wall that Stone was a whiny bitch, even if he had a point way back then.

 

And Baker is and ass hat.

[funkster]

Stone is an ego maniac.  Used to love him, until he started taking shots at the Cubs every chance he got.

[rok]

It all worked out for the best. Stone is clearly in broadcast hell sitting next to the classiest PBP man in the business for the past few seasons.